SC Dogsled Team Training Journal

Boy's Farm in Newberry

2008-01-07T23:39:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday were were priveledged to be guest at the Boy's Farm. We had around 20 boys go for a cart ride with us on the trail there. We all had a great time. And we had a chance to meet some really nice young men.

Dec 26 -31, 2007 part 2

2008-01-07T22:57:00.000-05:00

I had booked a tour for the 26 but the people never showed. I guess some people can't always be trusted to say the truth and do what they say they will do. But we had a good time anyway. The 27 we were asked to leave the campground because the neighbors were complaining about the dogs at night and the campers, who worked nights and slept days, were complaining about the dogs in the day. We were lucky to be allowed to stay at the manufacturing plant of Magic Wand Car Washs in Bristol. We had one tire to go flat on the drive from NC because the sidewall got a hole in it and I noticed a second tire starting to do the same thing so we headed off looking for 2 new tires for the horse trailer. We stayed in his gravel parking lot. That Friday 28th it rained and was too warm to run dogs so we headed to an exit on the interstate where there were lots of stores and we went shopping. Saturday morning we were supposed to meet Fayth and her family in Damascus and run dogs but at the 8 am meeting time there was no one there. So I called and woke them up. They said they would be ready and I said lets meet at 10 then. I went off and took a shower only to find they called and were not going to be able to make it at all on Saturday. I hate that Fayth did not get to train with the dogs that day. So I met Bob and Jim and Marcia and we ran dogs from Straight Branch down the mountain to Damascus. Then Kathy and I ran my team back up the mountain to Straight Branch. When we got back to the trailer with the adult team we ate then ran the puppy team up the mountain to the next point that we could reach and back down to the trailer. Sunday 12/30 we met Fayth and ran the puppies from Alvarado almost back to Ironhorse and back to Alvarado none stop. The pups did great. The only issue we had was when we went to open a gate to go through Tucker a trained older leader jumped through a barbed wire fence instead of the gate. The barbed wire was hot so it shocked Tucker and myself as I tried to free him from it. It had been raining so the electricity flowed easlily through us both. We went back to the trailer and put away the pups and Kathy and I ran the adult team from Alvarado to Wautauga and back. We were checking to make sure that the bigger cart will fit through the gates on Jan 19. Kathy decided that she wanted to race with a team of dogs in the 4 dog class on Jan 20 so I showed her what she need to know. I think she will do well. That night Marcia treated the dogs to spagetti and meatballs and yogart. The dogs enjoyed it. On Monday 12/31 we packed up and came home. But just as we got back into SC someone pulled out of the on ramp in front of us and they were going too slow and I had to slam on brakes and gear down to keep from hitting them. This cause my transmission to grind. We barely made it home. Once home I have taken the truck to the transmission shop and they can't seem to find a problem. But I was told it will cost $3500 for a rebuilt transmission and clutch. So we may not be able to drive the truck the rest of this season. I'm still weighing my options.

Dec 26 -31, 2007

2008-01-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

We left NC and went to Damascus, VA and stayed at the Ironhorse Campground. The first day there was hot so I took the time to cut up meat in preparation for our upcoming runs.

Dec 24&25, 2007

2008-01-07T22:41:00.000-05:00

Kathy and I did Christmas with our families early this year so we could get some time in on the trail with the dogs. We have a race and a 16 mile run with the dogs on Jan 19&20 but up till Christmas we did not have to many miles on the dogs. We loaded up the horse trailer with 28 dogs and first headed to NC where we met my friend Lindsey with her 2 horses and 2 dogs. We camped out with her and ran some dogs and rode the horse cart. We ran her little hearding dog with the team and it did great. If was funny to see a dog running hard and barking at the same time. Huskies are silent when they run. Santa did not visit any of us while we slept in our horse trailers. I think it was due to the lack of a fire place. I'll have to write a letter to him and see.

12/4/07 New Cart from Jeff B.

2007-12-04T22:55:00.000-05:00

I finally had a chance to run with the new cart. I first hooked up a team of puppies. I had Cosmos-Scarlet, Bell-Toshiba (slow in lead so moved back), Tokome-Cantelope, Max-Oreo, Miyatuk-Skeeter. They did well running after we got started. Before starting they kept twisting up their harnesses. I was impressed with the team yet again. I felt bad though because I had forgot to run Smokey Bones with the pupppy team and he is a great runner.

I came back with the puppies then put them away and hooked up 16 of the big dogs. I had Tucker-Bear, Yeti-Sasha, Caleb-Ivu, Nanook-Storm (cut all 4 pads but kept running and never quit. She is a strong willed dog who needs some conditioning), Mickey-Jojo, Boy-Girl, Red Bull-Sakari (started out fighting with Bull. Her speed slowed near the end), Ulric-Dancer.

I ran both teams 2.5 miles. Nanook looked good after his first run and still had energy. Mickey had a ton of energy left after the run. Boy hit his head on the stop sign trying to run on the wrong side and broke his neck snap (thank goodness for a snap that breaks at 10 lbs). Of course the normal team looked good all the way around. I was proud of Bear and Tucker for holding the lead when we passed a yard with barking dogs. I was also proud of Yeti and Sasha for holding out the line as well. Sasha is finally keeping up with the big boys and is ready for some speed training this year. Red Bull was a little slow as was Sakari. I think they both need conditioning. Ivu has been slow in the past but did well tonight. The boy and the girl (I have to find names for them) ran well and looked good after running.

So with 16 dogs running I was still able to lock down the brake and walk away from the cart. It slid a couple of times when I jamed on the brake but it did stop with just me on it. I don't think it would hurt to put more weight on the cart.

12/1/07 Saluda Shoals Park

2007-12-04T22:54:00.000-05:00

I took 20 dogs to the park for Tails on the Trails. We gave several dog sled rides but it got to hot for the dogs to run. So we just talked with people.

12/1/07 Columbia Christmas Parade

2007-12-04T22:51:00.000-05:00

We were in the Columbia Christmas Parade with Laci Stapp riding with us as the Grand Marshal. It was a lot of fun but we kept stopping about every 1/2 block for about 10-15 minutes. When we neared the end I asked why we stopped so much and the answer was..."for a comercial break". So even in real life we have to stop for a commercial. Not a good thing for a team of dogs that are trained for running. Thankfully the new cart held the team back without effort.

11/30/07 St John Neumann School 1st Grade

2007-12-04T22:48:00.000-05:00

Today we went to St John Neumann School and spoke to the 1st grade class. I had Yeti, Jojo and Dominic. Fayth and her family went with me as well. I walked in with my fur on and two dogs tied to me. During the question time on boy asked "how do you tell the boy dogs from the girl dogs"? A teacher answered with "the girls are smaller".

Animals in LBL

2007-11-14T19:46:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos of animal that we saw at Land Between the Lakes Kentucky (LBL). Elk, Bison, Turkey.

Live With Lucas WIS TV

2007-11-14T18:10:00.001-05:00

This morning we were priviledged to host the Live with Lucas show here at our house. We talked about the different equipment then took Lucas for a ride. It was a little rough at the start with Cosmos the leader biting at the co leader so we had an entanglement but we were soon off and running.

