Janine's Urban Sled Dogs

Neighborhood Musher Watch

2009-10-25T19:08:00.001-05:00

We are beginning to draw a bit of attention in the neighborhood. By now with me and a dog running past 3 times every other day we are being noticed by more and more people.

One trick to being an urban musher is you get to have an audience. You are being watched. If your dogs are flying, people are saying, "wow". If they aren't pulling everyone knows. If your frustrated, they'll know that too.

Most people will never see a dog team in their life time. I'm leaving an impression about mushing in the minds of everyone who sees us cruising down the streets or rolling around the trails in the parks.

The kids down the street already were told, "no" about getting a scooter for their dog. Their dad mentioned something about being sure they would end up on the expressway.

My parents laughed the other day when they saw one of their neighborhood kids go by with their dog and a scooter. It seems I left an impression when I was living there as well.

Audience or no audience today was a good day. Nemo took me for a 3 mile tour in the park and the BFs pulled together and managed to keep the scooter moving better than they have been.

We just got new harnesses on Saturday, so they each have a better fitting harness than the last set. I hope the dogs appreciated this today.

I'm also making the leap from driving a RAV4 to actually getting a truck. I got tired of always cleaning out the dog fur and Nemo was slowing working on tasting each part of the car. A truck with a cap will be in my driveway within the next week or two.

Is mushing taking over my life?

Caution: Concrete is not soft

2009-10-20T19:33:00.000-05:00

My "each dog runs alone" day started off with a bang.

I hooked up Nemo first. He's over his skittishness and now just wants to play games with me so I have to keep taking him out front. We final managed to stay lined-out. I said LET'S GO and we went speeding down the sidewalk, until we came across a squirrel. Nemo took a quick left leaving me without enough time to stop the scooter. When it hit the end of the line it came to a quick stop, but I had too much momentum and kept going right onto the sidewalk.

The sidewalk reinforced Mushing Boot Camp lesson one - GO SLOW!

Nemo and I finished off a great run and I moved on to Blizzard. Blizzard was SLOW. I was glad to come home to switch to Flurry who was also on the slow side, but compared to Blizzard we were moving along.

Two Shifts for Nemo

2009-10-18T12:00:00.000-05:00

I forgot one important thing yesterday. Never leave Blizzard alone!

I did remember this lesson really this morning and decided to run Blizzard and Nemo together first. I couldn't get that dumb Blizzard to pull no matter how slow I made Nemo run. So when I left her alone during Nemo and Flurry's run I pretend that maybe she would be tired out and not cause any damage in the house. One of my blinds paid the price for my silly thinking.

Blizzard has always been the dog to slack off on a run to later jump a fence and take an adventure of her own. She is so going to learn to pull her weight! Maybe if she actually pulled she get worn out. I'm going to try not letting her run with anyone else to take up her slack. Solo runs for Blizzard.

Nemo was a champ he ran 5 miles total today and pulled for all 5. Flurry pulled some, but wasn't much help particularly near the end of the run when Nemo could have used some help. Flurry is going to do a little solo work herself on our next run.

So on Tuesday it looks like I am going to be going out for three runs.

Fall Training Continues

2009-10-17T11:24:00.000-05:00

I've been running a every other day schedule of training with the weather cooperating nicely with temps at 45 degrees tops in the evenings when I get home.

Nemo is running great, but after Mushing Boot Camp he seems nervous to line-out. Was Mushing Boot Camp too tough on my Mr. Sensitive? I'm not sure how I should handling this nervousness or fear. I'm guessing like a dog with fears of thunderstorms babying this behavior will not correct it and could make it worse. I'll admit now that I feel bad to see him with his tail between his legs and his sad puppy dog eyes looking up at me like line-out is actually a punishment for something he did wrong.

However, once I say let's go and we hit the sidewalks heading toward the park, he is happy as a clam and he's tail perks right up. That's the tail I want to see even at hook up time. How do I get that back?

Flurry and Blizzard (the BFs) are in slow motion. I'm keeping the speeds down at all times so they have to pull and since they aren't moving (cause they aren't pulling) they keep stopping and sniffing. I'm getting off the scooter over and over to pull them away from a tree and back on to the trail. It is frustrating to repeat this action over and over. I've caught myself getting angry with the frustration and have to fight it off to stay positive and reinforce the good moments when they have tension on the line and we are actually moving.

