Wyrd Kennels Blog

Bandit's Meds and New Additions

2012-02-07T13:52:00.000-08:00

For a while now we have been holding our breath and praying that Bandit will never again experience the horrible cluster episode that took his memory from us. Seven months he was seizure free, and in our happiness and need to have answers, we thought to test the theory that his epilepsy was a result of the much vilified chicken jerky treats. Each seizure he had ever experienced has been 12 hours following eating more than one of the things, so we were almost certain the onset of his condition was caused by these vile poisonous things. (See FDA warnings regarding chicken jerky treats for pets)

So we began to reduce his meds cautiously and watch for changes. Ever since his July cluster episode and subsequent increase of meds, Bandit has acted like a drunk and disorderly dog after his morning meds. He jumps on and plays with all the dogs in the house regardless of whether or not they want to play. It is hard to say no to the biggest dog in the house, and at 80 pounds, Bandit normally gets his way or the victim finds someplace to hide.

Starting in the first week of January, I reduced his Kbr from 2cc to 1.5 cc and left his pb dosage at 90mg in the morning and at night. After only two weeks Bandit began to act more normal, and some of his old self came back. For the first time in seven months, he crawled in to my lap for a cuddle, and I almost cried I was so happy. Before the cluster episode he used to do this at least once a day. So, as the third week in January rolled around, a nasty bout of the Flu went through our house, but I had to take Bandit to the vet to get his bloodwork done. I had also finally managed to convince Jim to purchase a show line husky pup! Despite the raging fever, I was eager to talk to Bandit's vet about further reducing his meds and to pick up our new addition to Team Wyrd!

The vet was enthusiastic that we wanted to try to reduce his meds and gave us the go ahead after Bandit's bloodwork came back in good standing. Instead of reducing by 30mg a day, though, I was encouraged to take him down by 60 mg a day, so he would have 60mg pb in the morning and evening, and 1.5cc of kbr in the morning. Happy and optimistic I headed over to Shadetree Siberians to pick up Shadetree's Ghost in the Machine "Ghost", a very beautiful boy with incredible conformation, engaging bi-eyes and gorgeous markings with the pedigree to match his great looks. Ghost will be training up and showing this coming spring.

It took all of 30 minutes to integrate him in to the pack, all of our dogs were thrilled to have a new puppy around, especially Moony. From the moment she saw Ghost, she decided that he would be her puppy.

Ghost quickly made his way into our hearts, and is a very fast learner. From the first day he was good about going potty outside as long as he was taken outside when he first began to sniff for a place to go. As the week passed, he became good at pawing at the back gate to go outside when he needed to relieve himself. He also was quick to learn how to work the dog door and how to navigate the porch stairs.

Life in team Wyrd was good except that G'kar was very visibly aging, especially since the beginning of January. By Wednesday his arthritis was hurting him so bad, he began falling and losing control. He would scream pitifully for help, and I would lift him up on his four legs. Wednesday night he slept only a coupld of hours, pacing most of the time. Thursday our vet office was closed, and we watched G'kar's condition deteriorate rapidly and debated whether or not to take him to the emergency vet. By afternoon it was plain that there wouldn't be much they could do to relieve his suffering, only prolong it. His arthritis had progressed too far, an unfortunate side effect of aging. By Thursday evening we had made the decision to let him pass, so Jim picked him out a steak and I heated it enough to kill the bacteria and fed him his last supper.

Run Free Old Man! Be Old No Longer!

2012-02-07T13:28:00.000-08:00

It is never easy to say goodbye, even when you see it coming. Friday Feb 3rd 2012 we bid a member of our family goodbye and I held him as he sighed in relief and slowly lowered his head. 15 years he has been a member of our family, from being the 'slayer puppy' to the sled dog, to the stately elder, to the fragile old man. It was a very difficult goodbye and with much love.

Snow Fun!

2012-01-17T13:20:00.000-08:00

Friday it finally snowed enough that I could actually slide the sled runners over the ground with one hand on the handlebar, so I was over-excited to get a chance to hook up the dogs for some real sled-dog action! Discretion being the greater part of valor, though, I decided that three dogs would be enough to pull the sled, but not too much to get out of hand. Freya would be great in single lead with Bandit (powerhouse) and Yukon (all around great wheeldog) in wheel. Little did I realize that I was planning my very own snow bath.

Remember that I train on the mountain roads normally? Well my dogs didn't care that I was now hooked to a sled that was hooked to them, and meant to go down the meadow of my sideyard in a big loop, around the back in a big loop and back to the house. Simple? You would think that was a simple plan, however, Freya wasn't in on this plan. For her, harnesses mean go down the road!

As soon as I released the snub, Freya made a beeline for the road even though we were pointed down the hill. This yanked the brushbow sharply left, put the sled and I on a sharp right leaning incline, and this is where I realized that the handlebar would not hold me upright. To do all those e-mentors proud, I did not for once let go of the handlebar! Despite the snow in my face and packing in around the collar of my coat, I held on as if my life depended on it, and it very well might have if Freya managed to drag all of us up onto the road. Fortunately my deadweight and the weight of a sled on its side and the friction produced thereof was enough to stop 3 dogs, but not until after a lot of frantic 'Whoa's!' and 'Gee Freya! Gee! GeeeEEEEE!'

Showered and cleaned up from Friday, I was ready Saturday, or so I thought. I'll put Freya and Moony together, they need some run time as a team. No one told Freya, and she decided to play hard to get. Princess on the otherhand was whining and jumping, touching her nose to mine (quite a feat considering she barely touches my nose with hers while I'm standing straight up) to let me know that she didn't get to go Friday and absolutely would hate me if she didn't get to go Saturday morning. Bucky too was rather insistant, telling me he was not happy being left out Friday.

Knowing I was going to regret it, but visions of my success running Princess and Freya on the bike trails bolstered my confidence. Princess had done very well listening to commands and did great on turns, so I hoped she would be able to show Moony the right way to go. So with Princess and Moony in lead and Bucky and Yukon in wheel, we... took a sharp left and headed for the road!....

Same incline, same patch of snow scrubbed from the ground, only this time, I had a line running from me to the snubline, so even though the handlebar twisted from my grip, I still had the dogs pulling on me. I dug my heels into the tufts of grass sticking out of the snow and strained to keep from being dragged onto the pavement long enough to have James come and lead the dogs back down the hill. Unfortunately, James didn't know to keep the gangline taught and walk the dogs in a circle. Instead, he turned them back on eachother so by the time he got the dogs facing downhill they were in a hopeless tangled ball. Quite a feat for just 4 dogs.

So I had James stand on the brake and drag while I untangled the tugs and ganglines, but as soon as I turned back to the sled, they turned for the road. "GEE Princess! GEE!" Oh why do I bother?

Another twenty minutes and Jim stood on the brake while I turned the dogs downhill and started to lead them through the field with Jim on the runners. When Princess finally got it that we wanted to run on the grass, she took off with JIM on the runners! "Hang on to the handlebar no matter what!" I yelled after him. He made it about 200 yards, the best run yet! A low-hanging branch was his undoing. I'll give him credit, though, he didn't let go! I ran after him and grabbed the sled, righted it and stood on the brake while I made sure he was still alive. Princess was screaming to go now that she got it, and I couldn't hold them for long. I let them go and they made it the rest of the way to the bridge when I tried to get her to turn left.

Now that the road was in front of her, she didn't want to go left. It took a lot of coaxing and James to finally get her to turn around back on the meadow where we finally got going all the way back.... to the house... 'Haw! Princess, Haw!" I might as well have been yelling to myself, either that or Princess only heard 'Fish! Princess, Fish!'

With a bruised and battered crew of humans, but a happy crew of dogs, we trundled back in to the house to feed the dogs their fish snacks and unharness them.

A short time later I caught Bandit in Jim's new chair:

Farmpark Challenge and Some Lessons Learned

2011-12-15T12:57:00.000-08:00

Had a great time again this year at the Farmpark Challenge in Ohio! We didn't take the RV as there were more leaks than I could seal in the cold weather. By the race, though, the weather warmed up too much after being severely cold the week before. Makes for great hiking weather, but no so great for running dogs. This race though, is one of the most fun, the people are great, the venue/track is pretty good, ahd everone is usually very friendly and helpful. I enjoyed this race immensely last year and this year was no different, in fact probably even better. I met back up with some great people whose company I enjoyed last year and had an even better time this year. I must really congratulate our young friends who came last year looking to get in to the sport, and did so with a vengeance this year winning several trophies. Way to go!

It was great to meet the Ditmars and Clyde Risdon as well! So many wonderful folks!

My friend Kathy even got the chance to run my team on a demo run on Saturday afternoon around most of the track (even though they were only supposed to go down the hill and back up.. lol).

Thanks again to the Ohio chapter of the Trailblazers for putting on the race! We had a blast!

On to lessons learned.

My team, though, did not do as well this year, but I'll put that down to a few lessons I learned, or hope I've learned. Not having our powerhouse Bandit on the team was a big difference, and since I trained my team almost all for speed, I had not put enough time into strength training. That and we only got to race on Saturday as the temperature was too high Sunday. We made up a lot of time on Sunday last year once Freya was familiar with the trail. I think in the future it will benefit us if I can get there early and walk her along the trail the day before I will do much better. (if that is allowed that is)

Our lack of strength training was apparent on the uphills. I had even lost weight since last year, but our uphill progress nearly stalled each hill. Princess is not the muscular equivalent to Bandit, and our lack of uphill strength training really showed without his help. So I have had a while to rethink my training program and try to come up with better ways to ensure my team's success without Bandit. I think perhaps having individual weight pulls might be the answer and a way to keep the pups fit in the summer without too much exposure to heat. I've already been thinking of pulling rocks out of the stream to make a good foundation for a small grooming cabin, perhaps even making the whole thing out of local stone. So I may combine training with my ambitious building plans, and have the dogs haul the rocks in the wagon to help tone and strengthen them. Doing these pulls in the early/wee hours of the morning will be good for both them and me.

The first few team hookups will also need to be pure strength exercises, and I will just have to have patience before experiencing the rush of excitement of a team at full speed. I will need the ATV back in working order to do this, so I will have to buckle down and take it in for repairs once the savings get back on track. (A series of setbacks have ambushed us this past month.)

I have also determined that I will need to get a second bike for my own strength/endurance training to help me be a better help to the dogs. Unfortunately, I still need to save up money for a good rig. It seems like every time I have the funds, something else comes up to spend it on. Ah to be independantly wealthy and not have to worry about this stuff!

We had also planned on attending the Land Between the Lakes Sled Dog Challenge this month, but Jim's father was admitted to the hospital on Wednesday night before the race (after we had already packed up the RV and were only waiting on Friday morning to leave). Jim ended up leaving for Virginia instead to be with his mother and visit his father. He was not in good shape, but was recovering as of yesterday. He had a setback today while Jim has been driving back home though, so he may end up going back to Virginia after James' graduation. So our future race plans are uncertain at this point. I had hoped to attend the Mackinaw Mush, but not sure at this point what the future holds.

Sinnemahoning Part 2

2011-11-10T07:17:00.000-08:00

During the night the dogs had their usual wakup at 3 am to potty. A light snow was falling, and I was smiling as the tiny flakes stuck for an instant on my jacket then melted into nothingness. My breath fogged the air as I walked the dogs two by two from our campsite, through the trees and over dead leaves whose wet slightly sweet decaying smell rose as our feet disturbed them. We walked around the bath house and circled back to the camp. It was then I discovered that if I walked Bucky with Yukon, he would actually pee. Bucky is notorious for holding it when he's in an unfamiliar place, and I worried about him eventually having bladder problems because of it. With this newfound confidence in the shadow of his father, it relieved me that Bucky was finally learning it was ok to pee when his dad peed. This may seem insignificant, or irrelevant, but to me it was a great relief to see him try to be a bit more regular.

At 5am the dogs had me up for their morning walks and breakfast. It was nice to have a kitchen with us in the motorhome with which to make hot coffee and hot oatmeal as well as feeding the dogs items still frozen in the freezer. They each enjoyed a frozen whitefish filet with their morning meal. By 7:30am we rolled out and went to the race site. It was part of the Sinnemahoning park a bit further south from where we were camping. The stream was cold and beautiful as it wound its way over a rocky bed through trees clad in the many colors of fall. Mountains formed an ampitheater in which we could view the glory of each sylvan fashion as Mother Nature showed off her creative hand. The snow had become big wet flakes, clinging to everything in soppy wet caressing embrace. It was a bad time to have no cabin heat in the motorhome. We tried firing up the Onan, but it kept cutting out after 5 minutes of run-time. Probably a low oil level. I made a mental note to bring a couple of quarts of oil on our next trip, as it seems the Onan was leaking. It will be another project for next spring/summer to rebuild the seals on the Onan.

We attended the mushers meeting, got my numbers and I gave a few dollars to James so he could buy himself 2nd breakfast (boy thinks he's a hobbit) from the kids selling cakes and cinnamon rolls. First up was the 6 dog pro, and I watched as the teams took off with great enthusiasm. We were up with our four dog team after, so I got out the drop line, got the cart out, hooked up the quick release rope and spread the gangline. I then harnessed up the dogs inside the motorhome them took them out to the drop line one by one. Princess and Bucky were quivering in excitement and howling to go. Freya was excited but as always projected calm patience. Yukon was happily investigative, and I hooked him in to the gangline. His gorgeous face and gentle nature are always a draw to the kids even if they are intimidated by his size and blue eyes. When he is close to them, his ears go back and he makes it clear that he is friends and wants a good petting. As usual kids begin to crowd around him and pet him, and Yukon is happy. Bucky on the other hand, is a bit shy but too excited to back off. I caution the kids not to crowd Bucky as he is so excited he has the tendancy to grab and pull on things to try to get running/going forward. Case in point, while my back is turned, he chewed the tie off for the cart in half, and I realized my folly of putting him on the drop too close to the tie off.

I quickly retie the rope as it is getting close to the time for our start. I hook Bucky in to the gangline, then Freya and last Princess. The team is screaming to go, and we wrestle them to the start line. It is a wet, cold, and soggy day, and the ground squelches under the tires as I do my best to hold them while the race marshall counts down. At the 'GO!', we rocket off into the green, yellow, orange and red trees. Our pace is fast and the team eager to run. The grass gives way to blacktop which we follow down to the first turn. "Haw Freya!" turns her onto the gravel with ease, an excellent turn, and I praise her for it.

The trail winds on to packed dirt through conifers and a few maples in full color. Overhead a hawk circles and cries out in the gray miasma of falling snow. We are still making great time, though I'm having to help the dogs on the slight uphills. All is well until we hit more soggy grass. I can feel the cart bogging down and the extra weight and pull on the dogs as they slog it out. Our pace slows dramatically, and I realize I have not trained my dogs to pull over such difficult terrain. This turns out to be the majority of the run, and I'm alternating running and riding with the dogs. White caps the grass to either side of the trail and covers the limbs of the connifers, but I'm getting tired and the dogs are tiring. We come back to a small stretch of road where Freya executes a wonderful Gee.

A short distance ahead and I call Freya to Haw into the grassy trail again, but she doesn't want to. She wants to follow the road. Can I blame her? Behind me now is the second team, so I jump off and hold the dogs to the right so he can pass. My team ignores his and I'm proud of them for not bothering (all except Bucky who thank goodness is on the far side of the gangline and though he strains to see and socialize with the other dogs, he is kept in place by stoic Yukon. The team perks up a bit after they pass and Freya allows herself to be led to the grass trail and takes off. After the first hundred yards though, she begins to tire then slow to a trot. I try to encourage them, and they perk up when I run with them, but slow down as I tire and ride, unable to keep up with their pace. I alternate running and riding as much as I can, and the heat begins to steam out of my jacket. But it was too wet to open my coat. My clothes are soaked, my boots are soaked, my mittens are soaked and sweat is running down my face.

I realize I was probably overdoing it, but I couldn't let Freya and the team slog out the last of the trail dragging my fat butt on a cart. About a mile into the trail the faster team comes back at us and I pull the team over left and let them pass head-on. I'm very proud of my pups. All of them ignored his team as they steamed by, even Bucky stopped pulling towards them when I said "Leave It!"

We finished the loop and slogged back down the grassy trail towards the road, then on to more grass, then across the road again to the cones. Freya did a good Gee on to the grass chute marked with cones, but kept trying to go haw again back to the parking lot. It was a bit difficult to keep her going towards the finish, but she finally got it and we crossed the line. When I got off and James pulled her left, she was more than eager to go to the motorhome. I unhooked them and put them in the motorhome, pulled the cart up the hill and put it back on the trailer, then went in to snack, unharness and check the dogs. They were in good shape, no foot problems and no injuries, but very tired. They all curled up on my bed in the back except Moony who hadn't gotten to run yet. I was exhausted and overheated. I could feel the dehydration eating at my body and I tried to drink a bottle of gatorade then water. I was too tired to bike with Moony. So I informed the marshall I wouldn't be running the bikejor.

We stayed for a while, and James and I had a cup of hot cocoa, I walked the dogs a couple of times and took a couple photos, but my head was beginning to hurt from overheating and dehydration. Even though I drank about a gallon of water and took aspirin, it didn't seem to help. In the mid afternoon, we left to go find a bank teller, and a general store. Little did I know this would be a two hour fruitless search before we finally found a tiny store without an ATM. Ah well, I procured what we needed and we found our way back to camp. There were a few leaks beginning to show in the roof of the motorhome as we set up camp for the night. I also discovered there was water damage in the left outer panel by the electric plug that would need fixing. The snow turned to rain then back to snow, but fortunately the heaters kept us warm. The dogs made sure my bed was well coated in mud before I went to bed as they kept pulling down the covers to make nests... sigh.

We wandered over to the lady on the hill's camp where we stayed for a while, but my headache was beginning to bother me plus not being a night person, I begged my leave, took several aspirin, drank more water, went to the bathroom, then to bed. 3am and the dogs were walked, and 5am they had us up again. By this time my skull was pounding in an attempt at migraine, and though I tried to stave it off with ibuprofin and gatorade, it was still lurking. The dogs seemed eager enough to run again, but I knew they would be hard pressed to make another slog through the grassy trails, and I knew I wouldn't make it. I pulled from the race for that reason, plus, my son had forgotten to bring his allergy meds so I had given him half mine which left none for either of us for that evening. I decided it would be best if we just headed for home. Turned out to be a good thing as the heavy snow hit that night, but we were safely back in Kentucky long before then.

On the way back, we passed by a huge bull elk grazing on the side of the road. A magnificent animal, so majestic, so beautiful and awe-inspiring. I can see why they are sometimes referred to as the spirit of the land. Off to the other side of the road was a cow and a calf, all wonderous creatures, and I was glad that they had been re-introduced to the east. May they live and re-populate and never again be hunted to extinction!

By the time we were out of the mountain range, and I had drank probably another gallon of water, my headache began to recede. (Thank goodness I didn't have to drive all the way back feeling nauseous!) It was a wonderfully fun trip, and I wished that I had been able to compete Sunday, but I was sure I had done the best thing possible for myself and the dogs. I had a great time and thank those who put on the race. I learned what I wanted to learn, and that was whether or not my dogs could compete at the pro level. I believe they can, but unfortunately I don't have the time or the means to train them properly for it. Until I put in a trail on my property that I can run them on, or until I move to a place that has trails I can run closer to my home, I will have to content myself with running in the sportsman class. My dogs are great sports though, and are able to pass by and head-on without an issue, which makes me proud of them. Freya is an awesome leader and for the most part listens to commands except when they clash heavily with where she wants to go. Which may someday stand us in good stead as she is very intelligent and may find the right way on her own when I cannot. Here's to you Freya my goddess of sledding!

Sinnemahoning part 1

2011-11-01T06:37:00.000-07:00

With a bit of excitement and no little trepidation, we set out in the Motorhome's maiden voyage, a 12 hour trip to Pennsylvania, and Sinnemahoning State Park. Very early on, my son, James and I discovered that the Mallard's cabin heater was completely non-functional. The only thing that was working was the fan on the defrost setting (no heat, just the fan). The temperature was close to freezing, and for the entire trip, we could see our breath as fog. The dogs loved it, and spent a lot of time sleeping on my bed and bedding in the back when they weren't trying to crawl in my lap or look out the windows. With us went Freya, Princess, Bucky and Yukon for the four dog team, and Moony was going to be my bikejor dog. The trip would have taken just about 9.5 hours according to the GPS, but it doesn't have to stop for dogs or boys to go potty.

James was a good help holding back the dogs as I took them for walks, but we discovered a flaw in the door structure of the Mallard. When a dog jumped on the door and slid their paws down, the door opened. Bucky was the first to discover this while we were stopped at an Arby's for lunch. Fortunately I was close enough to him to stomp on his leash to prevent him from going anywhere, and double fortunately none of the other dogs were close enough to get out the door before I could get to it. Bucky was a good boy though, and headed right to me as I was bringing Princess back from walking, which allowed me to get a hold of him so quickly. I stomped on his leash, snatched it up, leaped to the door and shut it just before Moony could get out. I then carefully let Princess back in, used the key and set the deadbolt before taking Bucky for a walk. My heart settled back in to a reasonable beat after I had all five dogs walked and stowed safely back in the motorhome.

The scenery driving through the Pennsylvania mountains was amazing. Fall was in her full-color cloak spread along the mountainsides broken only by rivers and signs of habitation. It would have been perfect except we were freezing, and the motorhome had a bit of trouble on the steep grades. The four-barrels had their own sense of timing, and decided only to work when they wanted to rather than when we needed them. The Mallard also had the tendancy to catch every breeze as if it were a sail on a tall ship. So I was constantly correcting our heading to stay reasonably in the same lane. The brakes on the motorhome were rather slow to respond, and was rather like running dogs, you hold on and pray the brakes are adequate. They were in good condition and worked as they were supposed to, but I was still getting used to the fact that there would be no instant stopping, even for the deer that jumped out in front of us. Fortunately the stopping power it did have was just enough to miss the deer.

I'm sure many of the folks driving along the same highway as us in the dark were non-too-pleased to be behind my overly cautious rate of speed, but, well, I don't think my heart could have taken another deer incident. We finally found the campground at around 8pm (after dark), and with the help of our camping neighbor, we got settled in rather quickly and they already had a fire going. which they shared with us. It was just starting to snow lightly, little flakes that turned to water almost instantly. After walking the dogs, we settled by the fire for a while to socialize until I grew sleepy. Being a morning person, and not a night owl has its drawbacks. At least with the Motorhome plugged in, we were able to fire up the ceramic heaters we had brought which made the inside pleasantly warm. I slept with Freya, Yukon, Bucky and Princess in the bed with me while Moony slept with James.

(more to come)

Work Like a Dog!

2011-10-24T07:09:00.000-07:00

Friday afternoon Jim and I drove up to Indiana to pick up a used Motorhome. It is a 1988 Mallard Sprinter, 28', and not too large, but big enough for us and the dogs. The engine was well cared for (though the rest of it was in less than pristine condition), and ran incredibly well, transmission and brakes seemed to be in order, so we paid the man for the vehicle and title. I drove it back while Jim drove my truck back. It was an interesting, and a bit of a harrowing experience. I hadn't driven a motorhome for quite a few years, and this one was power-assist brakes, so rough on stopping power. It also has a floppy right mirror, so I had little view out the right side (passing was nerve wracking, but hard not to when folks go down the highway at 60 mph in a 70 zone). But being cautious and extending lead and reaction times, we made it home without incident (a bit rough driving on the narrow mountain roads, but by then I'd gotten used to the handling of the beast).

Saturday early, I harnessed up the race team, woke Jim and James, and grabbed the hd vid camera. My intention was to vid my run, but the camera had other plans. We hooked the dogs in, I hopped on and released the catch. The first few seconds of the run are always frantic holding on and minimal braking, but once stablized, I fumbled with the camera one-handed as we approached the bridge. I was able to turn it on and press the button, as we careened around the corner and up the hill. we passed the trailer, flew around the railroad corner, and stormed up to the barn as the walkie fell out of my pocket. Oops. When we got level with the barn, Freya simply halted and turned around without being asked. ???

I got up, and pulled her back towards the donkey farm, but as soon as I went back to the seat, she had pulled the team around again. I pulled her back to the proper direction again, and went back to the seat, and she again pulled the team around, only this time, she went between Bucky and Yukon and really balled up the team. Exasperated, but trying not to show the team my frustration, I ended up having to unhook Bucky who was hopelessly tangled in tugs and gangline while holding on to the leaders neckline to keep them from injuring him. He was so badly wrapped up, that if they had lined out, they might have broken a leg. Having straightened out that mess, I weighed the decision to keep going or to return to the house. Not wanting to deal with another ball up. I let Freya keep her homeward direction and started up again. When we got level with the walkie, I scooped it back up and we continued on home.

Jim and I then washed up and did our weekly shopping. When we got back and everything put away, it was time to start work on the motorhome. I had thought I would simply have to wash down the roof then begin re-caulking and sealing. When I got on top, however, my initial glance had not done justice to 23 years worth of dirt and neglect. There were lichens growing on the paint! The soot and oxidation was very thick, so I had my son bring up a scrub brush. For six hours, I scoured the top of the motorhome from front to back. It was late by the time I was finished, so I let it dry overnight.

Sunday I got up and harnessed up Moony, Ace and Bandit. I then tried for over an hour to convince Demon that he wanted to get harnessed and run with us to no avail. With a sigh, I woke Jim and James, and got the three dogs out to the cart. When Bandit was hooked up next to Ace and she saw him whining and leaping to go, she panicked and tried to back out of her harness. She put on that scared stubborn face I knew meant that she was not going to run. I asked James to remove her, and took off with just Moony and Bandit. They did excellent considering the weight they were pulling, so at the .5 mile mark, I turned them around and let them run home for a full mile.

After taking care of them and putting everything away, I checked the top of the motorhome only to find it was still wet in some places and damp in others. So I waited a couple hours for the sun to dry it out while I vaccumed and steam vac'd the inside. I checked the roof again, but it wasn't drying fast enough. Armed with towels, sealant, sealant paper, scraper, screwdriver, brush and determination, I scaled the ladder and started to work on the rear most vent. It took nearly four hours to scrape, wash, sand, wipe, paper and seal the vent with three coatings of sealant, but I think it was pretty well protected by the time clouds began to roll in. I painted sealant on some other spots that needed it and hoped it would dry enough that rain would not wash it away.

With the brush as clean as I could get it, I went out back of our house to pick up walnuts out of the yard. Two more hours and I had 22 bags of walnuts that I hauled up the hill and had my son take from the back porch and put them on the front patio. Around 5 pm I washed up and started up a boiler of crab legs for my birthday dinner. My favorite meal has always been snow crab since I first learned their taste. More succulent than king, far smoother than lobster, they are a delicacy that delights my palate. So I enjoyed every morsel before settling down with an ice cream sandwich and cuddle up with Bucky, Princess, Moony and Samantha to watch a bit of TV.

Race Team is Looking Good!

2011-10-17T05:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday I took out the race team, and they are really shaping up and working really good together. It was a fine fall morning at about 47 degrees F. The leaves have begun turning colors in earnest, those that haven't already fallen that is. The smell of them lining the street with fresh dew on them is the essence of the season, an aroma that will always be one of my favorites. Bucky was acting up again this morning, more than eager to get moving, having missed his chance to work during the week. My bad shoulder still ached in the cool air, but it was much too nice a morning to stay indoors.

All four dogs were whining and jumping, and letting me know that they were more than ready. Seeing their energy and level of drive, I decided I'd extend their mileage a bit. The routine is getting easier for my son and husband, and despite my injured shoulder, we were able to be ready to rock in less than 5 minutes. As soon as I released Freya and Princess' leashes, I ran back to the cart as Jim unhooked Bucky and Yukon's. All four dogs lunged into their tugs as I hit the quick release and we were off!

The sprint down to the bridge was incredibly fast, and equally fast up the hill as I pedal assisted, but they were so fast I wasn't really much help. We were around the bend and down to the turn off to the mini-railroad in record time. Freya slowed a bit when we approached the barn, waiting to hear my commands, and I told her "On By" and "Hike Up!" With glee she threw herself in to the run again, the primal wolf within her glorying in the pace.

Up the small hills and down, then to the donkey farm, I finally called the halt and "Come Around". All four dogs still looked great and eager. Freya executed a good come around, but Bucky stepped over the gangline and caught his right front leg between the gang and neck lines, so I had to tell Freya to "Wait" (several times as I held on to the gangline for dear life and hope to keep Bucky from getting injured. They were still incredibly strong and eager even after the two mile almost flat run to get to where we were. It took all I had to keep them from taking off while I untangled Bucky's leg even with the brakes set. When he was free, I couldn't hold them, and slowly let them forward as I held the gangline and let it slip until I could grab the cart.

