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The name Takotna originates from a small village in Alaska. When I at first was looking for a name for the website and kennel I was actually thinking in line of a name of a geographical feature or a word from the languages of the indigenous peoples of north central Siberia - the samoyeds. But the ones that could come into consideration were either already taken (with regard to FCI-registration) or not quite what I wanted. So I turned to Alaska instead, because I at that time also considered getting Alaskan Malamutes or Siberian Huskies. On a detailed map of Alaska I found the name of a small river and village - Takotna. Takotna is also a checkpoint of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Takotna is situated among wooded and gently rolling hills close to the Kuskokwin range. No roads lead into Takotna, so the only way to get there is by boat, air transport and horseback or by dogsled or snowmobile during the winter. About 75 persons live in Takotna many of which are occupied by fishing and hunting. They have a small ground level school. During the time of the Iditarod the villagers have for the last few years made a point out of serving every musher a steak dinner. And there seems to be an ongoing contest between Takotna and the nearby village and checkpoint of McGrath of which place can do more for the mushers. Because of the hospitality and relative quiet many mushers opt to take their mandatory 24-hour layover in Takotna (source: www.iditarod.com). ‘Team Takotna’s is the official FCI-registered kennel name. The pack consists of Yarohna, Yena, Vitus, Tikaani and yours truly. We live in the southern part of Lapland in Renfors, Västerbotten, close to the Skellefte River. We moved to Sweden in 2007 when I got a job at Lappland Goldminers AB. It was a long time wish of mine to move to Sweden, preferably in the northern part, because of the long winters, the beauty of the nature and the possibility to train and mush with the dogs for a large part of the year. One could also say that I was seeking climatic asylum - the weather in Denmark leaves much to be desired by anyone who loves winter and snow. Contact: Birger Voigt Renfors 1 936 93 Boliden Phone: +46 (0)70 549 24 51 Email: team@takotna.dk
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