Land Between the Lakes Run

2007-11-14T09:12:00.001-05:00

Chapin packed up 27 dogs in the new horse trailer outfitted for carrying us to fun places to run. The trailer can actually carry up to 60 dogs and has a sleeper in it for Chapin. I saw Chapin took the mattress off his bed and put fleece sheets on it and has a lamb skin blanket. He looks comfortable but a little too warm for me since I have a nice fur coat of my own. If the weather is good we get to sleep outside under the stars fastened to the outriggers on the side of the trailer. If the weather turns bad with rain Chapin takes us inside to keep us dry and we have hay to sleep on. The drive to Land Between the Lakes (LBL) took us about 12 hours and we "camped out" in a Wal Mart parking lot just west of Knoxville, TN (about half way). We met Chapin's friends Jeff, Alice, and Jenny there and they brought their dogs. This was the second run of the season and we ran aprox. 5 miles on the first run Saturday morning. Then another 5 miles Sat. night. During the afternoon Chapin took a team of puppies for their first ever run. Chapin came back ecstatic with the effort the puppies displayed. Four of those puppies are my neice and nephews...Skeeter, Miyatuk, Bell, Scarlet. My sister, Sunka, also ran in the lead with Cosmos to keep the puppies going the right direction. The pups ran about 3-4 miles. Also seen here are some photos of our new travel rig (truck and horse trailer).

First Run of the 07-08 Season

2007-11-14T09:09:00.000-05:00

Our first run was about a month ago on a Sunday morning when it turned cool by chance. We went out and ran only 2.5 miles. Kathy got to go for her first dogsled ride ever on that day.

Ewakee's Adventures Season of 2007-2008

2007-11-14T08:55:00.000-05:00

Well we had lots of photos that we did not get posted at the end of last year and I want to get them posted so I will have to do that elsewhere.

This year I will be writing the post from the perspective of my wheel dog Ulric whom I call Ewakee. The post will be Ewakee's Adventures. Ulric is the boy with the floppy ears looking back in the first photo. He is a sweet and hard working dog. He needs to have a sign around his neck that reads "Will Work for Belly Rubs". He is always working and never stops. He loves his job. Ulric is a Malamute Siberian Husky mix.

Fun Run 3

2007-02-11T20:56:00.000-05:00

Finally we win a trophy. Second Place. What fun we had.

Fun Run 2

2007-02-11T20:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some more photos. Yep the creek was just about frozen a little higher up the road from the event. I walked across the creek at one point and found a trout fisherman searching for a spot that was thawed.

Blue Ridge Fun Run in Damascus, VA

2007-02-11T20:01:00.000-05:00

2/10/07 we ran in the fun run. I had Kenai-Tucker, Caleb-JoJo, Ulric-Dancer on my six dog team and we ran out butts off to a second place win. We did fine on the run down but on the way back just after starting Caleb got tangled and was flipped on his side. I instantly stopped the team and got him up but he did not want to run. I had to work with him for a moment to get him going again. But he did not pull the whole way back. He ran in place but the tug line was loose. The neck line was not pulling him so I know he was just keeping up but not working. There were no injuries.

Also, Fayth ran in the 4 dog class and she used my trusted lead dog Cosmos-Bear, Sasha-Yeti. I'll have to get more reports on Fayth's run but I do know from looking at the times that she ran this section of the trail 5 minutes faster than I did.

The people on scooters were flying past me as if I was just sitting there. I decided I had to build a scooter too so I can have fun at that speed. It has been a while since I broke something so I need a scooter and will have to hook up Dancer so I can make sure to have too much speed and have a great wreck. :) Remember, I will be wearing knee, wrist, elbow pads and a helment and hocky shoulder pads.

We had a great time at the run.

Here are some pictures of Fayth cutting up the steak before the event. Who said mushing did not take lots of work before, during and after the event?

Dupont Forest

2007-02-04T22:59:00.000-05:00

This weekend I went with Lindsey to Dupon Forest near Brevard and Hendersonville, NC. There are some nice trails there for running the dogs. One trail we ran came down a steep hill with ruts and washouts and rocks on the trail. It took great effort to keep the cart upright but we did it and had a blast. I ran 12 dogs. Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Tucker, Caleb-JoJo, Sasha-Yeti, Ivu-Chelese (Lindsey's dog), Ulric-Dancer. And Lindsey's little Border Collie pup Trinity ran behind us. She got to ride on the cart on the way back. Ivu had his pads hurt so he was bagged and rode back in the cart. Sasha hurt her pads but was bootied and ran fine afterwards.

Top of Whitetop Near the Creeper Trail 1/28/07

2007-01-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

I rode around looking at the trail that I had not been down and taking photos of the snow scenes. The photos are from the top of Whitetop Mtn. The puppy is the baby girl of my wheel dog Ulric. She now lives near Charlotte and she and her family came up to see us run this weekend.

When I left the area and drove home down I-26 from Bristol, Tn to Asheville, NC I ran into heavy snow that night. There was somewhere between 3-4 inchs of snow on the road and the snow was falling so heavy that you could hardly see yet I was able to see well enough (due to my many experiences of driving in snow) that I kept driving at 45-50 mph and I passed all the cars that were in the far right lane doing 20-25 mph. I hit the brakes a few times to test the snow for ice and found it to only be snow so I kept going.

Serum Run part 5 Fayth 2

2007-01-29T23:40:00.000-05:00

Serum Run part 5 Fayth

2007-01-29T23:34:00.000-05:00

Serum Run part 4

2007-01-29T23:29:00.000-05:00

Serum Run part 3

2007-01-29T20:53:00.000-05:00

Serum Run part 2

2007-01-29T20:47:00.000-05:00

Here are some more photos.

