Jamaica Dogsled Team
Encyclopedia
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
s and mushers (sled dog
Sled dog
Sled dogs, known also as sleigh man dogs, sledge dogs, or sleddogs, are highly trained types of dogs that are used to pull a dog sled, a wheel-less vehicle on runners also called a sled or sleigh, over snow or ice, by means of harnesses and lines.Sled dogs have become a popular winter recreation...
racers) headquartered at Chukka Caribbean Adventures in Ocho Rios, located in Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Saint Ann Parish, Jamaica
Saint Ann is the largest parish in Jamaica. It is situated on the north coast of the island, in the county of Middlesex, roughly halfway between the eastern and western ends of the island. It is often called 'the Garden Parish of Jamaica' on account of its natural beauty...
. The dog team is made up of strays rescued by the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
and offers dryland dogsled rides, along with the adventure center’s other outdoor experiences. In addition, the two mushers Newton Marshall
Newton Marshall
Newton Marshall is a professional dogsled musher, who represents the Jamaica Dogsled Team.-Biography:...
and Damion Robb, compete in sled
Sled
A sled, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle with a smooth underside or possessing a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners that travels by sliding across a surface. Most sleds are used on surfaces with low friction, such as snow or ice. In some cases,...
races throughout the U.S. and Canada, using leased dog teams. (Jamaican dogs taken out of the country are not allowed to return due to quarantine regulations.) Country music singer Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville is the name of a United States-based casual dining American restaurant chain and a chain of stores selling Jimmy Buffett-themed merchandise...
is the team's major sponsor.
Beginnings
The Jamaica Dogsled Team was started in 2005 by Danny Melville, owner of Chukka Caribbean Adventures. Melville was shopping for dune buggies at Badland Buggies, a fabrication shop in EdmontonEdmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, Alberta, when he saw a dryland cart for training sled dogs. Fascinated, Melville contacted Alan Stewart, a Scottish sled dog trainer who was having the cart made. Following in the footsteps of the famous Jamaica national bobsled team
Jamaica national bobsled team
The Jamaican national bobsleigh team represents Jamaica in international bobsledding competitions. The team first gained fame during their debut in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they gained international fame as the ultimate underdogs, representing a tropical...
, Melville decided to form Jamaica’s first dogsled team.
In July 2005, Melville sent Chukka Cove manager Devon Anderson—known as a “horse whisperer” for his gentle way with animals—to Scotland to train in dryland racing under Stewart, owner of Cairngorm Adventure Centre.
In August, Stewart came to Jamaica, where he helped Melville and Anderson develop a dog team, starting with nine dogs rescued from a welfare home. Rick Johnson of Mahtowa, Minnesota, also spent two weeks in Jamaica. When Stewart left in September, a kennel had been built, complete with dog houses and a chain-link enclosure, and the dogs were running in harness. The following November, Danny and Carole Melville attended the North Star Sled Dog Club’s Fall 2005 Fun for All Seminar in Minnesota.
Racing
On January 21–22, 2006, Anderson returned to Scotland, where he competed in the Aviemore Sled Dog Rally, a four-dog dryland race. He finished 27th out of 40 competitors, with a time of 45 minutes and 51 seconds.In the fall of 2006, Anderson finished in two Pro 4 Dog Rig Class dryland sled dog races in Minnesota. He finished 2nd out of 11 in the Byllesby Dryland Classic and 8th out of 18 in the East Meets West Dryland Challenge. For both races he used a team provided by Ken & Donna Davis out of Elfstone Kennels in Twig, MN.
On April 12, 2007, the full-length documentary Sun Dogs
Sun Dogs (film)
Sun Dogs is a 2006 documentary directed by Andrea Stewart, distributed by .-Synopsis:Rescued from the mean streets and animal shelters of Kingston, 12 stray dogs are trained to be the stars of Jamaica’s first dogsled racing team...
premiered at the ReelWorld Film Festival in Toronto. The film, produced by Palm Pictures, documented the beginnings of the Jamaica Dogsled Team and, along with a growing number of TV and radio appearances, catapulted the team into the public’s eye.
