Jonah (co-owner and founder) started North Star Dog Mushing Co. in 2024. He’s been mushing these dogs for the past four winters in training runs, tours, and long-distance races like the Copper Basin and Yukon Quest. Jonah won the Red Lantern and Sportsmanship Award in the 2024 Yukon Quest Alaska 300. He especially enjoys sharing the dogs and lifestyle with guests and all the goofy personalities of each individual dog.

Deke (co-owner and founder) started the kennel (Nautique Sky Kennel) in 2014. He had previous mushing experience in Colorado and Sweden before starting his own kennel, and since then has been breeding and raising his own dogs while competitively mushing in long-distance dog sled races such as the Iditarod, Yukon Quest, Copper Basin, and Two Rivers dog sled races. He won the Leonard Seppala Humanitarian Award for exemplary dog care in the 2023 Iditarod. He enjoys sharing his unique lifestyle with guests, sharing the trail with his best friends, and especially paying all of the bills that come with owning a 40+-dog kennel!

No, she’s actually a doctor. Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, to be exact, practicing at Aurora Animal Hospital here in Fairbanks. She solves all the bumps, bruises, and illnesses for the team. Nikki also volunteers extensively with sled dog races across the state, including the Iditarod, Yukon Quest, and Copper Basin. She works closely with each individual dog and enjoys to take them on hikes and runs, especially her favorite sled dog, Churro (aka Chirpy)!!

Eric is the do-er of all the things that need doing, maintainer of schedules, and organizer of the group. He plays a critical role in building our equipment (like dog sleds and dog lines). Eric enjoys mushing his own small team of retirees from the kennel and being our main go-to handler on all the dog sled races that we do.

Nolan is Deke’s son and has been a major part of the kennel since he was born. He keeps things loose and reminds us all that the point is to HAVE FUN! He is the two-time defending champion of the Two Rivers Fun-ale kid dog sled race. He enjoys mushing small teams in the spring in his Charmander Pokemon costume and raising his litter of pups (the Chicago Bulls litter) into the next group of top-tier race dogs!