At the end of another great season, the trophies for the Championship were presented at the annual Presentation & BBQ.
Chena, having topped the 61-80lb class in 7 out 8 pulls, retains her title as 61-80lb Class Champion for 2011-12.
Troy enjoys his first opportunity to make some new English (and Scottish) friends, and we enjoy the chance to show him off!
Thanks to Sammy Taylor (Samnooshka Designs) for the photo.

...and here's the reason!  3 months in the planning, and here he is!  We thought nothing of travelling so far for our special new addition.  Troy is the son of one of the dogs we admired in the show ring, and a close relative of the top pulling dogs in the Weight Pulls.

When not watching dogs, much of our time on the trip was spent with his breeder, Pam & Joe Fusco, showing Troy in his first show, a Puppy Match in which he won his class, and also discovering lots of areas of Harrisburg that we may never have seen had we not had to go to the Vets office and the USDA Office to get all of Troy's Health Certification in order.  But it all paid off and he took everything in his stride on the long journey home.

We took an amazing trip across the pond to visit the Alaskan Malamute Association of Eastern Pennsylvania/Alaskan Malamute Club Of America Specialty Shows and Weight Pulls in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  Of course we had a fantastic time meeting our American friends as well as some of the Malamutes we've admired from a distance.  We were so impressed with the ability and attitude of the dogs we met, and were amazed by the weights being pulled - over 3700lbs!!  We also learned a thing or two about running successful Weight Pulls!  But, while we enjoyed every minute of our trip, we had another very special reason for going...

The final pull of the season and Chena is beaten into second place for the first and only time this season.  Both she and Indy (Shiva Storm At Nordicwinds) pull 1800lbs, but Indy pulls it 4 seconds quicker!  Well done Indy!
However, weighing in at 71lbs, Chena actually pulled 25.35 x her bodyweight, to win Highest Percentage on the day.