Breed: Zulu line Alaskan Husky
Birthdate: 08/02/2002
Position: Retired Versatile Leader now furry angel

Blue is from our 2002 Traditional Alaskan Husky litter between Zulu and Jesse. She is the sister to Bazil, Klaus and Sweet Pea. She has spent the last nearly eleven years placed in a different kennel and we are extremely happy to be able to provide her with the very best retirement home we can. in the winter of 2014-2015, she surprised us by letting us know she absolutely wanted to run in harness with the team. By the end of the season, she was slowing down just a tad but this girl put 100% of what she had into running. When she's ready to retire, she'll let us know!

Update - Blue's body decided to retire in the fall of 2015 at 13 years old, although her head was still very much in the game! She has been kept busy patrolling the large enclosures and spending time with her brother, Klaus, in the house.

Update - Our sweet Blue passed away a short time after her brother Klaus, in the fall of 2016 due to a stroke. Such a sweet, goofy soul; she will be greatly missed.

Breed: Half Hedlund Husky/Half Zulu Line Alaskan
Birthdate: 07/21/2018
Position: Lead Dog now furry angel

Dolce - Sponsorship Status: Sponsored for 3 months, through June 2020, by Barb & Dennis O'Brien of South Haven, Minnesota. Sponsored by Deborah Fisher of Coupeville, Washington for three months through the month of September, 2020. An additional three month sponsorship from Deborah Fisher for three months through December 2020!

Dolce is from the Agate x Sandy Music Box Litter. She fits her name, being the very sweetest puppy. She is, however, also quite mischievous and if someone is going to get out, get stuck or get into whatever it is, that would be Dolce.

Breed: Half Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 05/31/07
Position: Versatile Leader now Furry Angel

Journey is out of McKenzie and Cranberry. Cranberry is an outcross from a bush trapline team. She and her four litter mates were born on May 31, 2007. Journey joined Points Unknown Kennel in early August of that year when we made the "Journey" to Alaska to bring her home. She was an independent and confident pup and we knew she would make an excellent leader with proper training and that she did! She isn't the least bit daunted by open country leading on an expansive lake and enjoys every minute of it!

Update - Journey decided to retire in 2017 and now lives the life of luxury with our dear friend in Missoula, Montana who has Happy Paws, a daycare and boarding facility where she is the official puppy nanny to all of their furry guests. This sweet girl passed away in 2018.

Breed: Zulu line Alaskan Husky
Birthdate: 08/05/02
Position: Open Country Leader now furry angel

Klaus just looked like a Klaus. Zulu is his father and he is a brother to Sweet Pea, Blue and Bazil. Klaus has become an excellent leader like his dad. His open country leader skills are amazing and he turns on a dime, again just like dad. When in lead, he never stops pulling and rarely looks back except for the occasional glance to make sure he is doing what was asked. In harness he is quite serious and has no time for fun and games. Off the trail he is quirky, goofy and always trying to get his sister, Sweet Pea, to play. Klaus is in the midst of retirement. Although he can go out on short runs, his body doesn't seem to want him to go much further. His mind is still ALL IN!

Update - Klaus decided to retire in the fall of 2014. He enjoys roaming free in our big enclosures and taking walks with us and the house dogs. What he loves most is coming in every evening for some one-on-one time and a peanut butter Kong.

Update - My right hand man and sweet soul of a guy passed away in the summer of 2016. Sadly, his body was beginnig to fail him. Such heart and soul. He will be deeply missed.

Breed: Deep line Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 08/01/2001
Position: Lead, now furry angel

McKenzie is one of the foundation Hedlund males and sire to Journey, Topa and White Feather.. He joined  Points Unknown the beginning of April 2007. In early 2010 he retired and now lives with Wayha, a 2007 Tuloon/Bazil puppy in the home of friends living nearby so we get to see him often. He is a sweet boy that gets along with the other dogs, doesn't make a sound and is quite the gentleman . He was a cherished part of the Points Unknown team and did an excellent job for us and now is living the life of retirement luxury with friends.

Update - McKenzie passed at the age of 14 after having a long and happy life. He left a special and very important legacy and will be missed.

Breed: Hedlund/Zulu line Alaskan
Birthdate: 11/20/2011
Position: Versatile Team, Point and Wheel, now retired

Misquah - Sponsorship Status: Sponsored by Susan Gilik of San Diego, California for 1 month, through April 2020, Sponsored in memory of Emerald, Ruby & Sapphire, The Precious Gems litter (Vixen x Glacier) through October 2020. She is their great aunt/ADOPTION: Would you like to be considered to adopt Misquah?