I watched some videos from last year and a few from a few years back. When we first started all the BFs wanted to do was run fast. That worked for a while. Even last year there were times when all lines were tight and I was enjoying the ride. I also remember times last year when the BFs weren't pulling much at all. It didn't happen over night - it happened over 4 years. This last year having Nemo, the mad puller, on the team may have even made it easier from the BFs to let their lines go slack.

Today was a tough day of feeling like we have made no progress since Mushing Boot Camp. I don't put any of this on the dogs and much of my frustration might not even be related to mushing, but instead to a tough week at work.

Tomorrow is another day. I'm going to try something a bit different. Flurry seems like she's been pulling more than Blizzard, so I'd like to get her away from Blizzard for a run so she can go a bit faster. I plan to run two short trips one with Nemo and Flurry and the other with Nemo and Blizzard.

Nemo might do better with line-out with Flurry who has been great at this by his side. I can run them at Flurry's pace - Nemo shouldn't mind the slower trip and it will keep him focused on pulling (don't want him to turn into the BFs in a few years).

The second run with Nemo should mean he's a bit more tired and should run fine with my slowpoke Blizzard. Perhaps with Nemo to compete with Blizzard won't spend so much time with her nose in bushes.

New Year New Strategy

2009-10-12T19:32:00.002-05:00

This year we've taken a new approach. We started the season with a trip to Baldwin, MI for Mushing Boot Camp. Our two biggest lessons learned included:

1. Rushing to hook all the dogs up only makes them more excited...Therefore, Nemo would have always turned around to chew the lines or started fights with the girls if I didn't change my behaviors at hook up time. Nemo is working on "line-out", but has become a bit skittish of standing out there by himself. However, Flurry really seems to be getting the idea on "line-out".

2. Rushing and pushing to go faster doesn't teach dogs to pull harder. In fact it has done a fine job of teaching Blizzard and Flurry to avoid too much resistance on the line. So I'm working on slowing things down with the girls and laying down the expectations that they need to pull even when the going gets tough, because I'm not going to bail them out all the time.

So now we are working on practicing the things we have learned. My runs with the girls maybe slow for a while, but it will be worth it later out on the trails. I'm going to enjoy a winter of hooking the dogs up without fights or problems and great runs with all three dogs pulling.

Sweetwater

2009-01-27T18:38:00.002-06:00

Day 1

We hit the trail 11th out of 19 teams. We added Kenton to our team, who is up for adoption from Adopt a Husky. He ran in wheel with Flurry the whole weekend. In front of us were a few of our friends and their teams, so we had something to chase. There were two loops to the trail we were running on. The first we referred to as the “little loop” it was 5 miles of the 12.5 we had to complete. The “little loop” as it turned out was also the hilliest part.

On the way to the little loop there was a spot where we had to do head-on passing. Lucky us, we got to pass two teams on the way out. Both didn't go smoothly, but there were no tangles or fights so we were lucky.

We got passed by two faster teams, but that was ok because it gave us something to chase until we caught up to our friend Karen. Karen liked that, because she got to chase us for a while. We then came across our other friend Rainer who had gotten dragged and ended up pulling a muscle (so he was going to be heading back).

We got stuck at a turn where Nemo wanted to go straight instead of go “gee”. Karen passed us, so we followed her. We caught up to another team at which time I passed Karen and the other team. I was expecting Karen to be right behind us, but she needed up needing to help the other team and was delayed in catching up to us.

We made most of the rest of the 12.5 mile trek alone. We passed one more team when we got to a section that ran on an unplowed road. Then we were again alone.

We got to a turn near the end where Nemo again want to go the wrong way. I had to get off and point him in the right direction multiple times. Finally I had decided to pull the snow hook and lead the team the right direction. This backfired when they pulled me over and I luckily got a hold of the handle bar in time to get dragged through the deep snow. I finally got Nemo going the right way and we were off down the trail again.

Our lonely streak ended at the very end when one of the faster teams that was doing a bigger loop caught us from behind. They passed and we chased for a bit, but with only 4 dogs the hills are a bit slower for us than the bigger teams. Plus I lost my balance and ended up with one leg forward and the other under kneeling on the drag break. This gets your heart pumping.

We finish the run and had a good first day.

Day 2

On day two we went out 9th with a few less teams running. We started down the trail toward the “little loop”. Blizzard soon need to stop to poop, which caused Flurry and Kenton to run over the lines.

