Conner Family Racing Kennels is a racing sprint kennel operated by Charlie, Tanya, Liam, Rory, and Isaac Conner. We race in the Ma-Mow-We-Tak racing circuit but also head up to northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba for traditional toboggan races.

FAMILY HISTORY I grew up racing sleddogs in northern Saskatchewan on the MaMowWeTak circuit. My Dad started out with a team that consisted of a Siberian, Greyhound, and Border Collie. Soon, though he made the trip to Fort Saint John and bought some dogs from the late Sandy Saunderson. Since that time we have always recognized the quality of dogs bred in northern B.C. We hope to continue on in a similar tradition raising high energy multi-talented dogs. My late mother grew up in northern Saskatchewan and having sleddogs was a way of life. They used the dogs for hunting, trapping, and travelling. My Great Grandfather also used them in his work as a trader for the Hudson Bay Company. Suffice to say that I am a multi-generational musher who hopes to continue in my family's footsteps for many years.

THE BREED Our dogs are bred for speed but retain husky characteristics. This includes good feet, coats, and appetites. Our dogs also consistently throw LEADERS. Our dogs are also heavily influenced by SAUNDERSON breeding. In 2005 we bought dogs from Jason Barron,Warren Palfry, and Aaron Campbell. This included a female named Jill bred to Saunderson's Harley.

DISTANCE EXPERIENCEOur kennel has raced the Canadian Challenge 3x completing the 320 mile course and winning the Vet's Choice Award 2x. We also hold 1st and 2nd place in the 160 mile event. I also ran the Race to the Sky for the Barrons in 2006. Our dogs have ACTUALLY retained the genetic capabilites to run long distance. Coincidentally, at two of our shorter races in 2010 Prince Albert (14 miles)I placed 2nd and then 3rd at Split Lake,MB(12miles). The dogs have plenty of speed even against specialized limited class racers. Its not to good to be true.

LONG SPRINTS Recently we have been training for "PAS" style races. These are races that mirror the World Championship in the PAS, Manitoba. 35 mile 10 dog races run at speeds ranging from 14-20 mph. In 2009 and in 2010 we raced at Black Lake, Wollaston Lake, Brochet and Lac Brochet and other races in the Ma-Mow-We-Tak cicuit. In 2011we raced at Meadow, Patunuak, and Prince Albert, SK. Thankfully, Harry George took three of our best dogs this year and did well with them as well placing in the top three in 6 dog at numerous races.

Rocket ran Yellowknife with Aaron Peck and placed 2nd in 2012. Iggy ran Wyoming Stage Stop with Aaron Peck and placed 2nd in 2012. These are two of the dogs that excelled at 6 dog sprint with Harry in 2011. I already told you...its not to good to be true.

In the winters of 2013 and 2014 we have successfully piloted a ten dog team and have raced from 10 miles to 18 miles. We are training young dogs and successfully building the kennel back up. We are still breeding dogs with the genetic abilities to run long sprints.

In 2015 we placed well throughout the season and capped off the season with a win at the Roy Bird Memorial Junior Race a two day 5 dog 15 mile race. Our other two teams placed 5th and 6th as well.

THE 2016 SEASON was a memorable year for our family and kennel. We lost our Dad...Jim Conner in July so it was a tough year both training and racing. However, with the help and support of many, including, our friend Kevin Lewis I was able to put a team together for the World Championships in the Pas, MB. We dedicated the race to Dad and had a lot of fun competing against the best in the world. We placed well throughout the year and went to a total of 8 races. No wins but lots of top 5 finishes. We focused on racing in the north after the Pas and put on a lot of miles but it was well worth the effort. Finishing strong in Wollaston Lake,Sk, Ilford,Mb, and Southend, Sk.

2017 Season was a season filled with both sadness and joy. We lost a great friend and dog driver Tom Ouellette. It was tough losing someone who had made dog mushing so much fun for our family...Tom could turn everyday into an adventure. Tom's passion for dog racing is continued under his son Jarret and grandson Deshayne. They put in a solid season in the six dog and Junior class. The newest addition to our family joined us in the fall and we were proud to name him after our family friend; Isaac Thomas. We had a good season dog racing and I used some jockeys to race for me this season in the six dog...it was a good move and we consistently did better in the six dog capping off the season with a dominating win at Southend. That team was a combination of dogs from Jarret Ouellette/Kevin Lewis/ and our kennel... Its nice to have friends. Our junior teams did awesome finishing 2nd, 4th and 5th in the 5 dog 12 mile race. I was happy to field 3 well trained teams with solid mass start leaders...a testament to the quality of dogs we raise and train.

2018 was a great season with top 3 finishes in the 6 dog at Crutwell and Porcupine Plain, SK. We struggled in the middle of the pack at Anzac and Loon Lake 6 dog but finished off the year in style with a 2nd place finish in the 10 dog at Prince Albert, a 2nd and 4th place at Wollaston, and a 2nd, 3rd, and 5th at the Roy Bird Memorial Race in Southend, We went to 7 races in 2018 and it was a lot of fun...again I had some young jockeys that ran for me and overall they did a great job. Thanks to DJ Cantre, Jaclyn Fineblanket, and Christina Mitsuing. I was happy to have my son Liam race in the 5 dog junior race at the end of the year-he did awesome and he will be racing in more of those through the years.

2019 was a great year to be back racing 10 dog! Successfully ran two ten dog teams for the majority of races. We will have some race seasoned two year olds to add to our main team for next year. We raced at Crutwell, Loon Lake, Fort McMurray, Meadow Lake, Prrince Albert, Wollaston, and FortNelson, BC. Our season highlight was teaming up with Aaron Campbell and winning the Saskatchewan Championships in Prince Albert. We also won Wollaston Lake again(3xsince 2008) and capped off our season with a trip to Fort Nelson,which, was a lot of fun and and a great experience for myself and my yearlings. Can't wait for next year!

2020 season started out rough but ended on a good note with our expanded northern tour. On boxing day we had a break-in on our house and had our truck stolen along with many valuables. We rallied and put our lives back together as best we could. We have some really good friends Dion and Sheldon that lent us trucks to get to our first few races while we waited for insurance to come through. We piloted two ten dog teams throughout the season and raced at Porcupine Plain, Crutwell, Loon Lake Early Race, Anzac, Loon Lake, Prince Albert, and then we set out on our northern tour for 13 days and raced in Wollaston Lake, Southend, and Brochet, Mb. We won Wollaston, Southend, and finsished 4th in Brochet. We raced 9 of the 13 days and had a blast!

PHONE 306-837-2144 OR E-MAIL CONNERCHARLIE@HOTMAIL.COM