Misquah is from the Topa/Oken 2011 litter. She has a very unique look and personality to boot! She was born with an almost blue slate colored coat that has been changing to include some liver colored tones. Her eyes were blue until a few months old then changed to hazel and now they are a piercing yellow. She is the ring leader of the three puppies that remained at Points Unknown kennel. Misquah is a social butterfly and was a very busy puppy who just had stuff to do!

The names for this recent litter came from the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota where we relocated in 2013. Misquah is derived from the Misquah Hills which exist in our area. Misquah is Ojibwa for "red rock outcroppings". She has become a talented wheel dog and insists that she is the boss in the kennel despite the humans thinking otherwise. This sweet girl is eager-to-please with people.

Breed: Hedlund/Zulu line Alaskan
Birthdate: 09/26/07
Position: Retired Open Country Leader, now furry angel

Oken - Sponsorship Status: Sponsored for 6 months, through September 2020, by Mel Wahlquist of Savage, Minnesota with an additional 3 months through December of 2020. Sponsored by Katie Neshek of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for 1.5 months to November 15th, 2020. Katie has Oken's brother "Q".

Oken is from the Tuloon/Bazil litter 2007. He is a Zulu grandson and a nephew to Sweet Pea, Klaus, Bazil and Blue. His name came about while driving on the Gunflint Trail and noticing a sign for a place called Okontoe that gives sleigh rides. A little modification and you have Oken! This long-legged guy is extremely attentive, sweet and playful. He has a bit of the cautiousness from the Hedlund line and if everything checks out, he's right in the middle of it all. Oken loves to explore and you'll find him with the group for a bit then off on his own mission he goes. He has a nice dense winter coat. Oken has long legs and a long body, taking after both lines.

When tried in harness for very short puppy runs, Oken proved to be a solid puller with a willingness to be up in lead. As for being eager to please, you don't get any better than Oken! He developed quickly into one of THE main leaders in the kennel and is unhappy to run any other position.

Update - Oken, at the age of 13, decided to retire. He and his sister Zala are enjoying their house dog status, lounging on the couch, playing in the play areas and taking long walks.

Breed: Deep line Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 11/18/05
Position: Open Country Leader and furry angel

Phoenix means "a person or thing so excellent as to have no equal or match". We thought this fitting of a foundation male of our Hedlund Husky line. Phoenix arrived from Alaska at the beginning of February 2006. He was an independent pup but made eye contact often as if looking for direction. Quite laid back, he is accepting of new dogs, new people and new situations. He seems very much like an "old soul". At 10 months old when put up in lead, Phoenix showed all the signs of being a great leader. In 2007 he proved himself in lead and has been one of our main leaders ever since. Open country soon became second nature for him. Phoenix is the papa to Ryden, Griffin and Terra.

Update - It broke our hearts in the early Winter of 2018 when Phoenix left us, passing away peacefully. He will always be known as THE most thoughtful, kind, soulful and wise dog we have ever known and he has changed our lives by being in it. He leaves a legacy of several offspring that are also contributing to the Hedlund Husky Preservation Project.

Breed: Bassich line Alaskan
Birthdate: 09/23/2011
Position: Leader

Rayna - Sponsorship Status: Lou Palmersten of St. Cloud, Minnesota is sponsoring Rayna for 1 month through May, 2020. Sponsored by Laura Baker of Minneapolis, MN for 3 months through November 15, 2020.

Rayna means "Queen" and that she is. She's was a beautiful, BIG puppy that came to us in November of 2011 from Andy Bassich's line in the Eagle, Alaska area through Sirus Sled Dogs in Fairbanks. We can't be more pleased. She is laid back, independent but cuddly, all at the same time. In harness, Rayna is cool, calm and collected. Being the biggest female in our kennel, she weighs in at over 75lbs and is 30 inches at the shoulder. Rayna was bred with Arrow and had a litter of eight puppies on Thanksgiving of 2014. Zuli and Tikan are the pups that remained with Points Unknown while the others were adopted by like-minded people who have now become extended members of our furry family. Rayna is one of the kennel's main leaders.

Update: Rayna retired in the spring of 2021 and is living the good life as a couch, canoe and canicross house dog with a friend nearby.

Breed: Zulu line Alaskan Husky
Birthdate: 08/05/02
Position: Versatile Sled Dog now Furry Angel

Sweet Pea is Zulu’s daughter and a sister to Klaus, Bazil and Blue. She lives up to her name but don’t let this sweet girl fool you. She has been known to give even the biggest of dogs a piece of her mind if annoyed! At the same time, she is the most patient and loving teacher to all of the puppies that have come into the kennel. She raises them like her own. She is a serious worker on the trail.

