FLOUNDER

Flounder is a sweet, sensitive dog. He is a bit shy at first but once you get to know him, it develops into a reserved happiness. Flounder is really soft in personality and loves quiet moments with soft pets. He is very quiet at hookup, not liking the chaos, but once the hook is pulled, Flounder is an absolute powerhouse in harness. I rarely see him trot, he pushes to lope no matter what speed or mileage. Flounder prefers being towards the back of the team in wheel, but he can step up and lead if needed, even if it isn't his favorite position. Flounder is completely blind but it has never slowed him down, in or out of harness. He has an almost magical way of getting around the house with his nose and ears, and nothing as small as blindness is going to keep him from running.

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Flounder came from Meredith Mapes at six years old, bringing some much needed experience to my mostly young team. He has a ton of race experience while on her team:

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2017 Knik 200 - 26th place

2017 Northern Lights 300 - dropped in Yentna (return)(sore wrists)

2017 Junior Iditarod

2017 Alaska Excursions 120 - 8th place

2018 Knik 100 - 6th place

2018 Iditarod - 49th place

2018 Freddie's Midnight Run - 4th place

2019 Jr Willow 100 - 9th place

2019 Jr Iditarod - 8th place

2020 Iditarod - returned in Rainy Pass

2021 Ididntrod - 13th place

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In early 2022, Flounder was severely injured in a dog fight during a training run. Friends, family, and supporters of our kennel on Twitter raised enough money to completely cover Flounder's nearly 2 week hospitalization and multiple surgeries. Thanks to the incredible care of the veterinary hospital at University of Minnesota, Flounder was able to not only keep his life, but his leg, too. We assumed Flounder's sleddog career was over, but I threw him on the team in fall and he amazed us all by not only keeping up, but being an incredibly strong and driven force on the team. I call him my superman because of how consistent he is, and how he lopes no matter what, always pushing to go faster. After the incident, Flounder moved inside the house full time to aid his recovery, and he took to the role with enthusiasm. He is the best cuddler around, and spends every night spooned into the small of my back.

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In the 2023-24 season, Flounder's leg wound finally caught up to him and he could no longer do long runs, as much as his heart wanted to. I still find it impressive that he got a bonus year and a half of running, considering none of us thought he would put a harness on again! He still joins the team for short runs and to teach the puppies the whole running gig.