Serum Run Jan 27, 07

2007-01-29T19:44:00.000-05:00

This weekend we were privileged to take part in the 1925 Alaska Memorial Serum Run on the Virginia Creeper Trail from Abingdon, VA to Damascus, VA. Our team of 10 dogs ran the 7 miles from Alvarado to Damascus. Wow! What a turn out of people interested in dogsledding. The event was organized by Marcia from Siberian Husky Assist in Bristol, Va. We had wonderful accommodations at the Iron Horse Campground just outside of Damascus, VA Donald and his staff were very friendly to us with all the dogs. I still want to get back there and give Donald and his wife Brenda a dogsled ride. Reporters were from so many places that I lost count. We even had a bicyclist ride beside us down the trail. My thanks go to him for helping to clear the cow out of the trail as the team went by. The cow incident was being watched by the mountain Empire Amateur Radio Society from Abingdon, VA on their GPS unit and by many of their members with their radios keeping track of the movement of the serum. I heard that they said my team sped up then stopped, then sped up again. This was as they went after the cow, then I stopped them, then as the cow decided to take off running down the trail. Here is where the man on the bicycle was so helpful at keeping the dogs and cow separated. Luckily the lead dogs only wanted to go by the cow. The Ham radio club was most helpful at keeping all of us updated on the location of the serum so we could be ready with the dogs as the serum arrived. As we approached Iron Horse I was amazed to see the crowd of people standing on the trail. Wow! We came up and had a vet check by DVM Matthew Garret there across from the Iron Horse Campground. From there we took off in a parade of mushers on carts and bikes and scooters and the like for the run to Damascus. Lucky for me I had my friend Lindsey riding with me in the run and she was able to help me with the team. At one point near Damascus the leaders (who I believed were thirsty) jumped down a steep embankment and dove into the river. I saw the leaders being carried by the current until the gangline stopped them. Before I could say anything Lindsey was off the cart and down the hill pulling dogs out of the water and trying to get them back up the bank. Dogs were tangled in a mess of ganglines so she started unclipping them and moving them up the hill. With a lot of effort and getting muddy and wet Lindsey and others who helped the team get back up were finally successful at bringing the team back on the trail. (I just found out that a few days earlier this was the exact location where they found the body of a man in the river and took him out). I wonder what the dogs were doing. As we neared Damascus cars were stopped on both sides of the road and cleared us a path to cross the road as we headed into Damascus Park. Once in the park we weaved through a trail created by people standing and watching the dogs. It was incredible. The most incredible thing I witnessed this weekend was Fayth and her 8 month old puppy Dominic. Before the event I told Fayth that when I got to Iron Horse I would give her one of my lead dogs and she could use him to follow us to Damascus. When we arrived at Iron Horse there were so many people and dog teams lined up on the trail that I did not get to her. When I ran past Fayth and the 4 dog team that was on drop chains with out harnesses on and without booties on my stomach sank. I was trying to think of a way to turn around and help her, but I was caught in the current of dogteams moving toward Damascus. However, my team “going for a swim” was a blessing (time wise). In the time it took us to get the dogs out of the water and back on the trail Fayth had harnessed and bootied up the dogs and started them running to catch up by herself. This was the first time she had to do any of this all on her own. Then even more amazing was that in lead she had her own dog, Dominic, whom she had been training with just a leash and running him around the yard teaching him commands. Dominic stood up to the challenge of leading a team of adult dogs (that were only their second time in harness) and leading them down the trail and catching up to us as we entered Damascus. I’m sure for Fayth that this was a thrilling moment. It was thrilling for me. I was excited to see the courage it took for Fayth to harness up the new dogs (only second time running in harness) to a new cart (that her father and I had just built over the past several weekends) and place a puppy in lead (that she had trained) and take off down the trail only to find out that her training had paid off and the puppy (Dominic) took control of the team as he jerked his teammate in the correct direction and took commands from Fayth. Kudos to Fayth and Dominic for rising to the great challenges set before them and overcoming them without any help. This has really shown me that Fayth is willing to do what it takes to take on the challenges of going for the Iditarod. I’m just happy to be a part of being with her to see her advance through each of these steps to the goal. I will post a few photos here.

Gear

2007-01-19T22:51:00.000-05:00

What do I do when I'm not running and training dogs? Well I make the gear that it takes to train and run the dogs. :) Booties, harnesses, ganglines, leashes, collars, doggie jacket (to cool and to warm), my mittens, hats, wrist warmers, face mask, neck gators. I make most all of my own gear so I will know how to repair it on the trail or so I can modify it to work better for me. I even have to get the serum ready and labeled for the Serum Run. Of course the "Serum" bottles came from the many vaccines that I give the dogs. (washed out and filled with colored water of course). Here are a few photos of what I do.

What We Have Been Doing in the Heat

2007-01-17T08:33:00.000-05:00

Well, lately it has been in the mid 70's here so we have not been running. But we are building a new cart to use for training and racing. Here are some photos.

Jan 1 06 Creeper Trail

2007-01-04T21:24:00.000-05:00

Today we ran the dogs 16 miles. My friend Lindsey and I rode the cart this time. We did some switching up of the leaders to see what combos were going to work best. We started with Cosmos and Kenai then went to Cosmos and Bear then Cosmos and Tucker. Cosmos likes to run the left side of the trail and Tucker wanted to run on the right side of the trail so the neck line was tighter than the tug line so before a fight broke out I moved Cosmos back and up Bear up with Tucker. She ran fine then started slacking off so I moved Kenai up with Tucker when we started off I was about thrown off by the sudden start. All the dogs had tight tugs. Even Cosmos was working hard. Normally Cosmos will sit down and refuse to run in I put another dog in lead. Cosmos seemed ok with having Tucker in lead. Tucker did well and listened to commands. On the way back down I gave him a gee and he immediatly jumped gee into a pool of water (where I normally water the dogs) and he immediatly jumped back haw out of the water. The team went for a swim but Tucker chose to stand on the side and drink. As we came back down through the town of Damascus and had road crossing Tucker took commands well and the team was working well. I was impressed with Cosmos working with the team in a different position.

When we got back we fed and watered the dogs and took off on Lindsey's horses. I was wearing nylon pants due to the wind and mud from the previous days rain so as I rode bare back on the horse I was sliding all over. I won't try wearing nylon pants again. Lindsey was gracious at not laughing at me too much.

Dec 31, 06

2007-01-04T21:21:00.000-05:00

Today we ran the dogs 9 miles. I was giving a local family I met on the trail a ride. They looked like they had fun doing it. I hope they will have a chance to come back and ride again. We all enjoyed having them aboard.

Dec 30, 06 Sights and Break Time

2007-01-04T20:57:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the sights that one can see along the Creeper Trial. Also photos of the dogs taking a break after running 14 miles up from Damascus. We still have the 14 miles back. The dogs did great although Caleb was getting tired and had to be bagged in the cart (I let him ride in the bag of the cart). The dogs are snacking on steak. They get to eat a lot of red meat while they are running and training. I'm still eating ramen noodles and anything someone gives me. :)

Dec 30, 06 Team Members Ulric and Dancer

2007-01-04T20:55:00.000-05:00

Ulric and Dancer

Dec 30, 06 Team Members Caleb and JoJo

2007-01-04T20:54:00.000-05:00

Caleb and JoJo

Dec 30, 06 Team Members Yeti and Sasha

2007-01-04T20:53:00.000-05:00

Yeti and Sasha

Dec 30, 06 Team Members Bear and Tucker

2007-01-04T20:51:00.000-05:00

Bear and Tucker

Dec 30, 06 Team Members Kenai and Cosmos

2007-01-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

Kenai and Cosmos

Dec 30, 06

2007-01-04T19:25:00.000-05:00

Here I find that I should back up and update who is who on the team since we have some new members. My normal lead dogs are Cosmos and Kenai, then there is Bear and our new guy Tucker who has come from John and Zoya Schandelmeier's kennel in Alaska. Tucker has ran the Yukon Quest several times as a lead dog. Tucker is a little shy of people but and excellent working dog. Next there is JoJo and Caleb they are both red and white from the streets of Savannah, Ga These two dogs have impressed me. They came off the streets and into the team and are running very well. Next is Sasha and Yeti. This year Sasha is really coming into her place on the team. In the past two years she has ran slow and stumbled many times but she never quit so I would ride the brake and keep the team slow enough for her to keep up. This year she is barking and howling to go and ready to give the guys a run for their money. A little time and patience with her has paid off. She is a wonderful girl. Yeti has been with me for a while now also. In wheel is Ulric and Dancer. These two guys never complain about their hard work of having to pull the cart by themselves when others are goofing off. Their tug lines are never loose and they keep a smile the whole time. When we stop Ulric always rolls over and wants a belly rub. He needs a sign on him that says "Will work for belly rub". Today we had a rider Aimee who you can see guiding the dogs along the trail. I always forget to tell people that I jump off the cart while the dogs are running and run up and take care of anything I need to without trying to stop the dogs from running. So when I jumped off Aimee was shocked as to what to do witht the steering and braking. She quickly learned that when I say "we went running today" that I meant the dogs were running and I was running. The cart is just there to carry the gear.