As fast as possible, I half leapt, half fell into the seat of the cart, swung my leg over as we started off despite the brakes still dragging the back tires. I let off the brake and we were off as fast as when we started. They were eager, strong, and elated, but I held a little pressure on the brakes on the downhill so they wouldn't trip. They ran swiftly all the way back, even up the hill to the house, even in to the yard and only halted after I called the halt in the front yard. What a ride! They were incredible, and still looking strong and eager while being unhooked and taken in to the house for their snacks. I think this team is going to do great!

Enthusiasm is Contagious

2011-10-12T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well, she finally did it. Princess managed to get even the stoic Yukon all riled up on a bikejor. Monday I decided to switch up her and Bucky partnering so that she ran with Yukon and Bucky would run with Freya. Well, that was a mistake I will probably not make twice. When I hooked her in, immediately she and Yukon began pulling hard. I had to hold them back, and well, Yukon when he pulls is as strong as an ox! Consequently I had an uncontrolled start, a sharp jerk on the gangline, and off into the left side ditch I went. This time on my right side, which has always been a bit less graceful. My shoulder impacted the pavement and I managed my first more than superficial injury. Had to go to the Dr. and get xrays. It still hurts, but the swelling is finally going down, and I should be able to manage a cart ride by this weekend. I'm thinking a bit of training is in order for Princess. I love her motivational power, but her uncontrolled starts will be the death of me if I don't get her to hold back until I'm ready.

Shaping Up and Moving Out!

2011-10-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

As you can see in this pic, Yukon really leans in to his tug on the team. Not sure why he doesn't take bikejoring seriously, but he is sure a good team wheel dog. Maybe he knows I need to pedal more to be in shape? Hehe clever boy. It was 44 degrees this morning and I didn't want to take the chance it would get too much warmer, so took off just before dawn.

Fall is just beginning to give color to the maples and oaks, the sycamores and walnut trees simply turn yellow then brown and drop their leaves, fall's spoilsports. Above the trees is a deep royal purple tinged with blue as the sun begins to paint the sky to the east. The road is a barely visible gray line, so I put the collar lights on Freya and Princess. Princess loves the little light, and is excited when I turn it on. Hooking Bucky and Yukon in wheel, James brings out Freya and Princess behind me, so I quickly get them hooked in. Princess, Freya and Bucky are screaming to go, Yukon quivers in excitement. I jump quickly in the seat, and hit the release with an "Okay!" and they are off flying down the road.

This time I brought the camera to document our run, and we are down to the bridge in a flash. We round the corner and run up the hill while I pedal assist.

Up ahead is the curve before the gutted trailer. The sign is just on the apex of the curve.

Rounding the bend, we come almost level with the trailer when a pickup truck was coming the other way. I pull the team to the side, so he can pass, and he stops to tell me I have beautiful dogs. I thank him and he passes. Freya tries to follow, but I say no, and "leave it" and she immediately turns back forward. What a great leader she is.

The road curves around the property of the gutted trailer. To the right you can see the rock retainer wall that used to be decorated with fancy grass, bushes and flowers. When we first moved in there was a guy there that abused dogs. He has been gone now for over a year. A family lived there for a short while, two or three months, but they too moved out. Makes you wonder. The owners of the property have not been back since the roof fell in, but the deer love to congregate there and eat the lush grass.

There is a cautionary sign regarding possible flooding up ahead. This is on the inside of the curve where the road branches left and right. The left going to the railroad and the right towards the donkey farm. This is just over half a mile.

Getting ready to make the turn.

Past the turn there is a peak of the purple sky overhead. On the right is the old barn and something very odd. I did not notice it when we were running but looking at this pic I see what looks like a flying red turtle. There is nothing reflective on the old barn, and also the thing is in front of the trees and not behind. I'm stumped. Going to hike down there later today and see if I can find something reflective.

The break in the trees leads up to the donkey farm and is almost the two mile mark. One more hill and we turn around for two miles back.

Turned around and on the way back to the barn.

There is a reflective property marker on this tree, but this is obviously a reflective tape. One reason I want to hike down and check the area of the old barn.

Dawn is turning the eastern sky orange and beginning to show the colors of the trees. The little drive ahead and to the left is the old barn.

I wonder if that white dot is the same something we saw earlier? We are just level with the old barn again, it is off to the left this time.

Up ahead is the turn off to the mini railroad and the street sign.

Heading back to the gutted trailer. The road is beginning to lighten up with the sun peaking over the rim of the world.

You can see some of the fall colors as we pass the drive to the trailer. The numbers still shine on the mailbox. Wonder how long it will remain there?

You can see a little color on the trees with the sun doing its best to imitate in the east.

Back in to the tunnel of trees and heading towards the bridge.

Bracing for the sharp curve! We excellerate downhill and I have to hold on tight!

Up the hill towards home.

Riding off into the sunrise.

Time for snacks, rub downs and lots of praise! This team is really coming together well. Princess and Bucky make a dynamic motivational duo and Freya lends brains and muscle while Yukon is a good worker when in the team, and does his job in wheel very well. Overall I'm very pleased with them.

Monday

2011-10-03T05:58:00.000-07:00

This morning the dogs seemed almost inclined to let me sleep in. Only Bandit softly howled his deep low howl to let me know he was anxious to run. At 5:07 it was 35 degrees, perfect weather after two days of running dogs on the weekend. The dogs were playful, but not overly anxious to run except Princess and Samantha who constantly bugged me as I got dressed and put my socks and shoes on. I got the bike out and ready, then went back in to harness up Bucky and Yukon (having already made my choice last night). Escorting the rest of the dogs out back before shutting the door, I put the leashes on them and got the rest of my cold weather gear on. (Balaclava, thick lined jacket and gloves)

The morning was crisp, the air still and stars shone brightly. The cloudy pattern of the milky way stretched across the sky, and I saw a meteor streak on the horizen to the west.

I walked Bucky and Yukon out to the bike and Bucky whined and quivered, but didn't pull excessively. Yukon is Yukon, a stoic philosopher, and though he gets excited, he keeps good control of himself, which is why he makes an excellent partner for Bucky doing Bikejor. I quickly hooked up Bucky's tug, and he sat politely! Was that Bucky? He whined and quivered, excitement oozing off him, but he kept seated while I hooked in Yukon! I praised him highly as I turned on the collar light, and hooked up their neckline, releasing their leashes, and Bucky still sat there!!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes! It was such a good start to the morning! As soon as I let go of his collar and grabbed the gangline though, he lunged forward, but stopped when I said "Wait!" Whining and screaming he eased off his tug even, and waited for me to say "Okay!" and off he went! Who is this dog? Certainly not Bucky the Wild Man! He was so well mannered this morning I may have to give him a new nickname!

Once he took off, though, he was off! He flew down the road practically dragging Yukon behind him, and Yukon is a very fast dog! I had to brake back so Yukon could keep up, and once we hit the corner and the first hill, Yukon was able to gain his momentum and they both pulled together. Over the hill and Bucky again stretched out, pulling Yukon, so I braked again to ensure Yukon pulled on his tug. Another meteor streaked in the night sky as we broke through the cover of overhanging trees by the remains of the mobile home on the right.

The roof had collapsed straight down on the base after the people took the metal roof off and rain made the insulation heavy. It was now a sad silent lump of metal and wood that we quickly left behind for the living tunnel of trees on the other side. Up the slight rise, down and around the bend where the road went right and a side road for the mini-railroad butted in to the left. Bucky didn't need the "Gee" command, but it was a reinforcement of direction. With the slight downhill, he was leaving Yukon behind again, so I had to brake to hold him back again. On the up hill, both dogs were on their tugs, and we passed the old barn. At the 1.5 mile mark I called the halt "Whoah!" and "Come Around". Yukon lead the turn this time surprisingly enough, and executed a good come around gee!

"Easy!" and the boys simply trotted to tighten the gangline. "Okay!" and they took off! It was awesome to have them beginning to learn to slow down at the "Easy" command! We lit off back towards the house. Yukon was leaning in to his tug up until the hill past the turn, then he started slacking off again on the downhill, unable to keep up with Bucky. So I applied the brakes to slow Bucky so that Yukon could keep up, but he still slacked on his tug. I'll have to check him thuroughly and have the vet check him out to be sure there is nothing wrong. If Bandit continues to perform well and not have any seizures, I may substitute Bandit for Yukon in the team.

Bucky and Yukon sprinted up the last hill, even though the neighbor dogs were running by us barking their fool heads off. With a "Leave It" they paid them no mind, and ran all the way up to our mailbox when I said "Easy". But instead of trotting on, they stopped, Bucky intent on trying to socialize with the neighbor dogs. I had to pull their tugs to get them to follow me in to our yard. Disappointed, Bucky finally got it and trotted ahead of me as I picked up the leashes.

Yukon loves to run, but he seems to be slowing down this season. He'll pull if the pace is slow enough, but Bucky is a bit fast for him. I may have to trade Yukon out of the race team for Bandit should he continue to do well.

This Week at Wyrd Kennels

2011-10-02T09:26:00.000-07:00

Monday it was 70 degrees and rainy at 5am, so I simply read a book until it was time to give Bandit his medicin.

‎Tuesday it was 42 degrees. Took Moony and Bandit out for a 2 mile bikejor. I was almost afraid that he would stand around again, not knowing what to do, but he trotted out to the bike with a purpose. He waited patiently by the bike, so I thought his initial bravado was simply echoing Moony's excitement. I got her hooked in then Bandit. Moony kept nipping at Bandit as if to say it was his fault we weren't moving yet, and I had to tap her nose to get her to stop. I let out the gangline and grabbed the bike. Moony was frantic to run, but Bandit waited until I got a foot on the pedal and said "Okay!" Bandit got it! He tore off pulling hard, and his long legs had Moony scrambling to keep up. We were down and across the bridge in no time. It was awesome to see him in action again and I almost cried remembering his glory in harness. He remembered!

I had to hold him back so as not to discourage Moony, and he loped as the incredibly fast powerhouse he is. Nearly solo he pulled me, mostly because Moony was having trouble keeping up, and he was going so fast I could hardly have helped pedaling. Going to have to choose a different partner for him next time. Bandit almost seemed his old self, sure of what he wanted and where he needed to go. The thought of being able to put him back on the team made me smile. The real test would be if he made it through 48 hours without a seizure afterwards. Trying not to get my hopes up, I waited through the day.

During the night, both Yukon and Bucky curled up on the bed by me, as if they knew it was their turn to run. Wednesday it was 55, so I hooked up Bucky and Yukon. Overall they made a good team though Bucky worked more than Yukon, at least I could hold them back ok. Yukon stayed pretty much tight on his tug until we turned around at the 1.5 mile mark. Then he slacked up a bit, but after I had to stop and let a truck go by us, he leaned into his tug again. Overall he seems to be getting his stamina back.

Bucky had a bit of wear on his nails, but not endangering the quick. Yukon had little wear, and both felt good. They got two pieces of fish each and a rubdown. Bucky is getting the leadership commands down pretty good, except he still thinks it is social hour when we get back by the neighbor's house and his dogs try to keep up with mine. We'll see how he progresses, but in a pinch I think he will do good as a leader.

Thursday was Princess and Freya's turn. What can I say, but these two girls are awesome! Princess was frantic and jumping to go, but Freya held her back when I told her to wait. What an awesome leader she turned in to, and every day, I'm glad that we were able to get her out of that stall and take her home. Her strength is incredible, and her muscular back end has earned her the nickname "Arnie Butt". Princess is even faster than Freya, not quite as strong, but getting there. She is beautiful and a joy to see in full stride. She pours her heart and soul in to everything she does, and her intelligence is pretty much unmatched. What a fantastic little girl! Our bond is very close, and we understand each other like you can only imagine. She knows what I'm thinking and I know what she is thinking. We are connected, mind and soul. The only other dog I've shared such a rapport with was Susie.

The other dogs are still very close to me, and we share in the pack mind. Sometimes I can feel them run as much as watch, and it is these times that we seem one being, wild and free, running for the joy of it and for the reward of good fresh meat. During the time we aren't running, I share my life with them, and they with me. I walk with them, and they play around me, occasionally involving me in their games. They lay around me at rest, and look to me for reassurance before eating. Sometimes they won't take bones from me out of difference, and wait until I place them on the ground and walk away. It is these times I know how much they respect and love me and I let them feel how much I love and respect them as I care for their needs, watch over them, and help them when they are sick or injured. It is a reciprocating love and life, and I feel at peace in their midst.
Freya and Princess made record time for the three miles. I really need to time these runs, but I'm pretty sure that with the exception of when I had Princess and Bucky out, that we were faster than the Bucky-Yukon team, and probably faster than the Bandit-Freya team of last year. Bandit, my heart still aches for the old Bandit. I look in to his eyes and I don't see the depth of soul there used to be, even though his intelligence seems to be fairly close to what it was. The gentle old soul that used to be in his eyes is gone. If I could have one wish in life, it would to have that spark, that sense of the old Bandit back.

After I gave fish to Freya and Princess, checked their paws and joints, rubbed them down and hung up harnesses and leashes, I gave bones to the rest of the dogs. I gave Bandit his pills and was getting ready to make his breakfast so I could administer his Kbr in his food. Someone dropped a bone in the middle of the dining room, and Bucky went for it after finishing his. Moony took acception to this and they got in to an argument over whose bone it was. My yell of "Hey Quit!" had no effect, and the "No!" didn't seem to phase them either, nor did getting smacked over the head with the food scooper. Dropping both the scoop and the bowl I waited for the right opening and snatched both collars and yanked them apart while still yelling "No! Down!" Immediately Moony rolled on her back in submission, and Bucky sat.
The commotion woke Jim and I handed a still growling Moony to him and he shut her in his room. I checked Bucky over very carefully, but fortunately there were no punctures. After fixing Bandit's breakfast and feeding him, I checked Moony over, and though she had saliva on her, she too had no punctures. I didn't think they were that serious, but it could have easily escalated if I hadn't stopped them. Those two had been butting heads over treats for some time, but they usually listen to me when I yell and immediately separate. This time I had to physically intervene, and Moony was still growly after 20 minutes stand down. They are normally good pals and play together a lot, but this time it took a bit more time for them to make up. I cautioned Jim about leaving them together when he takes James to school.
Thursday night around midnight, I woke to the neighbor dogs throwing a fit very close to my house. I would have gotten up to investigate, but I could hear Jim and James still up. Their turn to deal with it, but long before they even decided to check things out, our dogs joined in the ruckus, and Yukon came tearing in to my room (like he does in his extremely playful moods), jumped on the bed and cuddled up to me. One whiff of him told me what the ruckus was all about. Someone got skunked and Yukon must have been pretty close to them. My entire room smelled like the ass end of a polecat. Thanks Yukon!
So I ended up grabbing the air freshener and spritzing the room, and shooing Yukon out. After lying back down and letting the adrenaline slowly fade from my system, I just began to dream when a loud banging and thumping came from the bathroom. Awake like a shot, I could only imagine it was Bandit going in to a grand-mal seizure again. Heart racing I leaped into the bathroom somehow grabbing my robe on the way. When my hand hit the light switch, Bandit blinked up at me from where he was lying on his back with his four feet in the air. His puzzled expression told me he was not the source of the noise. Further in, Freya was frantically trying to get behind the toilet to get a mouse. By the time I was able to sleep again, it was 4 am. Of course the dogs decided it was time for me to get up at 5. They have no pity as a constant stream of cold noses, wet tongues and butting heads convinced me that sleeptime was over.
By the time I dragged myself out of bed, it was raining slightly, and I just really wasn't up to doing another run before work.

Saturday morning it was 37 degrees, way too good to waste the opportunity to run the race team. I dressed quickly and got the cart out of the shed. Securing it to the truck, I stretched out the gangline and went inside to harness Freya, Princess, Yukon and Bucky. As soon as the harnesses went on, the excited howling began as Princess, Bucky and Freya kept jumping around while Yukon tried to keep his front paws on my shoulders. their antics always make me smile and they love it as much or even more so than I.
Jim and James dressed quickly and Jim went out to help hold the cart when I brought out the pairs. I brought out Yukon and Bucky for wheel and James followed shortly after with Freya and Princess. Once they were hooked in, off we flew! This team is really gelling together as a powerhouse team of incredibly fast dogs! We went out two miles, much to Freya and Princess' delight. Flawlessly Freya executed the come-around when asked and we were off back towards home.

We went so fast, it was hard to keep the cart from flipping around the sharp turn towards home, and my back wheels slid as I leaned hard into the curve. Without slowing we charged up the hill towards the house, and when they slowed a bit, "Time for Fish!" got them leaning back in to their tugs as hard as they could.

This morning (Sunday) it was 28 degrees when I got up, and the first frost of the year glittered across the ground. The sun was rising, casting a gold fiery hue to each blade of grass. I decided to let Jim and James sleep in a bit since it was going to be pretty cool out for a long time. So I waited until about 7:30 before going out and getting the cart ready. Ace stuck to me like glue, and was ecstatic when I put a harness on her. Samantha kept howling at me, but though she claims she wants to run with the team, I know better. She just wants to run around where SHE wants to go. Once I put the harness on Bandit, he began to jump and whine, and Moony was howling for joy. It only remained to corral Demon and get him in to harness. Once he's harnessed, he's more than eager to go running, but getting him to stay still long enough to get a harness on is an experience...

I tried Ace up front with Moony, and she decided it would be more fun to run through the neighbor's yard and play with their dogs. She kept pulling back when I got her back on the road, so I quickly switched her out for Bandit in lead and her at her customary spot by Demon. This seemed to work out better all around. Ace just wasn't cut out for lead.

The team did pretty well, but I had to assist most of the way (good exercise for me). We went up to the 1 mile mark and I had to get off and gently lead Moony and Bandit in a come-around gee, but there were no tangles, which made me happy. We were off again towards the house. Demon did excellent as usual, he is a hard working dog even if he isn't fast and is the most shy dog I've ever had no matter how much socializing I try to give him or how much I work him in harness. He just seems to enjoy being out of contact with all humans save me, and almost makes a game of being shy. He's too smart and opinoinated to train him out of his shy game though I've done my best and had strangers feed him at every occasion... ah well.

Bandit is again becoming a swift powerhouse dog, and I may take him to run single dog bikejor at the race at the end of the month. (We've decided to hit Sinnemahoning since it is the same weekend as the cancelled EMW, and it is closer, so will be better all around. It is a crying shame that EMW lost sponsorship. I don't know what happened, but I'm sad they had to cancel the race.) Bandit knows the route and executed it with a will, and I had to ride the brake a lot to allow Ace to put in some muscle on her tug.
Moony did great again. She has a lot of heart and will, and if she didn't have that herniation on her stomach, I would work her harder and put her on the race team. But when she was being whelped, Samantha drug her across the blankets by her umbilical until I manged to snatch the cord and pup from her. I was able to keep her from being seriously impacted, but the umbilical was herniated. It hasn't caused her any problems in her live so far, but being scar tissue, it isn't as strong as the surrounding, so I'm careful about making her work too hard.

Tired dogs are happy dogs and I see four happy dogs.

Saturday and Sunday Training

2011-09-25T07:18:00.000-07:00

Excited happy dogs woke me at 04:30 to go running, but I managed to convince them to wait until 7. Okay, I ignored their pleadings until 6:30 when it was just starting to get light out. The morning birds had not woken up yet, and the sounds of crickets and tree frogs were still going strong. The chirps of sparrows waking peeped softly from the bushes, and fog blanketed the mountains in a gray mist. Dew shone like diamonds in the light, and glittered on each blade of grass like silver filligree.

Cool 42 degree air invigorated me as I pulled out the cart and wheeled it to the back of the truck. I looped the tie off around the hitch and connected the quick release to the back of the cart. I also turned on the tail light I put on it last week since it was still moderately dark. I then went inside to wake Jim and James and harness up the race team.

With their help, I put Princess and Yukon in wheel and Bucky and Freya in lead. This worked out pretty good as then Bucky had no gangline to bite and pull, however, Princess was beginning to rival Bucky's "Wild Man" status, jumping, howling and screaming to get going. So furious was her antics, she flipped the cart upside down. As soon as Freya was hooked in, I flipped the cart back over and gave the signal to get clear. As soon as I hit the quick release and said "OKAY!" Off we flew!

We were over the bridge and rounding the corner in record speed. Quick as thought, we had already passed the half mile mark, then the three quarter, the mile, the mile and a half and Yukon was beginning to slow. I gave the command to halt and come around. Freya executed another perfect come around, and we were off towards home. Yukon was keeping up, but wasn't keeping his tug tight. Lights from behind warned me a car was approaching, so I called the over haw and woah. Locking the break and pulling the team off the road to the left, I waved as my astonnished neighbors drove past. With no prompting necessary we were off, and Yukon was tight on his tug again. Praising them we rounded the corner and they ran all the way up the hill to home and I hardley needed to pedal assist. With this team, I think we will be real contenders.

My training and experiment to get Samantha back in a pulling team has not been very successful. This morning I put her in single lead with Demon and Ace in wheel. She must have thought that since she was in single lead that she was in charge and could do whatever she wanted. So, she immediately wandered off the side of the road sniffing while Demon and Ace ran over her. Bringing them to a halt, James and Jim helped me sort them out again, and off we went for about a hundred yards before Samantha wanted to sniff something else. This resulted in another tangle and a little assistance to sort out.

One more time I called the Hike up and this time, she actually got it and loped out in front of Demon and Ace, making it across the bridge, around the corner and up the hill before slowing and slackening her tug. Encouraging her to keep going, she stepped out again, and though she wasn't pulling, at least she didn't let Demon and Ace run over her again. We made it to the one half mile mark before meeting a truck coming up the road. I halted the team and pulled them off the side to let them pass, and Samantha decided she should follow the truck, shrugging, I let her have her way. Back homewards, she slackened then loped, then slackened, half the time with the neckline of Demon and Ace pushing on her butt, but at least she kept going and didn't end up in a tangle. Of course without her pulling, this meant I had to pedal the whole way to keep from tiring Ace and Demon too much. The two of them did fantastic together.

Half way up the hill, I heard another truck coming up behind, and pulled the team to the side of the road. Samantha took this as the signal to wander off into the field of our sideyard pulling Ace, Demon, me and the cart behind her. Of all the times she decided to lean in to her tug! Grunting in frustration I asked James to get her back on the road so we could get the team back to the driveway and home. Pushing and steering the cart, we made it back to the house with James practically dragging Samantha with him.

It took me four minutes to catch my breath enough to get the dogs inside and me to face the fact that Samantha just wasn't cut out to be a sled dog. I'll still take her jogging with me, we both need our exercise, but I think this is the last time I'll see her hooked to the cart.

Fall Training and a Few Random Musings

2011-09-23T09:13:00.000-07:00

Monday and Tuesday it was too hot and humid to train, but Wednesday finally saw cool enough weather for a canicross run with Samantha. It was spitting down moisture that really wasn't even thick enough to even call a misting. Happily Samantha plodded ahead of me, even better at keeping her tug tight and concentrating on the run rather than the sights and smells, that is, up until she saw the raccoon...

She stopped dead, and the raccoon panicked and fled up the mountainside, Samantha in hot pursuit until she was abruplty stopped by a deadweight (me) on the end of the tug line. The line yanked hard on me, tightening around my waist. Fortunately, she listened to me once she realized I was not going to let her give chase. Obediently she climbed back down the exposed hillside and trotted out in front of me as if nothing whatsoever had happened. Cheeky girl! Adjusting the tug away from the new cinch marks, I followed.

I have to admit I've grown fond of running in the dark. There is a mystery and beauty to the mountains untainted by the presence of humanity. The soft caw of a roosting crow, the scream of a falcon just waking, the chirping of various night insects, and the whistle screech of a buck calling to warn off other males fill the pre-dawn darkness with sound. We are alone on the the road through the mountains, but watched by wary eyes to either side.

We run a half mile out and a half mile back to the house, as we are both still getting in to shape. I feel better than I have since last racing season and know I'm on the right track. This year I hope I will not be the one holding the dogs back!

Thursday was cool enough for a Bikejor, and I knew it was Princess' turn to run, but who to match her up with so that she won't kill me with her enthusiasm? Yukon seemed the best candidate, as he is as fast as she is, and by far more manageable. So I harnessed them up much to the disappointment of the other dogs.

Princess threw a fit when I left her inside so I could get the bike out and ready, and she had all eleven dogs howling by the time I got back in to get her and Yukon. To prevent escapees, I had to put the other dogs out the back door, and Princess screamed and whined the whole time while waiting for me. She is something!

Finally I was able to get her and Yukon out the door, but it took a lot to get her hooked in as she kept jumping and screaming to go. Yukon danced and shimmied, but settled immediately when I told him to wait. Quivering with anticipation, he let me finish hooking him in and connecting the neckline between him and Princess. He's such a good dog! He even waited when I told him to wait on the road, holding back a screaming jumping Princess while I wheeled the bike to the center of the road and got my foot on the pedal.

When I said "Okay!" He lunged into his harness, and we were off! Princess was yipping in excitement with every stride! Yukon kept up with her for the first quarter mile, then began to slack off a bit, and I wondered if he was ok. He looked like he was running fine, but only just keeping up with Princess, and not keeping tight on his tug. Taking note of this, I turned us around at the 1.5 mile mark and headed us towards home.

They both very eagerly consumed their meat patty treat, and I checked their feet, ankles, wrists, shoulders and general condition. They both seemed fine, so I let the other dogs in, and gave G'kar his glucosamine chewies. Yukon was begging for one, so I handed him one, which probably was a mistake. He ended up throwing up his meat patty and the chewie (they have corn in them, so he may have developed an intollerance for corn since I do not feed them any food with corn in it, or it may be the richness of the chewie upset his stomach having already been hot from running?) So I cleaned that up before giving Bandit his medicine ball, then cooking his breakfast for the rest of his medicine.

I ate my breakfast while Bandit's cooled in freezer (usual morning routine with my epi boy). I usually make a little extra for a treat for the rest of the dogs, but Thursday morning's extra I fed mostly to Princess. Before leaving for work, I asked Jim to keep an eye on Yukon and make sure he wasn't sick.

When I got home, I checked Yukon over, and he seemed fine, even playful, but Bandit seemed overly whiney and clingy. I didn't feel the weirdness I get before Bandit seizes, but kept an eye on him anyway. When I went to bed, he crawled in the bed next to me and whined softly. I pet him until he fell deeply asleep.

This morning it was a cool 55 degrees, and I wanted to give Moony the chance for some exercise, but who to run with her? I ended up choosing Ace mostly because she was there and bugging me to go. Moony whined and howled, excited to get the chance to go and Ace kept jumping on me and dancing around quietly. She rarely makes noise. James got up and I asked him to help me put the other dogs out back, and when that was done, he went back to bed. After readying the bike, I went back for Moony and Ace.

Moony was by far faster than Ace, so I had to hold her back so Ace did not get discouraged. I think from now on, I'll only run Ace with Demon since they seem to get along well and run at the same speed. Moony will move up to running with one of the race team.

After medicating and feeding myself and the pack, down came the rain. Thank goodness it waited until I was done.

Good Run!

2011-09-19T11:37:00.000-07:00

It was a good weekend. Saturday morning it was 41 degrees out and the dogs were excited. They bounded around the house, knowing it was going to be a running day! In my mind I had already chosen the team, and after giving Bandit his medicine and breakfast, I harnessed up Princess, Freya, Bucky and Yukon. Each of them took off running out back to show the other dogs their harnesses while I went out front to get the cart ready.

Dragging the cart out of the shed, I rolled it to the road, locking the brakes just after passing the rear of my truck. From the dog tack box I removed the gangline, quick release, and rope, placed them in the seat of the cart while I hooked up the rope and quick release to the back of the cart. To the front of the cart I hooked up the bridle and safety ropes already attached to the gangline. I smiled at the blue and gold gangline made for me by my husband last year. Blue and gold have been my favorite combination of colors since I was a teenager, and as striking in my mind as black and silver.

When everything was laid out, the sun was just creeping up on the horizon as I went in and woke Jim and James. I gathered helmet, gloves, necklines, and a sweatshirt from my bathroom, and readied myself for the run as they crawled out of bed. By the time I had the leashes on the 4 and the rest of the dogs outside, they were ready to assist me.

