Hello, have watched as you have added to your site and really like all the statistics from the pulling competition official records.

When I first looked into malamutes, there weren't so many breeder sites as there are now, but those that were there had outdated photos and questionable heights and weights...well, that is what I see them as now anyway. I didn't know and certainly didn't expect that the information before me was so slanted toward exaggeration as I now know it to be. I got my Jethro at the age of 10mos, though I was told that he was 8mos (learning the truth only later when the official documents were sent to me) and his weight was listed as 135#s...I took him to a vet for a thorough examination in the first few days I had him...all was in good order with him...except that he weighed a "disappointing" 104#s. His mother and father were "supposed" to be 190+ and 200+ #s. Those numbers remain a big and doubtful MAYBE to this day. At first, I thought that I had been taken advantage of and sold a "runt" from giant lines...but, in the years to come, I realized that everyone was being taken advantage of by the undocumented heights and weights advertised by breeders. I knew a girl who got a giant after seeing my boy on a regular basis and claimed that (at the age of 10 mos) he was 37" tall and Must weigh at least 190#s. I went to see him the next day: Not Even Close! maybe 27" and 100#s! I really want to believe that the size can be consistent at 150-175#s lean weight and 31"+ on height. I haven't seen it yet, though I always hope to stumble upon it.

You saw the range of Jethro's weight as you do on most of the heavier dogs listed. So many factors influenced those recorded weights-- age, sickness, a female in heat at home, the time of year, travel time and type to a competition and, of course, recent caloric intake and exercise regimen. Jethro's range over the years I competed with him was 35#s (133 to 168)...the average being just over 150#s. I feel like 145-150 is where he looks his best. Not fat, not too lean. His height is 30-31" depending on the day. Inevitably, when people see him, they either exclaim that he is the biggest dog that they have ever seen...OR that he is a nice big dog, but They know a malamute that is twice as big... WITHOUT DELAY, I immediately gather all of the information about these malamonsters that dwarf my giant and go straight away to investigate the details. I have never followed a lead that led me to a dog that was taller or heavier. I have considerable doubt now when I hear such claims.

Again, I like your site and the FACTS that you have put out for everyone to read. Honesty is worth so much more than a dream that is likely to never materialize. It took me a year to realize that Jethro is one of the larger ones and that the 175-200# malamute was an extremely rare occurence and often an obesity-related weight even at that. I also realized that anything 125+ is a big dog and that that was all I needed and that it was secondary to personality anyway. Jethro has walked off-leash with me since just a few months after I got him; he has functioned as a service dog and has proven himself everything I ever needed in a dog.

Thanks again for putting up such an informative site,
Jared Sinkowski jaredncols@yahoo.com
January 19, 2007