Dec 3, 06

2007-01-04T19:16:00.000-05:00

We started out today by borrowing a dog, Cruiser, from Bob and Marcia Horne. Cruiser is a rescue of theirs from Alaska. So today we ran Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Cruiser, JoJo-Yeti, Sasha-Caleb, Ulric-Dancer. I also had Marcia along for the ride up the trial. We left Iron Horse Campground (aprox mile 13 on the Creeper Trial) and ran the team to mile post 22 before turning around. So we ran 18 miles. The dogs did great on the run and it was a cool day. On the way back down Marcia got off and Bob got on and ran back to Iron Horse Campground.

Dec 2, 06

2007-01-04T19:09:00.000-05:00

We started the day with a 10 mile run from Abingdon to Alvarado on the Creeper Trial. Then we were in the Christmas parade in Damascus, Va. Cosmos our lead dog loves people and wanted to run over to the sidewalk and sit in people's laps and be pet. For the run we had Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-JoJo, Caleb, Ulric-Dancer. For the parade we had Cosmos-Kenai, Sasha-Yeti, Ulric-Dancer.

Photos from Sunday

2006-11-16T00:02:00.000-05:00

More photos from Sunday

2006-11-15T23:59:00.000-05:00

Sundays Photos

2006-11-15T23:50:00.000-05:00

More photos from Saturday

2006-11-15T23:49:00.000-05:00

More photos from Saturday

2006-11-15T23:41:00.000-05:00

11 12 06 Creeper Trial day 2 Sunday

2006-11-15T23:18:00.000-05:00

On Sunday morning we drove to the beginning of the trail in Abingdon, VA exit 17 and turn right on west main street. Fayth and I ran Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Jojo, Ulric-Dancer. As we left the start we had Fayth's younger sister, Danyel, riding in the cart. This was her first "dogsled" ride. She had a great time. There were 10-12 horses that left just before us and the dogs wanted to catch up with them so they were running fairly fast. Cosmos is a trail hog and thinks he has to run down the left side of the trail. I had to keep telling people they could pass on my right. Danyel rode to the first "check point" which was Watauga. There is only a parking lot here. Danyel got out of the cart and I loaded the water and food for the dogs and we were off and running again. The dogs were still hyper and ready to run. We took off again and would not meet back with our van that was following us until we got to Alvarado. Along this part of the trail were many gates to open. The gates were nicely designed so they close by themselves. One of us would always run ahead and open the gate while the other ran the dogs through. It is easy with two people. It might pose a challenge for one person. I found that I could run ahead of the dogs and open the gate and jump back on the moving cart as it went by with out a problem. There is beautiful country in this area nice trestles to cross. I think the longest trestle is on this section of the trail as it crosses the upper portion of Holston Lake. Nice high trestle beautiful scenery. The big trestle is just before getting to Alvarado. There was also a "rest" area next to the river if you are walking, running, riding horses. We stopped in Alvarado and snacked the dogs and let them rest till they were back up and rearing to go. Ulric just about chewed through the gangline in front of him which would have released all the other dogs ahead of him. Luckily I had the leaders tied to picknic table with a snow hook. I like to carry a snow hook to tie down leaders or to stop a crazy team if need be by hooking a tree. Never had to do it though but just in case. After resting in Alvarado we went on to the Iron Horse Campground. On this run we bootied the front feet of Cosmos, Bear, and Jojo. They ran well. The dogs were looking good during the run and were having a great time. The distance for Sunday was 14 miles total. Bringing the weekend total to 29 miles. The dogs were in good health and rested afterwards as running dogs should. I am ready to go back and run the trail again. I love to see the dogs having fun.

11 11 06 photos

2006-11-14T23:46:00.000-05:00

More Photos

Nov 11, 06

2006-11-14T22:45:00.000-05:00

I did not run the dogs during the past week except turning them loose in the yard to run free. I had several that had injured pads and I wanted to rest them for the upcoming weekend. By Friday pads were looking good. So Friday we packed up and headed for Damascus, Va where we stayed at the Iron Horse Campground and had a cabin. The cabin was beside a beautiful river and the Creeper Trail ran in front of the place. This is about the mid point of the Creeper Trail. Fayth and her family came up and her grandparents came up to watch. We had a great time. Saturday we ran the dogs from the campground west to Alvarado. The run was aprox. 4.5 miles in each direction. Fayth and I ran Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Sloppy Joe (JoJo), Ulric-Dancer. We ran to Alvarado and rested the dogs for about 30 minutes and ran back to the camp. The dogs did well. I had JoJo's front feet in booties. After resting for several hours and having lunch with several other mushers as we planned the Serum Run on the Creeper Trail for Jan 27, 07 we drove and looked at each of the points along the trail. When we returned we ran the same team 3 miles out and 3 miles back. By the time we got back it was dark and raining. We put up the dogs and went to the resturant there at the camp to eat. The dogs had ran a total of 15 miles for the first day.

Full Moon Delivery

2006-11-06T20:06:00.000-05:00

Well last night was the full moon. And as I expected Sakari (a female rescue) had puppies. The arrival of the pups was welcomed with a welcoming howl by ALL the dogs in the middle of the night. It woke me up and I thought it was very strange that they would be singing a welcoming song in the middle of the night. Over the last few days I have heard many moon songs all night long to the moon as it got fuller but then in the middle came this welcoming song. Upon checking on the doggies this morning I found that unlike humans doggies don't lie. As near as I can tell there are 5 puppies. Momma won't let me move her to count them. I was growled at and I know to leave her alone. I will move them in the house tonight. Living with so many dogs that talk and howl I have learned to understand their talking, and howling it is incredible. I can never say that Huskies are a dumb dog. They have a very clear form of communication and it can be understood by anyone willing to listen. Native Americans believe that the wolf is a teacher and one has but to listen in order to learn. I have a yard full of teachers. (Huskies are thought to be close to the wolf genes). They play jokes and pranks but they don't lie in what they say. They always speak straight truth. What a privilege I have of living with such wise, intelligent, truthful communicative animals. Friends have been over visiting when the dogs would start "talking" and I would ask them to listen for a minute. The dogs would tell me that one of the dogs was loose. As I listened more the dogs would tell me exactly who was loose. My friends would tell me "yeah, right. I want to see this". When my friend and Iwent out of the house sure enough that exact dog came running by us in the yard. Dogs don't lie. Wonder why I like living with dogs more than people? Yesterday, I went into the big kennel to trim the hair on the dog’s pads and beforeI could get started one of the dogs had taken the scissors and walked off with them. They play this game of hide and seek and find it very amusing. Fayth finally found the scissors and we trimmed the hair. I sort of expected yesterday that Sakari was close to delivery. So I threw down several flakes of hay for her. She already had a hole dug for a "den"and she immediately took the hay and ripped it apart and lined her den. So this morning all I did was cover them with a blanket.