When we started running again, Kenton had his leg rapped in the line and when he couldn't get it loose he flopped down on his side on the trail. Nemo thinking Kenton was holding him back from his favorite activity of running, got mad and started a fight with him. I broke them up and got Nemo out front and went to make sure Kenton was untangle and unharmed. In the mean time Nemo came back to fight some more and I had to pull him off again. When I finally got the Nemo focused on running, Kenton decided he didn't want to go forward as he would have to get closer to mean little Nemo.

I finally convince all the dogs that we were going to run and like it. As we started moving, all I could think was this was going to be a long day as we weren't even a mile into it.

Blizzard ended up on the left side of Nemo some where along the line, which doesn't work well as Nemo runs right on the left edge of the trail leaving no room for Blizzard. The team behind us had more than enough time to catch us. We let them pass, but had to stop to flip Blizzard and Nemo.

Again we ended up leaving plenty of time for the next team to catch us. This team tried to pass us, but her leaders would not lead by us. We finally lead both teams down the trail. We got to the same turn we missed on day one and Nemo again wanted to go straight.

The team behind us decided to try passing again. It was an unsuccessful attempt. The next team behind us caught up while we were playing around so we let them go ahead thinking the other team could follow them. However, the other team didn't follow, but instead turned around back toward my leaders. We again ended up leading both teams down the trail.

We later caught up to the other two teams that had passed. We passed one on the road and the other when they stopped at a turn on the road. We got great practice passing and pulling away from the other teams. We needed that kind of practice.

We took our time down the road and the one team caught us again and we let them pass. Again we had something to chase. We ended up losing them a bit and finished up the run with nothing to chase up the final hills. A faster team caught us at the very last part of the trail, but they didn't pass as we were so close to the end. We lead into the finish.

We survived two days.

Home at last

After smiling the whole way home, remembering the good times we had, I decided we should go back next month and also enter another distance run this year. Once home, we took a 8.6 mile run on Monday to make our grand total 33.6 miles for the three day stretch.

Waiting for a Response

2009-01-22T19:22:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we went to the Pine River Run, put on by the Wisconsin Trailblazers Sled Dog Club. The dogs were slow and Flurry was NOT pulling. We had fun anyway.

A few new mushers showed up to do skijoring with their rottweilers. These are just the kind of people I would be encouraging to go out on the trails with their dogs. However, it appear the race officials spoke with them and at least one other team to suggest they might want to leave the race after the first day, because their were too slow. What a way to make new people feel welcome.

As a whole, I too haven't always felt “welcome” at Trailblazer events, but at least I was never turned way. Plus, I've made friends with a lot of people who attend their races. It's those people who can make you feel a lot more welcome.

I decided to write a letter to the president of Trailblazers about my concerns on behalf of small and new teams. I send it earlier this week and I am still waiting to hear back. I'm kind of unsure how to feel about their races right now, so I'm hopeful to hear back.

* * *

On a happier note, we are off to MI tomorrow to run 12.5 miles on Saturday and Sunday. It will be a fun weekend with a group of people who did an excellent job making my two dog team feel really welcome at a distance race last year. This is not normally the kind of event you would see a two dog team at, but they seem to be open to all kinds of teams, big or small, slow or fast.

I am excited to see some of these new friends again and introduce them to dog number 3.

This event is just for fun and practice, so I can't wait to get there.

Rock Stars

2009-01-12T18:13:00.003-06:00

We started our run like rock stars in their prime and finished like a rock star ends their career, alone and miserable.

We headed out to the trail head late enough on Sunday evening that I grabbed my headlamp just in case we had a slow run and were still on the trail when the sun went down.

When we arrived, I almost moved on to a different location as the lot was full of vehicles. I noticed that a large group of people snowshoeing were just coming off the trail, so the trail was probably not as busy as it looked.

I parked and let the dogs out. This drew instant attention. The snowshoe group coming off the trail flocked to us. Soon they were all around us offering assistance and asking all kinds of questions. We also had snowmobiles slowing down as they past to see what was up.

We were able to get someone to hold Nemo in line-out position while I hooked the other two up and got on the sled. I put Blizzard in lead with Nemo, but left the neckline off as Nemo would have surely cased a fight in front of this crowed. I didn't think that would go over well with the unsuspecting helper holding him. Nemo is just too impatient.