Yukon and Bucky were out first, and though Bucky had been good on the bike, he returned to be "The Wild Man" when hooked in to the gangline. He jumped and howled, whined, barked and pulled on the gangline to get going. That's my Wild Man! I hurriedly went back for Princess and Freya who were screaming in a frenzy to go. They were so wound up, they nearly dragged James out to the cart on his butt. I quickly snapped them in, but while doing so, Bucky ended up pulling so hard, he pulled off Yukon's collar and we had to struggle to get his collar back on. Princess was screaming "AAAHHH YAAAA YAAAA YAAAA!" while Bucky and Freya barked and howled.

I ran back to the cart which was jumping off the ground from the power of the dogs (good thing the tether held!), and as soon as Jim and James were clear, I pulled the quick release. Like a shot out of a cannon we were off! We flew down to the bridge in a flash, rounded the corner, up the hill and half a mile gone in a matter of seconds. We were past the mini-railroad without breaking stride. It wasn't until about a mile and a quarter when their initial speed began to slow, so I let them run another quarter mile before asking Freya to come around.

Perfectly they executed the turn around, not a single tangle from the start nor through the come around, and we were off again back towards the house. Princess was a huge motivator for the team, and her enthusiasm was contagious. They all wanted to keep up, and she was more than happy to pour her heart into it the whole way! This was the most flawless run I've ever had, and probably one of the fastest 3 milers to date. They flew back up the hill home, not slowing down until Jim was in front of them, and they were turning in to the driveway. What an amazing team!

After each of them slaked their thirst and ate their frozen meat pattie snack, I unharnessed, rubbed them down and checked their feet. All looking and feeling good so far!

Samantha loves to tickle people to hear them laugh.

Sunday it was a bit warmer at 53, but cool enough to run, and again the dogs were whining and jumping around even before I was dressed. I wanted to get Samantha, Moony and Demon some exercise, plus wanted to see if Ace got the idea to pull from our canicross sessions. It was an experiement, and I hoped it would pan out. In the past, Samantha has not wanted to pull, and put on the brakes enough to scrape her pads. Ace too had put on brakes in harness more than once, but I had been working with them both at canicross, and hoped they both were over their fear of running on a team.

It was not a pretty start. Each time Moony took off, Samantha would haul backwards, bringing her to a halt. After the third time, Samantha began to realize she was in control, and when I held moony back so she wasn't pulling Samantha forward, she began to pull! It was a huge and major breakthrough! Ace surprised me, and hauled on her tug the whole way! Not wanting to let any of them get overwhelmed, I only let them go half a mile before turning them around. Samantha was winded by the time we got back, but she had pulled and pulled hard! I was proud of her, and ever so glad I took the time to re-train her and listen to what she was telling me! Moony was fabulous, and will make a good leader someday, but needs to build strength and stamina. Ace was amazing! She and Moony will make great additions to the team when they have had enough time in harness. Demon was rock solid as usual, and he and Ace made a great running pair. Even though he hadn't been pulling on the team for some time, he was a champ wheel dog, and I was glad to be able to give him some exercise with dogs that were more his speed.

Altogether a great weekend of running with some valuable lessons learned and risks taken that paid off!

Full Moon

2011-09-13T12:48:00.000-07:00

Dew glittered in the gloomy illumination of a full moon this morning. The calm silence of pre-dawn was about to be broken as the dogs nudged me out of bed. All excited, they knew it was cool enough to be a running day. Ten quivering furry bodies scurried to and fro in my room, voicing their need to run in excited whines and howls. Zena was still in my son's room, enjoying her bond with him as she enjoys the privacy of his room. Yukon kept standing on his hind legs, gently trying to place his front paws on my chest, reminding me of his presence and eagerness to be the one chosen to run. Princess danced and howl-whined as she kept jumping like popcorn from a hot pan, making sure her eyes met mine on an even level. Sleepily I picked up the purple tug and white tug harnesses which excited Yukon all the more. He knew the purple tug was for him!

It only remained to figure out who to take with him. Moony and Freya both needed exercise, but Moony was still getting used to running with the team, and would slow Yukon down. Freya was the obvious choice, so I harnessed her up when she came inside. One by one, I escorted the other dogs out the back door, much to their disappointment. Princess howled and whined, scratching at the door in desperation. Sorry girl, not today.

As I got the bike out, I could hear the dogs in the yard pleading with me to reconsider my choices, but there was little time to console them. Ensuring the bike was in working condition still (after yesterday's escapades, this was a necessity), I leaned it up against the truck so I could go get Yukon and Freya. Silvery light illuminated the field of my sideyard, giving each blade of grass a metallic sheen. The treeline was a mass of black lumpy shapes from which the songs of insects and night birds issued into the pre-dawn. The smell of early fall, of leaves beginning to rot, of fresh cold dew, of scraped loam and cut grass each left an impression on my olfactory perceptions. As the dogs pulled through my spearmint bed, the smell brought a smile to my face. There is nothing that speaks to me of home and comfort more than fresh mint. Every place I go, I plant a mint garden for mint tea, for animal control (most wild animals hate mint and steer well clear of it), and to help ease my husband's chronic digestive issues, but mostly because I love the smell. Its clear cold scent is light, airy, wintery, and full of life and passion. It is a tradition I hope to keep all of my days.

Out on the side of the road, Freya whined and jumped and pulled despite my attempts to keep her under control. She is incredibly strong, and if she wanted to, she could have dragged me down the road on my butt solo, but fortunately she was sort of listening even if she didn't want to. I put the clip on light on her collar, attached the neckline between her and Yukon (Yukon tends to drift, so I make sure he stays close in case I have to pull them off the road to let cars by), hooked up both of their tugs. To Freya this was the sign to start pulling, and I grit my teeth and held on as I tried to get their leashes unhooked as fast as possible.

With that done, I slowly let out the gangline until it was tight and I was hanging on to the handlebars. Easing the bike into the middle of the road, I felt for the pedal, stood on it and off we went. Freya was like freight train, blasting down the trail, her legs a blur in the bobbing light attached to her collar. Yukon seemed to float just above the surface of the earth, his back hardly seeming to move, just hovering while paws flashed beneath. Their running was pure poetry, legs in graceful rhythm, paws striking the ground in sync. It is a wonder to behold when two or more dogs run as one. To be a part of such beautiful symmetry is beyond words. They run for me, and because they can run with me. It is a part of their soul, a game that is not a game, but the very essence of their being, an essence they share gladly with me, wanting me to be a part of something greater than any of us. Unlike the younger dogs, the elders relish the connection, being a part of a team that works together in the joy of exhilleration. The feeling is so different, so satisfying, and I know that the young ones will eventually honor the teamwork as much as their elders and not just the chance to run. It is a moment I look forward to.

The sounds of the night are drowned in the wind and sounds of exertion. The scree of the brakes is harsh in my ears, a sacrelidge in the pristine temple of the night, but necessary to keep Freya's energy from discouraging the older Yukon. The lamp on the handlebars stabs out into the dark, illuminating the way we must go, as the moon slips behind the trees and blackness swallows us. The road around the mountain is always in shadow, even on the brightest day. My eyes and ears strain to pick up sights and sounds ahead as we approach the blind curve. Hearing nothing, we are through it before thought, and up the slight rise. The trees break revealing a hollowed out shell of a mobilehome, its skeleton bleached in the pale moonlight. Across from it on our left is a small meadow crisscrossed with fresh deer trails, but no sign of movement.

We fly on, down the hill to the intersection where we vere right with a quick "Gee". Off to the left a small road leads through a meadow where another mobile home's carcass stands exposed, the blackened ash from the fire still taints the air and colors the remains with a sooty brush. By it a rugged trail leads up the side of the mountain, crosses the ridgeline and heads in to one of the wonders of Scott County, the mini-railroad. All this we leave behind us as our path lies along the road west and not south. The trees close thickly overhead, and no light filters down. To the right looms the old barn, and Freya slows only a moment to see if I will ask her to turn around here. Happily she runs past and picks up speed again. Yukon is beginning to slack off on his tug, he has not been able to keep up his activity over the summer, having been neutered one month ago. Though the wound is long healed, he has not yet gotten back in to shape.

Seeing this, I call the halt and ask Freya to come around. With only a longing glance back towards the west, she pulls Yukon around to face east and home. In an instant we are off, and Yukon is not as enthusiastic as he was when we started. His tug is slack, and he is a half a pace behind Freya. I hold Freya back a bit, but it only makes Yukon slow more and his tug is still slack. "Hike up Yukon!" He puts a little more effort in to it. When we reach the mini-train turn off, I see lights coming down the road, so pull the dogs close as I shuffle off the left hand side of the road. The car slows way down, and I can feel the eyes even in the dark. The sheer wonder and amazement to see sled dogs and a bicycle and not knowing what the heck we are doing. I smile and wave as they pass, and they speed up as if it is contagious. Slowly I let the gangline back out, and we are off at a better pace this time, Yukon leaning in to his tug again.

By the time we reach the blind curve the neighbor's dogs are in full cry again, and Yukon perks up, hoping to get in some social time. Freya is not interested in socializing, she is interested in the joy of running, and all of her focus and strength is in that one sole purpose. I slow them as we approach the house, and call them to a halt so I can pick up the leashes on the side of the road. I walk them down to the mint garden, tell them "whoa" and lay the bike down. As quickly as possible, I hook up their leashes, unhook the neckline and take off their tugs. They nearly drag me to the door in anticipation of their reward, and I smile as I let them in. They rush for the water bowl, drinking to ease their thirst and cool their heat as I open the freezer. Excitedly Freya dances at my side until I hand her a meat patty. Yukon bounds up to me to claim his, and they scatter to their dark corners to consume their snacks with relish. The dogs outside clamour for some, howling and whining, but in vain, for they know the rewards only come after being chosen for the joy of running.

While they are eating, I remove the leash, light and harness from Freya. She licks my hand and goes back to the job of polishing off her snack. Yukon is finished by the time I get to him, so I remove his leash and harness and check his feet. A good rubdown has his tail wagging and as I rub his belly, he licks my face. As Freya finishes, I check her feet and rub her down. She wiggles excitedly, constantly trying to lick my face and show her love for me. She is so affectionate now, and I smile as I remember the puppy that I had to back in to a corner just to allow me to pet her as she cringed. My little feral girl is now a happy well adjusted dog who loves our family unconditionally, but is still reserved around strangers. One day, she will not cringe from the chute, and my heart will burst with pride in how far she has come, even as I celebrate her progress so far.

The rest of the dogs thunder in as I open the door, trying to be the first one in to check for scraps and maybe beg for a handout. With some disappointment they find nothing of the meat patties, but are happy the bones are still lying around and waiting. They whirl around the house in excitement, hoping against hope they will get to go next. Failing that, they jump and tussel with one another, and bug me for attention which I gladly give as much as I'm able before I set about the morning chores.

It Must be Monday!

2011-09-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday bright and early I got up to go to Ohio with Cathy. I gathered up supplies, showered and gave Bandit his pills, then cooked breakfast for him so he could have the rest of his meds. With Princess and Ace in tow, I jumped in the truck and headed over to her house. While waiting, Princess decided that she really wanted in the front of the truck and chewed a hole through the rope grate. Thank goodness I had my front windows rolled 3/4 of the way up! Narrowly averting disaster, I followed Cathy up to Owensville, and then she followed me with the GPS to the fairgrounds.

We got there a little early, but not quite enough time to get the girls CERF tested. So I changed in a port-a-pot (never a pleasant experience) and got ready to go in the ring after doing a bit of window shopping. Snickers is always a fun happy puppy! She decided she wasn't getting in to the ring fast enough, so kept trying to jump the white fencing to get in. Since I wouldn't let her in the ring, she wanted to see what was going on, so she jumped up so high and so precise, she touched my nose with hers. This startled me a little until I figured out what she wanted, so was ready for her second jump. I caught her and held her in my arms so she could have a good look around. This made the judge giggle a little, and charmed a few people standing around watching. Snickers is such a good natured, cute little pup, and she communicates her wants to me pretty clearly. Fortunately she is a very food-focused pup, so a little bit of bait goes a long way with her.

She performed beautifully when it was finally her turn. She hammed it up, and even wiggled her body happily as the judge approached her. She gently licked her on the nose when he bent to check her bite. She charmed her I think, and ate up the attention. She moved and performed like a pro! I hardly had to correct her stance when she stacked, and she was so happy to play the "show" game! She won against another 7-12 mo girl, and got winners reserve. Glory got BOS, so it was a good day.

Sunday I got up early hoping to do some training, but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was 62 degrees and the humidity was enough to drown in. So I got out the scooper and did my overdo lawn chores. Finished clearing the fenceline, and picked up 3 bags of nuts from the dogyard (chestnuts and black walnuts). After I was done, the heat and humidity wore on me, and I fought valiantly against a headache and barely won. Not feeling great, instead of going out, I read the book "Ballad of the Northland" by Iditarod musher Jason Barron (still reading it, and it has a lot of potential).

This morning (Monday) I got up at 5am and the weather was inviting, so I dressed hurriedly and harnessed Princess. The other racers seemed occupied playing in the yard and only Bucky kept bugging me to go, so he got harnessed too.

Both these pups taught me two valuable lessons today.
#1 They are an awesome running team! Both are fast and incredibly strong!
#2 Don't take both of them out withough a helping handler!!!!!!
It took all of my might just to hold them back while putting on the tug lines, then all my strength to keep them from yanking the bike out of my hands as I tried to get it on the road. I leaned over the seat and crossbar because I couldn't get my foot on the pedal as they took off even as I tried to restrain them. They pulled a bit left, which cause me to counter right to stay up. Unfortunately this put the front tire off the pavement on the right, which wasn't so bad, but impossible to cut back on to the blacktop as it was a six inch verticle and I still didn't have my feet on the pedals.

Needless to say, the front tire stopped, the back kept going, and slammed me half-on, half off the pavement head-first. Good thing I have a hard head (and a helmet). To add insult to injury, the bike slammed down on my back, but at least this allowed me to grab it and keep the dogs from dragging it off, for a split second anyway... I tried to get up, but while trying to hold back two young incredibly strong dogs, it didn't go very well, and they yanked the bike out of my hands and took off with it dragging behind them. It didn't even seem to slow them at all. Poor bike, I think it got the worst of it, second only to me.

They careened around the corner on the other side of the bridge, but lodged the bike in the lee of the curve bewteen the pavement and the guardrail. I ran after them, catching up to them out of breath and in no little amount of pain. For a few seconds I couldn't figure out why the front brake was locked up, so unhooked the spotlight from the front handlebar only to realize they had twisted the forks around 360, wrapping the brake cable around tight enough to cause the seize. I twisted them back in to place, all the while still trying to hold back two young, incredibly athletic dogs... Now I know I'm crazy for wanting to do this, and I still question the sanity of jumping on the pedal, and letting the pups take off.

This is when I discovered the seat was backwards too. Ah well, who needs to sit down? We raced to the old barn where I finally got them to halt, quickly turned the seat back around as they executed a 'come around haw'. I barely got back on the pedals in time for them to take off back towards home. Bucky wanted to visit with the neighbor dogs, but a quick "Leave It" reminded him this wasn't social hour, and we made it back to the driveway in a reasonable amount of pieces. I grabbed up the leashes as they walked in to the front yard. I still had to hold on to the bike after laying it down on the lawn, so I could unhook the two youngsters, leash them up and escort them in to the house.

Two meat patties later, and I was finally able to take stock of my injuries. Mostly bumps and bruises, a fat lip, one large scrape down my belly where I was laying on the bar, and a black eye... Well if it was easy, everyone would do it, right? I certainly feel every one of my years today...

Blue Grass Classic Scorcher

2011-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a very fun weekend for me, and a great learning experience. My thanks to Shadetree Siberians for allowing me to handle Snickers, inviting me to Mary's party, sharing food, fun and good times! It was very enjoyable, moreso than doing it all alone. It was good to see many familiar faces, see some gorgeous dogs and new breeds. I'm sorry to hear of those who succumbed to the heat, it was a real test of fortitude! Scorching hot Thursday through Sunday, and cold moving in on Monday (I thought it felt great, but most thought it was freezing). I got to meet and talk to/with some great people and made some good friends. In the dog world, I think this was the most fun and best time I've had showing.

Snickers made Reserve in breed for all three days I showed her. Thursday (someone else showing her), she even made BOS! She is such a beautiful puppy! She has the most wonderful, outgoing and loving personality! She loved every minute of being at the show, even after 4 long days in excruciating heat (plenty of water and rest in AC when not in the ring) and one in temps that make huskies sing. Even the 100+ degree temps only slightly dampened her happiness! If ever there was a temperment I would strive for in a husky, Snickers embodied that temperment!

I think we are very fortunate that Bandit made it through the 100+ degree day Saturday without a seizure. I had been quite worried he would have one since we still weren't sure if they were caused by overheating or just the jerky treats. I think Saturday was the true test. So I will attempt to train him normally this fall, only once a week to see if he has any seizures then move to more. There hasn't been a morning yet below 50, so still waiting for a day in the 40's or below to start his training.

Samantha and I went for a mile run this morning at 5:15 am. I was eager to try out the new collar lights I got at the show, dug out my head band light, put the reflective harness on her, hooked her up to me, and off we went. The collar light was super! It helped light the road ahead of us and really made the only car we saw slow down a lot! Samantha still didn't pull hard, but she did much better than our first run! I think after a few more runs, she'll get the hang of what I'm asking of her and be more enthusiastic about pulling just me, because I'm certainly not faster than she is! Tomorrow if it is still cool, I'll get Yukon and Bucky out on the bike.

The training plan for me, is Canicross every other morning, and bikejoring when the weather is cool enough. Ideally it will be canicross-bike-canicross-bike-canicross-bike-bike (or cart-cart if the weather is below 50) for every week up until the race at the end of October. I hope I can take it, as I know the dogs love it!

First Run of the Season!

2011-08-27T04:42:00.000-07:00

This morning the dogs woke me at 4am. The neighbor dogs were kicking up a fuss, so all my pups nudged me then ran out the back. This is usually an indication that something is going on that I should probably check in to. I dressed quickly, grabbed the spotlight and went out the backdoor.

Sweeping the treeline, I noticed movement off to the left. Two does and a couple yearlings eyes glowed back at me as the light struck them. With a satisfied smile I watched them head to my side yard to bed down for part of the day. Sounds like venison on the table this year.

When dawn was barely shading the valley with gray light, Princess, Freya and I took our first training run of the season. The air was a cool 52 degrees, with very little humidity. The trees have not yet begun to turn, so are a rich dark green, and the grass, well, in kentucky it's bluish green. The garden my neighbors helped us with is overflowing with rich growth of basil, tomatoes, chocolate spearmint, thyme, and several varieties of flowers. The solar light globes looked like magic balls of shimmering white light hovering just above the walkway.

I got the mountain bike down from the wall in the shed. The tires I had worked on last weekend were still firm, but the brakes seemed a little stiff. No time to work on them now though, Princess and Freya were already harnessed and screaming to go. The other nine dogs were lined up at the fence, watching with wistful excited eyes. I walked the bike over to the back of the truck and leaned it against the rubber bumper, and went to get the girls.

Princess was jumping and screaming, and Freya was dancing and whining excitedly. I could barely hold them back as I walked them over to the bike. Trying to quickly snap on their tugs without losing control was quite a challenge. Then taking off the leashes while holding back two strong dogs rearing to go. At last I had them ready, and slowly let the gang line out as I picked up the bike and held on to the handlebars with all my might to get it on the road. At last my foot was on the pedal and we were off even before I swung my leg over.

Freya and Princess were like the wind, swift, eager, full of the joy of running. In an instant we were across the bridge, around the bend and up the hill not slowing or breaking stride. Swift as an arrow, we flew, the cool breeze lifting each foot and propelling us forward. This was what they were born to do, and I was fated to be with them, a team, a spirit of one. All too soon we were at the three-quarter mile landmark, the old barn. Here I called them to ease then halt. Come around brought Freya immediately back to my left (she's definitely a left paw dog), and after a second of confusion, Princess followed suit eager to be on the run again.

The joy of running was in them both, I could feel it like the rising tide, and even the neighbor dogs running beside them could not distract from their purpose. Back around the bend, skirting the side of the mountain, back across the bridge, up the hill and home. With a bit of disappointment, both dogs realized we were already back at our own driveway. I called them to halt while I picked up the leashes, then walked them to the garden. Laying down the bike, I hooked up the leashes and undid their tugs. Happily they padded up to the door, eager for their well earned snack.

I let them run to the water jug for a quick drink, but they weren't going to let me open the freezer alone. Both were eagerly awaiting their frozen meat patty. I had to break them apart and handed one down to what I thought was Freya, but realized my son's dog Zena had snuck in for a stolen snack. Ah well, I shrugged and got out two more patties, handed one to Freya and one to Princess. Princess immediately took hers into her crate in my room, and Freya took hers in to the kitchen. When they had finished eating, I took off the leashes and harnesses and rubbed down Princess, checking every joint, the pads of her feet, her toes and nails. She leaned into me heavily, smiling as I rubbed her down. I then unleashed and removed Freya's harness, rubbing her down and checking her joints and feet. Both dogs had huge grins, happy to have been on the first run of the season.

Thank Goodness for Instincts and Knowledge of Dog Behavior!

2011-08-19T12:45:00.001-07:00

Thursday we almost lost my darling Princess! I couldn't imagine her not being at my side. We still have doubts as to just what had poisoned her, but she had acute zinc toximia. The only thing we have verified is that one of the dogs (presumably Princess) got a hold of a tube of diaper rash cream, but this has left more questions than answers. Normally zinc oxide in the diaper cream is not enough to put her levels into the toxic range. Our vet is also puzzled.

When I awoke Thursday morning, I had a feeling that something was terribly wrong and it immediately hit me that Princess was nowhere to be found. Normally she is either on my bed or in the crate next to my bed. With mounting anxiety I called to her with no answer. Finally I threw open the back door in my robe and went out into the yard looking for her, and she came to me from out of the gloom. (it was 05:30) She seemed less active than normal, refused her morning biscuit (quite unusual) and went to lay on my bed. Puzzled and a concerned, I had Yukon and Bandit's morning meds to deal with, so went about taking care of my boys. Princess was sound asleep on my bed, and though this still seemed out of place, I took my shower while Bandit ate his breakfast in the bathroom undisturbed. I dressed for work, put first aid spray on Yukon's surgery wound, and saw Princess walking stiffly around the den. She suddenly heaved up a pinkish foam with red spots in it!!

I snatched a cleaning towel and wiped it up and tested the texture to confirm my fears. It was blood! Bandit had an appointment with the vet for bloodwork to check his seizure meds, so I told Jim to take Princess with him as well. He was reluctant, but I insisted and told him that he had to take her, as something was definitely not right! She was very ill and in pain, I could tell from her dilated eyes and odd way she laid on the couch trying to be comfortable. It was an insistance that saved her life.

The vet gave her meds to help clear the pancreatitis caused by the toxic levels of zinc, and anti nausea shot and pills. They told us if we had waited too much longer she wouldn't have made it. The frantic search has been on to find another reason for the high zinc level, but so far nothing has turned up. None of the other dogs seem effected, so it is unlikely to be the food, but I still have my doubts.

The good news is that I've found my old pickaxe so I can start digging fence pole holes, and my old manual weed whacker (trying to convince my son to help out clearing the fenceline so the electric fence continues to work). Saturday while clearing the fenceline, I ended up overheating myself. Unfortunately while living in the desert I ended up with heat exhaustion and have been susceptible to overheating. I pushed myself too hard Saturday and ended up being heat sick for most of the day.

Still feeling out of it Sunday, so I stayed indoors and cleaned up the living room. It badly needed it. I was sorting through stuff to put in the shed, rearranging the furniture, dusting, vaccuming, then steam vac. I was really ready for sleep Sunday night.

Futures Lost

2011-08-11T05:03:00.001-07:00

It has been a rough year for us and hard decisions had to be made. With the advent of Bandit's seizures, we have decided to ensure the double recessive gene is not passed on. Friday (tomorrow) our last viable male, Yukon, is scheduled to be snipped. Freya will be spayed in the not too distant future. Our hopes of a foundation from them has crumbled.

Princess now becomes our hope for a racing line, but the male we choose for her will have to be extraordinary. Hopefully this coming racing season I'll be able to see some great purebred lines, as I hope to make some of the sled races up north. With a bit of luck, we will be able to find and negotiate a select future breeding for her, or find a male pup from an extraordinary racing litter. The timing will need to be perfect though, as my husband does not want to get another dog until our old man passes on. That may be some time from now, though, as he's healthy and going strong at 15.5 years and still loving life. I'm so glad we've been able to give him such a great and long life here with us.

Farewell and Happy Life to our Little Black Velvet

2011-07-19T07:36:00.000-07:00

This pic shows how incredibly like Bandit she is. Beautiful little girl, just as loveable, a hugger and cuddler like her two brothers. Velvet went to her new home last night up in Grayson KY where she will get to roam around on 2 fenced in acres with a malamute mix companion. We love you pretty girl, and wish you good luck and a happy life with your new family.

A Week in Hell

2011-07-14T14:11:00.001-07:00

It started out pleasant enough, a long 2 mile hike on Sunday working on commands, but it was to begin a terrible week.

Sunday, July 10th

Bandit and I took another two mile hike today working on 'Over Gee' and 'Over Haw'. He is awesome with commands, and I'm so very proud. The bad news is he had his first break-through seizure today at about 3pm. It was a full Grand Mal, but only lasted about thirty seconds, and the ictal phase about a minute and a half. We believe he has a weakness to a chemical buildup from a certain treat, the same that he had before when he had the three seizures in a row (he stole one yesterday and another one this morning). None of the other dogs have had a reaction to them, so it is still a predisposition towards seizures when exposed to it.

There is still lingering doubt regarding whether this is complicated with exposure to exercise and/or the raw beef, however, the exercise and beef alone don't seem to trigger the seizures alone, so I must assume it was the treats.

Bandit also had a seizure at 12:30 am, another Grand Mal that lasted less than two minutes, and his ictal phase also was around 2 minutes. I've asked Jim to keep an eye on him and keep him indoors and out of the heat as much as possible today.
.
Monday July 11th

Bandit had another seizure just before 10 am this morning. I did not witness the seizure. Jim had let him outside, went to the bathroom and came out, and when Bandit was at the back door, he had foam on his mouth and had peed on himself (signs of his seizure).

So, three in 24 hours. We will probably need to take him in to the vet for a blood test.

Has now had several more seizures, one at 2:45, one at 7:30 and now one at 8:30, all Grand Mal, all lasting less than 2 minutes, but he hasn't come out of ictal phase, still wandering around disoriented and drooling. I am really starting to worry. We took him to the vet for bloodwork, but we won't have results back until tomorrow. We upped his dosage via our vet's recommendation and it doesn't appear to have had any effect. I love my boy and worried that this is going to harm him permanently. He doesn't seem to recognize us or the other dogs. Fortunately he isn't aggressive, nor are the other dogs towards him. We are all very worried.

Monday night, Tuesday Morning

Bandit has gone through hell, and I have been with him. 11 seizures since last report and it doesn't look like he is going to get a break anytime soon. Will I ever have my Bandy boy back? He doesn't know me, exhaustion drags his feet, he can barely stand, yet the flight instinct keeps him pacing until he collapses again. Once he goes in to sleep, the beast strikes again, killing him slowly, and all I can do is cry, and try to keep him from breaking a limb. Two more hours until we can get him in to the vet, and he is sleeping again waiting for the beast to catch him.

seizure times: 9:15, 10:00, 10:15, 11:30,11:55,12:27,01:00, 03:00, 03:45,04:45,5:30 5:50

Tuesday on in to Wednesday

Bandit had a seizure just before we were going to pick him up from the vet (3:30), so we ended up taking him to overnight care. He had one more seizure there just after we left, (5pm) but hasn't had one since. We'll be taking him back to Tender Care first thing this morning.

Hopefully the Potassium Bromide addition to his medication has been helping, but we now have an emergency Valium kit to break the cycle of seizures should he start to have clusters again.

Thursday

So far Bandit has not had a seizure since 5pm Tuesday, however, he still appears to be in ictal phase, or there was permanent brain damage. He wanders around the house not knowing where he is, or even that he is a dog. Reintroducing him to the other dogs went well, they all accepted him readily back in the pack, but he no longer has dog social skills. Everything makes him jump, and his eyes are always wide in terror. He dociley allows himself to be led around, though it is obvious it's because he doesn't know what else to do. He is only just beginning to figure out his name might be Bandit because we say it to him at every opportunity. Early this morning, Velvet nipped him playfully on the nose and he completely freaked out and ran in to the bathroom, out of the bathroom, jumped behind the crate and tried to climb a wall. Only when he wasn't able to get anywhere did he sit down in a huge panic panting as fast as his lungs could go. It took me almost 30 minutes to calm him down enough that he would move again.

