Gem

Sponsored by Leah and Ashley Pales

Gem Gem! Gem is a fun loving hound dog, playful and friendly and usually found goofing around with her BFF Willie or tossing her bones around. Gem came to the team as a two year old, arriving at the end of fall training and thus not training with the team until the following year as a three year old. Thanks to the impeccable training of Don and Angel Hibbs, Gem possesses incredible discipline and manners, leaping to her platform and waiting for attention instead of pawing me. 

Gem’s first year in the team she quietly showed she’s got what it takes to lead and be a racing dog. It was early in September when Gem first led the team, with a confident charge forward, nary a glance over her shoulder. While Gem took to leadership well, in her first year racing there were a lot of other things she had to learn: pacing herself, sleeping in straw, snacking on the trail, the communicative work between musher and dogs to manage and care for injuries and feet. Also, as Gem grew more confident in leadership, she started challenging her co-leaders in taking commands. More than a few times, Gem insisted on going the wrong way, and it took a few tries for Aurora or Ariel to correct her. 

Gem made her way onto the Beargrease team, running in point just behind the leaders for the entire race. Her attitude was high and her work ethic strong. Her love of treats has always translated to a love of snacking on the trail, and yet the one thing that she persistently refuses to do is sleep in straw, preferring to sit upright and doze. Gem was unfazed by the crowds, the photographers, the noise and chaos of checkpoints, and also unfazed by the cold, her tongue turning her entire face white with frost. 

Now six years old, Gem is one of the senior leaders in the team. Gem spent most of the 2020-2021 training season running with Gemma, the two of them learning how to work together as they loped along. We have some tough trail conditions (ruts, huge puddles, lots of mud and water), and Gem is always unfazed by it all. She’s one tough little hound dog.

Gem earned her name as a puppy, where Don and Angel knew she was a special dog, that indeed she would be a ‘Gem.’

Race Experience:

2020
Blue Mtn 30 mile (1st place)
Can Am 100 (1st place)

2019
Beargrease Marathon
Can Am 250 (Leader)

Born: 2015