Jayce

This guy is our foundation male. Jayce hails from Kelly Maixner’s Mad Stork Kennel in Alaska. He is a lead dog and several time Iditarod finisher and came to “retire” with Eva. Due to an wrist injury, Jayce’s race career was cut short with Kelly but he maintains a happy life here in North Dakota. He is the go-to pup trainer, the most laid back easy boy in the yard who has a special love for Katt. Jayce has an infectious joy for the humans and animals alike! He is the only one in the yard who gets along with EVERYONE. There really aren’t enough words to describe this guy. He is the best.

Jayce is retired from racing. He enjoys his days on the Ranch in his own retirement pen. He also gets to run free while we are out doing work around the yard. He does still go on runs when he can but his age keeps him from traveling too far. Make no mistake, Jayce is a very real and beloved part of the DivaDogs team. He is our heart.

*Jayce passed away in February of 2022 while in Alaska visiting his old home. He passed peacefully in his sleep and was truly an exceptional dog. One of the best. We miss him dearly and accredit the diva successes to him and his amazing leadership.

Cocoa

This gal started it all. Cocoa is our foundation female. Her origins, along with all our dogs, come from Kelly Maixner’s Mad Stork Kennel. Her parents are Rebecca and Lathan.  How can we describe Cokes other than: GOOFBALL. She is a hoot. This gal, while she is shy with strangers, is the funniest dog in the yard. She has been known to jump on trampolines, tear up all of Katt’s things, and find unusual ways to make us all laugh. Cocoa runs lead and swing position. Cocoa spends her summers running with Katt, our resident long distance human runner.

Frost

Sister to Cocoa and nicknamed “sweetheart” is Frost. She has one of the most loving personalities in the yard. Frost loves to talk to you in her typical “woooooo” sounds. She’s not a huge barker but she does have something to say! Frost is sweet and loving and ready to go when it’s time to go. She is a digger and always has her “holes to China” throughout her area in the dog yard, keeping both Eva and her sister busy filling them in all year long! Frost runs in lead and swing position.

Kita

Sister to both Cocoa and Frost, Kita’s nickname is “loud mouth”. True to her nickname, Kita is the loudest gal in the yard. She is the barker but we love her anyway. Nothing gets past her, and sometimes that’s a good thing! Kita can run in any position and most days can be a great leader. She’s fast and friendly!

Negee

Negee is a sister to Cocoa, Frost, Pache, and Kita. Negee runs in lead position and has turned into one of our strongest leaders. If you ever visit, watch out for Neg, she LOVES to give kisses! And always on the face! Rub Negee and expect a bath in return!

Pache

That tall boy in the team is Pache! Pache is brother to Cocoa, Frost, Akita, and Negee. He is also nicknamed “long john” as he’s just so big! But don’t let that bigness fool you, he is actually super nice. Apache is Mr. Happy Go Lucky. Not much phases him. He likes everybody and if we would just let him get a closer look at those barn cats, he’d love them too….

The Inspire Litter

Brave

He looks exactly like his Mama Cocoa. Brave is a complex guy who knows what he likes and what he doesn’t.

He has worked his way up to running swing position. He loves us and he loves to run! What more can we ask for?

Honor

Honor is a BIG GUY!

He is crazy affectionate but a bit bigger than he realizes! Honor makes a wonderful wheel dog and we are excited to hone his skills in the back of the pack. He has a very important job – wheel dogs keep the sled upright!

Hope

She is affectionately called “Hopie” and is ALL love and affection. Hope was named after a dear friend of ours’ son, Levi, who suffers from a severely rare form of Muscular Dystrophy. Hope will always be easy to find as she gets the honor of wearing a blue harness which is the signature color for Levi’s Hope.

Please visit Levi’s Hope to learn more about Levi!

Hope is HAPPY!! LOVES EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE! She is fearless. She is very smart and shows promise as an excellent lead dog…she just needs maturity. She’s as much like her Daddy Jayce as all her siblings and it’s excellent to see. No dog could ever replace Jayce but Hopie is pretty close in her personality.

Hope – Sponsored by The Gagner Family

True

Aww, sweet True Girl…she is the littlest of the Inspire Litter but don’t let her size fool you! SHE IS ONE SMART COOKIE!

She is a bit skiddish but we have very high hopes to get this girl to run in lead position. She loves to pull and has pretty much outsmarted all her litter mates.

Dream

Dream is a lovey, happy, go with the flow girl. She loves people and loves to run. She is a bit of OVER happy when it comes to people… Haha…she is always willing to go and do anything you ask her! She is a great dog in any position!

Believe

MYSTERIOUS. That’s the best way to describe Miss Believe. She has a wonderfully happy bounce to her step, she has an excellent long and fast trot (something you really love to see in an endurance dog), but she is a bit like a cat. She likes you. She’s happy to see you. But…eh…whatevs. Don’t get us wrong, she’s a happy thing…but people aren’t necessarily her driving joy in life. She likes people but she doesn’t NEED them…you know?

She loves to pull and is very consistent. She currently runs in team and wheel position.

Newest Members

Pond

Pond is a 6 year old female we acquired from Wade Marrs and Stump Jumpin Kennel. Pond is an Iditarod veteran and currently runs any position in the team. She is quite shy and is a “all business” sled dog. She’s more about pulling than needing affection. She does these fun little hops in the yard and sometimes gets called “frog”.

Corgi

Corgi is a 5 year old female from Wade Marrs and Stump Jumpin Kennel. Her small stature kept her from his main race team but she fits in quite well here. Pictured above with her buddy, True.

Corgi is an absolute sweetheart and runs in swing position.

Skruff

Skruff comes to us from Dallas Seavey. She’s a 4 year old lead dog who’s a bit on the small side for the long distance races. She’s a very sweet girl and loves to run in the front!

Forest

Forest also comes from Wade Marrs and happens to be Pond’s brother! He is a very outgoing and happy guy. He runs lead with Frost as part of the nickname “spaz attack” because both Forest and Frost are hyper leaders who love everyone.

Stowaway Litter

Pictures coming soon. You can find them under “sponsor a diva”