Took all the dogs tonight and had a fabulous run. Had them doing some off trail stuff that we haven't done yet. Stopped quite a few times just to make sure I could wander up and down the line and they wouldn't pull the hook.....they didn't. Gave them a snack break at about mile 21. This was our first sled run with all the dogs and our first night run. Love to be on the sled with the dogs at night!! We all had a great night!
Rich took some pics in the yard as we were getting ready and leaving yesterday.
Two Face getting her feet checked and some boots on. We had a bit of freezing rain on top of the snow last night, so the snow was quite crunchy and abrasive around here, so decided they all needed some shoes. Besides, of all the chores involved in dog mushing.....bootying is my least favorite; very time consuming and, as you can imagine, not very back friendly. However, it's right up there with good nutrition in priority. Laziness is never an excuse to let these guys get sore feet!
On our way out the trail! Sooooooooo nice to be leaving the yard on a sled and not an ATV. My problem now is....I want to run every day. This is where the fun begins!
Meet "Drop Zone" or so we call him There's a bit of a sad, but happy ending story behind Drop Zone. An ex-Iditarod musher (and I say ex because he will never be allowed back in the race due to animal cruelty/neglect charges) abandoned his dogs and left them cold and starving. When this was discovered, the call went out to mushers to ask if any were willing to take in some of these dogs. Of course the mushing community took the bull by the horns and didn't take but one evening to rehome 30 some dogs. Martin took in 6 or so of these guys. One of those was Drop Zone. He got this name from Martin's handlers because he didn't really come with the first bunch and just showed up in Martin's dog trailer. Thus the name.... Anyway, after nursing all these dogs back to health and giving them lots of TLC, they all were integrated into the Happy Trails teams. Martin, Sean, and Magnus are all running a couple in their teams, so not to be left out.....Drop Zone has joined my crew. Funny little dog, really odd shaped, has all 4 dew claws and has real issues pooping on the run. However, he's running 25 miles with my crew with no issues at all. He's quite shy, but warming up more every day. Was really fun to watch him play with Canon last night.
Over the past 10 years that I've run dogs, this it the 7th time we've been able to get on sleds Thanksgiving weekend. It's not great out there yet and I'm the only one in my neighborhood on sleds, but it's doable. It's really just the first couple miles that are nerve wracking; it's really bumpy, there's lots of traffic (even cars and trucks that drive down the trail), tons of moose and blind hills that would be impossible to stop once we're started down and there's frequently something or someone in the trail. Kind of scary. Today, however, no one. I opted for only running 10 dogs so i would have some semblance of control if I did run into something in those first few miles. By the time I was a mile from the house I wanted to turn around and go back and get the other 5 dogs. Could have easily used all the dog power out there today. The crew I had worked hard. Tomorrow we'll go out again, with everyone.
Oh wait, this isn't my job!! Can't be a job. It's way too much fun! Third day in a row of some hard running with few breaks. Although, we did take a few "lovin" breaks today. They're just doing so darn well. Couldn't resist a few stops just for hugs and loves. Today we did 25 miles and went through, what we call, the big hunter loop. I love to be the first team to put a trail in. We can go where ever we want and the dogs get so attentive.
Hate to report that Batman is back at Happy Trails recuperating. Had a small tangle leaving the yard the other night that resulted in a big fight. For some reason Batman gets ganged up on and I can't seem to stop it. He is, in my extremely humble opinion, Martin's very best young dog. I can't risk him getting hurt so he's back at Happy Trails, spending some quiet time in the new dog barn bonding with Martin, who's spending days working in the dog barn. I'm hoping, when he heals, that Martin will run him and help me to get a handle on what it is about him that is causing these fights. Meantime, I'll be bringing another dog here to "replace" Batman for awhile. Stay tuned to see who that will be....
The really cold spell finally broke. It's a balmy 12 degrees ABOVE this morning. Got some light snow yesterday. Still on ATV though. Snow is pretty scant still. Dogs ran 20 miles Friday, 28 miles yesterday and will do 24 miles today. It will be the toughest 3 days we've done yet. Then they'll get a much deserved break on Monday. And my back and neck will get a much needed break from all the bouncing! Today will be a day of working new dogs in lead, running off trail, and lots of "happy breaks" while working on staying lined out. Keeps runs exciting if I do something different every run and focus on something new. Gets my mind on the run early while planning and keeps the dogs attentive.
