Trail Recon....

In order to avoid a run like my friend, Stacie had a few days ago, I decided to do some trail reconnaisance before I hooked up a team to run our most frequent trail. Link to Stacie's blog so you can see what I was trying to avoid. Stacie owns or rather is owned by a couple of Franklin's littermates!
http://www.keeponsledding.blogspot.com/

I took Raven and Chum along with me and just let them run loose.

Now I understand where the term "busy beavers" comes from. This little patch of poplars was all standing a week ago when I went by. Fortunately the beavers were nice enough not leave any of their dinner blocking the trail.


The view from one of my favorite spots on the trail. It's about 7km from home. No problems to that point.

Chum was having a great time.

Raven never has understood the term "take a break". She was very busy exploring.


For the most part the trail was clear. I had to move a couple little trees and chopped down one patch of willows that I ran into about 100 times last winter. I just hate those trees! Someone had been out with a chainsaw all along the trail. Sawdust and branches everywhere.

Another favorite spot. It's even prettier in the winter, but it's also at the top of a long hill and I can never convince the dogs to stop long enough to get my camera out!

Then when we were almost done the loop, about 5 km left to go and we'd be home. Raven and Chum were both getting tired and I was getting a bit cold. Then we ran into this mess:

The trail is a bloody bog!!!! Chum figured he could run right through it, but I knew I'd get the quad stuck! There's no other way out from here so we had to turn around! An extra 12km run for Chum & Raven. ooppps!!


After running about 20km Raven finally took a little break.


Chum laid down too, but he still looks slightly insane!

Chum was a little stiff when we got home. Raven slept for an hour and was back to her nutty little self again. I'm not sure what it would take to truly exhaust her!

And I have to find a new loop, at least until that bog part is frozen!

Deuce's first run!

One of the joys of not working on Mondays is deserted trails! This morning was frosty, calm, perfect for a training run. At long last, Deuce was not limping, the ATV started no problem. I can't walk Deuce on a leash. He's too much for me to control. Never had a dog I couldn't leash walk before. I've been dying to see what Deuce would do in a harness and today was the day to find out!

I hooked him up last and ran him alone in swing. He can be a bit of jerk and is a bit fussy about his canine friends. I didn't feel like dealing with a fight today so he ran alone. He was raring to go! I suspect that at some point in his life he's been a sled dog before. He was very cooperative with putting the harness on. Sometimes with a new dog that simple act can turn into a full on wrestling match!

Off we go, heading down the trail. That's Raven & Paxil up front, Deuce in the middle and Antare & Pacer in wheel.


Taking a break at the half-way point. We didn't go very far today. Again, I didn't want to push Deuce too much. I wanted this to be a lot of fun for him, so he'll want to do it again!


I think he'll want to go again! He was a little confused about why we had stopped. He was the first dog to start tugging and whining to get started again! He kept his tug line tight the whole run and pulled every bit as hard as he does on leash. He's got an odd gait--runs like a malamute, front and back legs together instead of one side at a time, like a husky runs. But it works for him!


My happy leader girls. Paxil was flawless, as she always is. What will I ever do without her!???
I was thrilled with Raven today. Last winter, Raven had a rough time. She had no enthusiasm for pulling. She rarely wanted to come and when she did she didn't do very well. She spent most of her time looking back, slacking off and wanting to be set free. So she got left behind alot. The first winter Raven ran for me, she was amazing--ready to go all the time, learning to lead. So I was a little disappointed last year, but whatever, she doesn't want to pull, she doesn't have to. Today she was a little pulling machine, the Raven I remember from two years ago. She was having fun, listening well, pulling hard. I hope she stays like this!


Patient Pacer waiting to be unhooked at home. I freakin' adore this little dog. He's a sweetie and a steady, consistent worker.

Next time Deuce might get a running partner.

Not a nice way to start the weekend!

Tonight I pulled up to the gates (we have a double gate system across the driveway). As usual the main yard dogs all charged the gate to say hello. They've been alone for at least 3 hours which apparently is the same as eternity to them! I immediately notice that Preacher is not outside and not BAH-Woooing at me. No worries, Stuart must have been home and left Preacher in the house. But then I notice that there is no red cable hanging off his line. Preacher is blind and when he's in the yard he's tied on a trolley style line so he can't wander too far. Ok, getting worried, but maybe Stuart took it down for some reason--had to drive the wood truck through there, maybe.

Leave groceries in the truck, run to the house, look in all Preacher's sleeping spots, NO PREACHER. He is NOT in the house. Back outside, begining to shake now. Still yelling his name as loud as I can. No Preacher. Starting to cry now and on the verge of a full freak out.

We have two large holes in the yard. One that will soon be an in-ground freezer for dog food. It's way off to the left side of the yard. It's narrow and deep. Trying not to panic, I run over there. Thank God--No Preacher in there. I have had the horrific experience of finding one of my cats dead in the yard. I do not ever want to find another broken body. Sobbing now. Preacher is old, blind, hypothyroid. I know he's not in great shape and that his time may be growing short, but he's been stable for months. No health crisis. I can accept Preacher dying, but not like this. Not alone in some stupid accident.

The other hole is huge. Stuart said he wanted to dig a pond. He dug a small lake. Seriously next summer it will be stocked with trout! No water in it right now. Preacher's best friend, Franklin, kept running that direction and I knew I had to check. That was the longest walk I have taken in my life. Then as I passed the woodshed I heard a great big BAH-WOOOOOOOOOO. Oh, thank God, again. If he's fallen, he's still alive and able to woo, but I still couldn't see him.

Got to the edge of the pond hole. No Preacher in there. Dang near fainted with relief. Then I looked to the far side. There was Preacher, about 3 feet from the edge, red cable tangled around a couple trees keeping him from moving. I have never been so glad to see a dog tangled up in my life! Any more length and he could have gone over the edge and hung himself. But he was safe, in one piece, not a mark on him, but shaking almost as much as I was!

Preacher is now safely back in the house, on his bed, chewing on a treat. He has been hugged, kissed, and cuddled to bits. A new clip has been put on his cable. I need a drink!

My old sweetie enjoying a bone last weekend.