He doesn't sleep much, and when he does he wakes suddenly, looking like he might seize again, but it passes in a minute without seizure. He then paces for hours in a daze. He has forgotten how to use the dog door, and each time he tries, it scares him and I end up having to open the sliding door for him and gently lead him out. He is only just learning to like the yard again, but seems more comfortable and calm in the house. He has also forgotten his housetraining, or forgets why he wants to go out. It is terrible to see such an intelligent boy reduced to this state, and I pray every moment that it will pass and I will get my old Bandit back.

Today he very shyly licked me on the chin, so very briefly, so very lightly, and I almost cried. It is the first show of affection since Tuesday.

Trip to Michigan

2011-07-06T06:01:00.000-07:00

The trip up was uneventful if it was long, but travelling past so many places I have a history with really made the trip go fast. Kathy (a friend from work) and I had a good time reminiscing about our better childhood memories.

We stopped in Frankenmuth for a break from the road, and a nice little detour with dinner. I admit my childhood memories of the place were a little vague, but it was great to see the quaint little town again. I had a nice rich german bock with my home-made bratwurst and sourkraut, and Katy had weinersnitzel and an ale. We wandered around the shops, across the castle bridge and then to the bakery for some yummy german breads and cookies.

We took a few cell phone pics, but I hadn't dug out the big camera. I regret that now, as it is going to take some doing to get the pics off this phone now that it isn't synced with my e-mail. :(

We arrived at the campground. with a few hours of daylight left. It was a very well groomed site, and I was surprised to see several Park Model RV's on site! I had just recently been investigating them as a good prospect for my bunkhouse and grooming station for our kennel. I was even more impressed seeing them first hand, and a possible future sale may be in the offing. The staff of the Higgins Lake KOA were very friendly and helpful, and I was glad I chose the KOA over the state park. I think it was also the cooked breakfast on site that you could purchase won me over the most. I don't mind fixing the coffee, but a full breakfast first thing in the morning at camp is a hassle. They had pancakes, eggs cooked to your liking, sausage, blueberry mini-triangles, (there was another type of bread, but I didn't make it past the blueberry...)

We made camp, had a fire going, and were able to relax for a bit amidst the sounds of birds, squirrels, ground squirrels, chipmunks, and children scurrying around. It was wonderful just to enjoy the outdoors without any worries, no dogs, kids, or work to chase after. The temps were pleasant and hovered around 58-60 overnight, so barely any covering was necessary.

Being a light sleeper is a curse at times, so needless to say, there was a bit too much noise for my liking. Not that it could be helped, being in a campground. I was hoping I was exhausted enough from driving all day to sleep through most of it, but alas, my ear-to-brain connection overrode tiredness. Ah well, I had enough sleep not to be cranky.

I had a fire and fresh perked coffee ready by 7am, and it tasted good. A bit of the cinnamon, rasin, apple and brown-sugar bavarian bread made my morning! Nothing like the fresh smell of the forest, a wood-fire, vanilla coffee, and bavarian sweet bread. While sitting and enjoying the morning, I noticed an unusual movement of something black in the underbrush. Keeping an eye on it, I noticed, it was a black squirrel! How cool is that? Unfortunately I wasn't able to get a picture of it, but it was neat to see one.

My brother, his wife and his youngest son came to visit us at the campground, but we had to take time out to go and get the dog box and the sled from Grayling. Afterwards, we had a picnic lunch, and went to see if we could rent a boat. The marina that was supposed to have a boat available in the afternoon, however, told us the people who were supposed to bring the boat back at noon didn't. So we were out of luck. After trying for a bit to find a place to fish, we decided simply to pack up and head up to Brian's neck of the woods, Mackinac.

We ate at a wonderful seafood resteraunt with local fish from the Great Lakes. I had whitefish in parmesan, and it was awesome. Afterwards, we walked a bit in the park by the bridge, took some photos, then Brian and I went fishing at the Marina while Kathy, Doris and Jacob wandered around the Cabelas store. We caught several rock bass, gobi and shiners while watching some huge carp cruise along by us. As dark began to descend upon us, we trooped over to the outdoor mall where there was a stage set up. Shortly after we arrived, they began a laser light show. It was almost as much fun to watch the antics of the kids with laser weapons, gloves, guns and other light up things dancing and playing around on the grass in front of the stage as it was to watch the show itself.

It was a good ending to a great day, and I thank my brother and his family for their patience and for showing us around. Kathy and I had a great time! We rolled back in to the campsite around 12:30, and crashed.

Sunday I started a fire and perked more coffee. After a while of enjoying the morning by the fire, I went to the camp store to buy breakfast. When Kathy was ready, we drove down to Houghton Lake to find a place to fish, and ended up fishing from the Muskegan River bridge. We caught several blue gills, and I caught a perch. When the sun had reached near the zenith, the fish were no longer biting, so we packed up the poles and headed back towards camp. We ended up stopping at a roadside bar and grill where there happened to be a hot dog eating contest. The food was reasonably good though the tea smelled slightly of sulfer (their water had a small amount of it), but it didn't taste bad.

We opted to take it easy the rest of the evening, hanging out at camp around the fire, drink a few beers, talk and enjoy nature. The temperature really dropped that night, and I woke up to the ability to see my breath (somewhere in the high 40's). Fire, coffee and Bavarian bread for breakfast, then pack to go. By the time I had most of my things packed, Kathy was up and I was able to get the camp packed up.

Sometime Saturday, most likely while picking up the dog box, the trailer had run over a branch which punctured the right tire. I had put in some fix-a-flat, and it seemed to hold pretty good. With confidence I headed to a gas station to fill up the rest of the pressure with air. No sooner had we gone about two miles down the highway though, the puncture burst again, and we had a flat. I called Jim to ask him to get me a tow service that could fix our tire. Kathy too was searching, and contacted the local police dispatcher to see if she could direct us to a towing service. An officer came to help keep traffic moved over and to ensure our safety while a young man from Phil's Towing Service managed to locate the exact tire we needed and bring it out to us. We were very fortunate they had one in stock and only lost about two hours of road time.

My friend Cathy called me and I was able to let her know we were delayed in picking up her pup, and through her, notify the person we were supposed to pick her up from. Finally locating the mall in Ann Arbor, we met him and the pup, Snickers. She was a petit little beauty with a smile and expressiveness so similar to everything I love about my little Princess. I was instantly taken with this beautiful little girl with a loving spirit and splendid conformation. She was a fun little girl to have with us, and showered us both with kisses and puppy hugs. To keep her entertained, I let her chew on an empty water bottle, and she was ecstatic. She crinkled it most of the way back to Kentucky.

We stopped a few times to give her water and walks, and finally got her to Cathy's house in the mid-evening time. Cathy showed me a sled she had inherited from a friend that was over a hundred years old. She intends to restore it, and I'm anxious to see it back in operating condition! She took a good look at the sled I brought back with me to get ideas and see how it was made. With Snickers in excellent hands and already getting to know her new pack, we bid good-eve and journeyed the rest of the way to my house.

My Old Man

2011-06-17T10:51:00.001-07:00

15 years young. Vet says he's in great health, so we have some time to continue enjoying his company. G'kar has been with us since he was about ten weeks old. He's been at my side every day I'm home, and still follows me where ever I go so he can lay by my feet. Every evening I come home he greets me with his "Haaaloooowww rrroo roooo!", and can't wait for me to pet him. He's the first husky to try to really talk to me, but certainly not the last.

When I sit to watch TV, he gently insists I get out the squeaky ball and play fetch with him, a game we've shared since he was a puppy. I think he still remembers the days when we would play fetch for hours, and each time he'd bring back his toy he would be loved on and played with. The sparkle is still in his old eyes that can barely see the movement of the ball any more, and will lose its location if he didn't watch where the movement stopped. He races after the squeaky ball just as he did when his legs were awkward with growth instead of arthritis. He loves this game more than any others, but a close second was pulling my son on the toboggan with the help of his lifelong companion, Valkrys. 2010 was a rough year for him, adjusting to a new life in Kentucky the year before only to lose his one and only mate in January due to her great age. I feared that he would soon follow her in his grief, but not G'kar.

Another adjustment in his life was the pack, the four huskies we acquired/saved in the early spring of 2009. He and Samantha were at odds from the first second they laid eyes on each other. At thirteen years, he was no match for healthy three year old Samantha. Since he learned that he could ignore Valkrys' snarling and still eat from the bowl she was guarding with impunity, he had been the pack second in command after me (at least in his mind).

Samantha had been the pack mom and protector of 'her boys', Yukon and Demon through a horrendous part of their lives. It was she that kept the pack together, and ensured their survival. The pup Freya was immediately added to her pack as the daughter of Demon and the four of them arrived at our house together. They were kept together in the same room, were allowed to roam around the 20x10 pen together, and taken on walks together until I could get the yard fenced, the dog door installed, and start them on mushing again.

Any time G'Kar and Samantha looked at each other, it was tantamount to a fight, and the first few months were hard. After time, they tolerated one another, and eventually became grudging friends. Their relationship was a rocky one until the day Valkrys passed on. G'kar knew the moment she was gone, and a deep depression settled on him. During that time, Samantha would lay next to him quietly, and Yukon would join her on the far side to keep the old man company in his darkest hours. Since those days, they have become good friends. Yukon and Samantha treat G'kar like an honored ancestor, and sometimes help clear the way for him, and Yukon even plays with him, allowing the old man to chase him. On days when G'kar is stiff from cold and arthritis, both Samantha and Yukon will lie down touching him, to help warm his joints, and you can see he is grateful even though he doesn't want to let on he is weakening.

It is so touching to see how the younger dogs treat him. None of them will take his treats unless he wanders off and away from them. You know it is out of respect when they blatently try to steal from each other all the time, especially Yukon. They try not to jostle him, and attempt to greet him with the respect they show to Yukon and I as the pack leaders. G'kar still isn't sure how to take being incessantly licked on his jaw and being goaded in to play by youngsters, but I can tell he enjoys the respect they give him.

The pack has helped him through the difficult times, and their loving support has made a huge difference in his life. You can see his smile as he wanders amongst the pack. He is still mentally sharp, and the spring in his step shows his happiness. We love you old man, and wish you many more happy healthy years with us.

Puppy Match

2011-06-13T05:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday I took Velvet down to the Lexington Kennel Club Puppy Match to see if I could get her an evaluation. The journey down consisted of her trying to crawl beind me or into my lap while driving. She whined for a bit, then caught scent of the wind in the window. The rest of the trip she spent trying to get her head out of the window from behind my back, or across my lap even though I had the passenger side window open too. We made it safely to the park (a miracle in itself with a strong eager puppy trying to climb and claw her way across me), and I found a nice spot under a large pine with plenty of shade to park in.

Velvet was very good not having been on a show lead before and very limited leash exposure. She only fussed at the lead once, and I quickly backed off the pressure and called to her. She was more than eager to follow along, and was soon at a perfect heel without even being trained. I think maybe she was born to show. I had no intention of entering her in the match, but got talked in to it, so signed her up and took her to the hot dog stand to get her a snack and some bait food since I hadn't brought any. She was timid at first, but soon found the attention from people and other dogs to her liking. She acted like a pro. Every time we stood still, Velvet naturally stacked, impressing quite a few other people. Which is kind of funny since I only passingly taught her to stack and never really worked dilligently with her. Twelve weeks old and already she's a diva.

There were quite a few cute pups and some very nice looking adults of all breeds there, and I enjoyed making the rounds and seeing the other dogs while biding my time for the match. Siberians ended up being the last puppy group, and little Velvet stood very nicely for the judge, even let her do a bite check before squirming. She was pretty good overall though for never having set foot in any ring training or show before. Her gait was marvelous, and her spunk had smiles on the faces of all.

She was awarded best puppy in breed, then set against the pups in the working group. Here is where she shone! Having had a taste of what was expected, she was VERY good in the group match. She gaited at heel incredibly well, and her stack was excellent! She was awarded Best Puppy in Group. We only had about two minutes to rest though before going in for Best in Show, and poor little Velvet only got a big drink of cold water and no potty break. I could tell she was crossing her legs the whole time, poor pup, and couldn't stay still. There was a very well groomed Basenji pup that performed perfectly and beautifully that deservedly won Best in Show. Well done!

Overall, though I was incredibly pleased with Velvet's performance and conformation. I see good things for this little girl, and her lucky owner once we find her a good home.

Velvet is very willful, but also very eager to please, and we would like to match her up to an experienced owner who would preferrably show and/or train her to pull a sled/cart. She has good conformation, is very intelligent, very expressive verbally and physically, and as with most Siberians, an extraordinary escape artist. If you are interested in Velvet, please feel free to contact me at: atravis at blackbox dot com.

Happy Life Little Kona

2011-06-05T06:33:00.001-07:00

I'll miss this little cutie pie. She was a joy to have around. Despite her younger apparent air-headedness, she grew into a very responsive and intelligent pup. She picked up on house training and the beginnings of show training very quickly. One thing about her I loved was that she had a soft mouth, no finger snapping. When you have a baker's dozen of dogs running around, soft mouth puppies are a relief. She was always an eager cuddler, and loved being touched and held.

Kona's new home is with my friend and fellow musher at Mountain Forest Siberians, so I know she will have a good life of running and perhaps showing.

We met up with our friend at the Red Crow Council Pow Wow. Although we missed the dancing, we did see the council cerimony and munched out on some buffalo burgers. I picked up two very cool shirts from my favorite t-shirt company (The Mountain), and Jim got an eagle ring. I'm kind of glad we missed the heat of the day, and the reason we missed the dancing was that two dancers had heat exhaustion. 95 degrees and somewhere around 80% humidity was wretched.

Since Jim is 1/8 Cherokee of the Tusquahanna tribe, we were invited to attend the Pow Wow next year. It sounds exciting, and I certainly hope we are able to make it.

2011-05-30T04:05:00.000-07:00

This little guy got caught inside our screened in porch, and I had to take a towel and gently catch him. I escorted him out and released him, and he seems to be a lot less afraid of me. At times he will hover 5-10 feet from me before feeding. Nature is awesome!

This little girl is a cutie pie! Despite her younger air-headedness, she is actually a quick learner. She is housetrained now, and has learned the basic show command for free baiting. Getting her to stand still, however, is still a bit of a challenge. She's a wonderful girl with a very happy personality, and I think she will do very well in shows. Her gait looks great so far, especially her rear gait, and her front gait is in-line as it should be. Her conformation appears excellent so far, and her striking markings give her a rare appeal. Hopefully she will make her points quickly, because I can tell already her true love is going to be racing.

So, as an experiment, I took a look at the bone structure and gait of all the top racing dogs I could find good pictures and examples of on the net (and still doing so as research in to what structure appears to be the best for racing, other factors will be considered as I have a much better idea what structure to strive for). So far, Princess appears to have the ideal structure for a racing dog. Slightly less angulated shoulder with a more angulated but balanced rear, and same length as height (Siberian standard is well laid back shoulders which means more front angulation, and moderate angulation on the rear, which means the bisecting line hits the front of the toes. Length is slightly longer than height). With Princess' angulation on her rear and her 'square' measurements it makes it hard for her to trot with the right gait, and she has a 'prance' to her front feet to be sure they don't get hit by her rear. While this makes for awkward trots, it gives her a huge advantage at a lope. With her lean tuck-up, she's able to put her front feet ahead of her shoulders, and with her less angulation on the front, her frontal impact is less pronounced.

This structure is very prevalent in the top racing kennels that I've examined so far, and appears to lend itself to less injury as I focus on the dogs that complete distance races. Incidentally this also makes for ideal sprint dogs as they don't like to trot, but to lope or run. It is a beauty to watch Princess run. She easily leaves the other dogs behind who want to chase her. Knowing what I know now, I'm very happy she turned out the way she has, and I'm hoping someday she will be well known as one of the foundation of our racing line.

I've seen the debate on line that not enough Siberian breeders are breeding Siberians to be fast, and I agree. In order for our chosen breed to progress in the racing arena, something needs to be done to improve them. I'm really hoping we can continue to do this, and I really hope I can visit other racing Siberian kennels that do well with speed. I'd really like to see the breeders who care about speed and endurance form an alliance of breeders so that information and improved gene pools can be shared. Trying for improvement is never an easy or fast process, and hopefully together we can put Siberians back in the forefront of racing.

Breed Standards Seminar and Sweet Sorrow

2011-05-16T10:04:00.001-07:00

Friday evening we bid farewell and good life to Sahara, our happy little dancing, food dish puppy. She is doing great in her new home, but I miss her silliness already. She has a great new friend (a red and white malmutexhusky boy) which she plays and cuddles with along with two wonderful children to be part of her people pack and to grow up with.

I am so very happy for her and for her new family, but at the same time, I always wish I could keep them all.

Saturday morning, Princess sniffed all through the house, whining at me and letting me know a puppy was missing. I tried to explain it to her, but I don't think she believed me. I gathered her, her crate and her grooming table up anyway, and headed out to the Breed Standards Seminar.

The seminar was awesome, and I learned a lot about what goes in to a breed standard and why, and how it applies to a dog. We learned how the bone structure of a dog affects its movement, and why particular movements are written in to the breed standards. It was a really great seminar and I'm very grateful to Laurin for putting it on! With this knowledge I'm now much better equipped to evaluate our future breeding program and how to choose pairings far more carefully to achieve the best results.

Princess was ecstatic to be with people and dogs for over 8 hours. She lives for this stuff, and loved the attention. She's such a wonderful personality. However, evaluating her with the newfound knowledge, I can see why she doesn't conform enough to the standard to win in her class. So she is being retired to the sled team where she still excells, as now I know why she was built for speed and can run so fast! She may miss showing, but will be twice as thrilled to make every race. In a way this makes me happy to know that she is sound enough to be a foundation of our racing stock if not our show lines.

Sunday was again rainy (Saturday too, but we spent the day inside on purpose), and I woke with a slight migraine. So instead of the flurry of activity I had planned, I ended up nursing my headache to prevent it from getting any worse. This turned out to be a good thing, as I was contacted by a person looking for a husky pup, and we had one left to find a good home for. Little River, my small cuddler and swift runner is a very special, smart, loveable little girl, so I was very cautious talking to them, but the more we spoke the more my fears were put to rest. She had read a lot about the breed, knew their flaws and their good points (which to some people are flaws, but to me makes them the best breed ever), had a fence and kids old enough to not be knocked over by an enthusiastic pup, but young enough to still want to play with and be active with the puppy. After a good exchange, she agreed to come by, meet River and her parents, and make her final decision.

River took to them right away, coming up and happily licking hands and faces without reserve, as if she knew she was meant for them. The children too, took to her, and it was obvious by all their faces the match was made.

So with happiness and sorrow in my heart, I said good-bye and happy life to my little River. It was an eventful weekend full of the good things, even the ones that make you sad, a sweet, sweet sorrow.

Interesting Times

2011-05-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

So, we hit an all time record flood level Tuesday. This is what our highest road out of our area looked like. Seeing that, there was no question that the other roads towards town were flooded, so we buckled down, gathered the dogs and spent the day inside carefully watching the creek. Fortunately this pic represents the highest the water got before receding.

This morning at 5am, Demon began licking my face and hands. I told him 'no' and growled to let him know to leave me alone, but he kept nudging me with his nose and licking me. Bandit, with his back to mine and his head next to me, growled too, but Demon continued to bother me, which was unusual for him. Normally one 'no' would put him off and he'd go howl forlornly out on the back porch.

So I sit up and look around only to find little Sahara dancing around my room with her tail wagging a mile a minute. Demon had to let me know the puppies had gotten loose and were terrorizing him and the big dogs. So I had to rescue him from becoming a chew toy.

May you live in Interesting Times!

Of Puppies, Rain, Mowing and other world events.

2011-05-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

For forty days and forty nights... well it seems so anyway. My rain guage topped out at 6" of rain several days ago. This and the fact I had a flat tire on my lawn tractor has made for an interesting jungle of grass and weeds on our 3 acres of cleared land, and very happy trees on the other 4 acres.

My husband finally got the tire fixed, so I went out to mow the lawn only to have the rain fall again. Saturday I finally finished the front and back, and got about another .75 acres mowed of side yard just in time for it to rain again Sunday. So, no weed and feed, or ant and grub control has been put down as yet. The good news is, all the rain has given me time to spend cleaning up mud... good news? hmmm...

Saturday early, it was 37 degrees, and the dogs were all hyper, so I decided to work out some of the excess energy from Bandit and Bucky. I harnessed them up by 7am then realized my tires were low on the bike. Searching did not turn up the pump, so I ensured the tires were inflated enough to handle my weight, hooked up the boys, and was on down the road before 8. On the corner after the bridge a new family had moved in with an ornery pit bull mix that came rushing out aggressively and unfettered towards my boys. This made me mad, and I looked that dog in the eyes, pointed to it and screamed "NO!" Meanwhile Bucky thinks it's social hour and wants to go see the new dog. Fortunately the other dog got the message and stayed at least ten feet away from us as I finally convinced the boys is was more fun to continue down the road than to stare down the new dog. We were followed and barked at, but the new dog did not come any closer than ten feet from the boarder of its yard. Problem was we would have to go by him again on the return trip.

We went just over a mile and turned around, and on the way back the pit bull mix's attention was more on me than on my boys as he raced along the boarder of his yard but did not follow when I told him "NO!" again. That was a mild relief, and I'm hoping there won't be future issues, but this puts a serious damper in my training route. If I can't go that way any more for fear of a fight, I will not be able to train from our house any longer. As a full-time engineer that ends up having to work a lot of overtime, this is a very serious bummer, but hopefully the county land will be of great assistance to me once I have the chance to explore its boundaries.

I've also been able to spend some time playing with and training puppies. There is nothing so fun as working with young siberian puppies! It's very hard to get them to sit still long enough to learn something, but that is part of the fun. Their joyful exhuberance and intelligent curiosity are amazing to watch and impossible to control for long. Above is about the level of activity I strive for before beginning a very short training session. Note the temporary pose of depleted energy while the curious mind is working a mile a minute? Yup.

Worked on the outdoor puppy kennel as well Saturday morning, and I can tell you with experience that mixing and pouring your own concrete really sux. I know I have to finish what I started, but now that I've put in 60lbs, I'm ready to call a contractor, too bad that is out of my budget planning for now... sigh. I'll probably put in another 60lbs whenever it isn't raining this week. Are we beginning to see a pattern here?

While the world turns on and news reaches us of the demise of Osama bin Laden, I have to go back and think of where I was during September 11th, 2001, and the chilling reality which pulled me from my deer stand and into a realization that nothing would ever be the same again. Rather than dwell on this event, I will simply salute those active and veteran service members who defend our freedoms. May this always remain a free country.

Our First Specialty

2011-04-25T10:57:00.000-07:00

My pretty, pretty Princess. She, my son and I had a great time in Cleveland, met some great folks, and saw some wonderful dogs.

She did very good up until the triangle. She got a little bit confused about going on the diagonal before going once around, and stared at me quizzically wondering what I wanted. With her head pointed at me, she crab-walked toward the judge. Ah well. She's still young, 17 months, so has plenty of time to get used to the weird things we do in the show ring. She did get many compliments, though, and that made her and me feel good.

More than a couple of mushing breeders complimented her running build and beautiful face, and it will be great when I can put her in the Sled Dog class. Maybe at the end of next racing season? The only problem is the requirement is on Snow. Not too much of that around here, and expensive to hit the races up north. C'mon lottery! heh...

Our drive back was dreary rainy weather, and this proved to be our undoing. When we pulled off on our state route to our home, we ran into a section of road that was under water. No biggie, we turned around and took the ridge line road, but it too had an even deeper run off. hmm back out and around the ridge roads and we found the resevoir land that had been fenced off with county signs of no entrance. So back around to the next road, and it too ended in a vast expanse of rushing water. By then we had started to get worried that all roads to our home might be flooded. Backtracking again, we headed further south towards Georgetown.

We made it back to our highway on the far south side, so turned north and headed towards the house. We came upon a stretch that was flooded, but I could tell it was shallow enough to pass through, so slowly I crept through the water to the other side and met someone coming the other way in a much lower car than our Expedition. I warned her that the road was flooded ahead, probably too deep for her car as it had been level with the hubs on ours. She told me the way ahead was flooded towards our home, but the mountain road was passable. So, we went on another round about tour only to find the road flooded again, backtrack, and one final try, only one more road to try that could possibly get us home. Thankfully it too only had a small amount of water on it that we were able to get through. The bridge to our house was barely keeping the floods at bay, with water slapping up against the side of it when we crossed and were finally able to pull in the drive. Whew!

It was quite an adventure, and it opened up many possibilities with finding the land that had been set aside for the resevoir. This coming weekend may be time for an exploration.

Aunty Moon and Uncle Buck

2011-04-20T10:41:00.000-07:00

Freya's mission now is to socialize the puppies with the rest of the pack to remove her mothering responsibilities. Anytime she is left in the kitchen with the puppies, she breaks them out of their confinement, and lets the chaos ensue. Of course a couple of interesting things have come to our attention as a result of this new initiative.

Moony loves the puppies! She wants to have puppies so bad she is willing to take care of Freya's as if they were her own. Even up to and including licking up messes... ew... No licki-face for you!

She sooo loves the puppies though, its neat to watch her care for them.

Freya keeps watch, ensuring that everything goes as planned.

As surprising as Moony's love for the puppies was, Bucky surprised us even more. He's an even better nanny than Moon! Both of them hover over the puppies, guarding them, gently playing, and cleaning them.

Here River gives Bucky a puppy hug.

Huskies are not for you if....

2011-04-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

He doesn't look a bit feline, but believe me, he is one big scaredy cat!

Which brings me to my humorous view of why you shouldn't own a husky.

If you don't think 65 pounds of husky on your face at 1:30am in a thunderstorm is fun, then huskies are not for you.

If you don't think dog hair is one of the five food groups, then huskies are not for you.

If you freak out at the sight of dead animals as food offerings, then huskies are not for you.

If you hate mud on the carpet, then huskies are not for you.

If you don't own a steam vac, then huskies are not for you.

If you have to wonder where that last grocery bag of meat went to, then huskies are not for you.

If you don't like being dragged or pulled around by your dog for an hour or more a day, then huskies are not for you.

If you are in to perfectly landscaped yards, then huskies are not for you.

If dog hair is not an accessory for your wardrobe, then huskies are not for you.

If teethmarks on furniture are not considered aged artisticly, then huskies are not for you.

If living with furry Houdinis makes you pull your hair out, then huskies are not for you.

If rough dog tongue to face, lips, and sometimes in your mouth if you open it seems gross, then huskies are not for you.

If howling in the evening and morning is noise and not music, then huskies are not for you.

If you don't join in said howling once in a while, then huskies are not for you.

If hearing a dog talk to you creeps you out, then huskies are not for you.

(I'll think of more later, but this is a good start. Feel free to add your own in comments.)

TP Bandit and Hiking Season

2011-04-18T09:25:00.000-07:00

Bandit has learned that tearing up toilet paper rolls is fun! So we have had to hide the TP in places where he can't reach. As a large agile dog, this isn't easy to keep in reach for us. I am glad to say though, he hasn't had a seizure in 3 weeks. That being said, we had him in to be neutered on Friday, and when we got him home, he whined pitifully, obviously in pain, poor boy. I comforted him as much as possible, laying down next to him on the floor, holding and petting him. The shaved area looked very raw, so I put pain relieving ointment on him, and the cone so he wouldn't lick. He seemed to feel a little better after that and finally slept. Saturday morning he was again miserable, so I salved him up again and gave him his second pain med dose. After that, he wanted to play... go figure. But we had to keep him at low activity level, so he had to settle for a slow walk down to the bridge and back. He really enjoyed the walks on the long leash and now anytime I touch the long leash he gets excited. I've been working with him a lot and will work a lot more this spring and summer on commands, which usually consists of him in harness attached to me by tug and with a 6' leash to help guide when he's confused (which is very seldom). But he has been occasionally walked on the 30' lead. This is the first time it sunk in to him that the 30' lead means playtime, time to relax and just enjoy himself. It was fun to see. Sunday, the weather cleared up, and the hike my son and I had planned for Saturday began around 9am Sunday. We drove down to the dam with our snacks, drinks and packs, strapped on the dog pack to Zena who seemed not to care at all, in fact seemed happy to be on the trail with her 'dad' James. It was a beautiful day for a husky hike, starting out at around 37 degrees and warming up to close to 50 by the time we finished. Sun was shining and there was a brisk wind blowing. The dogs loved it, and we were having fun too. Runoff from the nearby hills makes for some beautiful pics. Along the route, we passed a lot of wildflowers, two rope swings, several benches, and stopped in a glen surrounded in mossy rock faces and shaded by large elms, oaks and maples. There was a fire ring and some benches, a great little place to water the dogs, give them snacks and eat our own snacks. There were several immensely old trees, many of them sicamores with their graceful white upper branches reaching for the sun.