In the fall of 2007 Damion Robb and Newton Marshall
Newton Marshall
Newton Marshall is a professional dogsled musher, who represents the Jamaica Dogsled Team.-Biography:...
joined the team. Robb finished in 2nd place in the Byllesby Dryland Classic on October 20–21 and finished 3rd in the Dirty Dog Dryland Derby on October 27–28. On November 17–18 Robb took first place in the East Meets West Dryland Challenge, 4-Dog Pro Class. Marshall began training in long-distance racing with Austrian-born Hans Gatt, three-time champion of the Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race.
To the Snow
In 2008 Robb and Marshall began racing on snow. Robb, who trained with Ken Davis, a competitive musher from Twig, Minnesota, focused on sprint racing. He placed 7th in his first sled dog race, the Kinross Classic Sled Dog Race in Kinross, Michigan, on January 5–6. He went on to complete a total of nine sled dog races in the 2007-2008 season and eight in the 2008-2009 season.On March 27–28, 2008, Marshall competed in his first major race, the Percy De Wolfe Memorial Mail Race from Dawson City, Yukon, to Eagle, Alaska, and back. He finished 7th place and won the coveted Sportsmanship Award. Marshall was described by Race Marshall Mel Besharah as “the coolest guy out there.” During the 2008-2009 season Marshall returned to Canada to continue training with Hans Gatt. He finished 21st among 47 starters at the Sheep Mountain 150 and 13th in the Cooper Basin 300, a race that turned frigid, with temperatures reaching 50 below (Fahrenheit).
Completing two mid-distance races qualified Marshall for the 2009 Yukon Quest
Yukon Quest
The Yukon Quest 1,000-mile International Sled Dog Race, or simply Yukon Quest, is a sled dog race run every February between Fairbanks, Alaska, and Whitehorse, Yukon...
International Sled Dog Race, a 1000-mile race known for grueling conditions. Marshall finished 13th place in the race, bringing 10 dogs to the finish line and earning $3000. He won the Challenge of the North Award for best exemplifying the spirit of the Yukon Quest.
In 2010, JDT musher Newton Marshall made international headlines when he became the first Caribbean musher ever to finish the famous Iditarod
Iditarod
Iditarod may refer to:*Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, an annual sled dog race in the Alaskan Interior and western coast*Iditarod Trail, a historical trail across the Alaskan Interior*Iditarod, Alaska, a town for which the trail and races are named...
- the prestigious 1100-mile race from Willow to Nome, Alaska. He finished the race in 47th position out of a field of 71 mushers. His finishing time was 12 days, 4 hours, 27 minutes, 28 seconds. He trained for the race with four-time Iditarod
Iditarod
Iditarod may refer to:*Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, an annual sled dog race in the Alaskan Interior and western coast*Iditarod Trail, a historical trail across the Alaskan Interior*Iditarod, Alaska, a town for which the trail and races are named...
champion Lance Mackey
Lance Mackey
Lance Mackey is an American dog musher and dog sled racer from Fairbanks, Alaska, who is a four-time winner of the 1,000-mile Yukon Quest and four-time winner of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.-Career:...
.
Meanwhile, also in 2010, Damion Robb, won a sprint race in Cannington, Ontario and had two second and two third place finishes in his other four races.
Affiliations
The Jamaica Dogsled Team is a member of the International Federation of Sleddog Sports, Inc., the Jamaica Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to AnimalsSociety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
The Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals is a non-profit animal welfare organization originally founded in England in 1824 to pass laws protecting carriage horses from abuse. SPCA groups are now found in many nations, where they campaign for animal welfare, assist in cruelty to animals...
, and the International Sled Dog Racing Association, Inc.