The Border Collie dream team: Finn, Nidhogg, Borsi & Apacs

My connection with the so called 'doggy world' have started with a rescued siberian husky in 2001, and soon after that I became very interested in sleddogsport. I started with canicross, but after a year I started to establish my own sleddog team, containing mostly samoyeds, a wonderful looking versatile breed, my favourite one from the four official sleddogbreeds. (Altough, I must admit it was rather difficult to choose between Samoyeds and Al. Mals)

By the end of 2002 I was already racing with my sammies, and in 2003 we started to gain some 1st places in the C2 class in Hungary. In the years comming after that we were National Champions both with sled and dryland, and won the C2 category several times. We also took part in some foreign races, we gained 2 first place in Austria, but I think our greatest achievment is that we were able to run the limit time at the Donovaly World Championship in 2005. We barely had the chance to train with sled, also we live at the middle of the Great Hungarian Plain (thus no mountains), and my sammies aren't exactly from 'working lines'. I'm really proud of what we achieved during our active days, now my sams turned 7 years old, not in top racing condition, and I have no intention to rehome them to create a new team. For me they are my friends, my family members, we have been trought a lot of things together, I would never betray them just for the sake of winning shiny cups. I plan to participate in a few 'light' races, and enjoy the winter together if we have the possibility.

Over the years I became involved in many doggy activities, and I also fell in love with a new breed, the Border Collies. I bought my first Border Collie, Nidhogg in 2003, and he became my 'right hand' very soon after that, I've learnt a lot from him. About dog training, and mostly how should a relationship between dog and people look like. Also I started my k9-freestyle career with him, and so far we were quiet succesful with it. In 2007 an another wonderful BC joined our pack, Locheil As Good As It Gets 'Falcor', he was a real sweetheart, always happy and ready to go, for me he was like a dream. He died before his 2nd birthday, on a night I hope I'll be able to forget someday. About a month after that we visited Falcor's breeder in Scotland, and she gave me a young dog, Finn, for what I think I never be able to thank her enough. Finn helped me a lot overcomming my depression after the loss of Falcor, he simply didn't left any time for me to think too much. Also, I think he is a wonderful dog, in look, and more importantly in his personality.

While racing with my sammies, I always dreamed about having my own-bred team, and breeding good-looking working sammies. I started to learnd a lot about samoyeds, sammie pedigrees, genetics, and about dog breeding generally. I bought my first sammie girl- Freya- in 2004, from a combination I considered 'golden midway'. My first sammy litter was born in 2008, but due to the lack of time, I ended up showing my sams, instead of racing. Showing dogs is the only doggy activity I don't enjoy at all :) I strongly belive to make combinations I consider the very best, and if I lack anything needed to make them - time, money- I simply don't mate.

Trough my Border Collies I got involved in many new dogsports, like agility, herding, frisbee, and k9-freestyle. I tried most of them with my sammies too, Sam competed in agility, and Freya have a herding instinct test. Nowadays I enjoy those sports more that dogsledding, I feel them much more dog-centric, especially the k9-freestyle.

During the last 8 years I gathered many friends with the same interest, all over the world, met with many nice people, and living with dogs became a sort of 'lifestyle' for me. ( I think everyone interested seriously in dogs ends up like this.) I really don't have big ambitions for the future, most importantly I want to have a good time with mydogs.

Emese Fazekas & The Iceblazer Team