Now that it is evening I have been able to distract Sakari with some treats and get a leash on her and walked her outside of the kennel and shut the door while I went back in with a box and collected puppies. There are indeed 5 puppies. I brought mother and pups in the house and have placed them in the welping box. They are doing well and she is finally letting me near them. Here are some photos.

Sun Nov 5 Fayth's First Driving

2006-11-05T21:37:00.000-05:00

Today Fayth came down and I had her to harness up the dogs and put them on the gangline. We let her pup ride on the cart with us. He loved the ride. Since going up my driveway is the hardest part I had her and the pup to ride till I had the dogs on the road and stopped. Then Fayth drove the dogs and gave the commands and did the braking and steering. She did an excellent job especially for the first time at driving. As we passed one house the dogs ran over into a person's yard to see the dogs. I had to get off and take the leaders back to the road. Cosmos snapped at me and I jerked my hand away. I stopped him and watched for a second and realized it was redirected aggression that was meant for the other dogs. I whispered his name and got his attention and he looked at me with a smile and I gave him a nice warm petting and we were ready to go again. We ran them to the point on the road where I have decided to turn them around and we started back. We ran past the dogs again and did well this time. I did a lot of running so Fayth could do the driving. At one point to get up a hill I ran out ahead of the dogs and made them chase me. This reminded me of an old trick I used to do so I told Fayth and we decided to try it. We got just shy of my house and we turned the dogs around again to run back past the other dogs. When we got there I jumped off the cart and ran out ahead of the dogs and had them to chase me and keep there interest on me instead of the other dogs. Sasha was the only one who even looked at the other dogs but I called her attention back to me and we ran on past. Sloppy Joe finally blew out the booties he has been wearing. So he will get a new pair. I noticed that Cosmos right rear toenail was bleeding so we took care of this and I will give him a few days rest. I will return him wearing booties. I think Cosmos got this injury when he stopped to poop and the other dogs ran up on him. I see today that he out got out 2 plops of poop and had not finished his business before receiving the tailgater. In the meantime I will try Kenai and Bear in lead. I think Kenai knows the commands as I have worked with just him before and I will be patient and work with him on it. Bear is a fast little girl who I think will make a great lead dog so I want to see how she will perform as well. She is very focused on working. The team today was Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Sloppy Joe, Ulric-Dancer. We ran 7 miles total. I may add another dog from the rescue into the line up for this week. Since I will be running the team slower without my trusted lead dog I will have to fill another space. I will put him in the team position and see how he does. If he does well I may move him up to Swing. I'm looking forward to seeing how he will run. I have a musher in VA who wants another good runner so I will check him out. I have actually already put him into the kennel with the race team. So I now have 11 dogs in the same large kennel. I watched them today and they are doing well together. It is incredible how they accept others into the "pack" and love to run together. But I need this for when we travel together since we have to be in close quarters.

In case I have forgotten to say who Fayth is I wanted to say it here. Fayth is a 15 year old young lady who called me on the phone one day and said with a direct tone in her voice that let me know she meant what she was saying..."I'm Fayth and I'm 15 years old and I just got a 5 month old Siberian Husky and I want to train it to run the Iditarod. Can you help me to train him?" After I found out who had given her my number I knew she was really serious about this. I may have stuttered knowing the long road from a 5 month old pup to the burled arch of the Iditarod but I said "OK, I'll help you train". I have since learned who else she has been talking to and I see that she is serious about this and is taking the initive to make these contacts. Very impressive for a young lady. She has been coming down each weekend and helping me with the team and doing shots and learning every aspect of what it takes to get the dogs hooked to a cart and ready to run. It is also nice for me to have someone local to talk dogs and mushing with. It keeps me on my toes to make sure that I am correct in what I say and do. But I have always found the best way to really learn something is to teach it. It is wonderful to have her and her family here on the weekends. Her father has really helped me with some things I needed to do but have been unable to do. I look forward to more training time and questions to keep me on my toes, or even keep me off the cart and running to get my body in shape after so many recent injuries have taken me down.

Sat Nov 4 Longer and more runs

2006-11-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

This morning I ran Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Sloppy Joe, Ulric-Dancer. I ran them 7.5 miles this morning and would get just about to my driveway each time then turn them around and run them back the other direction. Cosmos became confused and would not move. I had to go up and walk him till he realized what I wanted him to do. They looked good for the whole run. I came home fed them and checked them out. After working in the kennels and in the van to ready it for our adventure next weekend I took the dogs out running again. Tonight they ran 5 miles. It was funny to watch them as I hooked them up tonight. They all sat quiet and motionless as I hooked each of them up. When I got down to hooking up the last wheel dog they made just a little noise. Then when I pulled the release they bolted up the drive way at top speed. I rode the brake all the way up and out the driveway. They acted like they had eaten their Wheaties and had lots of energy. They worked together as a team and pulled well. Bear, Sasha, Ulric all wanted to run off and chase other dogs at a place where we pass other dogs. I finally had to stop the team and bite Sasha to get her back to where we could run. When we made the U-turn and came back by the dogs and Sasha again move slightly towards them I called her name and she looked back forward. We had a good run. The moon is just about full and made for a beautiful night. Oh, near the start of the run going into the first saddle of hills Cosmos stopped to take a dump and the rest of the team ran right up on him. I never saw his poop. When we got home I noticed his left rear foot was bleeding slightly. I took care of it and he was not limping. I will put a bootie on him tomorrow.

Thursday Nov 2, Friday Nov 3

2006-11-04T21:00:00.000-05:00

I ran Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Sloppy Joe, Ulric-Dancer. I placed booties on Sloppy Joe's front feet and he did well. Everyone is looking good. I ran them 2.5 miles on Thur. then 5 miles on Friday.