In the off season, she would be happy to play the role of a couch potato. We just can't resist her "I'll do anything for you" look. Sweet Pea decided in the fall of 2013 that she no longer wanted to work in harness. She's rather stick to her puppy nanny duties and, then, of course, being a house dog is tough work so there's no time for anything else!

Update - Our dear sweet girl passed away on July 2, 2014. She will be greatly missed. Please visit this link to view her tribute.

Breed: Deep Line Hedlund with a Dash of Zulu line
Birthdate: 09/30/14
Position: Furry Angel

Terra is out of Points Unknown's Chetan at Stardancer Historical Freight Dogs and our Phoenix. She and her brother, Griffin, are the first ever puppies born through frozen surgical artificial insemination in our Hedlund Husky Preservation Project. Frozen Phoenix was flown to Alaska approximately 63 days prior to their birth and the rest is history! Terra is an absolute china doll with a tomboy side. Her smile goes from ear to ear and she's the most attentive of any of the 2014 puppies. Having a tad of her great grandma Tuloon's stubborness, I anticipate her being an excellent leader that I will have to work to convince that I'm the one in charge.

Update: Terra was diagnosed with bone cancer in early 2021 at which time, one of her back legs was amputated to stop the spread. She lived a happy and joyful few months longer, after a quick recovery, and then passed peacefully in Linda's lap of complications associated with the osteosarcoma. We were devastated to have lost such a beautiful and joyful soul, at such a young age and grateful to have had this bright light in our lives.

Breed: Deep line Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 06/27/2009
Position: Retired Versatile Leader

Topa Topa - Retired and Adopted into an Active Pet Home

Topa Topa is from the Tuloon/McKenzie 2009 litter. The significance of her name comes from the founder of the Hedlund Husky Preservation program who is a dear friend of Points Unknown. Kim Fitzgerald grew up in California and the spent the most formative years of her life on her uncle's ranch overlooking the Topa Topa mountain range.

Topa is a sweet girl and her eager-to-please personality makes her easy to work with and train. She loves visitors and makes sure that each get a chance to have her in their lap. In the fall of 2010 she began her leader training. Topa keeps her line tight and pushes ahead, looking back on occasion for direction. She is a foundation female of the Points Unknown kennel, having been bred to Oken and producing Arrow, Misquah, Irish, Salsa and JitterBug. Her last litter was born in June of 2016 with Griffin as the sire; one final litter of outstanding puppies! Remaining in our kennel are Varg, Newy, Kitsu and YaaBaa.

Update - Topa decided to retire and was adopted out by a wonderful couple near Washington DC that have other retired sled dogs. She is loving her new life, nurturing her new family as she loves to do and seems to have taken up sailing with her new family. Topa's adventures continue and she will be always be a cherished part of Points Unknown.

Breed: Deep line Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 06/16/04
Position: Open Country Leader now furry angel

Tuloon is a deep line Hedlund Husky and is the matriarch of the Points Unknown kennel. Her name came about while listening to a small town Alaska radio station on the trip to bring her home. The announcer was reading messages from loved ones to people living in the bush. This particular greeting was to someone’s “Tuloon Child”. It just stuck!

She sustained a leg trauma as a pup requiring stainless steel pins through her leg attached to graphite rods on each side of her leg for stability. Extensive therapy was needed. She made a full recovery and doesn't hesitate to voice her discontent if she thinks she might be left behind on a run.

Tuloon bounds through deep snow like a deer and breaks a good trail for a girl her size. She produced some amazing puppies in both her 2007 and 2009 litters that include Oken, Zala, Zodiak, Q,  Topa and White Feather that are here in the Points Unknown kennel. She has many grandpuppies and great grandpuppies in the kennel. Tuloon is a main leader in one of the Points Unknown teams.

Update - Tuloon made the easy decision to retire in the fall of 2015. Her leg injury received as a puppy caught up with her, making it difficult to complete runs without discomfort. She doesn't seem to mind ruling the roost in the house and is a frequent rider on trips into town.

Update - Tuloon passed peacefully in the Fall of 2017, breaking our hearts into a million little pieces. Tuloon was the matriarch of the kennel, loved and respected by all. Her legacy lives on strong in this kennel as well as every other kennel of Hedlund Huskies within out project. She will forever be in our hearts.

