Western Star's Page

Born May 4, 2011, Wes made an exciting entrance by C-section. He and his brothers were so big, we named them after semi-trucks! The name "Western Star" stuck, since his father Sunny is from out west in Twisp, Washington. Wes is a very special puppy, the product of a breeding done with frozen semen and surgical insemination of our girl Aurie, to bring the great sledding/working genetics of the Mountain Home line of malamutes to WinterStar Farm. To see more pictures of Wes' father Sunny, click his name to go to the Mountain Home website, or simply visit the More Starz page.

We breed for great working dogs, and we sure got that with Wes! Wes is a strong weight puller. He earned his Working Weight Pull Dog (WWPD) title in September 2012, his United Weight Puller - Champion (UWPCH) title in September 2013, and his Working Weight Pull Dog - Excellent (WWPDX) title in March 2014. He's also a very solid dog on our team, for carting and sledding. He earned his Working Team Dog (WTD) title in January 2013, completing the final 10-mile leg at the 2013 CrowDitarod here at Winterstar Farm. He started training as a lead dog in 2013, and confidently leads the team. In the winter of 2014, Wes earned his Working Lead Dog (WLD) title, by completing four runs in single lead, each run at least 10 miles long. Wes is also a great pack dog; he started pack hiking in April 2013, and earned his Working Pack Dog (WPD) title in May 2013. We count on Wes and could not run our 8-10 dog team down the road or trail as we often do, past loose neighborhood dogs, traffic including farm equipment and school buses, wildlife and semi-feral cats - without his strength to hold the gangline taut when the rest of the team wants to move toward a distraction. His attention to us and willingness to comply with the "On By" command means meeting distractions results in a brief sprint down the trail by the excited team, instead of an off road adventure.

Wes has proven himself in the conformation ring. He started off with a major win at the Fargo-Moorhead Kennel Club show in June 2013, to earn his first points. He competed at the end of June at the Red Pine Kennel Club's UKC show and weight pull, earning a Group 4, Group 3, two Group 1s, and a very exciting Reserve Best in Show! These wins earned him his UKC Championship title on June 30, 2013. Wes steadily earned points toward his AKC Championship and then finished strong at the 2017 Fargo shows, taking four major wins in a row, the last one being a 5 point major win toward his Grand Champion title. He finished his AKC Grand Champion in July 2018 at the Duluth Kennel Club shows.

Wes attended Responsible Dog Ownership Day in September 2013 and demonstrated weight pull between cuddle sessions with the children attending. He took a break from the pull to earn his Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title, with many kudos from the judge! Then he participated in the Rally Novice Sanctioned Match and earned a perfect score of 100 and first place. Wes competed in Rally Novice in September and October 2013 and easily earned his RN title, placing 3rd in his first trial, and taking first for the next two legs! His final leg was an exciting and speedy run at the 2013 Malamute Regional show in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, where he scored 99/100 and impressed the judge by completing the lengthy course in just 1:07! Watch the "Man in Motion" video of Wes doing Rally Novice below.

Wes was awarded his All Around Alaskan Malamute title November 11, 2015, the 17th dog in our breed to ever achieve this honor, and the 4th dog from our kennel. He continues to delight the public with school visits, and dog sledding and weight pulling demonstrations.

Wes has a big personality and likes to comment by "woo-wooing" both beside the ring and at home! This fun versatile boy is a real pleasure to have in our lives and on our team.

Wes Man in Motion Rally Novice