Mushers Name: 

Peter Carroll
Dogs Name/s:   

Big, Alfie, Chaka, Dave, Miri
Country and Kennel of Origin:  

From Alaska and Austria
Breed:

Scandinavian Hounds
Pedigree: 

from Egil Ellis and Helen Lundberg and Rheinhart Monschein
How do you feel these dogs have adapted to the UK?

Shorter coated so they cope with the warmer climate better, but they work harder than the sibe so you have to be careful not to over do it as the sibe has the built in safety valve where as these dogs do not. They don't enjoy the rain but do any of us. They have settled in remarkably well. Ther other considerations, they have shorter coats so they require a different harness than that of my sibes. They require a different type of  housing system they do need to be kept warmer than other Nordic breeds but then they do not suffer in the summer so much. They can be let off the lead which is good for being able to free run them in the summer to keep good muscle on them so that when the Autumn arrives they have some miles on them already to get started so you have a jump start.
What made you want to import this dog? 

In 2000 I saw these dogs of Egils and admired their shape and how easy going they were, they were also very impressive on the trail also, in these years totally wasting the opposition.
How did you import this dog?  

I first stated emailing Egil about the  possibility of getting a dog from him and then all the barriers started to go up. Because the dog was in Alaska the dog would have had to go through quarantinre but Egil did not want to put any dogs through this system and I have serious concerns after I brought the five Siberians through quarantine some years earlier. Some bounce straight out and others take it very badly it depends on the dog. At the end of the day Egil set it up that the dog Alfie would do her Pet Passport in Europe and then I would be able to bring her straight in.
Any other comments to add? (Go on tell us a funny story!)

I can tell you a not funny story and that was that they could not find the chip number of the dog at customs. Had to get the chaps over from the English side to check it. They were brilliant and it all worked out well in the end.
Main achievements for this dog/s so far?     

I  brought Chaka over in whelp and she had six pups. Mandie and Keith Johnson had two boys that part of the team that won the Trophee De Savoie race in France. The dogs that have been brought over will provide me with a good gene pool to create a good hard working sled dog.

Big

Alfie

 

Chaka