We crossed a small wooden bridge on the way to the glen.

Ace had a blast.

James was in great spirits too, actually enjoying time away from his computer! gasp!

We passed some old barns on the way out and I photographed them on the way back, the ones that I could get a good shot of that is.

Since Zena carried the pack out to the glen, Ace carried it back.

An Interesting Weekend

2011-04-11T07:30:00.000-07:00

Saturday we had a friend over to share a barbeque and socialize puppies. After catching up on news and talk, while I finished up cleaning the puppy enclosure and rearranging things so Freya could have a dog cave, we decided to watch Tron Legacy. It had just started to rain and about 10 minutes into the movie, lightning took out the power.

No biggie, we pulled out the hurricane lamps, and just talked and played with puppies. The power was out for over two hours, and I started up the grill. We pulled up chairs in the shed and out of the rain while I prepped the grill and cooked the steaks. We had a great time just chatting.

The power came back on just before the steaks were done and in time to cook and prepare the side dishes. So it worked out pretty good. We ate around the dining room table, and then sat down to watch the movie. We all had a great time.

Sunday I was out doing my chores in the dog yard when I heard some screaming and the roar of a big dog. It sounded as if someone was being attacked, so I dropped the bucket and scraper and ran to help. The screaming died down and did not sound like cries of pain, but my mind was already engaged. Stopping only long enough to pick up a hefty stick, I reoriented and continued on through briars, across barbed wire fences towards the sound calling out to see if the people were ok.

Just over 1/4 mile I came upon a couple of ladies that had been walking their dogs. They said they were ok but their dogs had jumped a deer and they had tried to get them to stop attacking it. The deer got away with some mauling by the dogs across the creek and was resting in a gully. They thought it might be a female birthing. From across the creek I could see it had antlers just budding in velvet, so knew it was more than likely not a birthing female.

I also saw there were patches of fur missing in what looked like older wounds as if it had been dragged on an abrasive surface, so I knew the deer had been wounded prior to the dogs attacking it. I surmised it was probably recovering from being hit by a car or truck and was either still suffering wounds or was sick from infection.

By then my husband came around in the car and he had brought his gun in case. I backtracked to the bridge so that I could get a closer look at the deer, but was unable to get really close before it jumped up and attempted to run from me. Watching it move it was obvious there were no visible broken bones in its legs, though its nose may have suffered some damage from the dogs. It was unable to climb the far bank, but kept trying. Not wanting to overly stress the deer out, I backed off hoping he would bed down again and recover enough to survive. His wounds did not look fatal, though the nose worried me. He may have problems eating. I didn't see him this morning, but will try to track him down tonight to see if he made it, and/or if he can eat. If not, it may be kinder to put him down.

Teefers!

2011-04-05T11:07:00.000-07:00

The puppies were moved to the kitchen Saturday to give them more room to move around. It also makes it easier to keep their area sanitized for their health.

At the direction of our vet, the pups were given their first dose of de-wormer at two weeks. I really think this new protocol has made for some very pudgy and healthy puppies, or it could be just that Freya is providing far more milk for four than she was able to for six?

This morning I felt teeth when I spent a while in with the puppies gnawing on my fingers. Freya has become more restless and wanting to spend time away from them when they are sleeping now. So it will soon be time to start supplimenting her nursing with moistened food and puppy formula.

Sunday morning I took Bandit and Yukon for a 3 mile bikejor, much to their delight. It was 32 degrees, and they loved the chance to run. After getting back, they got their frozen meat patty, a rub down massage and each of their paws examined and rubbed.

While out on the trail, I watched carefully how Bandit and Yukon ran. While incredibly fast and strong, Bandit ran much like a cheetah, using his back as a coiled spring, while Yukon's back stayed relatively straight. When we got back, Yukon seemed more winded, although this could be simply that Yukon is four years old and Bandit is one and a half.

Sunday evening, just before I gave Bandit his medicine at 7pm, he was lying on the floor with his eyes dialated and heavily panting. Though he didn't go into a grand mal seizure, he exhibited some of the signs such as he didn't seem aware of his surroundings. He came out of it in less than twenty seconds with only a slight disorientation and then back to normal within five seconds. I immediately got him his medicine.

Monday morning, he did nearly the same thing at 7am, only he must have gone slightly into a seizure, though not fully grand mal. He only lost bladder control a little, but did not flail around. It lasted less than half a minute including the ictal phase. Both episodes were at the valley point of his meds, so this leads me to believe he is epileptic and not something that can be easily cured if at all. Though I logically knew he would probably need medication for the rest of his life, emotionally it finally sank in, and I knelt next to him and held him tight promising I would take care of him and wishing that I could make it all go away.

At least it seemed as if the medicine was helping control the seizures and it may simply need tweaking to prevent even the slight episodes. I've read where other dogs have been able to live full lives and be sled dogs, hiking dogs, and therapy dogs even through their epilepsy. So at least I know I can still allow him to run the dryland circuit and maybe eventually snow races that are one day heats as well. I know we will probably not be able to do any longer camping races with him, but I think he is happiest doing sprints anyway so he can really stretch out and run. In that way I know he will be happy, as he was born to run!

Back to School

2011-03-30T06:28:00.000-07:00

Princess and I are back in showmanship classes, preparing for the spring and summer show season. Our first show this year will be the Siberian Specialty in Cleveland in April. Keeping to one show a month, the next will be Kingsport Tennessee in May. She so loves the attention!

I've also decided to go for my AKC certs to show Siberians, and may do that for other folks on weekends I'm not showing Princess. We'll have to see how that pans out. I'll be talking to some other professional handlers to see how they normally operate.

Princess is sleeping in her crate, as Freya was whelping pups and she just had to be in the room with me. One more week and she'll be out of heat, and our home will return to a slight semblance of peace if not normality. With 4 pups just opening their eyes and beginning to walk unsteadily on all fours, it will be anything but normal. I'll probably be moving them to the kitchen by the end of the week.

They are growing so fast! This litter seems to be growing even faster than the last one. They are already developing distinct personalities, and I can tell at least two of them are going to be a bit headstrong. It will be interesting to see which becomes dominant.

Bandit has been doing well, and even though the meds have not had enough time to build up to a theraputic level in his bloodstream, he has not had a seizure since Monday morning. It is still a bit early to get our hopes up though. I think we are fortunate that our pack is so well adjusted and taught non-aggression. None of the dogs have been aggressive towards him when he's gone into seizure, in fact just the opposite, they were trying to lick him even though I had to shoo them away. Reading about other people's seizure dogs, I think we've been very fortunate in this respect. It could have been very terrible otherwise.

The only side effect so far has been that Bandit has gone into libido overdrive. With two girls in heat (Ace finally went in to full heat at 16 months, which is a relief to us that she was simply a late bloomer), he has become nearly frenzied in his attempts to mate them. Fortunately the new door-gate has stood up to his 70 lbs of muscle and determination. Yay for rennovations. He's normally such a good boy, very gentle and loving. He still is, but his mating frenzy is rough on all of us. He's not so bad when I'm in the room with him, but I can't stay there all day, and he has to go out as well.

Change-over from girls to boys confinement is a challenge as he attempts to grab and mount (no more courtship for him!) as soon as a girl is in reach. Poor Ace had to be rescued from his grip twice. He's a big boy and very determined. Good thing I'm more hard headed and twice as big as he is. In a couple more weeks we will take him to the vet to have his pb level checked, and I'll ask them about detox herbs that others have used to help keep the liver and kidneys from toxic buildup from pb.

Rough Weeks.

2011-03-28T08:19:00.001-07:00

It has been a rough two weeks caring for newborn pups, two girls in heat and if that wasn't difficult enough, Bandit has had three more seizures over the weekend. I thought we had this nipped in the bud, but apparently we were wrong.

My beautiful marvelous leader dog in training. It is heartbreaking to have so much hope and promise in a dog and then have your dreams blasted from the water. This will mean we will need to have him neutered as we submit him to a battery of tests that is sure to be traumatic for him as he is still kind of shy even though he is a very gentle giant of a Siberian.

I can't help thinking if there was something I could have done differently while raising him to prevent this. Only time and a diagnosis will tell us that. His brother Bucky seems uneffected by whatever malady ails Bandit. But he was born monorchid which makes me question the whole line.

One thing is for sure, there will be no more litters until we know for sure. Jim spoke again to our vet and when they did a full blood workup on him there were no signs of disease, thyroid imbalance or other known identifiable cause by bloodwork, so by the research I've been able to do so far, we are left with bone spur, tumor, or genetic disorder. We will probably be putting him on meds this week to control his seizures, and proceed with diagnostics as time and money permits. I have found a seizure research group for dogs, and since we own both parents and a sibling still, we may submit DNA samples to further their research. So even if we aren't able to cure him, at least we can help the larger community.

Puppies

2011-03-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

Once again, Freya has delivered some very stunningly marked puppies on March 16th. There are 2 dark gray, black and white, one black and white, and one red and white, all females. I guess on the even years she has boys and the odd years girls?

In honor of John Baker's incredible and historic win of the 2011 Iditarod, Jim wanted to name them after dogs on John Baker's team. He only found 3 he liked though, so we came up with a fourth name. The one in the pic to the left is Kona.

River

Velvet

Sahara (non Baker name)

Two of this litter are spoken for and all will be conformation evaluated at 6 weeks. All have had dew claw removal and worm preventative administered to Freya under vet direction (new procedure :). This will prevent any worm transfer from mother to pup, and the pups themselves get their first deworming dose on the 30th of this month.

Sunday night sometime around 1am, Princess whined and kicked up a fuss, waking me from a dead sleep. She normally sleeps through the night and doesn't want out, but I figured since we have gone to an odd schedule of cat napping she had to go. So, getting up and getting dressed, I prepared to take her out for a short walk when I noticed Kona had somehow gotten out of the whelping bed and was sound asleep on the carpet. I picked her up and put her back beside Freya and Princess immediately went back to sleep.

The puppies, though were still fussing, yipping and yowling as my sleepy brain was processing the information. It occurred to me that Kona seemed awful comfortable all stretched out on the carpet, but was not at all pleased having to try to curl up next to Freya or her siblings.

So I got back up, went to the shed and got a clean tarp, cleaned a space on the floor to spread it out, moved the old pillow and two puppies on to it to get Freya to move, then moved the fluffy bed with the other two puppies still on it. I then re-did the fence to surround the new area. The puppies and Freya slept soundly the rest of the night. Too bad that was only two hours for me.

Worry!

2011-03-14T07:21:00.000-07:00

Freya is big, with 4 big puppies, she is uncomfortable most of the time, and needs to relieve herself every hour and a half to two hours. Her temp has gone down to 98.8, but she has not yet started labor. Every once in a while she'll go hide under the porch instead of come back in after going potty in the back yard. So we have to go get her in so she doesn't whelp in the dirt.

If that isn't enough to worry about, while I was checking the leaderboard on the Iditarod site, I heard a commotion in the bathroom, and saw Bandit move in an odd way out of the corner of my eye. Thinking Yukon and Bandit might have gotten in to a tussel, I yelled "Stop!" before focusing my full attention on what was going on. Immediately my heart leaped into my throat as I realized what was happening! Bandit had gone into a full on seizure and must have tumbled into Yukon who growled his displeasure then ran out!

His back arched, his neck straining back and flailing, and his legs stiff and flailing, I feared the worst! It was so sudden! I wondered if he were dying in my arms as I cradled and held him down so that he wouldn't hurt himself. I spoke to him softly "I got you, you're a good boy. I'm here." Over and over I repeated that mantra as I held him.

It was over as suddenly as it began and Bandit stared up at me with wide frightened blue eyes. I held him to me, petting him and telling him he was a good dog and it was okay now. Eventually he caught his breath and began to relax and realize whatever had just happened was over. Just as quickly as that, he got up, ran outside to pee, and started playing with Bucky. I kept a close eye on him the rest of the day, checking up on him every 15-20 mins. At night, I checked him every time Freya needed to go out.

Freya's Prenatal

2011-03-11T12:37:00.000-08:00

And the word is 4 big puppies. Hope she has no trouble delivering them. Her 63 days is due on March 17.

First False Alarm

2011-03-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

I love this girl so much! She has been the cornerstone of my dreams. Little did I know that when I was rescuing her from a terrible puppyhood, that she would rescue me from my lost hopes and visions of a bleak future. She rebuilt my dreams and gave me hope. Freya gave me my dreams back, and spawned a whole new vision of the future. Not only is she very intelligent, she has also taught me a lot about what I know and didn't know about dogs, how they think, and why they do what they do. As a thirty-plus year dog owner, I had thought I knew most all there was to know about dogs. Freya taught me I still had a lot to learn.

But she is a dog with doggy wants and doggy needs (things we as humans need to keep in mind, as they are not the same as our wants and needs), and she is very pregnant. Tomorrow she goes in for an x-ray to see how many puppies she is probably going to have. I believe this is a good practice for any bred dog, as it gives you a close approximation of how many puppies she has in her. That way you know that if she hasn't given birth to them all and has been over two hours since the last, there could be something wrong and if you don't know what, she needs to go to the clinic ASAP. This could save the dog and puppies their lives.

Last night, though, she started panting heavily for no apparent reason, which usually means she's had a contraction, and has started labor (at least for other dogs I've had). I checked her over carefully, but she did not show any signs of lactating, contractions or dialating, just heavy panting. I laid on the floor next to her for some time, simply petting and reassuring her. She was stressing, but soon began to relax. I remember the first litter she had, and remember she had exhibited some very odd behaviors then too. She is so needy of attention during this time, totally dependant and completely vulnerable. I simply hugged and petted her for nearly an hour, laying on the floor next to her. She slept deeply and soundly after that and woke up much more playful and energetic this morning.

Sometimes dogs just need a hug too.

It has begun!

2011-03-07T12:12:00.000-08:00

Iditarod had its cerimonial start Saturday and the real race began Sunday. So, I'm keeping tuned to the race, watching the blogs of other mushers and enthusiasts.

http://www.iditarod.com/

Everyone has a different take on the race, and the insights of veterans of the trail are always welcome. Once again, my thoughts and dreams wander the trails I hope someday to see firsthand. Not that I'm overly interested in racing in the Iditarod, I am thoroughly fascinated with the wilderness of Alaska, and someday would love to travel the Iditarod trail in a more liesurely exploratory fashion. A race would not allow me to see and enjoy the scenery like I would want to.

Of course, here there was rain. Lots of it. Just short of flood stage, but still a lot of rain. Rain here means mud. The yard has not stood up well to 6 yearlings and five adults through the winter. There are three layers of straw out there, and still the mud is overwhelming. We have washable rugs laid out to catch most of the wet mud, but the pups still find ways to leave their paw prints on my carpet, my chair, my pants, my coat, and most puzzling of all, on the sheets of my bed (that was made and a cover over the pillows!) Has anyone else had huskies mysteriously leave pawprints in astonnishing places?

I think they secretively plot on what they are going to do next to confound my senses.

The puppy kennel is up, though I need to cement in the bottom to puppy proof it. I have it up on the lee side of the house (Southeast to catch sun in the morning and shade from noon on) The wind invariably drives in from the west, and on the east side the hill shelters from any stray eastern winds. Once we've found homes for this litter, we will probably use the kennel for fosters or as an isolation kennel should one of the dogs get sick. Though we have a pen already, it is inside the main yard. This new kennel is outside the main yard, and could, if needed, be moved away from the fence so that no contact could be made between dogs in the yard and dogs in the kennel.

We took a look at dog houses and will probably pick up a long-entrance medium igloo. Just the right size for Freya and some pups. The area is roughly 200+ sq ft and shaped like a pentagon. It is easily accessed from the front door, and meant to be easily supervised. The puppies will probably spend a lot of the warm spring days in the kennel as weather permits, and be indoors at night. Should make for very easy housetraining.

With this litter, I plan on taking 3-4 of them to the local community park for socializing on the weekends. We have a few improvements both in the house and the vehicles to help with keeping and transporting puppies and dogs. Our kennel is starting to come together, and as we continue to make improvements, I can see we are better and better prepared for the life we have chosen.

Floors and Bikejors

2011-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Saturday bright and early, Yukon got me up, pushing me with his nose in the middle of my shoulderblades to try to roll me out of bed. When I looked at him with bleary eyes, he got all excited, and 'oh woah woah'd' me until I blinked several times, looked at the clock in disbelief and let him know it was Saturday! He got a huge grin, spun around in circles, 'hawuoofed' and ran out the door in that hunched excited play-run that you would expect to see a 3 month old puppy exhibit rather than a 4 year old 65 lb dog.

Zipping back in he danced around with his hind quarters in the air hawuoofing and roh roahing.

"I take it this means you want to go for a run?" As soon as I said it, he danced on his hind legs, waving his front paws in the air howling like a mad thing.

Now I've seen a lot of strange behaviors from Yukon, but this took the cake, and grinning like a fool, I threw some grubbies (dog clothes) on and went to check the temp. The outside thermometer said 28 degrees (F), and I began to understand his glee. "You know, race season is over for us." I said, and he cocked his head sideways and put his nose on his harness.

I swear that dog could speak if he had the right vocal chords. "Ok who's going with us?" The chorus began. Bandit was my first choice, but when I grabbed his harness, he ran out the back dog door. After several minutes of calling him while Princess did her best to get herself in the harness I was holding, I put it up and got out her harness. I dropped the walkie talkie next to Jim on his bed while I put the other in my parka, and took Princess and Yukon out to the bike.

I kept us to only a 2 miler, just to keep them in shape, and barely took the edge off their energy, but it was mentally sufficient for both of them as we came back in near record time. Princess dove headfirst into the freezer as I struggled to get the meat patties out without her absconding with the lot. Once the dogs were relieved of their harnesses and the bike put away, I got to work on the dining room.

For three weeks I've been chomping at the bit to get our new wood flooring down. I couldn't wait any longer, so did the cleanup and moving of the fridge myself. Jim helped me with the rest, and I ripped up the carpet and padding on half of the floor. After sweeping and lightly sponging down the underlayment, I put down the padding for the new flooring and began to lay down the slats. It was a long day, and by dinner time I was ready to call it quits until Sunday. Just over a third of the dining room had a gorgeous oak paneling, and I admired it from the living room.

Sunday early, Samantha tried to tickle me awake, poking me with her nose in my neck, then my armpit (she loves to do this to Jim and James because they are ticklish, but sometimes she forgets, I'm not ticklish like they are). I am a light sleeper though, and got up with a yawn. Checking the temp, it was 34, and I really wanted to see how well Bucky could do in lead, so harnessed him, much to his delight and Moon as she whined and danced and was ready to go.

They both did excellent, but by the mile mark, Moon was obviously slowing, so I turned them around and kept Bucky to a slower pace on the way back. He was all in to running, and wouldn't be distracted by animal or bird. He followed the route unerringly and unwaveringly up until we reached the neighbor's dogs. Only then did he swerve to try to go see them, but a quick "Leave It!" put him back on track. Moony did great, though not quite as fit as Bucky, she tried to keep up and keep her tug tight the whole way, so I slowed Bucky down so she could feel like she was pulling the whole way. When we got back, I fed them their snacks, rubbed them down, and checked their feet while taking their harnesses off. Then it was out to scrape the yard.

With those chores done, I started back up on the floor. Moony had done great on the run and had played around in the yard afterwards, and she seemed ok. Jim and I moved the furniture off the rest of the carpet. I then ripped up the other half of the carpet and padding, and had James help me throw them out before Jim and he left to do the shopping and I continued to work on the floor.

When Jim came back, he handed out hooves. Some time after that, Moony came out of Jim's bedroom, but didn't make it out the dog door before throwing up on the new flooring. Somewhat miffed, I had Jim clean it up, but it was soon apparent that Moony was not feeling well. I checked her over, but could not find anything apparent. Her stomach was not distended, her pulse and temperature seemed fine, she just seemed ill, and I felt a bit guilty for running her, but she seemed quite fine earlier and even up until early afternoon was fine. It came on very sudden. She spent most of the afternoon and evening lying on Jim's bed, and though she was alert it was obvious she was not feeling well. We kept checking on her and speculating as to what would cause this sudden illness. She couldn't keep anything down, and threw up twice on Jim's bed and twice on the new floor which I had just finished.

The floor looked great though, but it was overshadowed by an ill puppy. She was still moping on Jim's bed when I went to sleep, but round about 11pm she came happily into my room and laid down by the food bowl. A short time later she ate some then laid down again. A while after that, she got up and drank some water and ate some more, then went to sleep all without throwing up. In relief I went to sleep knowing that she felt better.

This morning she was back to her happy playful self, thank goodness! I hugged and kissed her before leaving.

Bikejor with Moon Dancer and One on One with Bandit

2011-02-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

Saturday I decided to help my husband exercise his puppy Moon Dancer (she's getting on the chubby side), much to her delight! Moony loves to mush, but gets left out a lot because of her hernia (Samantha pulled a little hard on her umbilical, and though it is healed, Jim still worries far too much about it). I tried to get Ace connected up too, but she still doesn't want to run, so I ended up taking her back in to the house and going solo with Moony. She did great, and I was careful to get her to turn around after just under a mile. I think I'll start taking her out with Princess. Sunday I had Bandit out in harness connected to me, and a leash so I could help turn him for some Gee-Haw training. We jogged (I should say Bandit jogged and I tried to keep my legs under me) around the side-yard/field as I would suddenly call out Gee or Haw. Bandit did really excellent, and each time he turned I would tell him good Gee and give him a piece of hot dog (we get a 5 lb bag of them for really cheap, chop them up, toast them, and use them for training treats). Only once on Gee and once on Haw did I have to give him a gentle turn reminder with the leash. He knew what to do already, it was simply re-enforcement training for him, something I hope to repeat at least two to four times a month during the off-season with him. On the schedule is a lot of hiking and possibly some camping in between show weekends.

This morning (Friday) I saw an amazing sight, something that has never happened before. Samantha was PLAYING with G'kar!!!!! I was thrilled to see this, as it was the first time ever they've faced each other playfully instead of posturing! I guess she is finally getting out of the estrogen driven Alpha female mode! It is a happy day!

On the other hand though, Freya has been unusually clingy and howls/whines/complains when I leave my desk where she likes to hide beneath me. If she has to go out, she whines and howls at me until I go outside with her. She's getting really big and I'm hoping it is only from large puppies and not a big number of them. Guess we will find out next week when she goes for her pre-natal. (gotta poke Jim to get him to make her an appointment.)

Race Day

2011-02-17T08:34:00.001-08:00

I appologize for including a pic from last year. Brilliant me remembered to bring the camera, but left it in the truck during the race.

Since the start times were going to be close together and not much time between classes, I hurried and got our four dogs on the new drop leads Jim had made to attach to the trailer. This allowed me to bootie them up, and them to promptly remove the booties. After re-booting the dogs, I got their harnesses on, and gave them some water. It was pushing 43 degrees and climbing by the time I was done and I was worried. Jim was able to put the snow hook into the soft ground to help hold the rig in place while I hooked up the dogs and he stood on the gangline.

Getting the dogs and rig across the railroad tracks and the highway proved to be the next challenge we faced. After Jim trying to lead the dogs while I rode the cart and the brakes proved to be very inefficient, Jim got on the cart and I lead the dogs. All was going well until we needed to stop. Jim tried putting his feet down. 4 dogs > Jim's feet, and they pulled the cart over his ankle. I asked him why he didn't use the brake? It is still a mystery to me. Fortunately he was only bruised, and we continued on. Once in the grass by the start zone, Jim set the hook while I held the dogs.

The weather was pushing 45 degrees and climbing by the time the two dog class was done. We waited for the start of the 4 dog, hoping to be done before it got too hot. After a long unexpected break, 2 freight trains full of loud horns and nervous dogs later we finally got to start. The weather was closing in on 50 so I held the team back as much as possible. Freya unfortunately took this as a signal that she was doing the wrong thing and started to meander at the first turn, not believing I meant "Haw". A tangle later and convincing her that was the way I really did want her to go, she took off again making me ride the break to keep them from overexerting in the warm weather.

Poor Freya, she must have thought she was doing wrong again, and tried to go straight through the next turn as well. So I had to untangle her and Bucky again, and convince them which direction I wanted them to go (Gee). It took a while for her to understand that she wasn't doing wrong, and by that time she just wanted to go home. It was then I realized her heart was not in the race, but she was running because she simply loved to run. We played hopskotch with Brett and his team, and I was very proud that the dogs on my team ignored his when told to (except Bucky who thought it was social hour, but got pulled away by the other three dogs). Every turn off from the straight way became a struggle with Freya, even after the second time around the same track, so I figured it was too hot for her early pregnancy and dropped her with Jim for the final go round. At the first turn, Bucky nearly ran over Bandit and got tangled in his tugs. As Bandit straightened out, it swept Bucky off his feet and split a nail. I couldn't see how bad it was, but saw his bloody toe. Not knowing if he had also broken it and was ignoring the pain (Bucky is not known for letting a small injury stop him from running!) or if it was only a minor injury, I errored on caution and unhooked his tug, turned the cart around and headed back to the start walking alongside the cart.

This proved to be very difficult, as the dogs didn't want to pull when I wasn't in it and the cart didn't want to follow along nicely without someone to steer. Bucky was only very slightly limping, so I figured he would be ok to walk instead of call on the radio for help in getting him back. He seemed not in the least bit bothered by his bloody toe.

I managed to make it back after everyone had already taken their dogs back to their vehicles, but I thank those that stayed behind and helped. Also thank you to Brett for use of his peroxide to help clean the wound. After cleaning up Bucky's paw, it was apparent that the injury was very minor. There was only a little blood in his fur and it had stopped shortly after I looked at it the first time. I've seen worse clipping nails. With everything packed back up, we met with the rest of the folks at the Armory for lunch. The BBQ sandwiches were outstanding, and the company even better!

Thank you Rodney for organizing the event and thanks especially to the sponsors whose support allowed the event to take place! We had a great time!

The journey home was again long and uneventful, and the pack greeted us at the door sniffing to find out where we had been. I checked each of the dogs carefully to make sure again that there was nothing else to worry about, and let them run outside and play with their packmates (more like let their packmates fuss at them for being gone somewhere without them).

Watching the interaction made me think that re-introduction of dogs taken on trips may be problematic in the future as the dogs coming in were annoyed with the dogs who had been home all the time being rather pushy about sniffing and letting them back in the house. Bandit in particular took exception to being scruitinized, and I had to chastize him for having his ruff up and growling. Freya and Samantha also were close to violence, and I had to intervene. Yukon ignored them and shot through the group as if they weren't there, and Bucky gave what he got. It was a little tense for about an hour and I had to repeatedly tell dogs to settle down.

It is food for thought and I will need to think of some intermediate re-introduction on return from trips. It is a part of the pack dynamics that has to be carefully evaluated and planned around that hadn't been much of a problem before, but as time wears on has become worse. It is an odd mixture of jealousy for my attention and elitism if I were to put it in human terms. It isn't quite the same, but it makes it easier to understand.

Music City Challenge

2011-02-15T16:14:00.000-08:00

I love this little guy! He's so loving, intelligent and personable. In harness, he's a wildman, howling, jumping and pulling on the gangline to get going!

Friday before we left, I was sitting on the couch and asked Jim. "Do you have everything packed and ready to go?"

Jim responded, "Yup, got everything I need, got the extra ganglines, and stuff."

Just then Bucky walked over to me for some lovins, which I gave him and asked him in all seriousness. "Bucky? Do you have everything packed and ready to go?" He circled around, danced a bit, jumped up beside me, leaned into me putting his paw around me, looked into my eyes and said "Wooo-roo-row!" I love him! He's so silly!

