Dear Siggi,

You're a great guy. I've met a lot of people but you're certainly one to be rememered.

Siggi is the bossman. He's the alpha dude of the dogsledding business. Top dog. He's also not quite what you might expect when you imagine someone that would own their own sledding kennel. I tend to imagine that typical guy in some action movies with big attack dogs. Siggi isn't the tallest, loudest, most jacked guy around. In fact he is a bit of the opposite. He's on the shorter side, speaks softly and is slim. But there's something about him. When he talks you listen. He was a policeman for something like 16 years and I'm sure he was good at it. And he's a father. His son is about to enter college and his daughter Mary Lou is two. And while not really important I'll say for my own memory that he's a smoker. You can often tell where he is from the scent of a lit cigarette. Seeing him smoke one while we wait for the dogs to quiet down during feeding will stick in my mind for a long time.

So how did this university educated policeman and father of two become a dogsledder? He says it was almost by mistake. One day he was working on the glacier as a snowmobile guide and saw a team of dogs running. Not long after when browsing the internet he saw an ad for a dogsledding company for sale. He passed it up and kept browsing. When he saw the ad again he took a closer look. It was the company he saw on the glacier. A while later and he was the owner of Dogsledding Iceland. Siggi bought 16 dogs and the remaining 11 were put down. In hindsight he thinks he should have gotten the other 11 too. However 27 dogs seemed like a bit too much at the time, he now has 47. If it wasn't for Siggi there wouldn't be a professional kennel in Iceland anymore. He was trained by the previous owner, a man from Denmark that worked in the military. Training was harsh when he started. You did three runs as a trial. The first you were on skiis with the sled watching. The second you guided the sled with an experienced musher to help out. The third you were doing the same but this time the musher made things more difficult for you. It was tough and you worked hard. There was one man that didn't know how to ski. He spent every bit of time outside work and 6.5 hours of sleep learning how. It's still tough but not like it was. Siggi wonders if "maybe we've gotten soft."

Things were different then. Just walking into the kennel was enough to make the dogs hunker down and be quiet. Now they wag their tails and yap. They might be happier but maybe there is more fighting and disobedience too. It's a fine line between their happiness and what is safe. There is a lot of trial and error and Siggi always strives for improvement. The dogs diet is part of this. From a processed putty like substance to meat to kibble. The putty was too nutritious and full of energy. A litter raised on it grew too big too fast and many suffered health problems. Meat causes a well... stinky dog. And they would hide bits of bone that might cause fights later. Now there's the kibble, it seems all right. It's made in Reykjavik for Greenland but we get some here. The dogs eat 26 20 kilo bags in 2-3 weeks, that's half a ton.

Physically and emotionally Siggi always tries to do what's best for the dogs. His commitment and passion is clear. In all these years he could only remember a couple of times he came close to quitting. Once was while trying to keep the dogs alive during a volcanic eruption. They required constant care during the event as he tried to wet the ash and keep it down, keep the dogs hydrated and build shelter. The second time was on the glacier. He went up with three others and eleven days later he was alone. They quit, it was too hard. While giving a tour he injured his knee twisting it 180°. He continued to work on his own caring for 20 dogs while hurt. One of the days a line got loose and a fight between all the dogs broke out. Siggi believes this is the only time he has had to really yell for help. A group of people were 100m away but they didn't come to assist him. Somehow in the end he was able to break up the fight without help and with his injury. Despite these difficulties he keeps going. He doesn't like to quit or give up. Siggi has said before that "we make things work here, that's just what we do."

So this one is for you Siggi. Everyone could use a little bit of what he's got. His drive to keep going, the compassion he shows for his dogs and his ability to adapt. Also some of his humor. Whether intentional or not a well timed toot during a serious discussion on the consistency of poo had me out of control with laughter. Maybe we could each use a few catch phrases too. It's almost a guarantee that you'll hear him say "it's a joke", "it's just a fact" or "the fault is" once per day. At least. It's just a fact.

Anyone that is able to spend time with him and learn from what he has to offer will gain some insight to life. I consider myself lucky to be one of those individuals. He has told me all kinds of great stories from skydiving to stinky dogs and upset vets. I've written it all down and will certainly try to share in the future. He's a true character which is something I think we need more of in the world.

Sincerely,
Zeb

P.S. I thought I was good at scooping poo but this man is a legend. It's like watching a master at work. One quick fluid scoop and no use of the boot, a sight to behold.