We took off without incident with lots of thanks from the crowd for entertaining their questions and allowing them to be apart of my taking off down the trail. As well I thanked them for their assistance, as I faded off down the trail.

Not a quarter mile down the trail we came across the group of snowmobiles who had passed us in the parking lot. They apparently stopped to watch us go by after seeing us getting ready. I waved and smiled as we flew past.

The first two-thirds of the run were great. It is always a fun trip when you're skidding sideways around turns cause you're going so fast the the dogs are all pulling. I was smiling the whole time.

The last third wasn't as spectacular. Nemo started veering off the trail to investigate smells in the woods. After I stopped to put the neckline on Blizzard, she didn't help the matter at all with her curiosity.

I eventually tired of the distractions and decided to demote Nemo and move Flurry up. Flurry decided to use her renewed authority to hunt up some horse crap to nibble on while trotting along. Yuck! Then she too lead us off the trail.

Since Nemo was at least pulling more in lead I moved him back up. We started moving along fast for a while until I saw why. There were two dogs ahead (on leash thank you very much responsible owners). There was one on either side of the trail so Blizzard and Nemo stopped to chat with the big one and Flurry greeted the little one. I did not greet them, but ran up to keep my team moving without any incidents.

Not too far from the end of the trail all three suddenly veered off to the left side of the trail and out popped Nemo with the prize they were all after in him mouth. Upon realizing this prize they all wanted was some kind of animal, I jumped from my sled and flew on top of Nemo as a dog fight was a probable next step over such a treasure.

In a blink of an eye, I ended up with Nemo pinned the ground between my legs and had the neckline off of Blizzard with her pushed back behind me out of the way. I then proceeded to pry what I learned was the back half of a old dead rabbit carcass out of Nemo's mouth. Yuck again! I had to get it out twice as the first time I got distracted by Blizzard approaching around my side. The second time I got it lose I flung it towards the woods to prevent anyone from getting it again.

I got everyone untangled and back on the trail moving. Thankfully the end of the trail wasn't far as I was exhausted from all the activity and running hills to keep us moving at a nice quick pace throughout the run. We made it back to the car before dark.

Back in the parking lot, alone and miserable from the last mile or so, I was just getting to the car and getting the back door open when the eminent threat of a loose dog came over us. As I heard the owner calling behind the dog to no avail, I realized I was about to be the sole human among a four dog encounter and all I had was a grip on the neckline of the front two dogs to keep the peace. As the dog ran toward us I quickly clipped two dogs to the car just before the dog made it to us.

The owner of course stopped trying to get his dog and left me to handle all four. The initial greeting was fine until Nemo got a bit overzealous and I had to pull him back. The owner of the dog finally got back to his car and called his dog. Some people!

The dogs had some water while I packed up the sled and we made it safely home that night. Despite the crazy activities of the end of our run, we had a great time and the dogs did a wonderful job.

We had two fun runs this weekend and even saw some other people heading out to sled with their ten dogs. However today, after a whole day of sitting at work my joints are tired and stiff. I really need to stay more active on the Mondays after these busy weekends. At least the dogs are still tired out.

The Not So Crazy Dog Lady

2009-01-06T17:45:00.011-06:00

Down here in the city, some might call me the crazy dog lady. However, over the weekend I went up north to dog sled with some mushers. I am sane compared to these people. I had the fewest dogs and the next person up from me has at least six.

Nine musher rented out a house up north this weekend (with one working toilet) and went out running dogs two days in a row. The trails were nice and I must say I liked oh shit hill. On the first day I did two 5 mile loops and on the second day I did another 5 miles.

Nemo ran lead by himself the first run. Then I paired him up with Flurry in the lead, which didn't work out quite as planned. Both Nemo and Flurry want to run on the left edge of the trail. Nemo spent most of the run leaning in on Flurry every time she tried to move him over. She wasn't very successful as every time she tried to get in next to him, she sunk into the deep snow which slowed her down and didn't give her much leverage against the heavier Nemo.

On day two, I started with Nemo in lead again. However in the middle of the run I moved Blizzard up to the front with him. Blizzard loved this. She started running along trying to playfully grab Nemo by the neck, but Nemo the running machine could not be distracted. She enjoyed the speed of running with Nemo and kept up nicely.