OK, you all need to remember that you heard about BATMAN here first!! This dog will be an IDITAROD CHAMPION!!! Of that, there is no doubt! Martin will win Iditarod with Batman in his team! Batman is, as his name implies...super human and super canine! He is the fastest, toughest, most consistent dog! He will eat and drink absolutely anything he's given and has an iron stomach, which means even his poo is always perfect!!! He's got more than his share of testesterone, so I have to watch him like a hawk, but WOW, is he one cool dog!!! Oh, and he always comes to me when I call him!!! I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS DOG!!!!!!
Radon is son to Pandora and Roy. He's a fair sized boy with a huge head (not sure how full it is yet) and huge heart. He's learning to work hard. He can be a bit of a bully, so have to keep my eye on him. It's easy to pick him out of the line up when running in the team.....he's got the tail that curls right up his back. Not the "conformation" we really look for in a fast sled dog, but I think his heart and drive may more than make up for his "not so desirable" body build.
While all of the Buser boys are really sweet, Rohn is the sweetest! He's a lover dog, but only loves those he knows well. If someone he's not really familiar with comes into the yard, he hides in his house. He's got a big smile (See those teeth?) He's young and still learning the ropes, but he keeps moving up in the team. One of the greatest attributes of all the buser boys, and Rohn is no exception, is that they LOVE TO EAT!! These guys will eat and drink anything and everything!! yea!!! Rohn's only drawback, and you probably have to be a musher to understand the importance of this, is that he seems to have chronic stress poo. Poor guy poops all the way through most runs. So, you think that's funn???? You try pooing on the run!
We got about 8 inches of new snow last night. It was quite a storm. Unfortunately, I had to spend the evening plowing the driveway, shoveling out dog houses and driving the snow machine around my trails to "pack" things down. Fortunately, today we got to run and enjoy the new snow. No one had been out ahead of us since the storm so it was 11 miles of trail breaking. Dogs had a blast! I would have, if I'd been on a sled. The bouncing around on the ATV is pretty tough on this old body! Shouldn't be long now before we're on sleds.
Here's some pics of our run tonight.
That's Hasty and Abigail in lead.
Was beautiful out there tonight! The dogs did really well again driving off trail. This time, it was Batman who took the commands first and did his best to drag the team into the abyss where I was asking them to go! Love to see that. Guess he's the next that gets to run some lead!
Yep, another Buser boy! If you know Martin's eldest son, Niklolai....well, you'll have to tell me if Nikolai, the dog takes after Nikolai, the son. Nikolai (the dog) is very talkative, and very friendy, loves to eat, and seems to get along with all the dogs. The one thing he hasn't figured out yet is....hard work. While all the others have learned to put their head down, their tail down and pull for all their worth, Nikolai runs with head up and his tail up. If we slow down in the least going up a hill, while all the other dogs are working hard to get us up that hill, he takes the opportunity of the slowing pace, to lift his leg and mark the bushes. He'll learn. Just going to take him a bit longer than the others.
.....along with his littermates, Flash, Quick and Hasty!! Could not be a more perfectly named litter. All of these dogs are not only fast, but very quick! Presto is a bit on the small side, but very fast. He's a little spit fire. Don't tell him he's a "little Man". He thinks he's a BIG DOG. He's pretty stubborn and showing signs of being a good leader some day. Not a shy bone in his body.
This is Peter. He's another Buser boy, named after Martin's dad. I never met Martin's dad, so don't know how similar their personalities are. However, given Martin's work ethic and attention to details, I imagine his dad "ruled the roost"! So does Peter, the dogs. Well, he tries to. I've been challenged to really show Peter who the boss is. He's a happy guy and a hard worker and loves people and pets. He's pretty serious when running. Have to watch his every move when all the dogs are free or when we're hooking up to go for a run. He can quickly get into it with some of the other big boys and, like all good brothers, all the other Buser boys jump in to help. Guess it's lots of testesterone, which bodes well for his ability to drive hard, a quality much appreciated in a sled dog.
The scar under his right eye and the one on the inside of his front right leg are souveniers from some of his "power struggles" with the other boys.
This is Martin. Obviously, of the "Buser Boy" litter. Probably a good thing he's the one in the litter with that name because, so far, he's "top dog" of the Buser boys. I would have a hard time reprimanding or saying anything bad to or about a dog with that name. Martin is fast, friendly and funny, happy, a lover dog. He gives great hugs; wraps right around you. He's the smartest of the litter too. Haven't run Martin much in lead yet, but plan to work him there in the near future.
