Our precious Alaskan Malamutes are not just “Dogs”, they are truly family, and so when we say “Pack” we literally mean, Family Pack. We provide them with tons of love, attention, and meaningful devotion. They are fed a high quality diet, with additional food supplements such as local elk, venison, and/or bison. Occasionally our babies get nice treats like sardines, bone broth, and homemade stew (just for them). They always have access to fresh clean Rocky Mountain water straight from our well. Our oversized property devotes almost an entire acre just for a full run and free play area. Although we live in a very rural area with abundant wildlife, our Malamutes are always secured in well kept, spacious housing at all times and closely monitored 24/7 via live Wifi video recording surveillance. Their outdoor housings are just a few feet away from our home’s main entrance, and is visible at all times. Our dogs are indoor dogs as well, and spend a lot of time indoors with us. Please visit our blog for some “inside” looks into our setup, and how my husband handcrafts extraordinary dens for our babies, and how we manage and maintain our housings.
We often take hikes through the Pike’s Peak region, as well as team up with our dear friend and partner of Snow Pack’s Alaskan Malamutes, Kelly Schmid, and go on hikes together with her pack. Our dogs are constantly socialized, trained, and worked with. We visit parks as well as go on off road adventures where we can truly appreciate the wild back country of this magnificent place we call home – Colorado.
We realize that there is a lot of opinions and “conjecture” regarding training, and although our dogs are disciplined to a certain degree, we also do not force a lot of rules down their throat. We believe in allowing these dogs to fully express themselves, and what may seem like unruly and obnoxious behavior to some, to us, it is just simply the individual personality and natural tendencies of the breed coming out. Our dogs know who their pack leaders are, and my husband and I make sure that our position as alphas is never questioned. This is done by positive reinforcement, and building quality relationships with our dogs. When you develop a strong relationship, this breed will do just about anything to feel it is a contributing family member.
When these dogs are trained to know when it’s time to work or do a job, they instinctively “fall into line”. However, Malamutes are not easily “trainable” dogs outside their natural instinctive drive to pull, no matter what anyone tries to claim. They are very independent thinkers and so if you want a dog that you can train just to do silly tricks, a Malamute might not be the best choice for you. If anything, they will know that what you are asking of them is not necessary or rewarding enough. However, if you devote lots of time, patience, and energy into training, then you might be able to be somewhat successful. Mals just have a mind of their own, proud, confident, and although they may know what you are telling them to do, they know they don’t “have” to do anything. Therefore, they can be a bit stubborn and difficult to train for some people. We just feel that our dogs are well-behaved enough for us, and their free spirit is what we admire and love about them in the first place.
It is very important to us that folks truly recognize and understand that our dogs are not bred just to make money off pups, this is not a “business” for us, it’s a lifestyle, and our dogs are not “kennel” dogs. We are a family who fully appreciates the breed, wants to see it flourish and maintain it’s purity, legacy, as well as see healthy and happy pups go to folks who have the same love, admiration and respect for these magnificent animals as we do. We have a small pack, but it’s growing quickly, and we have future goals to move further out to provide even a larger area for our dogs to live, play, and thrive, as well as hopefully be able to provide a safe haven for Malamutes that have had a bad deck of cards dealt to them…yes, we want to be of service to Malamutes who need re-homing and/or rescue.
We do not believe in keeping our dogs, or any animals, inhumanely “locked up” or “tied” for long periods of time, or without proper attention. We are NOT “those” types of people and we will never willingly or knowingly allow our dogs,or their pups, to be treated in any manner that diminishes or challenges their rights as sentient beings.
Because of our strong love, commitment, and loyalty to our dogs and their best interest, they know they are deeply cared for, and as a result, are happy, healthy, confident and emotionally well-balanced.
All of our Malamutes that will/are producing offspring are registered with the AKC. We do not normally register litters unless there is a specific reason to do so. Limited registration is available for those who wish to pay an additional fee. Breeding rights are considered on a case-by-case basis, however an additional fee and terms apply.
All of our dogs are registered with the county, vaccinated according to governing law, and responsibly maintained.
We do not willingly support anything that promotes unethical breeding practices or “puppy mill” operations. Please see our “About Us” section for more information regarding our philosophy.
A Word on Genetics and “Certifications”…
We see so many folks get so wrapped up in gimmicky paperwork and “certifications”, rather than learning more about a breeder and their breeding practices…which really is so much more important. Many “certifications” are flimsy promises made by a very money hungry profit based system designed to make you believe that “somehow” a piece of paper will guarantee the life long health of your beloved companion. This is simply hogwash. Many times these certifications can be easily “faked”, outdated, or just plain WRONG and there is no liability associated with a fake guarantee in the first place. This is why we will never put that before our own ethical breeding practices in which only dogs free of any known genetic diseases are bred – that is the true foundation of a healthy dog. Making sure breeding dogs are vet checked and health certified on a regular basis, especially before and birthing litters, is also a major key factor, but even when two breeding dogs are “cleared” that does not mean a puppy cannot be born with a genetic disorder. Click here to read our blog post on Why We Don’t OFA Certify Our Dogs. Yes, genetics are of MASSIVE importance, however, putting your faith in a piece of paper is honestly just false security and an empty promise. I’ve even read people say things like, “If a breeder does not have their dogs listed on the OFA website, do not invest in their dogs”. This is such a horrible misconception of the truth, its nearly a joke. Matter of fact, we have personally seen the opposite. Breeders with tons of “certifications” are the ones who constantly come up with dogs with genetic health disorders! You are not investing in a piece of paper, so be sure not to fall for the gimmicks. Personally, we feel that putting a dog through the OFA certification process is more harmful than it’s worth. Here are several articles explaining why…
Putting otherwise normal healthy dogs with absolutely no sign of any genetic hip disorders through exposure to radiation and evasive potentially harmful processes, just to get a “certification” that essentially means absolutely nothing – it’s just simply ridiculous.
Again, breeders who have any moral or ethical code will not breed dogs known to have significant genetic disorders present and without at least divulging this information openly. As of right now, there is no “magic 8 ball” that can determine whether a puppy will develop a genetic disorder, the OFA cannot even do this. The BEST way to REDUCE THE RISK is to get to know your breeder, ask questions, read reviews – and also DO YOUR PART! Genetics are not the only thing that contributes to disorders that can cause health problems. Proper diet and nutrition, proper exercise, access to clean water and living environment, responsible vaccination (not over vaxing!) – these things all play a huge role in the long term health of your beloved canine companion. Ethical breeders do their very best to produce healthy pups which contribute positively to the breed and their lines. There is a very unhealthy misconception that “all” breeders are “puppy mills” or people that are looking to just make a quick buck. Although these disgusting places and people do exist, it is very important to be able to know the difference.