On my next run I think I'll run Nemo and Blizzard together again as Blizzard secretly knows her commands she just usually lets Flurry do all the thinking. This might be a good opportunity for Blizzard to show if she could be a better leader or give me some time to teach Nemo the commands.

Over all the weekend up north was fun and I again questioned why I would want to have too many more dogs. I still enjoy the individual time I get with just a few dogs and wonder how exhausting it would be to try to keep up with that if I had six or more dogs. I might some day be convinced to get a fourth, but I don't think I would want to go beyond that. But sled dogs are an addiction; I beat you can't get just one.

New Year Run

2009-01-02T06:07:00.004-06:00

For January 1^st we decided to take another run out on the trail we ran the other day. Nemo the command-less lead dog lead us out again.

This run was a bit different than the last run, just two days before. Nemo made every turn without confusion except for one which he had to think about for a minute before he lead us the correct way. Either the little guy memorized the trail after only one run or he could still smell our scent from last time. I think I'll test this by waiting a good while before going back and see how he does.

The trail had a bit of fresh snow, but it was still icy and fast underneath. I nearly ran into trees again. And Nemo kept hearing, seeing or smelling things off in the woods. So I got to stop us from heading into the woods a couple of times and he even came back at me to head back down the trail the opposite way twice. If he hadn't done such a great job pulling and navigating the rest of the time I would demote him to wheel again.

Near the end of the trail we picked up our pace as the dogs could smell and then hear that wonderful lab we came across last time on this trail. This time lab lady had the dog tied to a tree along the trail and she was no where to be found. The dogs all barked or howled with excitement, but I didn't see the lady. I whistled and all the dogs stopped. I heard nothing.

I decided to inch our way over to the edge of the trail where there was enough snow to kind of use the snow hook. I got it in and went up to the dogs and grabbed Nemo's harness. I went back and pulled the snow hook and grabbed Blizzard and Flurry by the neckline. By this time the lady appeared and pulled her dog off to the side. Also with her was a man and two kids who where sledding down the hill on the trail.

I didn't want to tangle with her dog, who was still strapped to the tree just on the edge of the trail. So I walked the dogs past the dog and family and did an interesting maneuver on the hill to let the dogs go, jump on the sled and get my foot on the break quickly because it was a steep and big hill. I pulled it off and we again made it safely back to the parking lot.

Keep your cool!

2008-12-31T07:57:00.004-06:00

What an adventure today! We went out west to find some snow to sled on. Driving past snowless hills and bear fields I felt a little silly most of the drive. Then finally I saw enough snow in treed areas, just a bit further north from that point and I called the location perfect.

We hooked up and went flying around on an icy trail with only a few sections of bear ground.

I put Nemo in lead again even though I knew on this trail we would need to make a lot of turns. We managed to make all the turns we needed to although for a couple of turns I need to stop and the girls eventually pulled Nemo over the right direction. You aren't supposed to have your wheel dogs doing the steering, but it worked out.

I had a great time although I need to use the break a lot and didn't get to relax much as I was at risk of hitting trees in a lot of the turns on this curvy, hill trail. It was a great ride and I would love to go back again now that we got a bit of fresh snow last night.

The trail map said it was 8 miles and my GPS read 6, so I either did the 8 miles or I missed a turn. I can't really tell as it was kind of cloudy and with all the trees over the trail I may not have gotten a good signal for the whole ride.

In the last stretch I came around a corner to find a lady and her dog. We stopped as the dog was off leash. The lady then took at least a minute or two to frantically try to put on some sort of harness so the dog could be leashed. Nice lady! No collar; mistake number one. The dog was an excited lab who must have put on a few pounds since the harness was adjusted. All the while my three are waiting and watching with excitement.

I was very impressed with the woman's dog handling skills when she lost control of her emotions, because it was taking her too long to put the small harness on the big dog, who was excited to see three more dogs. She yelled and slapped the dog saying “knock it off”. Great pet owner mistake number two.

She finally got him leashed and move just off the edge of the trail. It was my turn to move. Now my dogs have been staring at these two yahoos for a few minutes and I have to remain confident that the three of them will pass without stopping to check out the dog. We didn't make it passed without starting to veer toward the dog, so I jumped off and grabbed the line to pull them back on course as I said, “on by”. “On by” is Nemo's best command after “let's go”. So despite being nose to nose with the other dog and ready to get ourselves all tangled up, we started pulling away, as the woman yelled out in a panicked voice “get your dog” (mistake number three).

