kachemak

We are John & Louise Forster and have been owned by our Malamutes since May 2000 when our first boy came to stay. He came as a pet...just a pet...but it wasn't long before the showing and working bugs had bitten and we extended our family with the gradual introduction of the girls.

We live on the western edge of the English Lake District and enjoy the countryside as do the dogs. Our dogs are first and foremost part of our family but working and showing are also a big part of our lives. All four dogs have been shown and done reasonably well. All four have also worked in harness. All of the dogs live together in the house with us. We have been members of the Alaskan Malamute Club of the UK since 2000 and Louise currently serves on the committee. Louise has also passed both the KC Conformation and Movement Hands On Assessment and the AMCUK Breed Seminar and Hands On Assessment and is on to the AMCUK Judges C List.

We chose Kachemak as our Kennel Name because of it's association with wild Alaska. It means "large cliff by the water" in Yupik.

Kachemak Bay is an area on the Kenai Penninsula in South Central Alaska. It comprises Alaska's first State Park and it's only State Wilderness Park. We visited Alaska for our honeymoon in 2008. Part of our stay was spent on Kachemak Bay where the scenery is stunning and the wildlife is breathtaking. We encountered Bald Eagles, Sea Otters, Porpoises, Seals and Black Bears among other things. We hope to return there soon!

Alaskan Honeymoon photos

All of our dogs come from Storm Kloud's lines. The Storm Kloud Kennel in the US, owned by Nancy Russell, is famous worldwide and has produced many show and working titled dogs in the US and around the world.

Nancy wanted to prove that the breed could still do the job for which it was bred by running in the world's greatest sled dogs race, The Iditarod. She teamed up with Jamie Nelson, an experienced musher from Minnesota, and proceeded to breed and train 20 Malamutes from the Storm Kloud Kennel, 15 of whom went on to run in the 1994 Iditarod.

Three of the Iditarod Team dogs are actually in the pedigree of two of our dogs. Chena and Sika's paternal Granda Justin (SK Yyes Just Say Yes), Great Granda Casey (SK Ggrandslam), and Chena's maternal Great Great Great Grandma Icess (SK Iicess) all ran on the team.

1994 Alaskan Malamute Iditarod Team

Feeding

All of our dogs are now fed on Biologically Appropriate Raw Food (BARF) which mimics the the diet of wild dogs and wolves from whom they inherited their digestive systems. This means they enjoy more variety in their meals, eating a lot of raw meaty bones, chicken wings, mince, fruit & vegetables, offal and eggs amongst other things. This is a natural diet which enables them to digest their nutrients efficiently and as nature intended. They enjoy it a whole lot more too! There are links to some useful BARF websites on our links page.

Never feed your dog cooked bones of any kind!

Breeding

See the Breeding page for details of any future possible breeding plans.

If you are considering being owned by an Alaskan Malamute, then there is much research and homework to be done. You must be honest with yourself and be prepared to answer many in-depth questions by any reputable breeder. The malamute is not your average dog and as such requires time, understanding and a knowledgeable home. Check out our Getting a Mal Page for more information and advice. Feel free to contact us for more advice and information. We occasionally have information about planned litters and can point you in the right direction. If you would be interested in re-homing a Malamute which may have been returned to it's breeder through no fault of it's own, check out our re-homing page.

There is a wealth of information on the internet which will help get you started with researching all the topics you need to before deciding if life with a malamute is for you. See our Links page for some useful sites. We also have a Recommended Reading page.