Jim made a dog-net to keep the dogs from crawling up in the cockpit of the truck and getting out the doors when we stopped, and he slid it behind the two front seats and anchored it to the passenger handles. I loaded up all our stuff, then got the dogs, Yukon, Freya, Bandit and Bucky and gave them the command to get in. Princess began to howl like a banshee, just then starting to realize she was being left behind. The first time I had gone on a trip without her. She was heartbroken, and I hated leaving her, but there were too many reasons not to take her since Freya was going. About 10 minutes down the road I asked Jim if he remembered the hot dogs and meat snacks... nope... sigh.

It was a long and thankfully uneventful trip, and we arrived around 4pm local time. I walked the dogs in the small grassy area, disappointed that Bucky again seemed too excited to relieve himself while on a short leash. I hope this does not lead to future medical difficulties. So after unloading the stuff we need for the night, I took him out on the long orange 30' leash (at least I remembered to bring it this time). To my relief and obviously his, Bucky peed after wandering around to find just the right spot. How he manages to hold it for greater than 12 hours is beyond me.

I walked each of the dogs on the long leash, they enjoy it immensely as it allows them to run around and sniff more things without having to drag me along. With them all settled, we debated what to eat for dinner, and ended up ording chinese delivery. Kung Pao chicken went down real well and by the time we were done more of our fellow mushers were pulling in.

It was great to meet up and greet folks we are beginning to know and love, and the conversation about dogs doesn't seem awkward. We all share a great passion for their intelligence, loyalty and personalities, and like doting parents, never tire of the stories of their follies. Then there are always the "No Shit! There I was!" tales that keep us entertained for hours. It is a bonding that only comes with understanding and shared passion.

Being a couple of old farts, Jim and I turned in around 9pm local time, and Freya jumped on the bed with me and would not be moved. She spent the night curled up beside me, and I sensed her need to feel protected. It was a primal thing and I knew at that moment, there was no doubt that the mishap that allowed her to tie with Yukon had produced offspring. Female dogs if they are bonded with their owners get very clingy in the onset and even more clingy in the progression of their pregnancy. It is instinctual for them to seek protection in their vulnerability.

I had suspected she would be pregnant from the tie, but the behavior is the clincher before she begins to show. So the same pairing that produced Bandit, Bucky, Silver, Flakes (Mordechai), Kirby (our siberian poodle), and Face (Cole) is destined for another set of amazing dogs in the middle of March. We haven't yet finished our rennovations, but this will definitely speed up the urgency. For those who have seen what an amazing dog Bandit turned out to be, and what a wild man runner Bucky is, if you are interested in a pup from the same pairing, let me know. Both parents are AKC and I plan on getting both CERF scored next month at the Louisville show (providing the vet that scores will be there this year).

Fortunately for us, nothing ever came of Princess and Bandit's little rondezvous since it was a week after she was out of standing heat. It still strikes me as odd they even formed a tie at that time. Guess love was in the air... Princess still thinks she's married to Bandit, and yesterday I found her sleeping with him with her head possessively across his belly. If he sniffs at Ace, she pushes between them, just as if they were married. It is rather amusing. Ace still has not gone in to heat, but we are keeping an eye on her. If she hasn't by her second birthday, we will have the vet examine her carefully to see if there may be other reasons for her being sterile that may cause health problems later in life. So far she is healthy, happy, and oddly flirty with Bandit all the time. Whether this is to make Princess jealous or some other reason, I just don't know.

Freya informed me at 1am that she had to go out, so I threw on my dog clothes and walked her. I then walked Yukon, Bandit, then Bucky, and went back to bed. At 5:30 local time, Yukon told me in no uncertain terms that I had slept long enough! He pushed me in the back with his cold nose, trying to lift me up off the bed. His efforts were joined by Freya's barritone wooo, then Yukon scolded me for sleeping in.

"Yoh-yow-waow woo!"
"Wooo-ah-woo-woo!" Freya responded her agreement.
"Awooowoo wooo!" Bucky chimed in.
"Ohwoah-woah!" Came Bandit's bass reply.
"Shhhhssshhh!! you'll wake the neighbors!" But they were having none of my backtalk. So I quieted them by taking Freya and Yukon out together as soon as I was able to grab a sweatshirt, pants and boots.

As soon as they did their business, and I cleaned up the solid bits, I rushed them back to the room and took out Bandit and Bucky together. Bucky as usual was to excited to pee on the short leash... sigh. When I got back, Jim went down to get me coffee and a roll, and he met with Alice and her parents. When he came back to the room he brought with him some yummy blueberry rolls that Alice's mother had brought. Thank you, they were awesome!

We then went to the park (stopping for gas and breakfast for Jim since he's diabetic). The weather was warming up, and I was getting a bit worried it would be too nice (read warm) for the dogs. The sun was bright and there was a slight breeze blowing, promising an early spring day.
(to be continued)

Gearing up for Murphreesboro

2011-02-08T03:03:00.000-08:00

Saturday was rainy so we went out and got more material for our rennovations. Wood laminate flooring for our dog entranceway which I hope to start putting down the weekend of the 19th. This coming Saturday though, is the Music City Dryland Challenge. So we are gearing up to head down to Murphreesboro, TN for probably the last race of our season. After that, I'll be putting Princess back in show classes to gear up for the upcoming show season.

She's really turned into a lovely dog with a very sweet personality. Every night she curls up behind me and puts her head by mine. If I roll or move away from her, she scoots up until she can touch me again and goes back to sleep. I know it is normally not a good thing to encourage, but she still knows she's a dog and does doggy things and knows her place in the pack. On cold winter nights, it feels good to have a warmer on my back.

I sometimes forget that I'm aging, but can't deny that all the abuse I've put myself through while younger feels the weather. I wouldn't have it any other way though. I've lived life to the fullest, had a lot of great times and adventures, tales of swordfights and worldly travels, campouts and facedowns with wild beasts. I've been a lot of places and seen a lot of things. But of them all, working with my dogs gives me the greatest satisfaction. It is that piece I'd been missing but never knew it.

The dogs love it too, and give me their all. Afterwards they are satisfied with a frozen meat snack, and then they get to lounge and reflect while the real work begins for me. Out to the yard to clean up poop, then work on the house. My husband has really embraced working with the dogs too and has started making gang lines, snub lines, and other paraphanalia that will be useful at events. This has also made me happy that he enjoys my hobby and helps with it. He has become as attached to Moon Dancer as I am to Princess, and we both are attached to all the dogs, which is a big switch for him. The dogs used to be all 'my' dogs, now they are 'our' dogs.

Saturday it began to snow after we got back, but it wasn't sticking to the ground, so we went about our chores. Sunday the snow and rain had stopped, but not enough snow to fix up and run with the sled, so I got out the cart and ran the race team. Bandit threw a bootie before we started, but kept the right rear one on the whole run. Bucky did the run with both booties on the rear the whole run. Thank goodness I don't have to order new booties for the race, and both dogs feet were in good shape, no ground down nails. I have to admire them, their feet are tough as nails, and if it weren't for grinding the toenails, they could run twice as long as I take them.

Last night (monday) it snowed again, but still the warmer weather taunts us by melting the layers before. Each time they predict more than two inches, the storm misses us, only dusting the landscape which melts the next day. Jim is all for moving further north. Me too, but gotta go where the jobs are.

Of Vets and Doors

2011-01-31T13:43:00.001-08:00

We made the decision to get Samantha fixed for a couple of reasons. In this pic you can kind of tell she has a slight predisposition to cross-eyed. With Moon Dancer very cross-eyed we didn't want any more puppies to possibly be cross-eyed.

The second reason is that she is the only aggressor in the kennel. Of any of the tussels that have broken out, she's been the initiator. Not that there have been any serious fights, but we wanted to take steps to be sure they never happen.

The third reason is to curb her wanderlust. She has been our main digger, so hopefully this will prevent any future excursions.

So Friday was the big day for Samantha, and I opted to work from home so I could be with her when she got back from surgery. She has always been a very loving dog to people, and needed lots of attention and re-assurance which she got. All weekend she has been fussed over. The pain pills pretty much knocked her out in the mornings, so she laid on my bed sleeping for much of Friday and Saturday. Sunday she slept half of the day and got a bit restless in the afternoon, so I let her wander the house under supervision as well as being leash walked.

Saturday while she was sleeping on my bed, I hooked up the race team for a 4 mile run with the cart. After I got back, I worked on cleaning and clearing out the livingroom in preparation for rennovations.

Sunday I got the door framed and wall divider built that I had been planning. This is a big step towards more secure separation of the boys and girls during heat cycles, plus making the room more accessable and less cluttered. Eventually there will be wood flooring and it will make people and dog care much less of a chore. It looks pretty good and very sturdy. A good day's work. Hopefully I'll be able to complete more of the rennovations planned in the near future.

Bad Musher! No Biscuit!

2011-01-21T13:34:00.000-08:00

So yesterday it started snowing heavily around 1pm, and since I had to work late, I decided I would head home and work from there. If everything went as planned, I'd end work, grab the sled and get in some sledding before it got too dark to see.

All went well, and I was able to complete our cut-over by 17:30 hours. Ecstatic, I harnessed up Bandit and Princess, mainly because this would be my first time with dogs attached to the sled and in case they got away with or without the sled, they have the best recall as well as being good pullers.

From the start I knew I was in for it when I tried to get Bandit to go down the hill and into the field/side yard from my house. The idea was that we would make a couple of loops around the yard and come back to the house. Bandit, however, had other plans. He was in harness with his favorite running partner and he'd be damned if he was going to only run around on our 3 acres! As soon as I gave the "Hike" command, he made a bee-line for the road. "Gee! Gee!" I yelled, and Bandit was having none of that.

Well to keep from looking like an idiot, I shut up and hung on as we hopped the ditch and went up on to the road. For a few hair raising moments, I was sliding a rail on the edge of the road headed for the speed limit sign, but managed to pop the runners up over the edge at the last moment. I let Bandit run down to the bridge before I rode the brake, telling him "Whoah!" He was not amused, and turned around to give me the plaintive look of a dog who has had their toy taken away. "Gee!" I said to try to get him to go into the field.

"Hunh?" I could see the gears spinning in his eyes. I carefully got off the sled, keeping a hold and reached for the gangline to keep constant pressure on it. I then crowded him and Princess off the road, and they got it. "Gee!" I said happily and the light bulb came on. They both took off into the field as I frantically grabbed the handlebar of the sled and jumped on before they left me behind. The ran along the creek back towards the house when I slowed them again and told Bandit "Gee". He turned around, and trotted back past me... ah well, I let them help yank the sled around, but I didn't do as graceful and ended up eating some snow. I finally managed to get the sled upright again and we proceeded back towards the far end of the field by the bridge. "Haw!" This time Bandit went left! I was so proud, but then he got into the thick weeds, so I jumped off the runners and helped push, only to find that without my weight to slow them down, they were much faster than I was.

I tried to get both feet on the runners, but missed, and ended up eating snow again, hands firmly wrapped around the handlebar. Something snapped, and I ended up with a rounded piece of nylon in my hands while watching the dogs tear off down the field with my sled and no me.

"Jim!" I yelled to my husband who had his back to me and his head down, so I was really yelling to his butt. "Get the dogs! Bandit! Haw!" I yelled, and obediently he turned left towards the house into Jim.

Disappointed I knew it would be a while before I could go sledding again. My first day on the runners with dogs and I broke the sled... Bad me...

The Blue Ridge Challenge

2011-01-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

Jim, I, Bandit, Yukon, Princess and Bucky headed out early Saturday morning for Abbingdon Virginia. We had hoped to make it for the Serum Run re-enactment, but time was against us, and we arrived after the end. We got checked in to the hotel, ate lunch and discussed what to do next as the flyer didn't mention the location of the dinner and I hadn't brought my laptop to check the location. Fortunately we ran in to Alice and family, so we got directions from them. Turns out it was less than a block away.

The dinner was in a place called the Harbor House in Abbingdon, and the back room had been reserved for the event. Jim and I had the shrimp, and Alice put on a great presentation of her beginnings, interest in Sled Dogs and the time she spent at a racing Kennel in Minnesota. Afterwards, Bill did the auction for the benefit of the rescue. I've been to a few auctions before, but never were they entertaining. Bill had most of us in stitches very quickly, and the night went rather quickly. I stepped out once in a while to check on the dogs and make sure they were doing ok.

On the fourth trip out to the truck, Princess had somehow wrapped herself in the seat belt. Thank goodness I went to check on her! I took her and Bucky for a walk, and all day Bucky had not gone pee or poop and I was getting worried about him. When I put them back in the truck, I took out Bandit and Yukon. The auction had only a few items left, but I really wanted to get to a place where Bucky would feel comfortable enough to at least pee. So we left, but again when I walked Bucky he would not pee.

Jim suggested maybe I put him on a longer lead, so I tied a rope to his leash, and we walked again. After another 15 minutes out in the cold, he finally peed, and peed, and peed, and ... well you get the idea. With some relief I took him back and put princess on the long rope and leash. She didn't need it, but had fun running around and around me. Next was Bandit. After he ran around and around, he finally was sniffing at some bushes around the building in the back of the motel when I realized he was no longer pulling on the rope! The rope had come undone and he was running loose! With my heart in my throat and a highway too close, I first called to him and sank to my knees (this usually gets the dogs to come to me), but Bandit ignored me. Fear rising, I ran into the briars in the dark night chasing a mostly black dog.

No matter what I called out to him, he kept running, but fortunately there was a fence. When he hit that, he turned around, and went the other way across the hill. Desperate I finally called out to him "Whoa! Bandit, WHOA! Come around!" To my utter astonnishment, he stopped in his tracks and came directly to me(in hindsight I should not have been so astonnished, but I was sick that I was about to lose him). I praised him profusely and petted him, relieved that he came back. We redid the rope so there was no way it could come undone, and I took out Yukon on the long lead.

When I came back I checked my legs to find I had really gone through the worst of the briars. Long scratches, deep punctures and lots of smeared blood made Jim freak out until I told him it wasn't as bad as it looked. He wanted me to take a shower to rinse off, but I told him that would make it worse. Last thing I wanted was soap in all those scratches until they had scabbed over. Finally I caved in and wiped off the smeared blood with a hot washcloth and was immediately sorry. By the time I finished, though, it was time to go to sleep, and sleep I did.

The pups got me up a bit later than normal, 6am instead of 5, so I took them each out for a walk, and by the time I got back, Jim was up. He went and picked me up some breakfast (a large waffle) and coffee while I showered and got ready. While I packed up everything, he ate his breakfast and we checked out of the hotel.

We followed the map to Iron Horse Campground, and after the scare I was a bit worried to note the trail ran paralell to the highway. Without Freya I was unsure if Bandit would obey commands well enough to keep him and the team safe and away from the highway on a sled. My inexperience with a sled could have spelled disaster for my dogs as it offered little control in the advent they took off in that direction. So I decided not to race with the sled and put my dogs at risk. Instead, I loaned the sled to Kelly so that she could race with her German Shepherd Bakko. To get the dogs exercise, I hooked them up to the cart and opted to run behind the racers and help out if anyone got stuck on the trail or were in need of assistance. I had a 2 mile walkie-talkie and a cell phone on me, and have been certified in CPR and First Aid.

It was quite fun, and we quickly caught up to Rodney while on the dirt, but as soon as we hit the deeper snow, the cart bogged down and Rodney picked up speed on his sled. Through it all Bandit was fabulous, listened and obeyed every command, including "Haw over" to go around the left side of a post, and Gee over to go right around another. When we approached the road crossing and there was traffic I told him "Easy, Bandit" and immediately he turned to look at me and slowed down. When the cars passed and the Sheriff stopped traffic for us, I told him "Hike up and On By!" and he shot across the road to the trail on the other side. I was tremendously pleased!

We came up on the crowd by the end, and Bandit's shy-ness caused him to slow, but I encouraged him with "Hike up Good boy!" and he shot past to the finish line where I reported there was no one on the trail. I guided them to the side of the trail to wait for Jim who was driving from Iron Horse to Damascus where we finished. I hugged and doted on Bandit for doing so well and was sorry I hadn't had enough faith in his training to run the sled, but really it was not the venue to try out. If something had happened, I'd never forgive myself. I was very proud how well he did though, and he proved to me once again, he was born to lead!

While I was hugging him and waiting, the local news team noticed I was the only one with dogs still out and in harness, and the only one on a wheeled rig. So I made the evening newscast, just wish I had a copy of it as I was still on the road home when it aired, and they didn't post that segment on their website. Ah well.

The journey home was broken up by stopping at the Tennessee Valley RV center. One day we will do these events in style. Bucky again did not pee or poop until we got him home. I'm keeping my eye on him to make sure he didn't do himself an injury holding it for so long.

Bandit and Moon

2011-01-10T07:09:00.000-08:00

Got the team out Sunday that I'll be taking to Virginia this weekend. Bandit and Moon Dancer (Moony pie) in lead, with Yukon and Bucky in wheel. I'll be running the 4 dog class on Sunday if they approve my pedal cart as safe.

Anyway, Moon was a bit slower than the team, but I kept them slowed to her pace so she did not get discouraged. Moony has a lot of heart, and kept her tug as tight as she could the whole way! She was a bit uncertain about the commands, but let Bandit show her what was what.

We made great time up to almost the two mile mark, and Moony began to tire on the big uphill grade up the side of the mountain. I pedaled to help out, but figured it was a good time to turn around and let Moon 'rest' on the downhill since most of the way home except the last .2 miles is downhill from there.

Bandit still hasn't learned the "Come Around Gee" command very well, so I had to get off the cart and lead him through the turn around. I repeated the command as they finished the line out and praised them before getting the cart turned around and brakes unlocked. Moony caught her second wind on the way down the hill, and we flew back to the house. She only remembered her fatigue in the last .1 mile, but seeing her 'dad' (Jim) waiting for her gave her that extra incentive to make it.

All in all, I think she'll do fine, and she did excellent for her first lead on the race team! She's been in lead with the puppy team, but this was her first experience with a full team of run-crazy dogs. I think she had a great time, as for the rest of the day she had a huge smile even though she slept for about three hours afterwards.

This time I put booties on both Bandit and Bucky's back feet, and though they each shed one bootie, their feet were both in good shape after the run. Moon and Yukon had minimal wear, so will probably not require booties unless we run on pavement this weekend. I know Moony will love to come along, as Jim will be coming this time. With both full boys going with me, James thinks he can handle the girls, we'll see.

Heats and Greets

2011-01-07T11:16:00.001-08:00

The time has come round again where my girls are back in heat. The house has been sectioned off again, and we do-se-do the dogs shuffling the girls out and the boys in or vice versa.

The main problem is that Samantha and Princess want to be where I am all the time, so it gets tough when the boys are in with me. When the girls are in with me, Bandit whines to be in with me too, although I don't think his motivations are as pure.

What usually happens is that I end up with the boys in my room with Samantha and Princess in the crate when we sleep. This makes Freya unhappy because she normally sleeps at the foot of my bed, but is used to beign able to go out when she wants. In order to go out when she wants, she can't sleep in my room.

What usually happens is this: I go to bed early because I'm tired. I have the girls with me. Bandit whines and howls and shakes the gate sometime around 12am to 2am. I let him in, go fetch Yukon and get him in, let the girls out and go get a short nap. About two hours later, Samantha starts super-barking at the inside fence and trying to push it over (she's really really good at getting through gates and fences, I think she's the reincarnation of Houdini). This forces me to get up and let her in. About an hour later, Princess howls at the gate, and if you can imagine a two year old human crossed with an alien cat that somehow got transplanted into a dog, you would kind of understand that Pincess cannot be ignored. I get up, let Princess in and put her in the dog cave with Samantha. About an hour or two later, Freya gets lonely and starts whining and low howling at the gate. I get up, let her and Ace in, let the boys out and usually get about 15-30 minutes more sleep before the alarm goes off.

I get up, go to work, get home, eat, drink a beer, go to bed early because I'm tired... etc.

Right now, my dearest wish is that Princess and Ace would go in to heat too and get it over with all at once.

New Place to Run?

2011-01-01T16:12:00.000-08:00

This might be the last set of pics on the road! Yup, I talked to a neighbor the other day and found out there is a plot of land a little over a mile from my house that is owned by the county, 2500 acres worth that they've set trails for horses and allow primitive weapon hunts on. This might be a great place to work the trails into useable dogsledding trails. The neighbor was excited to learn that I trained sled dogs and offered to show me the trails in exchange for a ride on the sled! Sounds like a great exchange to me! And it will probably lead to talking to the county about making some non-snow trails that are good enough for hiking, riding, and carting on! I'm excited, and very hopeful this will pan out into a great exchange and an awesome new venue to train my dogs! Maybe even give rides to folks to see the beautiful Kentucky hills by dog-cart/sled!

A Farm of Two Tails

2010-12-28T07:42:00.000-08:00

This tale was related to me by my sister, the proud owner of two of our pups, and Mother of a wonderful family.

Her husband travels for his work and is often gone for long periods of time. His job is a dangerous one, high atop huge turbines attached to monsterous windmills creating clean wind-powered energy for a better future. Sometimes if you are lucky, you can see a humongous flatbed truck hauling what you would swear was an enormous prop for some weirdly gigantic airplane. Really this is one of the blades for the windmills he works on. It is humbling to see the magnitude of these wind generators and you can imagine standing on top of one you would feel like you are in the stratosphere, looking down on a tiny world far away. Wind could easily rip you off your lofty perch and dash you to the ground below, or break the prop lock and the engine parts could crush you. It is a dangerous place to be. Yet there are souls who go there, brave the dangers to provide us a better future of clean energy.

Ric is one of those souls, and as you can imagine, he spends a lot of time away from home working on windmill farms. It is a rare year when he can be home before Christmas, so Karen takes comfort in the company of her two teens and the two huskies who have become a part of their family.

Mordichai is the black and white boy, he loves spending his time out in the yard playing and watching the livestock. He's the talker and the independant one. Kyree, the silver and white girl, is more of the homebody and has become Karen's shadow and constant companion. On occasion if Karen leaves her behind, Kyree has the tendancy to pout by showing her a cold shoulder. But Kyree has a wonderlust, and will go for a run if allowed near the gate to their farm, so Karen occasionally has to leave her in the house while she goes out.

The Saturday before Christmas, Ric was allowed to come home, and was on the phone with Karen as he was getting close to their farm. Knowing about Kyree's tendancies to try to slip out the gate, Karen left her in the house to go open the gate for Ric. Immediately after they parked by the house, Mort began to tell Ric how happy he was to see him and probably something along the lines of 'where have you been?' in husky talk.

Unaware of what was going on outside, Kyree was getting herself all in a huff for being left behind, and as soon as she saw Karen enter, she turned her curly tail towards her and began to stalk away. But Mort's commotion caught her attention and she turned around incredulous to see Ric. Normally the quiet one Kyree is not very vocal, but she was so overjoyed to see him, she forgot about being in a huff and being quiet. She woo-woo'd and pranced, jumping and running in circles around him. For her it was the best Christmas present ever.

Christmas, Dog Sledding and Poo

2010-12-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

It snowed again here, and the ground has been covered in a nice white blanket that hides where the dogs have done their business. It was with some relief however, that I managed to watch Zena long enough to see that she had poo'd and not been stopped up from whatever she swallowed. I doubt we will know for sure what it was, as there was no evidence to be had. This kind of leads me to believe that she didn't swallow a wad of cloth, but maybe a hoof or chewy. So she's a happy puppy once again, free to run and play with the other dogs in the snow.

Thursday, I took out Freya, Bandit, Yukon and Bucky on the pedal cart for a 4.5 mile run up past the donkey farm and almost to the chicken farm and back. All four dogs were still looking great as I got them inside, unhooked and fed their snacks. I love these dogs! They are not only great runners, but great friends and companions, each with their own unique personality and style.

Freya is shy of strangers, but once she decides you're ok, then she loves to be petted and cuddled. She has an oddly baritone voice, and loves to woo-woo. She's a funny girl though, when all the puppies and dogs have come in to rest and she thinks they need to go outside and play with her, she will come in and whine at me. What she wants is for me to come outside, so all the dogs will go outside too and she'll have someone, or lots of ones to play with. Freya loves to run first and foremost of all, but her second love is playing. She will forgo food in order to run or to play. Thank goodness there is enough downtime with the other dogs that she finds time to eat well.

Bandit is the loveable big goofy guy dog, but he's also a thinker and a great lead dog in training. He has gee, haw and leave it down pat, and is working on Line Out and Come Around. He loves to run and to lead, he was born for it, and it shows. He's big, fast, strong and has wonderful endurance, but tends to grind his toenails when he pulls, as he does so with every ounce of his being, so I have to bootie him up on his back paws. He has a wonderful bass voice, and I love to hear his incredibly deep howl. It sounds like you would imagine the earth would howl if it could, so hugely deep and powerful. But he also has his plaintive little howl when he wants attention that sounds so much like his father, Yukon's "Oh!" You would hardly believe both sounds come from the same throat. He loves to be cuddled and has the most wonderful smile.

Yukon is still the philosopher, but has lately become confident in his place as alpha male. He is almost lovingly worshipful of G'kar and backs down to him and treats him like a living ancestor god though. Which is surprising considering he has taken to bullying the younger dogs to steal their treats or toys. We chastize him when we catch him doing it, and his attempts have become far less frequent, at least when I'm around. To me this says he has at last become comfortable living with us and with his new home, enough so that he has begun to make this his domain. Since he is almost as large as Bandit, yet much older and wiser, he is beginning to assert his dominance in the pack. This is really a good thing for him, and it shows us that his confidence and comfort level is high. I still remind him I'm leader though, and ensure he lets me pet him and/or take his treat without complaint. (I periodically do this with every dog to be sure there is no aggression towards people for any reason. If they are good about it, they get petted, praised and their treat/toy/chewy back, if not, they are chastised, and they get their treat/toy/chewy taken again until they allow it without protest, then they are praised and left to enjoy it in peace.) Yukon loves to hug, coming up to you with his little "Oh!" and leaning on you with his head resting on your arm, leg or shoulder in a doggy hug. He adores it when you hug him back and love on him. He's a very loving dog and is becoming another shadow following me around when I'm home.

Bucky is a wild child in harness! Once he knows he's going on a run, he gets so excited, he grabs a hold of the neck or gangline with his mouth and starts trying to pull on it so we get going. Sometimes this gets out of hand, and he has to be chastised with a strong NO! and forced to sit down. Then he gets Line Out training until we can get the rest of the team hooked up. When he's out of harness, he is the most cuddly TV puppy you could ever want. He loves to curl up next to you on the couch, put his left paw and head in your lap and smile as you pet him. He'll stay there all day, or until Freya calls him out to play in the yard.

Friday we went and picked up the Ham, mashed potatoes, cranberries, pumpkin pie, ice cream and whipped topping for Christmas dinner that we had ordered from the grocery deli. But in order to figure out how long to warm the ham, we had to know how much it weighed, and Jim had thrown out the receipt. So, I volunteered to stand on the scale, get my exact weight, then do it again with the ham. Thus we figured out the weight of the ham. I'm not sure what is so fascinating to men about Poo stories, but here's mine that he had to tell to his parents. Since this has already been made public, what the hell?

After getting the weight of the ham, it turns out I had the sudden urge, and rushed to the bathroom for a while. When I returned, I was curious as to how much my weight changed after taking a poo, so stood on the scale. I told Jim I lost 4 pounds. He didn't believe me, so I proved it to him, as he was witness to my first and second attempts to stand on the scale. Incredulous he thought this was funny and worthy enough to share with his parents on Christmas. And thus I learned never to share my scientific curiosity with a man.

Sunday I got Samantha, and Moon in lead with Demon and Princess in wheel. Samantha talks the talk and acts like she really really really wants to run on the team, but as soon as you tell her to Hike Up, she acts like she has no idea what you want, and starts sniffing around like she's out for a stroll. Princess was screaming in frustrated rage to get moving. Samantha knows the commands and can follow them well, but she has problems getting started/motivated. James got out in front and ran a few paces, and dutifully she started after him. Once she started running though, she easily picked up the pace and after tangling a few times got the show on the road. I took them past the railroad turn off, but the place I intended to turn them around for a short run, someone had thrown out what looked like a rancid deer hide (sans internal so not a carcass but just a failed tanning project?) and of course Samantha wanted badly to roll in it. Moon, Princess and Demon wanted to keep going though, and pulled her away from the sweet smelling prize. I let them run another two tenths of a mile so we would be running before reaching that wonderful distraction on the way back. Turning around was almost as much fun as starting, and I finally got the dogs untangled, facing the right way, and trying vainly to get Samantha to start running towards home again. I ended up having to run with her a few paces again, snatch the gangline to keep their pace down so I had time to quickly hop in the seat of the cart before they left me behind.