The panic in her voice was enough to make even me what to bite someone. The four dogs were all fine and not a single growl was made that I could hear and the woman panics. Luckily we were already pulling away when her response came out and I only had enough time to turn to look back. I admit we didn't act perfectly when we pasted her, but had her dog been on a leash to start the whole interaction could have gone differently.

That's when my car came into sight and we were safely off the trail. The dogs had water and treats while I packed everything back up. We stopped off to spend the afternoon at my parents' house where I watched a few movies on their new big screen TV. When I left it was snowing.

We made our way home safely despite the crazy drivers flying around slower traffic, the cars at the side of the road who must have been in some sort of accident, and the guy who was out of his car and thought it was would be ok to walk across the freeway to a car parked on the inside shoulder. Even after passing all that excitement cars still flew around other traffic driving way to fast for conditions.

What a busy day.

Dumped on Christmas Eve

2008-12-25T06:45:00.002-06:00

Yesterday I drove through the snow storm, to got out sledding in the Kettle Moraine.

I put Nemo in the lead again (still doesn't know Gee or Haw). When I had everyone hooked up and the snowhook out Nemo was facing the wrong way playing tug of war with the gangline.

Our first turn was a haw, however Nemo was confident we should go straight. The next turn was a gee. Nemo want straight, so I stopped the sled, put the snow hook in and grabbed Nemo and pointed him in the right direction. We then proceeded down the trail I wanted us to take.

The trail was great. There where lots of hills and bends to keep me busy. On one downhill section I tipped the sled and the dogs dragged me down the hill a little ways.

Note that I hung on to the sled again. I was once told I wasn't a real musher because I hadn't lost my team yet. Which is confusing cause your not supposed to let go of the sled. Basically, I don't plan on becoming a real musher.

We made it back to the parking lot alive and meet the Trail Coordinator for the park. He is interested in dog sledding and commented on the number of teams that come out to use these particular trails. Hopefully some day we won't be the only team out and we can meet some more teams. It is always nice to have some other teams to practice passing with or to just have some fresh dog scent on the trails to follow.

We finished packing up the sled and headed home. That afternoon I went off to Christmas with one of my brothers. When I left I left three happy dogs loose in my house. For Christmas I got a house that wasn't torn-up, nothing peed on, and no dog fights. I was hopeful that, after seeing that Nemo didn't cause any problems after breaking out of his crate 4 times in the last few weeks, he was learning all the house rules.

Really I just wanted to get that crate out of my kitchen (there just isn't enough room), but I have noticed that everyone is getting along. They have started to learn how much to much with each other and have seemed to have found some sort of pack order that suits them all well. It will still be a while before I don't worry about them all, because they could always suprize me with something I never expected. That's why I just aways expect the unexpected when dealing with huskies.

Cold Run

2008-12-21T18:34:00.001-06:00

Today it was below zero with 40 mile/hour winds or something like that. We gathered up enough courage to go out sledding in the afternoon. We went out to some horse/snowmobile trails for a 7 mile run.

Nemo was cold waiting for me to get the sled ready and harnesses on everyone. He just doesn't have a good husky coat of fur. I'll have to get him a coat for this kind of weather, so he doesn't freeze before we run.

I put Nemo in lead again. We went a little crazy with excitement waiting for me to hook up the other two. It was easier keeping everyone untangled with him in the lead.

The run was good. Blizzard and Flurry were slacking a bit at times, but Nemo pulled like a mad man.

We made it back safe without any problems or freezing off any toes.

The Big Promotion

2008-12-19T18:32:00.002-06:00

What a busy day.

I had to shovel most of a foot of snowfall (the snow blower conveniently worked long enough for me to clear out the end of the driveway).

The dogs got to spend the day outside while I was shoveling and spent the rest of the time with me inside as a special treat, called a snow day.

We wanted to go out early and sled right down the street over to the park, but I waited too long and the plows cleaned up the streets. So we planned our run for the afternoon when I just drove us over to the park.

In hooking up, when I got to Nemo he was anxious to go as usually, so he was pulling on the lines and causing Blizzard and Flurry to wander about and turn around. Some kids had been watching us, so they came over. I had one hold up the line so Nemo couldn't grab it and the others entertained Blizzard and Flurry while I released us from the car and pull the snow hook (which I actually had enough snow to make use of).

