The Place
Our home is located in the high Sierra on acreage adjacent to Lassen national forest in California--a winter paradise for Alaskan Malamutes. There are miles of trails for year round recreation. From November to late April, access to the property is by snowmobile or snowcat on unplowed roads.
When they’re not in harness, our Alaskan Malamutes enjoy running off-leash and often accompany us on ski outings and snowshoe hikes. During the warmer months, our Malamutes love to swim at the numerous lakes in the area or play in their spacious yards which are shaded by the forest.
Spring & summer is also when we take our Malamutes to training classes where they socialize with dogs of all breeds and become accustomed to the show routine—including being examined & handled by strangers. Ongoing training, socialization & daily exercise are important for Alaskan Malamutes.
Our Vision
Snowlion is the culmination of three decades of selective breeding following an extensive study of pedigrees & Malamutes from around the country. We wanted outgoing, athletic dogs to share our active mountain lifestyle. Our ideal Malamute had to embody the AKC breed standard, exhibit a strong drive for sledding, compete in the show ring, and most importantly, be a great family dog. That’s asking a lot! But we succeeded in meeting these goals by incorporating dogs from three carefully chosen lines: a foundation bitch and male from R'mal Skyfyre (old west coast M’Loot), along with two males born in the 1990s from unrelated NY kennels (BISS Ch Nanuke A Rumor of War ROM WPD WLD & Innomé Aleut Alex). From this modest start with four dogs more than thirty years ago, Snowlion has developed its own unique look & produced several Best in Show, specialty winners, champions, working-titled dogs as well as producing the breed's all-time winning BIS red Malamute.
Longevity and good health are also top priorities--and to that end extensive health screening & research into canine genetics inform our current breeding decisions. Left: Claire, a typical Snowlion girl. Lightbox: Pictured at 13.5 yrs is our beautiful girl Brook —AKC champion, lead dog & best friend.
The People
Snowlion Kennels was founded thirty years ago by John & Jo. Since then they’ve worked closely with friends who share their passion for the breed & are now part of the Snowlion Team. In addition, their resident caretaker helps out whenever Jo is working overseas.
John owns a construction company & is an avid musher—having raced 200 mile Iditarod qualifiers with his Alaskan Husky team. He also enjoys running his Malamutes in harness as well as showing & overseeing their daily care.
Jo is an Asia regional analyst who worked as a university professor and researcher. She now consults for international development projects & travels often to SE Asia. Jo too is passionate about running sled dogs & has competed in many mid-distance races. She also oversees the breeding plans, show preparation, grooming & training of their Alaskan Malamutes.
Daily Life at Snowlion
It’s all about fun
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