Tuesday Oct 31

2006-11-04T20:50:00.000-05:00

I had to work late so I did not get to run the dogs. So I spent time playing with them. After I had fed everyone I was going around and playing with the dogs. When I got to the five 10 month old puppies (Bell, Scarlet, Skeeter, Miyatuk, Cooter) I was sitting on the ground playing with them and Miyatuk jumped up on my side and scratched my ear. It hurt and burned but I figured it was only a scratch. I continued on with my chores and playing with doggies. When I got to washing dishes I washed my hands and checked my ear and pulled my hand back with a blob of blood and fatty tissue, like little white BB's. I placed my finger back up on the back of the ear and felt a nice gap in the ear that my finger could go into. After washing dishes and cleaning up I thought about going to the ER but this was Halloween night and I figured I had a minor injury so I would be there all night. I walked to my neighbor's to have them look at it when she first looked she said it looked fine. After washing it with peroxide and pulling the ear back she gasped and said you need stitches there is a big gap. So I came home and washed it with more peroxide and a Q-tip and put a piece of tape on the ear to hold it to the head. I sat down and watched a movie then went to bed and slept on that side to keep the ear against the head. I woke up and found no blood on the pillow but still called a doctor to get an appointment. I finally got one at 3 pm. He told me I had done a good job of cleaning it and getting it back together. He added some glue and taped it together as I had and gave me some antibiotics. So I now know why I need to trim puppy nails.

Monday Oct 30

2006-11-04T20:42:00.000-05:00

Monday Oct. 30 I ran the team over the weekend and on Sunday Fayth stood on the back of the cart with me and rode. Since Toshiba and Sakari were tired and hurt I chose to run a different team. Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Yeti, Sasha-Sloppy Joe, Ulric-Dancer. This was Sloppy Joe's first run. I kept the team slow down the hills so I would not blow all their energy on the downhills. This helped me to watch Sloppy Joe. He ran well and had a nice gate and energy level. When I got home as usualy I checked everyone's feet and Sloppy Joe had scraped both front pads so I gave him some ointment and let him rest.

New Runner and Obedient Dogs

2006-10-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

Tonight I waited till dark and for the traffic to clear so I could run the dogs close to home. We took a 5 mile trail. I added Toshiba for the run tonight and left Sasha at home. The team was Cosmos-Kenai, Bear-Toshiba, Sakari-Yeti, Ulric-Dancer. As I was hooking up the dogs Toshiba was wanting to fight with Bear and had tons of energy. I had to break up that fight. Then after snapping in Sakari last, who usually fights with Yeti till we get out of the yard so I snap her in last and we take off, Toshiba had her harness pulled off and twisted in the strangest ways I have ever seen. I started working on the harness and Sakari broke into her fighting mode with Yeti again. I jumped in the middle and stood between them to keep her at bay. I'm thinking of using a water ballon to stop this action in the future. I got Toshiba fixed back up and we were off. They were pulling great up the hills still at a good speed. It was dark and the sky was full of beautiful stars on a cool clear night. It was wonderful to be running with the dogs. Cosmos missed a Gee and I had to stop the team and turn them and we were off again. At about 3 miles into the run Sakari triped or something and did a face plant on the ground. I had the team stopped quickly and ran up to check her. She had scraped her knee so I picked her up and loaded her on the cart so she could ride. Well, half a mile later Toshiba decides to sit down and I stopped the team quickly again. I ran up to her and checked her out and did not see any injuries. I sat there with her for a while and I called to each dog one by one and had them to sit and lie down. They each did an excellent job and lying down and staying while I held Toshiba and checked her out. I sat there with them for about 5-10 minutes and I had the leaders to stand up and tighten out the line and get us ready to leave. I had Cosmos to ease into a walk to see how Toshiba would do. She was still walking slow so I stopped the team again and took her out to ride on the cart. As I looked at the cart there sat Sakari growling and ready to start a fight. Well, there is room on the cart for 2-3 dogs but Sakari and Toshiba are known for being the bitchiest bitches around and this was not going to work. So I picked Toshiba up into my arms and held her like a baby and jumped on the card and had Cosmos to ease into a walk to make sure I could keep my balance and hold Toshiba. We were doing well so I sped them up and all was well till with started up the big hill. I now was down two dogs and they were now "dead weight" on the cart so the team slowed. I finally held Toshiba in one arm and held on to the cart with the other hand and ran pushing as best I could to help the team out. I had several dogs to look back to see what was going on. After we were up the hill and back at cruise speed I lay over the handle bars and held Toshiba in my arms with her licking my face and loving on me. I glanced down at Sakari and through Toshiba licking my face I could see that Sakari had turned around on the cart and was looking up at me smiling and being polite. These girls were finally happy and content and not growling or fighting. They knew I was taking care of them. Cosmos and Kenai ran back home and opened the gate to their kennel and went in so I jumped off and put Toshiba in the kennel and grabbed Sakari and checked her out. There was a slight bit of blood on her knee but she was doing fine. I put her in her kennel then placed the rest of the team in the kennels. I went around taking off harnesses and checking feet. Everyone looked good. I think Toshiba was just tired. I will run her for a while with some of the other new dogs till they get their legs on shorter runs. But this taught me that I need to carry more snaps to lock dogs down on the cart if I have this to happen again with two mean bitches. I will work out a plan to run two teams of dogs and get some of the newer dogs in shape to run with the conditioned team. It is awesome to see a team of dogs sit and stay on command like that while I was working on Toshiba. I love it when the dogs obey.

Training is for Who?

2006-10-23T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well, after the first run I learned I needed to be in shape. An old injury of an axe through the knee cap was still healing. After going to the orthopedic doctor and doing some physical therapy I'm back up and running and feeling good while wearing a brace on the knee. When I went in for the final knee inspection my neck was hurting so we did an xray and found degenerate disk in the neck and bone spurs. So I'm back in physical therapy for this. In my case its not the many years of wear but the many many miles of wear and tear. I was always told that someday I would pay. I thought that someday would never get here. Now someday is here.

Contact Us

2006-09-30T09:29:00.000-05:00

Here is how you can contact us to share your thoughts. No spam please.

First Run of the Season

2006-09-30T09:19:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful run this morning. With this being the first run of the year I was happy to not see any one of the dogs dragging or looking tired. It was about 58 degrees but they seemed to do well. Cosmos the lead dog was halfway past the turn before he realized that I had told him Haw then he snapped the team to the left and off we went. They were looking strong even on the up hill grade they never stopped. I think we have the makings of a good team this year. Even Sakari who normally wants to fight with all the dogs around her behaved and ran like a charm. Our team today was Cosmos-Kenai, Little Bear-Sasha, Sakari-Yeti, Ulric-Dancer. It is supposed to warm up today so I think we will pack up the pontoon boat and head to the lake for a swim.

Start of a New Season (winter)

2006-09-29T22:36:00.000-05:00

Well tonight it is currently 55 degrees F and should drop to 51 for a low. So early in the morning will be the start of our running time for this season. The cart is in position and everything is laid out. I only have to put the harnesses on the dogs and snap them into the gang line and we will be off and running. The line up for tomorrow is Cosmos-Kenai, Little Bear-Shasha, Yeti-Sakari, Dancer-Ulric. If this goes well and they remember how to work as a team I will add two new girls into this years team. They will be Maya, who is an Alaskan Husky, and Toshiba who has just turned two. That will take the team to 10 dogs running at once pulling the 160 lb cart and my 175 lb self. I'm hoping to find a four wheeler that does not run that I can use for running this group. We currently have 25 dogs here but some of them are to be adopted out from our Husky rescue. We had lots of puppies come in this summer and some females that delivered upon arrival with us. We are looking forward to a wonderful season this year. Drop us an email and find out where we will be running and come out and see us.

