At Genia we have been blessed by the sponsorship of Karen Ramstead, a Siberian Husky breeder in Alberta and a veteran musher. Karen will promote the cause of canine cancer in her racing and we are proud that her team will wear the Pet4Pets colors at the Last Great Race on Earth, the Iditarod.

When Karen wrote to us about how she had seen our collars at her veterinarian’s office, we welcomed her offer to help. When she told us the story of Chester, one of her sled dogs, we wanted to share it with others.

Chester, Champion Of Show Ring, Icy Trails And The Heart Of His Companion.

By Karen Ramstead,
Iditarod Racer, Siberian Husky Breeder

Chester came to Mark and me as a puppy in the winter of 1996/97. It was a tough period in our lives with the death of my father (due to cancer) in October, my husband losing his job, and some other personal challenges. Although it really made no sense for us to be taking on another dog at that time, something about Chester "spoke" to us.

Sure enough, shortly after Chester's arrival, things began changing. Mark found a new job, we moved, I quit 'working' (well, traditional working) and begin chasing my dream of competing in the legendary Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race.

Chester grew, as did my experience and skill as a musher. In 2000, Chester, 15 other of my dogs and I stood ready to take on the challenge of Iditarod. Unfortunately, that year we didn't complete the 1,151-mile race, but we learned a lot and in 2001 came back to try again. This time we succeeded. I became the first Canadian woman to complete the event and my dog team was the first team of Canadian Kennel Club registered Siberian Huskies to do so.

About this time Chester accompanied me to a presentation I was doing for a school in the area and we discovered his secret second calling - Chester was MEANT to work with children. Over the years, Chester has visited thousands of school kids through Alberta, Montana and New Hampshire and helped to teach them about dog sled racing. With his non-stop wagging tail and his friendly Siberian grin, he made friends wherever he went.

In 2004, my team again finished the Race. Led across the finish line in Nome by Chester and my superstar leader, Grover, we set the third fastest time for a purebred team in the Race. After getting home from Alaska that year, Chester set out to try his paw at being a show dog. He easily obtained his Canadian Championship - becoming one of only 7 Siberian Huskies that are both Iditarod finishers and Champion show dogs.

In January of 2005, Chester was sidelined with a shoulder injury. Shortly after that he retired from competitive racing. He spend the winter of '06 with friends of ours in New Hampshire, helping them learn the ropes of the sport before coming back home to settle into our "Geriatric Park" section of the kennel to enjoy his well deserved retirement.

In mid November we noticed Chester having a bit of trouble swallowing his food. Between making a vet appointment and taking him in, Chester had a large lump suddenly appear on the top of his head. X-ray, a barium swallow and biopsy quickly confirmed our worst fears - Chester had advanced cancer and Dr. Jackson felt that we had less than one more month to share with him.

Our once proud, strong sled dog moved into the house so that we could enjoy every moment we can with him.

Chester and I have traveled around 20,000 miles together in harness over the years. We have conquered the Alaska Mountain Range, brutal storms, ice, overflow and more - but this is something that he and I can't beat.

In addition to Chester, another of my 2001 Iditarod finishing dogs, Sissy (The Flying Nun of NorthWapiti) is currently battling cancer. Sissy retired with live with a friend of mine in '03 and was diagnosed with cancer very shortly after she moved. They were able to remove her tumour and she went through chemotherapy. She remained cancer free until just a few months ago. We also lost Squeaky (NorthWapiti's Robert E Lee), one of my 2004 Iditarod dogs to cancer this September at the age of 7. Sadly, there have been a number of others over the years.

If telling Chester's story can help make it so someday another dog owner doesn't have to watch their dog go through this, I'm all for it.