Beautiful afternoon for a dog run on the swamps. 40 degrees is way too warm for November and we surely could use some snow, but.....as my daddy always said...."can't let the weather dictate your life." Nice to have the swamps frozen enough to be out on them. I just love these first runs out there. I never see any people, only moose and a few ravens. Had a great time parking and playing with the dogs out there today.
This was our play spot today. The dogs just chilled out for quite awhile and loved it.
This is coming home via the swamp by our house.
Flash and Happy with Rohn and Presto behind them.
...And he is. Flash is one of the fastest dogs in the group. Opened up to a fast lope, he's just beautiful. Great leader, fast learner! Typically, I find girls easier to train to lead when they are young. They just seem to learn more quickly than the young boys. I'm sure it's an issue of females maturing a tad faster and able to focus better. Flash, however, counters that theory. He's getting commands the quickest of all the dogs. He's very friendly. Loves people and gets along with all the other boys. Two issues we are working on with Flash....he's quite the picky eater (not a good thing for Iditarod where caloric intake is everything) and he's the only dog that when we get home from runs and I let them all free, he finds it necessary to come down to the house to visit all the pet dogs. He will come back to the yard, but on his own time. He'll be getting some one on one work to learn to come when I call him.
Flash is littermate to Presto and Hasty (and Quick - a little girl who's running with Magnus right now).
There are 23 dogs at Happy Trails Kennel that are 18 months to 2 and a half years old. These are the pool of dogs that Martin wants me to choose from for a "camping trip" to Nome. I have 16 here at my kennel that I'm currently training. Martin, Sean and Magnus are training the rest of that group with their teams. It's a huge help to me to not have to train such a big team. When the whole team is young, they require lots of attention since they have no older, veteran dogs to learn from and to help keep them in line. I can, pretty much, stay on top of a team of 16 right now. As the season progresses and they mature and learn, I'll be adding more to the group. I appreciate that the guys are willing to add these young ones to their teams. They are each driving 22 dog teams right now.....geez!! That's a lot of dog power!
Flash has quite the smile, don't you think????
Yea!! Finally, enough freeze to get off our "subdivision trails" and out on to the swamps. it's a rough ride most of the way due to hunters who destroy the trails when they're wet. However, It's always a milestone for the season and means we'll soon be on sleds. The dogs were so excited to go somewhere new. Abigail and Xenon lead and were spectacular. They were right on with commands out there on the open swamp where there was no trail!! Never saw Abigail so excited. She was so darned proud of herself! Typically, the first ATV run out to the swamps is hard on the dogs. Not so this year. Even though it's a way tougher run and 2 miles longer than we've done yet this year, they were on it!!
Some more good news.....finally got heat in the garage today! That's been a project months in the making. Will be so nice to have a place for the older retired dogs to stay when it's really cold, a warm place to work on my sled, and to thaw the ATV. Life is good!!!
another dog. However, he's staying here until Animal Control takes him or his owner comes to claim him so I can ENCOURAGE him/her to neuter the boy. He's been hanging around off and on since early summer. He has a rabies tag, but no identification. He likes to come around in the middle of the night and rile up my crew, so I always ran him off. Then when I decided I should just catch him, he wouldn't come to me. Today I came home from church and Rich had all the pet dogs out of the pen. They all ran up to greet me and I noticed there were 9 dogs instead of 8. He was just playing with everyone and came up for his pets from me. I put him on our dog run and there he'll stay for a bit. He's an intact male and we have an in heat sled dog. She's in the pen, but the pen isn't quite big enough to keep her away from the edges of the pen. He could "get her" if they both really wanted to. He's a great dog, looks very well fed, loves to play with all our dogs; just a happy guy. My neighbor says she sees him every day when she takes her dog for his walk and says he just comes out of the woods. She thinks he doesn't have a home. I think he looks way too well cared for to not. Oh well, hope we find his owner or better yet, someone who really wants him and will take care of him
This is Happy and he truly is! He's Smiley's brother. They are the youngest litter, but he is showing great promise. Happy is a fast dog, beautiful trotter and showing tons of leader potential. We work on new leaders and new trails, or at least new routes every day. Happy is usually the first to get the command and he'll be the first to take the command even from the middle of the team.
