Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes | The People, Location, Daily Life

Snowlion Alaskan Malamute sled team with three AKC champions and Uyak Aleut Alex

There are many lakes near the home of Snowlion Kennels in the Sierra, California and Nevada

Surrounded by national forest, with beautiful views from our home, Snowlion Kennels in the Sierra

Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes, home is located on large acreage in the high Sierra

Snowlion kennels is on large acreage in the high sierra, near trails for sledding

The Place

Our home is located in the high Sierra adjacent to national forest--a winter paradise for Alaskan Malamutes. There are miles of trails for year round recreation. When they’re not in harness, our Malamutes love running off-leash on snowshoe hikes. From November to early May access to the property is by snowmobile only.

With many lakes in the area, our dogs enjoy swimming during the warmer months. Summer is also when our Mals attend classes to socialize with other breeds and to learn the show routine—including being examined & handled by strangers. Ongoing training, socialization & daily exercise are crucial for northern breeds.

Our Vision

Snowlion Malamutes are the culmination of three and a half decades of selective breeding to produce confident, athletic dogs well-suited to our mountain lifestyle. Our Malamutes are bred to AKC standard, and selected for performance in harness and the show ring, & most importantly, for temperament--to be great family dogs. We started with dogs chosen carefully from three unrelated lines: a foundation bitch and male from R'mal Skyfyre (old west coast Kodara M’Loot), along with two boys from unrelated east coast kennels (BISS Ch Nanuke A Rumor of War ROM WPD WLD & Uyak Aleut Alex). From that modest beginning in 1989, Snowlion established a well-recognized type & produced several Best in Show, specialty winners, champions, working-titled dogs.

Left: Claire, a typical champion Snowlion girl. Lightbox: Pictured at 13.5 yrs is our beautiful girl Brook —AKC champion, lead dog & best friend.

John founder of Snowlion Alaskan Malamutes is a long distance musher

The People

Since the founding of Snowlion Kennels, the owners have worked closely with friends who share their passion for the breed and are active sledding and showing.

John owns a construction company & is an avid musher—having raced 200 mile Iditarod qualifiers with his Alaskan Husky team. He also enjoys running Malamutes & overseeing their daily care.

Jo, a medical anthropologist and Asia regional specialist, consults for international development projects & and travels frequently to SE Asia. Jo is also passionate about running sled dogs & has competed in many mid-distance races. She oversees the training, grooming and showing of their Malamutes.