Summer Fun

2006-09-29T22:28:00.000-05:00

What do we do with Siberian Huskies in the summer here in South Carolina? Well, we buy them a pontoon boat that belongs to them and we take them to the nearby Lake Murray and take them swimming. Not only does the swimming keep the dogs cool but it keeps them in shape. It also keeps me in shape. It has been so fun to take the dogs swimming. They get on the boat and relax and when I cut back on the engine and walk up to drop the anchor they start shaking. After I have dropped anchor and cut the engine I had a couple to "slip" (back out of their collars and jump in the water on their own. You would think that a dog would swim to shore. I had a few that would swim towards the center of the lake. A life jacket and a pair of diving fins came in real handy for chasing dogs. Swimming at the lake was also nice in that it cleaned the dogs. Because where I live there is red clay the dogs always have a reddish tint to them. After swimming some of the dogs again showed that they had white hair.

Around the House

2006-09-29T22:26:00.000-05:00

Here are some photos from around the house.

Greenville Growl Hocky Game

2006-09-29T22:15:00.000-05:00

We also had a chance to adopt out dogs from our shelter at the Greenville Growl Hocky game along with other dog rescues.

Feb 06 Trails 2

2006-09-29T21:59:00.000-05:00

This was a 10 mile run up the side of a mountian that we did. It was a steep grade but the dogs pulled us up the 10 mile run in just under an hour. Then we had the 10 miles back down hill all the way back. We came back down in about 20 minutes. I remember the cart fishtailing. It was a wonderful trip. We camped out with the dogs and had "living blankets" (dogs cuddling up to us). With the wind it was down to -11 that weekend in NC.

School Visits

2006-09-29T21:55:00.000-05:00

We also Visited several schools last year.
We took sleds, carts, dog gear, clothing etc to show everyone and let them touch it. Of course we took 8 of our dogs who were happy to lead the kids around.

Feb 06 Trails 1

2006-09-29T21:31:00.000-05:00

Backing up in time I wanted to share some photos from last season. The trails were in the Asheville, NC area.

Puppies Weight

2006-01-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

Well, I finally figured out how to weigh the puppies. Hold them and stand on the scale then deduct my weight from it. Duh. :) Notice that the females are just a little larger than the boys. Does anyone have any suggestions for names for the puppies? If so then email me at chapinsan@earthlink.net

So here we go.

Chapin 169.2

Puppies Weight
Pup 1 M 2.4
pup 2 F 2.8
pup 3 M 2.4
pup 4 F 2.6
pup 5 M 2.2

Dog Cart

2006-01-17T22:11:00.000-05:00

Over the weekend I converted a wagon to a dog cart so that I could work one on one at training lead dogs. It is much like a horse cart in that it has poles that connect to a harness on the side of the dog. I designed and sewed a bridle like for a horse but without the bit so I can steer the dog. I have designed a harness but I have to sew it first before I can put it all together and give it a try. I will add photos later.

Today's Happenings Timeline

2006-01-12T20:11:00.000-05:00

At 13:40 I took Sunka's temp it was 101.2 (normal), but there was a pinkish discharge.

At 14:48 I checked on her to find that she had a puppy. This was the 1st. It has a wide gray strip on its back with a dark black line down the center of the back. It is gray in color. Has a white tip on the tail.

At 15:27 the 2nd pup arrived. It is cream with a white tip on the tail. Dark strips on the back.

At 15:56 3rd pup arrived. Its right ear is already half way up. It has a black tip on its tail and many black strips on its back.

At 16:27 4th pup arrived. Dark in color with a white tip on the tail.

At 17:15 5th pup arrived. Dark in color with a tiny white tip on the tail. Light cream color.

19:45 I don't feel anymore pups inside and so I place all the pups in a box with a heat pad and tak mom out to potty and she does nothing but want back in the house. I came in and cleaned up the whelping box and placed a clean blanket in it. Mom rushed in to see the pups and is laying there happy and content. She drank a little water and 2 small bites of food.
All the puppies have long bodies, long legs, wide bellies. You could not say that one is the runt. They are all equally porportioned.

Babies come wrapped in a nice covering when born

2006-01-12T19:26:00.000-05:00

Mom (Sunka) and the first 4 pups

2006-01-12T19:24:00.000-05:00

Puppy 5

2006-01-12T19:23:00.000-05:00

Puppy 4

2006-01-12T19:22:00.000-05:00

Puppy 3

2006-01-12T19:21:00.001-05:00

Puppy 2

2006-01-12T19:21:00.000-05:00

Puppy 1

2006-01-12T19:20:00.000-05:00

All Five Pups

2006-01-12T19:19:00.000-05:00

Who has been busy?

2006-01-12T19:07:00.000-05:00

Well, looks like I'm not the only one who has been busy. Sunka had 5 puppies today. So here is our next generation of racers. Dancer is the proud father. I can tell they all five have the long legs of mom and dad.

Dogs Night Before Christmas

2005-12-18T09:08:00.000-05:00

Here is a different telling of the story of the Night Before Christmas.

Dog's Night Before ChristmasAuthor UnknownTwas the night before Christmas and all through the houseNot a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the chimney with careIn hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.My dogs were nestled, all snug in "MY" bed,While visions of chewie toys danced in their heads.I in my sweat pants and Dad in his sweater,Had just settled down to read the Great Dog Reporter, When up on the roof there arose such a clatter,I sprang from my chair to see what was the matter!Off to the window I flew in a flash,Tore open the shutter and threw up the sash.The moon on the crest of the new fallen snow Gave a luster of midday to the objects below.And what to my wondering eyes did appearbut a miniature sleigh and ei ght tiny reindeer.With a little old driver so lively and quickI knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. With a sputter of ashes -- a flurry of soot,He slid down the chimney with all of his loot.My Dogs stood there so regal and proud,Guarding their home with barks oh so loud.St. Nick showed no fear and called them by name, He knew in his heart they were gentle and tame.He brought out his list, checking it twice."Well, my beauties, all year you've been very nice.I have in my bag toys and much more,Just tell me what you pups really long for." My dogs talked to each other -- much to my surpriseand turned to Santa with tears in their eyes,"We have chewies and balls and ropes to be tugged,We are pampered and coddled and petted and hugged. But for Christmas, dear Santa, we have but one care,that all dogs be loved as much as we are.We want no dog beaten, whipped or chained,No dog abandoned, abused or maimed.We want all dogs, no matter what size, to see love reflected in their master's eyes."St. Nick stopped for a moment to gather his wits,"I have nothing to stop humans from being such twits."All dogs are so beautiful and are such a treasure, Living only to be loved and give humans pleasure.This lesson I will try to teachThen maybe your wish will be within my reach."St. Nick leaned over and kissed each beautiful head."Now you gentle giants, go off to bed. Think good thoughts and dream good dreamsOf running and jumping and playing in streams."St. Nick turned to me, his face wet with tears."Be proud of your babies, they are such dears."In an instant St. Nick disappeared in a poof,And I heard him chuckle as he ran on the roof.He jumped in his sleigh and to his team gave a whistle, and off he flew like the down on a thistle.And I heard him exclaim as the drove out of sight, "Merry Christmas to All and To All Dogs a Good Life!"

