Cody Strathe is in for a distance double of 1,000-mile sled dog races for 2016. He’ll make his first run to Nome in Iditarod XLIV a couple of short weeks after he competes in the 2016 Yukon Quest. Cody won’t be the only Squid Acres musher to make the distance double, Strathe’s wife and kennel partner, Paige Drobny, is also signed up for both the Quest and Iditarod. This is an amazing feat for their kennel. Cody says, “It’s very exciting to be out there with all my favorites.. my wife and my dogs.” He believes that they’ll be the first married couple to run both races (Iditarod and Quest) in the same season.
Cody Strathe at the Yukon Quest Start (photo provided by Cody)
Squid Acres is home to Cody, Paige and sixty Alaskan Huskies. The couple has been building their kennel and developing their line of dogs for roughly eight years. When it comes to breeding and raising sled dogs, Cody thinks there’s nothing more exciting than watching goofy little pups grow into racing sled dogs. When asked what he likes best about running sled dogs Cody replied, “Time alone with my best furry friends in the wildest places in Alaska.” He became involved in running dogs when he traveled and camped by dog team with friends.
Squid Acres Kennel wasn’t originally founded with the idea of racing, but instead to explore the wilderness and beautiful places of Alaska by dog team. Cody and Paige have found expeditions by dog team to be an invaluable way to bond with their dogs and train for races. When the snow falls and the rivers freeze, the couple takes to the north, WAY north, with their dogs.
Cody was born in Iowa then moved to Wisconsin. He’s ridden horses from a very young age and participated in rodeos. He earned a degree in Natural Resource Management from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point. After moving to Fairbanks, he earned a master’s degree in Anthropology and Archeology. Keeping busy isn’t a problem for Cody. Besides running dogs and archeology projects, Strathe, under the name of Dog Paddle Designs, builds custom dog sleds, wooden boats and paddles.
Jodi Bailey at the 2015 Iditarod Ceremonial Start
Jodi Bailey made history in 2011 when she became the first rookie to complete the Yukon Quest and Iditarod in the same year. About running dogs Jodi says, “They never fail to inspire me with their attitude and what they are capable of doing. When you are out there on the trail with your team, you don’t have e-mail or work or laundry or anything like that. Everything that is important is right there in front of you. When you travel by dog team you are really exposed to the world around you, experience it in all its beauty and extremes. People talk about finding your happy place. Well for me it is on the back of a sled with my team.”
Bailey, a theater major from the Island of Martha’s Vineyard, MA, has a degree in Theater Studies and Anthropology. While in school, she won a grant to study story telling. Alaska was her destination for the summer. She fell in love with the beauty and the people. After graduating in 1991 from Emory University, she moved to Fairbanks. Through her mushing experiences, she’s got plenty of stories to tell and does so in a very captivating manor.
Jodi and Dan Kaduce, her husband, built and reside at Dew Claw Kennel near Fairbanks. Like Bailey, Kaduce is a veteran of both the Yukon Quest and Iditarod. Ski-joring was the link that brought the couple together. As the couple acquired more dogs, skies were set aside in favor of sleds. A wise choice considering the number of dogs they had to train. With sleds came the desire to compete first in mid-distance races such as the Copper Basin 300, Kobuk 400 and Denali Doubles and then sifted to the long distance Yukon Quest and Iditarod.
Quoting Jodi from Meet the Mushers at dewclawkennel.com, “Training dogs for a race like the Iditarod takes an enormous amount of work and investment. However you get the honor of running the race, and that is the reward. Alaska is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, geography, wildlife and Aurora. I am constantly in awe of the views that surround me mushing.”
By the way, Jodi manufactures an herbal salve from wild plants harvested locally. MUSH (Multi Use Salve for Healing) is natural and safe for use on dogs and also works great for humans.
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