Boreas was born out of Salmon and Griffin on September 8th 2007 along with his brothers Thanatos, Hermes, Chronos and his sister Calypso.

From the moment of his birth Boreas was nothing short of adorable. He was the pudgy fluffy puppy I couldn't help but cuddle and fawn over, Boreas though, had other ideas.

When his siblings were born I would spend hours petting, cuddling and holding them on their back well before their eyes and ears were open, helping them to experience the different sensations that would represent their new lives. Many of the pups took this all in stride, but for some reason Boreas detested being on his back and would squirm so much that I soon had to give up on the lesson.

It worried me that all of his siblings loved this treatment, some even fell asleep in my hands flat on their back, but no matter how much I worked with Boreas he would not relax. I feared this would carry over to his adult life in negative ways but as he grew older I realized it may have been part of a hyper sensitivity that had only just begun to develop.

Boreas was very happy to be a cling-on pup and only showed his shy side with strangers. When the pups were old enough to run with the team Boreas immediately latched onto the working life and eagerly took on every lesson I gave as long as it involved pulling!

When he grew too tired to keep up with the big dogs he learned how comfortable a short rest in a our sled bag could be. He loved the idea of being closer to me and was very grateful for the short rest. Once the sled stopped though it was very hard to get him to stay put!

Boreas grew quickly and it wasn't long before he and his brother Thanatos had outgrown their other siblings in height and weight. Once these two were in the team a clear shift of power took hold of all of us!

I remember the first time the boys were in sync and I fully became aware of their strength. I was taking a training run with my good friend Robert and his team. My guys had pulled ahead and we needed to stop, take a break and to let Robert know about a tough bend in the trail up ahead. I tied my team off to a small birch tree with the snub line but didn't trust the hold completely and stayed on my sled break waiting for Robert to walk up so we could hear each other over our barking dogs.

Boreas was still learning how to be quiet and calm in harness and was the noisiest of the group. If we were stopped for too long the other dogs would raise up their voices with him and if I wasn't careful I would have he and his siblings banging on their harnesses, a trait they were just learning how not to do!

After a quick trail briefing with Robert he asked if I would like some help pulling my snub line so I could get a good solid grip on my sled. I agreed and turned to face the team, lightly holding onto the handle bow as I always did not fully realizing how ready these pups were to go!!

Thanatos and Boreas must have hit their harnesses, along with Remus (who is similar in size), at that precise moment giving the team such a momentum that it snapped my head back into the hood of my parka! It was unbelievable to have such power and speed from a dead stop and not something I was used to in all my years running dogs!

Over the next few months I worked Boreas through a bit more training focusing on his ability to stay calm on the trail. With his high sensitivity it wasn't long before I was able to get easily through. Over time we developed a kind of intuition to each others thoughts. Often it would only take a stern word from the back of the sled to get him to settle when we were stopped or if I need to fix a tangle somewhere in the team. I can still see his mothers excitable genes peek through from time to time but over all he has been progressing into a beautiful well behaved hard working adult.

When hes in harness we often communicate to each other through 'wags'. He used to turn around to face me, listen to my voice and gather a solid idea of what I wanted through my facial expressions but now that hes grown older, and we know each other better, all it takes is a high flying wag of his tail to let me know he is ready to go and all is well.

Boreas is quite the love and gives hugs eagerly on his hind feet or slaps me a few quick kisses from the top of his dog house. He is extremely affectionate but saves most of this love just for me. I am working on getting him used to a few other of my trusted friends to see how far he wants to come out of his shell but this is only a minor issue. I am more than happy to keep this lovable bear all to myself! :)

Through many hours free running around the yard with his kennel mates Boreas has made many life long friends. Thanatos is his first choice for a playmate but Gemini has become a quick second. He cannot wait for her to run loose so he can chase her around the yard and wrestle with her down to the ground.

All the dogs have a wonderful fascination with Gemini but with Boreas it boarders on obsession. Hes getting better with her as he grows older and allowing her more space when she asks for it but I still have to keep a wary eye on him. His intention is pure play but hes slow to realize that each dog retains their own limits of patience. Fortunately Gemini has a vast amount!