True to my fears, Samantha again veered for the hide, but Moon was on that side and pushed her back when I said Leave It. What a good little girl Moony is! Pouting, Samantha pulled the rest of the way home. If she didn't need the exercise, I'd stop putting her in harness, but she tends to bulk up when she's not running. Next time though, she won't be in lead, I'll try Princess and Moon in lead.

Underpants Gnome...er Siberian

2010-12-22T05:42:00.000-08:00

In an attempt to find out what Zena swallowed, I scoured the yard, but did not see anything significant until I went out with Zena to watch her. She immediately ran for the furthest igloo on the left, darted inside and came out with a small scrap of cloth. I chased her down until she droppped it (no easy feat), and it appeared to be a piece of James' swim suit. Had she swallowed the rest of it? Time will tell I suppose.

Weekend Follies and the Zena Scare

2010-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday was a crisp 11 degrees F, and I was eager to get the race team out for some exercise (Freya and Bandit in lead, reversed sides so I could try out a theory from SDC, and Yukon and Buck in wheel). When it was light enough to see, I pushed the atv in to a position I thought would be easy for the dogs to pull on to the road and get the atv started. This turned out to be one of the worst decisions I could have made. Not only did the dogs have problems pulling the atv through the snow, they couldn't pull it up the slight lip of the roadside. Only with the combined efforts of 4 dogs, Jim, James and me did we manage to get the atv on the road, and not without a lot of blood, sweat and colorful metaphors.

After getting the atv on the road, we had to rest and recover a bit before getting started. With James helping push, we could not get the atv started. The dogs were trying very hard, but got discouraged, so I made the decision to unhook them from the atv and let them pull James and I back to the house and in for a snack.

By this point, the atv was all the way to the bottom of the hill and not looking too good for any prospects of being pushed or pulled back up it without mechanical help. While Jim went back to get the truck, I manhandled the thing in a k-turn around and tied it to the back of the truck for a tow back up the hill. Even with the truck assist, I still was unable to start the atv. It rolled over a couple of times, but let me know that it was absolutely NOT going to start in the winter when it was 11 degrees. With a few more colorful metaphors, I gave in to my urge to want to buy another pedal cart from Tractor Supply, the adult size now that they made them.

When we went shopping later, though, we decided not to pick it up because we really didn't want to tie it down to the roof then leave it in the parking lot while we went in to Walmart to finish shopping.

Sunday bright and early I drove down to TSC with James and picked up the new pedal cart and brought it home. Since he had expressed his desire to get in to mushing, I let him take out the puppy team with it, Samantha and Moon in lead with Ace and Yukon in wheel (Yukon was there for pulling power since James is a pretty big boy). Samantha and Ace started out necklining until I got in front of them and ran ahead calling out to them. Moon was ecstatic to go, and was whining that the team wasn't fast enough for her. They soon passed me though, much to Moon's delight, and took James down to the .75 mile mark where somehow he broke the brake lever. I caught up to him there, helped him unstick the brake and turn the team around. I ran in front of them again to get them going and get him back to the house.

While I was showering up, Jim and James took the cart back to TSC to replace the broken brake. Hopefully this one will last.

Monday was back to work, with a little dusting of snow and another winter stormwatch on the radar for the afternoon. The storm was delayed, however, but at 4:45 I got a frantic call from Jim that Zena was choking! Fortunately she was still able to breathe albeit not too well, but was in dire straights. I told Jim to take her immediately to the clinic. He thought it might have been a piece of hoof she swallowed, I was hoping that was not the case. As soon as I was out in the parking lot I called James to see if I could determine what happened, or what she might have swallowed. Unfortunately she had been outside and ran inside in distress, so it was uncertain what she may have swallowed.

Jim got her to the clinic, but by the time the vet was able to examine her, she had managed to swallow it all of the way down, so was out of danger of choking. However, now we need to keep her under surveillance to ensure she does not get stopped up. Sure wish I knew what she had swallowed!

LBL Sled Dog Dash The Journey Home

2010-12-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

After the race, trophies were passed out, and congratulations. It was heartwarming the concern for me even though I was probably more embarassed than anything else.

The snow kept falling, and though we wanted to stay longer, I knew it was going to be a long journey home. We started out on the highway around noon local time, for the five hour drive. The highways were a mix of slush, salt and water, but fortunately not slippery so we made pretty decent time.

We stopped for lunch and a potty break for the dogs in Central City, then continued on. The storm kept pace with us the entire journey and it was still snowing beautifully when we arrived home. Although the roads around our place had not been plowed yet, we managed to manuver the trailer into the driveway after a bit of a struggle with traction, and unpack the essentials. The rest of the dogs were ecstatic to have 'mom' home!

I love the homecoming greetings of my huskies. Each of them says hello in their own little way. Moony with her circular winding tail and woo-wooing, Yukon with his cute little "Oh! Row row!", Demon with his "I ruv roo mom", Ace with her insistent jumping and trying to lick my face. Buck with his pushing everyone out of the way to nibble on my nose. G'kar with his "Rah, roo roo, bark, bark, bark" and Samantha with her "Bahroorah"(which means, 'glad you're back, now give me a bone'). Zena simply waits for them all to get out of the way before she pushes her way towards me and curls up next to me with a sad stare and a wiggly tail.

Bandit though, took exception to the other dogs coming to me, and started growling at them. With a sigh, I had to reprimand him only to receive a hurt look. It was surprising to see, but I knew he had to know that any show of aggression is not tolerated, though I was touched that he felt so possessive of me. He's a wonderful boy, but too big to begin to think he's alpha and needs to protect me. After the reprimand, he did not growl again, and after a few minutes of being passive towards all the other dogs, I praised him. Guess he is starting to feel his oats, so we are going to have to keep a close eye on him during the next heat to be sure he and Yukon do not get in to it over the girls. Next heat should probably be a bit easier as Yukon has taken to sleeping in the dog cave, and it will probably be pretty easy to separate him and Bandit from the girls and each other if he's in the crate and Bandit in my room.

Next month is the Blue Ridge Dryland Challenge. I'm looking forward to it!

LBL Sled Dog Dash

2010-12-14T13:05:00.000-08:00

Thursday around 2pm my son and I headed out to Western Kentucky for the Land Between the Lakes Sled Dog Dash. With us, we had Freya, Bandit and Princess. I decided to leave Yukon home #1 because I hadn't been able to secure a 4 dog rig prior, and #2 it would be a bit crowded with 4 dogs in the truck. As soon as I pick up a 4 dog rig though, Yukon, I promise you are going, and more stuff will be packed on the trailer to accomodate you!

This is Lake Barkley, one of the Lakes surrounding the area we were mushing.

Bandit and Princess enjoy the view.

We checked in to the hotel, then drove around a bit trying to find all the places we needed to be on Saturday. Grand Rivers is a great little town with very friendly folks who were excited to meet some sled dogs. For a time, I felt like a celebrity as I cruised around town, only it was the dogs that were the real center of attention, so I guess that makes me a roadie for them?

Princess was in her element, gliding from person to person in her royal cuteness. We then went out to Nickel Branch and got to run a bit on the dirt road and trails before heading back to the hotel prior to going out to eat at Sharlotte's where they had a marvelous Fully Loaded Potato Soup. Believe you me, this soup is worth the trip if nothing else!

James said he didn't feel great, so I left him at the hotel with Bandit and Freya and took Princess with me to the Mushers' Tails campfire meeting. It was there I met Brett Brock, the man I had bought my Dryland Mushing T-shirts and Sweatshirts from. He had two gorgeous boys, one long coat and one medium, both black and white. They were very eager to make Princess' acquaintence, and though she greeted them, she seemed none too keen to be anything more than acquaintences. We chatted for some time, swapping stories and talking geek.

On the way back, I snapped off some shots of Grand Rivers all lit up for the holidays. I wished that James felt well enough to come along, as I would have loved to walk around and get some better pics. This too was well worth the trip. Every house, shop, tree, fence, and lamp post was lit up in a fantastic array of lights and colors. Even the harbor across the highway had almost every boat lit up. It was amazing.

I can't imagine the amount of time that went in to stringing all these lights!

Bandit Freya and Princess roughing it in the hotel.

Santa and Mrs Claus came out to see us Saturday morning at the Meet and Greet. Despite the rain there were a lot of warm and friendly folks. It was a great time.

Some Junior mushers and their pups.

A sort of visible pic of Bill Bordan's Iditarod jacket... sweet!

Rodney and Brett sipping coffee. Jeff is the one in the green hat.

The parking lot and pavillion that was the starting point for the race.

Brett and his two boys.

One of the juniors coming in to the finish line.

JJ (?) getting ready for the 4 dog.

I can't remember this guy's name, but he was running Jeff's team and rig.

Rodney's team and rig. As you can tell, it was just a wee bit wet.

Jeff's team.

Saturday I did pretty good with a 8.15 time for a two mile run.

Sunday it snowed, the bridges were icy, and my rear brakes had frozen solid. Not to be daunted, I got my team to the start line, but Freya and Bandit were being freakishly scared despite my trying to calm them, so it took a couple seconds to get them untangled and ready to start.

We blasted down the trail, perhaps faster now that Freya knew where she was going. We turned at the first point towards the first bridge even faster than before, but this proved to be my undoing. I could not straighten fast enough to make it to the bridge straight on. I hit it at an angle and my rear tire slid out from under me faster than I could put my feet down, but the dogs weren't ready to stop yet. I slammed onto the concrete and was pulled into the iron supports. Thank goodness for the training I've had on breaking my falls, as I instinctually cushioned the impact by rolling into a ball, then flatening out to keep from bouncing.

I knew I hurt, but couldn't tell how bad because of the cold and adrenaline, so I slowly took stock and tried to get up. So far so good until I put weight on my left leg. The knee I had chipped before nearly gave back out on me, so I made the decision not to continue since I didn't know if I had hurt it bad or not.

Snow!

2010-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

It started snowing Wednesday night, and by Thursday morning we had a light dusting on the ground. It warmed up and melted off, but then started snowing again Thursday night. Friday we had about an inch on the ground and it snowed all day, but the ground underneath was still warm, so we only accumulated about two inches.

Saturday it snowed again all day, but we still didn't get any more accumulation. Dreams of a real sled began to fade, but I got the four dog team out Sunday, Freya and Bandit in lead and Princess and Yukon in wheel.

Problem is that the ignition switch on the ATV froze in the off position. The dogs made it down the hill ok, but not up the next hill. The ATV and I were a bit much for them, so I jumped off and tried to help push uphill, but the road was all ice. The ground had finally frozen. James ran up to help, but the dogs were hopelessly tangled in their eagerness to keep going. I went forward to untangle the dogs, then went back and grabbed the clutch, but my feet slipped from under me on the ice. It took about all I had to get the dogs and ATV up the hill, but by then I and they were tired beyond belief.

So, I turned them around and headed them back to the house for only a half mile run. I finally managed to get the ignition just out of the off position, but was unable to start it on the short downhill. We ended up leaving it at the bottom of the hill on my land by the bridge and letting the four dogs pull James and I back up the hill.

When we got in the house, I asked James to go get the booties that Princess and Bandit had shed along the road while I unhooked and unharnessed them. As soon as I had unhooked Princess, she ran to the fridge and began whining. With a laugh as I unhooked the rest of the team, I opened the freezer. Princess dived into the freezer head first into the box of frozen meat patties... LOL. She was whining eagerly and trying to dig out hers when I pulled her back, got one and gave it to her. She snatched it as if she were starving and nothing else would satisfy, ran off and hid in the livingroom to eat it. With a shrug I gave Yukon his, and Freya hers. Bandit is such an easy going dog, I didn't want Princess to take his as she had already gobbled hers down before I got to him. So I took Bandit and his patty to my room and shut them in. Princess tried to get Yukon to share but he was having none of that, neither was Freya. That girl is all about the treats.

It snowed again all Sunday, and it really froze over. It was eleven degrees this Monday morning at the house. Even the creek was frozen over with snow on top. They say the cold will be with us for some time. The dogs and I are very happy.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2010-11-29T07:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday was cold and rainy, so we stayed indoors and tried to keep the mud from being tracked through the house. We ate at the buffet instead of fixing an elaborate dinner at home. Less cleanup and more variety, win-win in my book.

The pups all got a hot dog treat when we got back, and lots of loving.

Saturday we had a dusting of snow! It was great to see water flowing in the creek again! So, I dragged out the gangline for the ATV and bootied up Bandit's back feet, he wasn't too happy about it at first, but he was so eager to run he ignored the booties. Bucky was his usual screaming whining, neckline biting and yanking self. I really need to get him a chain neck line to break him of that, especially since he yanked so hard, he pulled Yukon's collar off! Good thing he was still hooked up via his harness and was more interested in pulling than running off.

The ATV hadn't been started in 3 weeks, so it did not fire up on the downhill. This slowed the team enough to have trouble getting up the next incline, so I had to jump off and push until they got going with enough momentum. At the next slight downhill I tried again, and it fit started and coughed, and I finally nursed the engine to life alternating between choke and gassing it. We went to the ~1mile mark, and turned around since the dogs had been pulling hard the majority of the way. It was good strength training for them, I suppose. That ATV never truly come fully out of gear when you pull in the clutch all the way. The way the rigged the cable prevents it. I stalled on the turn around, but was easily able to re-start on the downhill and give an assist on the two remaining inclines.

The running dogs all got their frozen meat patty treat, and passed a full checkup including feet. Bandit still had his booties on, and no damage to his rear claws this time. I think he forgot about them because he gave me this really odd look when I took them off. With happy smiles they found their favorite places to nap for a couple of hours.

Sunday I got Princess and Ace harnessed up and got out with the bike, but Ace was having none of it. We went the .25 miles to the bridge, but she just did not want to pull, so despite Princess' protests, we turned around and went back to the house. I switched out Ace for Xena who seemed eager at first, but once past the bridge she began to pull back. Princess was furious that she had to return to the house again, but I didn't want to force either Xena or Ace. She forgot her irritation and frustration when she got her frozen meat patty though, and forgave me for cutting her run short. One good thing is that Princess did pretty well, ignoring the neighbor dog when I said 'Leave it', executing a good Haw, even though she did get confused when I asked her to turn around and go back to the house. A few more team runs with her and I think she will make a great leader. She sure does love to run!

Trailbreakers' Dryland Challenge

2010-11-24T05:32:00.000-08:00

It was a long trip up to Kirtland Ohio, but well worth it! My friend Kathy and I had an absolute blast! We met some awesome folks and thank all those who helped put on this event! I know at least I will be back next year.

I participated in the novice 2-dog bikejor with Bandit and Freya as my pullers. They were frightened of all the people at first, so I sat with them and calmed them down. With a little more confidence we headed in to the chute after the first two drivers. Bandit and Freya took off like a shot, all uncertainty gone in the joy of running. Of course it helped they were running away from the crowd.

The course wound around a scenic park with a pond, then in to the woods on a moderate incline. At the top of the hill there was a switch gate. The man immediately in front of me was there at the top with a large great pyranese, and the first driver was coming back through the gate at the same time. The pyr lunged at the lead team, and though it didn't reach them, there was a bit of a tangle. Freya saw this and was quite reluctant to approach the junction. When the lead team straightened and passed us, she decided to follow them, which I ended up pitching in to the dirt which pushed the pipe I was using to keep the gangline from wrapping around the wheel into the back tire, and I had to try to pull it back enough to keep going. Of course this left me with the rope hanging dangerously close to the tire. This caused me to tangle, and I had to straighten it up before continuing on, and convince Freya to pass the great pyr.

We managed to make it past, and went into a pleasant loop through the woods with a minor downhill and some left over halloween decor that was rather amusing. Back around to the switch gate and Freya seemed a bit flustered that I wanted her to take a right turn out of the woods instead of go around the loop again, but she got it after I pulled her lightly and repeated the Gee command. She ran past the pond, but when she saw the person taking pics she shied again, and the slack rope tangled around the tire again, so I had to stop and straighten it and fix the pipe as best I could and continue on. We reached the bottom of the final hill, and started up it ok, but as soon as Freya saw all the people at the chute, she started pulling back. Bandit pulled her forward though, and I encouraged her to keep going, and we finally made it to the finish line with a time almost four minutes behind the leader. As slow as that was though, that put us in second.

We hung around to watch the rest of the heats, meet more people and just generally enjoy the day. Princess was a little star, loving all the attention and being the perfect Siberian Ambassador. Freya was acting cold, and Bandit too seemed to be uncomfortable in the cool weather, so we put them in the truck after watering and feeding them. We came back every once in a while to walk them, but for the most part they seemed content to curl up on the seats and sleep. I swear Freya thinks she's a tropical husky. One of the only black colored dogs I've ever owned that loves to sunbathe in the heat of summer. After the heats, we packed up and went back to the hotel where I worked on fixing up the pipe on the bike. We ate chinese take out, and drank a couple of beers as we reflected on the events of the day. Both of us tired and happy.

Sunday after we got up, Princess started howling, and didn't stop until she was put in the middle of all the people at the site. Silly little girl! She always has to be in the middle of everything!

Sunday's heat went much smoother, and Freya seemed less afraid of the people, though she was still a bit shy. She was all business though when we got to the start line. As fast as the takeoff Saturday it was nothing like the rocket launch Sunday! Both dogs leapt into the harness, loving the chance to run again! Knowing the track made a huge difference, and we zoomed around the arc, through the gate, and around the loop amazingly fast! Coming back out of the woods, we met the pyr in a head on pass, which was a little hairy since Freya is a left hand dog she tried to stay to the left of the trail where the pyr was, so came a bit too close to the huge dog that lunged at her. This scared her and rattled her confidence. Though she was eager enough to put the pyr behind her, she began to lose faith when she again saw the crowd at the finish line. This time though, Bandit was confident enough to pull her through it, and with encouragement from the crowd and me, she trotted across the finish line almost four minutes faster than Saturday. I praised and hugged her when we got back to the trailer, happy that she was able to overcome her fear. She has come so far from the feral puppy she used to be! The meat patties went down quickly, and after both dogs were watered and rested, Freya again begged to be back in the truck. So I put her in, and sat with Bandit for a while, proud of my handsome strong prodigy!

The weather started to warm up, and disappointingly, this caused the rest of the afternoon heats to be cancelled after the one dog pro bikejor. But it turned out good for us as we were able to attend the final ceremonies and hit the long road home at a reasonable time. All together, it was a fabulous weekend and I had the time of my life! I'm really looking forward to the race in Kentucky next month!

Playing Catch-Up

2010-11-17T08:57:00.001-08:00

It's been hectic both at work and at home, training and hunting are pretty much mutually exclusive, but I've been trying to do both. We had the 11th and 12th off, so I got in some bike runs since I will be running the novice class 2 dog bikejore at Kirtland this coming weekend. My two racers will be Freya and Bandit, and I'll probably take Princess as a sub in case one of them is injured or gets worn paws.

Freya and Bandit went out on a 5 miler with me Thursday and man can those dogs pull! It was very difficult for me to get started as they kept pulling the bike out from under me before I could get on it. But finally I was able to get them to stand still long enough to throw my leg over the bar and stand on a pedal. I'm sure I don't need to rave again about how great they are, but I so truly love those two as a team! Only once did Freya get a wild look in her eye as her ears perked and her head came up to sniff the wind. A quick "Leave it" was enough to keep her from chasing whatever it was she detected. We flew past the mile and then the two mile, and almost to the top of the mountain before I asked Freya to turn around. She executed a neat come around, and it was racing down the mountain, back around by the mini-railroad, past the hunting trail and to the house. They only slowed as we approached the driveway. Bandit had run so fast and pulled so hard, he had worn one of his rear nails down to the quick. It had barely had a couple of drops of blood, but I fussed over him as he ate his frozen meat patty.

Friday I took out Yukon and Buck, but Jim got up to help control the dogs long enough for me to get on. I only took them four miles as I did not want to see a repeat of the ground down nails. Buck and Yukon though enthusiastic runners are not real good at "leave it", so we ended up stopping a couple of times due to squirrels and a deer. Even so, our time was incredibly fast, and I'm very proud of my dogs!

Saturday was the first day of modern gun deer season, so I took the morning off to try to get us some venison. However, I was up a little late, and watched the small herd take off before I had even loaded. Didn't see another deer all day. Sunday I was up early enough, but the dogs kept whining, and fidgeting, and the wind kept changing directions. by around 11 it was plenty clear there would be no deer, so I came in gathered up the hubby and went on our weekly grocery excursion.

Princess is a very well behaved show dog, but she can run like the wind, so she is ideal to take as she will sit quietly and calmly on the sidelines as well as be more than capable in the harness. She loves people and attention, and is a perfect ambassador for the Siberian breed. So tonight the packing begins.

Heartwarming

2010-11-09T05:44:00.000-08:00

Those who follow the blog know I have a 15 year old boy G'kar. He's a cranky old man that pretty much doesn't like other dogs touching him, guards the food bowl, and generally makes a nuisance of himself around the other dogs. But he's a wonderful old companion to me, my shadow and loyal support. The first Siberian I've raised from a pup that I taught to pull (others previous were pets), he and I have been through a lot together, and I love my crotchety old man.

Lately though, he's been showing his age, and arthritis has been hard on his hips. He still likes to play fetch (his favorite game), but not for as long as he used to. It has been hard to watch age catch up to him, but good to know he has been healthy and happy enough to make it this long.

Enter the youthful, large philosopher Yukon. He's now going on his 4th year, is 65 pounds, and a giant among Siberians. He has always been a gentle dog, and a very great disposition, a thinker, but from the moment he met G'kar, he was content to let him be dominant. Yukon tries daily to get G'kar to play with him, though G'kar scorns his efforts most of the time, lately he has actually enjoyed running back and forth through the yard with Yukon. They sleep near each other and have become pals even if G'kar doesn't like admitting to it.

Remember I said G'kar normally doesn't like to have other dogs touching him? This morning I found Yukon with his head gently propped over G'kar's arthritic hips, as if to keep them warm for him so he wouldn't be so stiff. G'kar was smiling, and it seemed pretty obvious Yukon was trying to help him be comfortable. I smiled to think that Yukon too knows that G'kar is nearing his twilight years and needs all the help and love he can get, even so small a thing as to help keep his hips warm on these cold mornings.

Deer xing

2010-11-08T05:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday bright and early, I was cooking breakfast, Princess got out, she had not had any discharge for 3 days, and appeared to be out of heat, but I was intending to keep her away from the boys for another 5 days. Well, she found Bandit and teased him into a tie... There was no discharge after the tie, oddly enough, and I'm hoping this mating won't take. Even though her birthday is Thursday, I did not want to breed her for another year and did not really intend for Bandit to be her partner even though he is the perfect sled dog and excellent disposition and enough difference in bloodlines to be ok. I had rather hoped for a show mating, but we shall see.

This accents the need to have two separate yards and not just a do-se-do with the boys and the girls with internal gates. I've been saving up money to buy a rig with, but I'm probably going to end up buying another fence and putting it up myself. This I'm thinking would probably be best to have out front and into the side where the forest is for plenty of shade and running room. It will also help to keep the boys and girls separated during heats, and allow for elbow room between Samantha, Freya and G'kar.

After breakfast digested some, I took Princess and Freya out for a five mile bikejore. Saturday night I went in to work for a power outage only to find out I was not needed. So I went home. Sunday early I was called in after the power up, but the problem was external to my system, so I went home again. On my way back, I decided to check out the road that I was thinking of using to get in a 5-7 mile run, turns out it was 7 miles, very windy and twisty with a lot of houses. Though I didn't see any loose dogs, there were enough houses on that route to convince me it might not be such a good idea. By the time I got back to the house, there were deer in the sideyard grazing away. I marked the time and as I pulled in the drive in preparation for next weekend's hunt.

Sunday I took Princess and Bandit for a 3 miler to see how she would do with the extra miles after thoroughly checking her feet, plus, I've heard that if they exercise a lot after a tie, she's much less likely to have any fertilized eggs settle in the uterus. She was so excited and screaming to run Sunday, heh, she's one enthusiastic runner! She kept up with Bandit the whole way, and loved every minute of it. Bandit is simply a powerhouse. I barely had to pedal at all, even up hill, they were going too fast for me to give the two of them any benefit. What great dogs!

Bikejore and ATV run

2010-11-01T10:43:00.001-07:00

Friday evening it was 52 degrees out, and I decided it would be a good time to get Samantha out under no team pressure. She and Demon needed some exercise so I harnessed them both up and hooked them up to the bike. We took a liesurely pace that both dogs felt ok with. When we got a little fast for Samantha, she pulled back, and I stopped us for a second until she felt comfortable going again, and we picked up the steady fast trot. Demon seemed minorly frustrated with the stop, but it did Samantha a world of good to know we were not going to outpace her. She became much more confident and pulled the rest of the way. We went about 1.25 miles before turning around and coming back. Both dogs were happily smiling the rest of the evening, especially after eating their frozen meat treat. Checking both their paws, they did not show any significant wear, so with some relief, I gave them each a rub down after they had finished their snack. Both dogs love their rub down, and it is one of the things they look forward to when they get back. As soon as they had both finished their snacks, they came to me, leaning on me and waiting their turn.

Having had a lot of experience with pressure points and massage (no formal massage training, but a significant amount of martial arts as both student and assistant instructor), rubbed down a lot of horses and lots and lots of time petting dogs, I've learned what helps a dog relax and loosen up its muscles after a run, and I employ this rub down after every run no matter how insignificant. It helps in bonding with them as I check for any injuries, worn paws, etc, and the dogs love it even though they don't always like me messing with their paws.

Saturday I was a bit under the weather, so didn't run the dogs, much to their disappointment, however, Sunday I felt pretty good and harnessed up the race team (Yukon and Buck in wheel, Freya and Bandit in lead) to the ATV. We went about 2 miles, turned around and came back for a total of 4 miles. The whole run was very fast, and ready to start timing them. The team had no significant wear on their paws, were happy and still rearing to go, so next run will be longer. Later on in the afternoon Bandit got to hang out with James and I as I stoked up the grill for marinated pork chops (we have a 30 foot training lead). We did some recall training with him, and he was very reliable when I called him, but not so much for James. ah well. He's such a good dog.

G'kar is beginning to worry me. He has started limping noticeably on his left hip. Because of his arthritis, I've been giving him an asprin and a glucosamine biscuit every day. Last night he had significant indigestion and this morning he didn't even want his biscuit. So I had some bones that help with digestion, and gave him one. At least he ate that, but I'm worried now that he may not be able to handle the asprin any longer. I will have to watch him today and see if it is just a fleeting thing. I may have to change him off from the food I feed the rest of the dogs and get him something with less protein and fat content. He's over 15 now, and we know he is on borrowed time. He still loves to play, but he has days where we see his age and pain. His eyes are definitely cloudy, but he still sees movement and contrast well enough to catch a tossed treat, or find his dark squeaky ball against our off-white carpet, but sometimes he loses things like his biscuit on the carpet, or other similarly colored objects. His hearing is slowly fading and when he used to hear the whisper of his name from across the yard, now we have to yell loudly to get his attention in the same room. He still adores me and follows me around like a second shadow, but every now and then he doesn't get up when I do, but waits until he knows I'm leaving the area before rising. How old is too old? I keep asking myself, and trying to find the fine line between quality of life and my selfish need to know he's there. Losing his lifemate and pal Valkrys has aged him rapidly, and even though he likes Freya and Princess, and tolerates Samantha because I tell him he has to, he just hasn't been the same. I know he misses her even though she was getting cranky in her old age, but I think he understands now why.

What have we been up to?

2010-10-28T10:44:00.000-07:00

We have lots of training to do. And work has not been cooperating. The weather can't decide whether to stay cold or go back to summer. We have 3 out of 4 girls in heat, and the fourth looks like she's trying her darndest to join in the fun. Thank goodness we only have two unfixed boys.

Due to finances I decided it just wasn't practicle to go to Minnesota's East Meets West Dryland Challenge this weekend (/cry), but hopefully I'll be able to make it next year. This year I'll head to the Land Between the Lakes Dryland Challenge, The Music City Challenge, The Serum Run (hopefully) and the Mackinaw Mush. That should give me and my dogs enough experience to hopefully compete with the big dogs.

Six Dog Run

2010-10-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

This goofy boy has made himself a solid member of the team.

Friday evening we tooled around on the ATV, taking turns to race around our fields. It was a lot of fun up until my son was having trouble shifting. When I hopped on to see why, the shift lever popped off. The bar had broken, and we had no way to shift. So the ATV was stuck in 2nd gear.

