Meet the Mushers
NICK WEIS
Nick’s love of dogs started when he was just a kid. Nick’s first dog was a giant German spitz mix named Nevada, so for the first 10 years of his life, if it did not have pointed ears and a curled tail, it was not a “dog”. After Nevada passed, Nick’s parents bought him a book of all the dog breeds. Through that book, Nick fell in love with the Alaskan malamute. Instead of getting a malamute though, Nick found Lucky (one of our namesake dogs), a flat-coated retriever mix. Just prior to Lucky’s 15th birthday, Joy and Nick noticed how when it was just Lucky and Fox together, Lucky would just lay around, but if a younger dog was around, Lucky would get up and follow the younger dog around. Hence came Ruger. As the typical musher’s story goes, one thing led to another and here we are today.
Nick’s passions are the dogs and fitness. Combine those and you get his love of canicross. Nick is a member of the Non-stop dogwear International Elite CaniX Team. One of Nick’s joys is training dogs to do things others say cannot be done (like being competitive in races with primarily rescues and malamutes). If he is not working with the dogs, it is a good bet he is working for the dogs (stacking dog food bags, fixing the fence, or installing new upgrades to the dryland rig or dog sled). Outside of the dogs, Nick enjoys almost anything outdoors (camping, hunting, fishing, etc.).
Favorite Quotes
"Training a dog is simple. First, build an unbreakable bond of trust. Second, don’t do anything to screw up that bond and don’t let the dog know he has limits.” – Joe Henderson
“Champions are made, not born.”
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If it is not hard, it is not worth doing.”
Nick’s love of dogs started when he was just a kid. Nick’s first dog was a giant German spitz mix named Nevada, so for the first 10 years of his life, if it did not have pointed ears and a curled tail, it was not a “dog”. After Nevada passed, Nick’s parents bought him a book of all the dog breeds. Through that book, Nick fell in love with the Alaskan malamute. Instead of getting a malamute though, Nick found Lucky (one of our namesake dogs), a flat-coated retriever mix. Just prior to Lucky’s 15th birthday, Joy and Nick noticed how when it was just Lucky and Fox together, Lucky would just lay around, but if a younger dog was around, Lucky would get up and follow the younger dog around. Hence came Ruger. As the typical musher’s story goes, one thing led to another and here we are today.
Nick’s passions are the dogs and fitness. Combine those and you get his love of canicross. Nick is a member of the Non-stop dogwear International Elite CaniX Team. One of Nick’s joys is training dogs to do things others say cannot be done (like being competitive in races with primarily rescues and malamutes). If he is not working with the dogs, it is a good bet he is working for the dogs (stacking dog food bags, fixing the fence, or installing new upgrades to the dryland rig or dog sled). Outside of the dogs, Nick enjoys almost anything outdoors (camping, hunting, fishing, etc.).
Favorite Quotes
"Training a dog is simple. First, build an unbreakable bond of trust. Second, don’t do anything to screw up that bond and don’t let the dog know he has limits.” – Joe Henderson
“Champions are made, not born.”
“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
“If it is not hard, it is not worth doing.”
JOY WEIS
Joy began running in Junior High, but her love of dogs started as a young child with her first pet, a Golden Retriever aptly named Goldie. When Nick and Ruger began running together, Joy started looking for a four-legged running buddy of her own, and came across Denali (formerly Delaney) at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City. Denali has been one of her favorite running buddies ever since. In her younger days, Denali loved doing speed workouts with Joy and would get excited to run when she heard the word "repeats".
In addition to spending time running and working with the dogs, Joy enjoys kayaking, hiking, strength training, camping, fishing, swimming, music, reading, traveling, cooking, rock climbing, and napping. Ruger is her napping pal, as he makes a great pillow and cuddle buddy.
Favorite Quotes
"If it's both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it" - Erada
"Whoever said that diamonds are a girls best friend never owned a dog."
"Work until your idols become your rivals. Then beat them."
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” - Kerouac
"Our refinement comes within the furnace"
Joy began running in Junior High, but her love of dogs started as a young child with her first pet, a Golden Retriever aptly named Goldie. When Nick and Ruger began running together, Joy started looking for a four-legged running buddy of her own, and came across Denali (formerly Delaney) at Wayside Waifs in Kansas City. Denali has been one of her favorite running buddies ever since. In her younger days, Denali loved doing speed workouts with Joy and would get excited to run when she heard the word "repeats".
In addition to spending time running and working with the dogs, Joy enjoys kayaking, hiking, strength training, camping, fishing, swimming, music, reading, traveling, cooking, rock climbing, and napping. Ruger is her napping pal, as he makes a great pillow and cuddle buddy.
Favorite Quotes
"If it's both terrifying and amazing, then you should definitely pursue it" - Erada
"Whoever said that diamonds are a girls best friend never owned a dog."
"Work until your idols become your rivals. Then beat them."
“the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.” - Kerouac
"Our refinement comes within the furnace"