Breed: Deep line Hedlund Husky
Birthdate: 06/27/2009
Position: Open Country Leader

White Feather - Retired and Adopted into an Active Pet home

White Feather is from the Tuloon/McKenzie 2009 litter. Her name has personal significance to Linda as White Feather was born at a time when the wildlife lake on which the kennel used to sit had been populated with a number of white feathered birds, more so than in years past. Also, feathers have found their way to Linda over the years which have accumulated into a large collection, making the name White Feather the perfect choice. This girl is a social butterfly and is extremely active, always looking for something new to do. What a perfect personality for a working sled dog! She has an even balance between independence and eager-to-please personality traits.She is one of the main leaders in the Points Unknown kennel.

Update - White Feather decided to retire in early 2020 and was adopted by a couple that lives near Points Unknown. She is enjoying the active retirement in her new loving home. All of our adopters become extended members of the Points Unknown family.

Breed: Hedlund/Zulu line Alaskan
Birthdate: 09/26/07
Position: Retired Versatile Lead, now furry angel

Zala - Sponsorship Status: Sponsored by Hailey Quanbeck of Prior Lake, Minnesota for three months through July 2020. Sponsored by Helen Zgraggen of Switzerland for the month of August 2020. Sponsored by Katie Neshek of Winston-Salem, North Carolina for 1.5 months to October 15th, 2020. Katie has Zala's brother "Q".

Zala is from the Tuloon/Bazil 2007 litter. She is a granddaughter to Zulu and a niece to Sweet Pea, Klaus and Blue. Zala's name just came about while trying to find a "Z" name to carry along with the Zulu line. (We made it up!)

She is a little firecracker, always on the run. She seems to always make us laugh with her antics. Zala, like Oken, has long legs and a long body. Her coat is dense and longer than that of her two brothers'. Zala proved to be the most exuberant in harness during our short puppy runs. Like her mom, Tuloon, she bounds through deep snow like a deer. She was meant to be a leader and that is where she spends most of her time.

In 2013, she was diagnosed with Panus, an eye disease which is made worse by exposure to bright sunlight. This means that she stays in the house most of the time and especially on days when the sun is very bright. Otherwise, if she'll keep them on, she'll wear her doggles. Zala began to gain weight and slow down in early 2014 and was diagnosed with hypothyroidism later that year. With medication on board, she is now back to her exhuberant self and still one of our leaders!

Update - Zala, at the age of 13, decided it was time to retire. She and her brother Oken are enjoying their cozy couch lifestyle in the house, playtime with the other dogs and long walks.

Breed: Foundation of the Zulu line
Birthdate: 06/17/96
Position: Open Country Leader/The most magnificent furry angel

Zulu came to the kennel at the age of five. What a great name! Zu was a magnificent open country leader. This dog would turn on a dime almost before the command is spoken. Zu had saved the team from open water. He navigated safely through rocky, steep and narrow tree lined trails and he kept the team in line on glare ice. This was an amazing dog. He was an affectionate dog and would rather be relaxing by my side than hanging out with the other dogs. There are no words that could do Zulu justice.

Zulu fully retired at 12 years old when his arthritis wouldn't allow him to pull in harness more than 100 yards. He didn't seem to miss it though, as long has he could be by my side in the house. Sadly, Zulu passed away in early 2010. Please click here to visit our blog to view his tribute.

Breed: Dachshund/Poodle
Birthdate: Est.01/2001
Position: Beloved Mascot, now furry angel

Copper's color made his name an obvious choice. This 12lb daschund/poodle mix was found wandering through traffic in a neighborhood in Minneapolis in late 2001. This little three legged guy found his place in our hearts and has been here ever since. He goes on every excursion to the cabin with the sled dogs wearing his little coat and boots. Copper loves the snowmobile ride in as his little head pokes out of  Linda's jacket. Of course, socializing with the sled dogs is not a good idea so he basks in the sun in the corner chair of the cabin, taunting them from afar.

Update - The keeper of our hearts, our sweet little Copper, passed away in February of 2016. He had a full life and passed just around the time he turned 15 years old. Please visit this link to read our tribute to this special being.

Breed: A nice mix
Birthdate: Est.04/2004
Position: Mascot/Furry Angel

Blue came with his name. He was rescued by an organization that found him in a shed in Wisconsin with 17 other small dogs. They were all petrified of people and terribly neglected. His name became Blueberry after thoughts of the Points Unknown cabin in the late summer where Blueberries grow in abundance. This 22lb King Charles Spaniel/Sheltie/Daschund mix has come a long way with his socialization and will happily greet visitors. He is currently doing his part as another Points Unknown Sled Dog Team mascot to help socialize the new puppies.

Update - Sadly, Blueberry passed away unexpectedly in September of 2014. It was a shock to all of us and so difficult to understand. A cancerous tumor took his life. Please click here to read our tribute to this wonderfully sweet boy.