Home Baked Dog Treats Article

K&D Kennels is located on a picturesque tree-covered lot on the shores of Kam Lake, on the southern edge of Yellowknife. Stepping out of your vehicle, you're greeted by the sound of 78 howling, barking huskies (including 11 puppies).

As we settle into the interview, warm and comfortable in the main level of their home, where customers are treated to coffee, tea and treats, Demelt points to the dozens of trophies and photographs that line the walls. Most belong to Kelly but some to their children and grandchildren. The pair opened K&D Kennels about 14 years ago as a means of helping to cover Kelly's expenses from dogsled racing.

Demelt grew up surrounded by sled dogs in the small northern community of Rat River, on the south shore of Great Slave Lake. As a young woman, she used a six-dog team to operate a trap line and also raced dogs for fun. Kelly, on the other hand, was a latecomer to dogsled racing in 1979 after immigrating to Yellowknife from Ireland in 1970 to work as an electrician at the Giant gold mine.

The two met in 1974 in Yellowknife, and by the time they opened K&D Kennels in 1998, Kelly was self-employed as an electrician while Demelt ran her own company, Polar Parkas, selling custom-made parkas and outerwear.

She laughs when asked about the profitability of the kennel, saying they'll "never get rich" running it, but they love what they're doing. Of course, it's not their only iron in the fire: The couple also purchased a local motel, Northern Lites, two years ago.

So while Kelly works full-time running the motel, Demelt runs K&D Kennels and continues to sew parkas for the Polar Parkas business, which she's sold to her daughter and son-in-law. Helping Demelt run the kennels are two employees, one of whom came to the NWT from Korea to learn English.

Throughout the winter, K&D Kennels will do a brisk business, providing tourists and locals with dogsled and snowmobile rides. More adventuresome folks can help harness the dogs and even drive a team. However, the business is a labour of love, says Vivienne--with heavy emphasis on the word--"labour."

Every day, all 78 dogs must be watered and fed, the kennels cleaned and the dogs exercised on a rotating schedule. Then there is the inescapable paperwork and scheduling, equipment to be repaired, goodies to be baked and coffee brewed for the customers, and then the fun part--the actual dogsled ride. After a pause, Demelt laughs and says, "Well, most of the time it's fun." Sometimes in the depth of winter, the bitter cold and biting wind can make the job challenging and even the hardy, cold-loving huskies must be fitted with special coats and booties.

Today, however, it's a beautiful day, at -6 degrees Celsius. The first customer of the season, a professional woman from Calgary in town an business, is sitting warm and cozy in the toboggan in a handmade parka and heavy-duty boots provided by Demelt. With eight dogs pulling, the eight-kilometre ride is over in 25 minutes.

Many of Kelly and Demelt's customers are Japanese tourists, who travel to Yellowknife each winter to take in the spectacle of the Northern Lights. Demelt estimates that they give between 300 and 400 dogsled rides to Japanese tourists between November and April. They also have customers referred to them by local businesses, such as hotels and bed-and-breakfasts, and occasionally provide rides for school groups.

Demelt says she enjoys operating the kennel as a home-based business because the dogs ore close by and it's handy to have customers come right to their back door.' "I don't think we could do it any other way--and we enjoy being right on the lake," she adds.

Anyone interested in getting into the business should, of course, love animals, not be afraid of hard work, be willing to learn the ropes--and be willing to bundle up and head outdoors to care for the dogs when the wind is whipping and the temperature has dropped to below -40 degrees Celsius.

Another essential skill is the ability to plan ahead. The dogs still need to be cared for during the summer or "off" season when there is no income being generated, reminds Demelt.

The couple has toyed with the idea of retiring, but no decisions have been made. Retirement or not, Demelt says they'll always have huskies--but maybe only half a dozen.

For more information about K&D Kennels, call (867) 873-2023 or write to . Box 2381, Yellowknife, NT, X1A 2P8.

Brad Heath is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in a cabin in the Taiga forest outside of Yellowknife, NWT. His e-mail address is < >.