Saturday, I tried to rig the gear shift back on at about 06:30am with no luck. Failing that, I tried to start it in gear. No luck with that either. So I tried rolling it downhill for a start, but not being on the steep slope, it didn't want to roll very far or fast and no luck there either. I was pretty sure though that I could get 6 dogs to pull the ATV anyway, even if I had to keep in the clutch the whole way, so I pulled out the gangline and attached the extension I had found stuffed in the shoe rack in the closet. Rousting Jim and James, I set about harnessing up the dogs.

Samantha was just begging to go, and she had done really well with the puppy team. I thought that we wouldn't be going very fast, so it would be ok if she joined the team for today. Climbing up and down the hill though was not too fun, and I was puffing and sweating in the 39 degree temps. First out were Yukon and Samantha, Yukon in wheel and Samantha in swing. Then Princess and Buck, Princess went in swing with Samantha and Buck went in wheel next to Yukon. He still is a little wild to get moving, and was giving Jim a hard time, so when I went back up the hill to collect Freya and Bandit, I made sure James knew the urgency. Bandit was all excited and kept jumping up in the air as I took him down the hill. Man is he a huge dog! Eleven month old monster puppy and built for power and speed! It still blows me away how big he has gotten and he still isn't full grown!

Buck became unmanageable as I started hooking in Freya and Bandit, so I had to pause to help Jim control him. He was frantically chewing at the neckline and howling like a mad thing. Samantha was whining in anticipation, pulling on the line, and Princess was yowling most un-doggy-like (she has never sounded like a dog... weird puppy, or should I say wyrd puppy?). Freya was yowl-yelling and Bandit was jumping like a grasshopper on steroids. Once straightened out, I told Jim and James to get out of the way while I gave Freya the "Hike up!" command. WOW! I was barely prepared for all six dogs to leap forward in their harnesses and almost yank the ATV out from under me! Even without the engine assist, we quickly gained speed across the field. Before the hill, I dumped the clutch and started the engine to give them a boost up the hill.

Freya executed a perfect Haw when asked to take us out of the field and onto the mountain trail, then a perfect quick Gee on the trail. A hundred feet and another good Haw and off we went! I tried to keep the speed down for Samantha since she's not a very fast runner, and I could tell Freya was a bit flustered going so slow. But I also wanted to go a good distance, so wanted them to conserve their energy. We went all the way past the donkey farm and part way up the mountain to the chicken farm where I knew it was a good place to turn around. It took a moment for Freya to turn Bandit around, he didn't want to. But once he got the idea they both brought the team around in an untangled come around! They did excellent, and I was able to man handle the ATV in an untangled 3 point turn.

Coming back down the mountain, I had to hold the team back for Samantha, as she was starting to slow even more. This finally brought home to me that I need a rack to hold a dog bag and some way to get dogs back to the house on the ATV should they not be able to make the run. So, I encouraged her as I kept the team to her pace, but at the 4 mile mark, she put on the brakes. I had to stop the team and let her rest up a bit. We started up again after a few minutes, down to a slow trot back to the house. The last leg up the hill she started limping, and I had a couple of cars come up behind me back on the road. I called for a haw over and tried to get Samantha to trot the last tenth of a mile to get off the road, but in retrospec I should have stopped and got her on the ATV somehow. She rubbed a spot raw on both front paws when she tried to put on the brakes.

Feeling bad for my misjudgement, I got her up on my bed (her sleeping place at the foot of my bed) and treated her raw spots with antiseptic cream and bootied her up to keep her from licking them. I then snacked all the runners with raw frozen hamburger (they love that part!) and made sure Samantha was able to eat hers in peace. I checked her paws and re-applied antiseptic cream later in the evening. By Sunday morning her pad on her right foot had turned black again, and did not seem as sore, but her left paw was still sore, so I treated her again. Sometime during the night, she had shed both booties and the puppies tore them up. Ah well, at least Samantha was not limping any more, and seemed to be walking around fine. By Sunday evening even her left pad was black and looking healthy again. Samantha let me know she had laid down long enough, and went out in to the yard with her evening biscuit.

I felt terrible for allowing her to hurt her paws, and promised I'd not have her run with the team again. From now on, she either goes on hikes with me or on the bike solo so it is just me and her, and I can stop when she wants. It was two lessons to me, one that I needed a dog bag for my runs, and two that Samantha, no matter how much she wants to go, is just not cut out for the team. She's a great dog though, and my best companion, but I can't let that cloud my judgement again.

On the converse, Princess did fabulous with the team, and didn't even seem slightly winded by the time we got back. She's just an amazing good looking girl, and will be a great sled dog even if she doesn't sound like one. Her pads showed almost no wear even though she was tight and leaning on her tug the whole way. Buck once again proved his worth as a tremendous puller and a good wheel dog. He was solid on the entire way! His pads were perfect, very little wear and his love of running is obvious in his frantic need to get moving. He's one solid dog, and almost as big as his dad now that he is almost full grown.

Yukon is solid as ever, and has such a great personality. He has found new purpose in being a wheel dog, and runs much more consistently. Not sure if this is due to his 'demotion' or if he really enjoys being wheel better. I think it is the latter and not the former, mostly because he seems happier all around now that he has been running wheel. Guess he's not the responsible type.

Bandit! What can I say? He's awesome! He's a leader like his mother, has the drive of his mother, the strength and speed of his father plus some, and is just amazing! I can't say enough good things about this yearling. I'm ever so glad I got him back, and put him on the team! He has learned very well from Freya, and responds to commands as quickly. If I had sixteen dogs just like him, I think I would have to move to Alaska and see how he would do in some distance runs. For a Siberian he's huge, fast and strong, weighing in at around 70 pounds, he's solid muscle, yet gentle as a lamb when out of harness. He's a goofy love-bug and nothing phases him, not even fireworks (true story). It's a real priviledge to watch him mature.

Freya is still the backbone of the team, the prime mover and motivator, that wonderful running girl! She's filled out to 45lbs of rock solid dog. She has grown into a very warm and loving companion as well, and never misses a chance for a good cuddle. Her low howl is still one of the most compelling sounds, and she never fails to grab all of the pack's attention when she does it. She's incredibly smart, quick and cute, who could ask for more?

Saturday Show and New Lead Dog in Training!

2010-10-04T11:05:00.000-07:00

Long before I should have been up on Saturday, I had packed up the grooming stuff, dog dishes, water, food, show clothes, shoes and dog treats while a frantic Princess kept wondering why I kept forgetting her every time I went through the front door. Howl-whining in frustration, she had the whole house up at o'dark-thirty. She was quite relieved when I grabbed her leash on the final forray out the door, and pranced around to the truck with a massive grin on her face. She was so pretty with her fur all fluffed up from the groomer! She was stoked as we left the house at 4am.

We were barely down the road an hour when Princess decided she had been in the truck long enough and that she was sure we were there. She whined a lot, making me think she had to go potty. Not so... She ran around sniffing everything for close to fifteen minutes before I put her back in the truck, grabbed a cup of coffee from the convenience store, and got back on the road.

Disappointed we were not actually at a place where there were dogs and people, Princess sighed and curled up in the passenger seat and fell asleep. She did not whine again until about thirty minutes out of Murphreesboro, so I pulled over in a rest area and walked her around. Only took about a minute for her to find a suitable spot to pee.

We arrived on site at about 7:45am local time (we went from eastern to central time along the road) and found a nice convenient parking spot. As soon as we pulled up, Princess was ecstatic! She could see lots and lots of people and dogs! We were where she wanted to be, and she couldn't wait to get out of the truck! I took her for a walk around the grassy area, and let her meet a few people and wag her tail at a few dogs before putting her in the crate so I could sign us in. I then walked her around so that she would get used to the people and dogs prior to our ring time and hopefully wind her down a bit.

I found Judy right after picking up the number from the ring steward, and she invited me to crate Princess by her dogs. She was nice enough to hold on to Princess for me while I ran to get her crate. We had about fifteen minutes to spare after getting her crate set up, just enough time to grab her blanket and get ring side. The ring was packed dirt, so I wanted something to keep her from getting dirty. Princess loves to roll in dirt, and I'm sure that would not help her score.

Princess was ecstatic to be in the center of so many people and dogs. She's such a wonderfully social little girl and nothing rattles her, not even an aggressive dog five feet away. She completely ignores them in favor of the dogs that want to play. It's tough to keep a ten month old pup from playing with other puppies at times, but Princess is a very good little girl, and if I tell her no, she pouts for a minute, but is good.

In the ring she did fantastic! This was the first show where she didn't crab-walk, but trotted nicely beside me with a loose lead. She was completely still when I told her to stay stacked! And she was happy to be touched by the judge, didn't shy one bit. I'm so proud of her! She's a winner in my book! She got a ribbon for our class, but not the group. She loves the crowds, and loved meeting lots of people. She's a funny little girl and plays shy when she thinks she can get some food out of it, but is downright outgoing at other times.

She was ok with being crated next to Logan, at least for a while as I met with the folks of the Middle Tennessee Siberian Husky Club. They were some really friendly and great people. After their meeting, they shared pizza with all the Siberian exhibitors. We shared stories and socialized a bit until Princess decided she wasn't close enough to the center of the entertainment. I brought her out for some social time too, and she loved every minute.

With a five hour drive ahead of us though, I had to cut short our visit and say goodbyes. Overall Princess and I had a great time, and we thank the folks of the GMKC for the show and especially the MTSHC for their excellent hospitality and warm friendship. Hope to see you all again next show season (for us)!

The weather has changed, and the cold brings fall training leading on to the race season! This is what puts fire in the veins of myself and the dogs! We live for this! Running dogs has been the greatest experience ever in my book.

The only thing that was close for me was riding hunter-jumper class with horses, but those horses weren't my companions. I loved them and they liked me, but they weren't mine, not like these dogs.

It's different when you live with a pack. Eleven dogs share our house, our land and socialize freely with us and each-other. We are the best of friends, and they are my companions and I their protector and provider.

When we run, it is as a team and something extraordinary happens. It is like being of one mind, and you really get to know what these dogs are all about. It is primitive, joyful, exhuberance, an unabashed love of running, chasing that imaginary prey, being one with the pack. It is timeless, a glimpse of the world before mankind, a glimpse of the silence, the cold and the snow, it is the hunt and the anticipation of a full belly and the warmth of companionship, the safety of the pack with a strong leader and protector. It is a feeling, a oneness that you'll never forget. It is like awakening a long dormant part of you that longs to be free. This feeling of oneness, of freedom and taste of the wild is like an addiction you crave, for it is life in all its gritty realism, not the fantastical unnatural world humanity has made. It's like finding a piece of your soul that has been missing all along, and you never knew you were missing it until you experience the wholeness of yourself. This is what it felt like to run the race team Sunday.

Since the weather was cooperative and in the 40's, I let the family sleep in until the dogs couldn't wait any longer and let me know in no uncertain terms that it was time to run! So, I went outside and put new gas in the ATV. It took about 7 kicks this time, but it fired up without having to be clutch started. So I let it warm up a bit before backing it up to the top of the drive in preparation of hooking up the dogs. I then let it run a bit more before turning it off and putting it in gear to help hold the dogs while hooking them up.

I then picked out the harnesses for the race team and rousted Jim and James to help hook up. Yukon had been dancing around the house for a couple of hours, but as soon as I picked up the harnesses, he started to bounce as well as jump and dance. Now I don't know about you, but a bouncing, dancing 65 pound incredibly athletic husky is an amazing sight! That Yukon can piroette in mid-air with such grace and style to miss the electronics, the TV trays, the chairs, counters and most amazing of all, all the other dancing puppies is simply astounding! He can clear five foot dividers with limitless ease, and yet has never once attempted to jump a fence. The strange dichotemy confronts me every time he does 'the happy dance'.

And yet this expression of pure joy is such a loveable aspect of Yukon's character. More and more he is loosening up and expressing his playfulness, which warms my heart. It only now begins to show me how much of a shell he had put around himself before I picked him up out of his situation. His happy howl is probably the cutest howl ever, his little "Oh!"

James started putting the dogs outside that we weren't taking as I harnessed up Yukon, Freya, Buck and Bandit and put their leashes on. Yukon is a very well mannered dog, so he's always the first one out, mostly to make it easy on Jim who holds them after I hook them up until the team is ready to go. Next is Buck, who is tough to control, but since he too is in wheel it is easier on Jim to keep the two dogs together. Bandit and Freya come out together, because once they are both hooked in, there is no stopping the team.

Hookup went pretty smooth this time and thanks to Jim, who has been teaching Buck and Yukon to keep lined out while waiting for the other dogs. As soon as Freya and Bandit were ready, we took off like a shot! I wish we had a speedometer on that ATV! I got the engine cranked and running within the first hundred yards, but let the team pull down hill. Bandit and Freya executed a perfect "Haw" at the bridge, and I applied a little power up the hill to help keep momentum. At the turn off by the mini-railroad, both Bandit and Freya did a sharp Gee on command, flawlessly.

We went all the way down to the donkey farm (about 1.75 miles) before I asked Freya to come around. She was reluctant to turn around, and wanted to keep going. Maybe next weekend we'll try the 5 mile loop, but I need to remember to grab the squirter to keep loose dogs away from the team. With a 3 point turn, we were headed back to the house, loping the whole way. Back by the mini-railroad, Freya and Bandit did another flawless Haw, and down to the bridge, it was Bandit that kept the team on course with a tight Gee, where it was obvious that Freya again wanted to go down the hunter's path. One slight tug on the neckline from Bandit though, put those thoughts out of her mind, and it was race up the hill to home.

One of our fastest and best runs yet!

Off to the Groomer Again

2010-10-01T10:24:00.000-07:00

Princess was off to the groomer again this morning in preparation for the show in Murphreesboro tomorrow. Goind to be a loooong day starting at 0300 tomorrow morning. Our group judging is at 0830, but there are a quite a few breeds ahead of the Siberians. And there are going to be a ton of Siberians there! 15, the most I've seen yet. Of course there is a specialty from the Middle Tennessee SHC, so there should be a lot of beautiful dogs!

ATV Second Run

2010-09-28T06:30:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning was another perfect morning for running dogs, so eagerly I dressed, fed the dogs, gave them treats and medicine, fed myself, had coffee, and waited for dawn (it is a bit dangerous riding around here while it's dark, and the dogs get me up at 4:30 am every morning irrespectful of the weekend). By the dim twilight between dawn and the time the sun actually climbs above the mountain ridge I uncovered the ATV and again began the ritual of trying to start the infernal machine.

This session ended with another careen down the hill towards the stream, dumping the clutch and applying the gas, only this time I was wisened up to its tricks and did not let it stall out! I kept the engine reving relentlessly (and probably annoying my neighbors, but well...). I zipped up to the top of the hill and let it run for a bit to warm up before shutting it back down, locking the brakes and going for gangline and dogs.

With the gangline in place, I rousted Jim and James to help with the dogs as I began harnessing up the dogs of choice. This morning was the race team, but since Buck had run yesterday I wasn't sure about putting him in harness until his exhuberance overwhelmed me (read as knocked me over and began giving me a husky face bath whining exicitedly). So, knowing that tired huskies tend not to get into trouble, and Bucky did more than his fair share of that, I harnessed him up with a grin and put his leash on (I leash up the dogs that are going on the run to make it easier to separate them from those not going. The dogs not going are shuffled one by one out to the back yard where they won't interfere or try to get out while taking the running dogs out to the gangline).

Jame began herding puppies and dogs outside besides the ones I've named for Sunday's run, Freya and Bandit for lead, Yukon and Buck in wheel. The dogs put outside began to howl and whine in disappointment, which was also quite noisy. Jim grabbed up a bunch of the cheap hot dogs that we buy for training the dogs, and chopped them up quickly and stuck them in his pocket so he could help control the team while I put them in position and hooked them up. First out was Yukon. He's always pretty mild and easy to control, so it only makes sense to have him out first. Jim got him lined out and ready in no time. Next out was Buck, who is a bit less easy to control, but being in wheel would make it easier on Jim to hold the two rear dogs than one front and one rear. Jim finally got him lined out and sitting calmly until I came out with Bandit. Bandit and Buck is a chemical mixture that is volatile in the extreme, so Jim yelled before I got up the hill to have James bring out Freya at the same time to minimize exposure to Buck and Bandit's wild antics to get going.

I still had to stop prior to climbing aboard to try to talk some sense into Buck that was screaming and biting at his neckline to get going, but he hardly heard a word I said... While talking to him, Freya and Bandit had enough of standing around and both leaped forward dragging the riderless ATV with all 4 tires locked up... scrambling and holding on to the gangline, I leapt back to the seat and jumped on before the team began dragging it further. Several kicks later and I just let the dogs pull the ATV in neutral with no engine, and man did they pull! We flew down the slight incline to the bridge as I tried to dump the clutch and start the ATV to no avail. They pulled the ATV up the next hill and around the corner without the engine. On the slight downhill there, I tried another clutch start, no good, but this didn't bother the team in the slightest! They continued to race on down the road, picking up speed again.

For the third time, I tried to clutch start the ATV without luck, only this time it stopped the team, as there was not enough incline to keep rolling. This is when the car came by, so in retrospect it was a good time to stop since Freya didn't want to Gee Over since she was already on her half of the road...I jumped off and pulled tight on the gangline to be sure she didn't turn in front of the car. The man driving was amazed at the sight of the quad being pulled by three rather large siberians and one medium sized one.

"That's quite an outfit!" He yelled out the window with a grin.
"Thanks!" I replied, not sure what else to say as he politely drove past slowly.

Freya decided since he was driving so slow that she was supposed to follow him, so she came around haw right behind the car. Since we had already hit the .75 mile mark and they had been pulling hard the whole way, I decided it would be ok to shorten the run time and turn around. If I had the engine fired up, I would have kept the team going, but at that point, they had been moving me and the ATV by sheer dog muscle and determination!

Keeping the gangline tight up against my thigh I hoped would keep it from getting wrapped around the tire axle again while I manhandled the ATV turn around. Not so! Despite my best efforts, the gangline decided it liked being wound around in the tire axle... But this time it was by far easier to unwind as the carabiners did not get bound up in the hub of the wheel.

Then, there was something on the side of the road that Yukon simply had to have, and of course, Freya and Bandit were curious what would distract the usually stoic Yukon, so they balled up and started digging in the dirt...

This reminded me of several colorful bits of language I hadn't used Saturday as I untangled them and got Freya pointed to the house. But by the time I got back on the ATV, the interesting patch of dirt had them in a ball again... Two more repetitions of this behavior and Freya finally figured she had frustrated me enough for one day and did as I asked and kept the team lined out and ready to head back.

On the slope down to the bridge, I tried again to start the ATV... nadda. I knew the run uphill was going to be a bear, and I was probably going to have to help push the heavy monstrocity uphill, so I jumped on the kick start five times before it finally roared to life... figures... So for the last two tenths of a mile, the dogs did not have to pull...

All in all though, I was very proud of them and amazed at how the team did in this new configuration! Yukon pulled much harder in wheel than he generally does in lead after the initial rush, Buck was as solid as ever, pulling his heart out and not stopping unless the whole team stopped. Bandit was great! He was not distracted by anything until Freya was, and he was quickly learning the routine and commands from her. He will be an awesome leader as well as an amazing powerhouse runner! Freya, as always was beyond amazing up until she decided that whatever Yukon was in to was even more fun than running. But again, that girl is definitely the star of the team!

The new ATV First Run.

2010-09-27T10:03:00.000-07:00

(pic to come) Friday we bought a used ATV to run the dogs with since my pedal cart burned out a tire and I had to finally admit that it was much too small to be safe anymore with the race team. With it I've learned a couple of new things about myself and my dog team. #1 I'm really not as young as I used to be, but I still know how to have fun! #2 My race team is a LOT stronger than I originally imagined! Other things I've learned will be more entertaining as I tell you what happened.

Saturday bright and early it was boardering on 50 degrees, and I was eager to try out this new toy, but also cautious. I put on a sweatshirt and uncovered my new prize. Flipping out the kick start and thumbing the choke to max, I attempted to start the ATV.

An obvious sput of the engine was all I received for my trouble. More determined, I jumped on the start pedal with all of my weight! It sputted again, but still nothing. I started jumping up and down like a monkey on crack, but as stubborn as I was, it was even moreso. Sweating and puffing I sat on the seat, trying to figure out how this thing liked to be started. I tried putting the choke back off, I tried giving it gas while kicking, I tried putting it on the reserve tank... still nothing.

Determined not to let a machine get the better of me, I began rolling it down the hill towards the stream. Halfway down, I popped the clutch and the engine sputtered then caught to my delight. I suddenly realized how close the stream was to my perilous course though, and strained to change the direction, barely missing the line of saplings and briars. Congratulating myself, I spun the ATV around and started back up the hill about a foot before it died.

There was all manner of colorful metaphors running around in my brain at that moment. So, I jumped and I jumped on the kickstart again and again. At that point in time anger had replaced stubbornness, and I was going to make that sucker start no matter what! So I slowly turned it around jumping on the kick start to make it move. (It was a bit heavy to push uphill) Facing back towards the stream, I managed to get it rolling again and popped the clutch. This time it roared immediately to life, and I gassed it hard to be sure it wouldn't sputter out. The trees mocked me.

I got them back by smacking their branches with my forehead, but I was moving and I'd be damned before I let that ATV quit on me again! Hoping the neighbors weren't watching and having the hillbilly entertainment of their life, I climbed back up the hill powered by the 250cc engine. I spun it around in a 160 degree arc as if I was a pro, and shut it down so I could hook up the dogs.

The gangline I had was set up for 4 dogs, but I had an extension somewhere that would hold two more dogs, so I searched and searched and scrabbled through mounds of ropes and junk you collect in sheds that somehow multiplies and has little junk piles of its own, but could not find the extension. I searched through my closet, the front closet, laundry room, and the bits of mushing gear whereever I stashed them last. No extender.... No way was I going down to the bee and spider infested barn that early in the morning. I needed more coffee....

With a sigh I realized I was only going to run 4 dogs, and since this was the first time with the ATV, I thought it would be a good idea to take the slow team. With the brilliance of a two day old planarian, I thought it might be grand to give Princess a try at lead, so hooked her up next to Samantha. Ace had not yet been on the team, so I was determined to give her the chance, so hooked her up in wheel. To have some kind of pulling power, and because Buck is always so full of energy and I wanted to tire him out, he went next to Ace. So, I had 3 rookies and a so-so leader on a 4 dog team. I thought everything would be ok after I got going, but the problem was, getting going.

This time the ATV started up, but the puppies tangled themselves irreparably. So I stopped the engine, got off and unhooked them one by one, untangled the gang and tug lines, got back on, and by the time I got the start pedal out, they were tangled again. This happened about 4 times before I finally manged to get the ATV started again before they tangled up. Princess was so eager to get moving, she pulled Samantha along for the first quarter mile, and I think Samantha was lulled into a false sense of security which was broken by a quick dart to the side of the road where a deer carcass lie in abject temptation. It was a smell Princess could not resist and the other puppies dutily followed their leader.

Despite the many hours of show training, Princess is still a dog that wants to roll in dead things. She proved this to me Saturday.

Several more colorful metaphors later I had them back moving, for a couple hundred yards when Princess found something else interesting off the side of the road and tried to drag the team up the side of the mountain. So, I straightened the team out again, but by the time we hit the three-quarter mile mark, I gave up and removed Princess from lead and put Bucky up front.

I also figured it was a good point to turn around at... This proved to be one of the worst come arounds in the history of sled dogs. Something yummy was hiding just over the burm of the side of the road, and the team kept coming back my way to check it out as I was trying to simultaneously urge them towards the house and 'manhandle' the ATV to turn it around. I ended up with the gangline wrapped securely around the front axle at least three times, and trying to pull the dogs away from the oncoming pickup truck. I'm sure wild tales are floating around the town of Stamping Ground as I type this. The old couple passed me with eyes as big as saucers and toothy grins as they waved in child-like glee. I'm not entirely sure that was a good thing, but I smiled and waved back as I tried not to use more colorful language at the hopelessly fouled gangline.

I'm not sure how long it took for me to unhook the line from the axle, but it was long enough for my son to walk lazily down to where I was cussing and ask me what was wrong. He held the dogs still so that I could pull the final bit off from the hub. We then proceded to untangle the dogs again, and I started up the ATV. Buck and Samantha still wanted to roll in the dead thing, and instead of going homeward, turned right smack around and proceded to tangle the gangline again. James helped me straighten them out once more and I asked him to start them off by walking them about a hundred yards down the road. So much more slowly than I would ever want a team to walk, we started out again.

James caught up with me again at the next place that Buck wanted to stop... Samantha put up a cursory resistance, but soon gave in to his interest. At that point in time, all I could do was laugh or cry. I opted for the former, and Jamed and I straightened out the lines and got the team going again. On the far side of the bridge, Buck and Samantha decided it was time for a bathroom break and headed off into the field to sniff for appropriate places. James and I coaxed them back on to the road and finally got them back to the house.

My Leader Freya

2010-09-27T08:24:00.000-07:00

My leader Freya taking a well deserved nap! I love this dog! She has gone from almost feral puppy removed from her mother at 3 weeks and kept in a barn until she was 5 months old. This is where I found and fell in love with her despite the fact she wouldn't come near me. I felt bad for her, and had to take her out of that situation. I agonized over losing her for the first week she came home with me, she slipped her collar and ran away. I thought I'd never see her again when a neighbor a couple farms down had lured her in to a kennel with her other dog and called me! She had been on her own for almost 7 days!

We got her back home, and it took months just to get her to allow me to pet her without having to corner her. It took even longer for her to finally come to me for petting and love, but I never gave up on her. At ten months, she saw me take the other three dogs on a run, and she jumped at the fence screaming to go too! I gave in the next weekend and she let me know, she wanted it more than she wanted anything else in life! Within two months, she was leading the team with an enthusiasm, intelligence and exhuberance I could barely have imagined!

Today she is almost a different dog. She is loving, and loyal enough to bring tears to my eyes. The only time she got loose she readily came back to me as soon as I called her. Her attitude and excitement to lead and run the team knows no bounds.

She gave us a litter of pups of which, two now are on the race team, one of them ran lead with her Sunday and convinced me he is of the same calibur as his mother. Thank you Freya! My dreams would still just be dreams without you.

September 23rd When the Mood Strikes

2010-09-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wax poetic. I know it is a flaw of mine, but it's been with me since childhood.

Ode to my Demon Elvis

From the winds you came to me
Heart of the wild, soul of the free
The pain in your eyes no mystery
The person you loved left you in misery

With hopeful regard you came to my home
Trusted as I gave you a place to roam
Without a word you became my best friend
My staunch supporter until the very end

Your only wish was to see me smile
And to run mile after mile
Grateful for the food in your bowl
Your gentle love made me whole

Spirit of the wolf, singing to me
Speaking of our bond beyond eternity
You connect deeply with my inner child
And I join you in your call of the wild

Our howls lift gently with the wind
Timeless, ageless; without end
Ancestors hear our hallowed call
Around the fires of late fall

They join in our song of ages
Through history’s uncharted pages
A song before records began
When the first wolf came to the camp of man

2010-09-20T12:17:00.000-07:00

Took the race team out Saturday and wow! Buck did great with the team!

He and Bandit were screaming to go, and according to Jim, they got a little snappy because we didn't get moving fast enough. Well, the attitude is great, the snappy, not so much, so will be working with those two, on that. It may be they were biting at the neck line in excitement, but still sounds like some obedience work is needed.

We went to the 1.25 mile mark (the donkey farm) and back for 2.5 miles the fastest yet! Only one problem on the way, Bandit stepped over the gangline, so I had to stop before he got rubbed by the line under the armpit. On the way back, Freya decided that she wanted to go through the hunting grounds behind us and turned off on the trail regardless of my 'Gee'... she's normally an awesome leader and does everything flawlessly. Don't know what wild hair got in to her Saturday. This caused me to lock up the breaks and burn out my right rear tire trying to stop the team. The tire popped, and went flat immediately, as I told Freya to 'come around Gee'.

She executed a perfect 130 degree turn onto the road home that time. Just goes to show you they sometimes have a mind of their own about where they want to go. Guess she thought she'd bring home the venison. So, for the last .25 miles I half ran, half rode leaning sideways up the hill home. But what a rush! I have my race team, and they are incredible!

Sunday was no run as now I have to either replace my right rear tier or get a new rig. The small pedal cart has done a great job for a year and a half, but it's time to graduate to a rig I can race with.