Jobs

2005-12-08T09:39:00.000-05:00

Ever heard of a job. Yep. That thing that keeps you from what you want to do but allows you to pay for what you want to do. Well, that is where I have been lately.

Chillin'

2005-11-10T19:42:00.000-05:00

I have been sick with heart problems the past few days and with the higher temps we have not been running. I thought we are supposed to be in the winter. 85 F is not winter. I have been working with untouchable animals though. I had an untouchable cat to allow me to pick it up and pet it. I had Buddy (the Malamute puppy) to come out of his barrel while I was in the kennel cleaning. I also took Sakari into the kennel with the four other untouchable pups and they had a great time. I was able to get the pups to come close to me and I even had one to take a treat from my hand several times and allow me to pet it. So I am making progress with these untouchables.

Hey whats that?

2005-11-05T07:11:00.000-05:00

Cosmos-Kenai
Ltl. Bear-
Yeti-Sakari
Ulric-Dancer

54 F 2miles

This morning went well. The dogs ran hard for most of the way. Near the beginning of our trip we passed by a house that was having an early morning yard sale and people were out shopping. Well, Huskies love people and so they headed straight for the crowd and all the tables set up with stuff. Until the command from the alpha dog hanging on the cart yelled out to turn haw and go on by. The leaders listened and we left everyone staring at us and so I yelled out "good morning". The run was cut short because I did not want to run the dogs back past the yard sell. The rest of the day has been spent rescuing dogs from someone getting rid of them. We took 9 dogs today. I'm keeping 4 of the red and white Husky pups. They are about 8 months old and unsocialized with humans. I have some work to do but I look forward to writing about another success story.

Walking Dogs

2005-11-04T21:30:00.000-05:00

Kiyiya
Sunka
Tonight I was only able to walk a few dogs. I have been very busy with my Husky rescue with 22 new dogs that are coming in. So tonight I chose to walk Sunka and Kiyiya. They are sister's to Ulric who is on the race team. I have ran with Sunka and Kiyiya before in the dirt in the woods and they do well, but when we run down the asphalt road to head to longer trails they both freeze up resulting in scrapped pads on their feet. I took Sunka first. We walked around the yard in the grass and she did well. We went up the dirt drive fine but when she got on the asphalt she froze up again. I figured out she is affraid of the asphalt. She ran in the grass on the side of the road fine. So I walked down the center of the street. (it is night and way out in the country so you can see cars coming far away). Sunka would walk 20 feet and stop and pull back against me. I would put my hand down and get her to raise her head and talk sweet to her and tell her to come on and we would walk another 20 feet. This went on all the way around the 1-1/2 mile walk. But she kept getting better. I will keep this up till she is confident. When I walked Kiyiya on the asphalt she was fine till she heard her toenails on the asphalt and that sent her bucking like a wild horse. I finally calmed her and she did well on the walk. Just a lot of new smells and sights and sounds. I sniffed the air more than I normally do and I could smell the houses where smokers were and I could smell who was cooking and who was doing laundry and many more smells. The dogs have really helped me to become more aware of what I am smelling. I can even smell deer as we run. Yes, its just a matter of time before I get down on all fours and start sniffing out an animal trail and chasing it down. I'm becoming more like a dog every day. I am hopeing that walking the girls will help them to feel more confident on the asphalt so they can run with the team. I have several young females that are small who I am going to start running seperatly from the big team. I am thinking of using Little Bear as the leader for them since she will always keep the line tight and keep them moving in the right direction. I will just have to ride the brake to keep them going slow so they all have a good time while getting used to the new experience. I will run them here in the pasture and in my woods before heading out on trails. I'm thinking of even grabbing some of the dogs from my rescue and running them with the slow team just for exercise. Lets see how they do. I find most Huskies want to pull naturally. When I first started I made the mistake of trying to walk Huskies on a leash wrapped around my wrist and clipped to a walking harness on the dog. That gave them too much power over me and kept me with pain in my arms and shoulders. I finally started using collars and prong collars for the bad ones but I designed and sewed a belt for myself. I used 2 inch nylon webbing and sewed a D-ring on it and made a belt. I then sewed leashes with clips at both ends so I can clip one end to the dog and the other to the D-ring on the belt. The soreness in my arms has gone away. My legs are much stronger than my arms and when I say stop we now stop.

Powerful dogs. Dogs once trained are capable of pulling about 1000 pounds each. As a team of dogs that increases to much more than 1000 pounds per dog. But true power is in the tounge of the musher who can encourage these dogs to work for him/her and have them to love you and love working for you and not break the dog's spirit. That is what I hope to be able to do by walking these dogs one on one and encouraging them and supporting them and having them to trust me that I will not let something bad happen.

Out of Town

2005-11-01T21:49:00.000-05:00

I had to be out of town this weekend to work on some honey do projects so I'm now back and ready to run with the team. I have helpers who come in and feed and water and take care of the dogs while I'm gone. I am always happy with the work and help that my helpers do. The dogs love them.

2005-11-01T21:26:00.000-05:00

Little Bear our youngest leader. A very focused girl and hard worker.

2005-11-01T21:23:00.000-05:00

Can Huskies and cats get along? Yes, Cosmos enjoys the company of Isabella.

2005-11-01T21:20:00.000-05:00

Sasha the youngest member of our team.

2005-11-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

Ulric who loves to cuddle and kiss.

2005-11-01T21:18:00.000-05:00

Ulric smile

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Ulric and Dancer barking and ready to go.

2005-11-01T21:04:00.000-05:00

Dancer

2005-11-01T21:03:00.000-05:00

Dancer...Speed leader and wheel dog.

2005-11-01T21:02:00.000-05:00

A satisfied Yeti.

2005-11-01T21:01:00.000-05:00

Yeti the LOVER. Yes, you must have a Yeti kiss.

2005-11-01T21:00:00.000-05:00

Yeti going for the bottom of the food bucket.

2005-11-01T20:56:00.000-05:00

Sakari gave up on getting Cosmos' food and is now trying to take Kenai's food. She is so cute that the boys let her try. But she was not successful in getting it.

2005-11-01T20:54:00.001-05:00

Team Eating

2005-11-01T20:54:00.000-05:00

Team Resting LtoR Cosmos, Kenai, Sakari, Yeti, Dancer, Ulric.

2005-11-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

Kenai resting.

2005-11-01T20:50:00.000-05:00

Kenai...leader

2005-11-01T20:49:00.000-05:00

But Cosmos can still show his teeth and growl at another dog who thinks he is finished with the food.

2005-11-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Cosmos and his rescuer Jean. He gave up his food to sit in her lap and get a belly rub.

2005-11-01T20:45:00.000-05:00

Cosmos

2005-11-01T20:44:00.001-05:00

Cosmos