We started off down the park roads which were still a little snow covered, plus I figured we would catch the bike trail, which wasn't plowed yet, when we got to the crossing. The road was too fun, so we kept going a little ways until we saw some cars coming. I yelled, "Gee" and Flurry pulled us up into the snow bank to get off the road. Then it all went down hill for my two lead dogs. We found trees to sniff, trees to pee on, we went on the other side of the pole, we didn't keep the line out, and all that fun stuff. They did do a nice turn around after we went down the steep bending trail down to the lake front (so it was all bad).

On the way back I got a bit tired of helping Nemo by walking or pushing the sled, cause the girls were slacking, so I gave him a promotion. I put the snow hook in and did some switching around (very carefully as to not leave Nemo next to one of the girls as that usually leads to a fight). The switching went smoothly and I pulled the snow hook.

We went flying down a hill and Nemo keep to the path we had taken on the way out. Nemo keep the line out, but stopped for two rest stops as jumping through the deep snow was wearing him out. I think I'll need to do some serious command training over my Christmas break because he did a nice job for not know a single command (other than "on by" which he seems to recognize).

He does have a tendency to want to go gee whenever confronted with two paths. I wanted him to go straight a couple times when we came across an intersecting trail, so I had to stop and get him pointed straight ahead cause each time he started heading gee.

Maybe I'll try teaching Blizzard the commands too, that way I can put any one of them in lead, if I needed to. Blizzard would probably be my last choice, since she is some times call "sure pees a lot".

Once we got back from sledding, I took Blizzard out to get her staples pulled from her ear. Now we are back and ready to relax on the sofa.

Santa Nemo

2008-12-18T19:00:00.002-06:00

Tonight Nemo and I went out to give Christmas cards to the neighbors. He was a good boy for all the neighbors.

All four of us (Blizzard, Flurry, Nemo and I) had a nice walk early this morning. Nemo actually walked part of the way without pulling on the leash. This is great since it has been kind of icy out there.

However, I still have sometimes where I am frustrated with dog number 3.

Good days and bad days

2008-12-14T16:23:00.002-06:00

One dog is a handful, two dogs have some benefits, three dogs is like a suspense story. I'm always waiting for the next explosion, mess, fight, escape, or mysterious event.

Yesterday was a good day for Nemo. No problems.

Today, he tried to start a fight with Blizzard. Later, I could tell he was thinking about starting one with Flurry who picked up a toy (which originally belonged to Flurry).

Nemo needs to be watched when toys are on the floor. Usually my two girls don't play with toys much, but they occasionally pick one up for a while. However, Nemo seems to think all the toys are his (it doesn't matter that they has all been chewed on by Blizzard or Flurry before).

He's not like my girls who will come up with an elaborate scheme to distract the other and steal the toy. He is more of a go right up and growl until they give it up or fight to the death kind of dog. I don't really like that attitude.

To top everything off the weather was warm and melted my snow, so I didn't get to go sledding or anything.

New Number Three

2008-12-13T17:26:00.005-06:00

Nemo

Nemo is my newest dog. I have had him for two weeks today.

Nemo is about 3 years old and was adopted from Adopt A Husky.

He has one blue eye and one brown and blue eye.

He loves to chew and snuggle.

So far he has escaped his crate, broke out of the yard, bit a four staple gash in Blizzard's ear, got 9th in a sled race, survived an attempted mass suicide orchestrated by Blizzard and the stove, got into a car accident (ok, not a real accident - a couple of kids ran their sled into my front bumper in a parking lot while I was putting the sled on the roof rack) and generally worked his way into our lives. He is anxious to see what excitement tomorrow will bring.

Life has been a little crazy the last couple of weeks.

Can't Depend on Snow - Our first race this year

2008-12-06T17:47:00.001-06:00

It all started with a wintry drive up to Fond Du Lac. We survived and made it to the race site without visiting any ditches like many of the cars we past (perhaps I am foreshadowing the events of the race -- read on and see what you think).

At the race we saw lots of people who we haven't see since last winter (or in some cases the winter before).

At the musher's meeting, we picked number 23 for our bib number, so we had to wait for 22 other teams to go out ahead of us. We made it to the starting chute and on to the trail without any dog fights (a first since Nemo joined us). We did have a hard time leaving the chute, cause Nemo was to anxious to go and started playing tug of war with the lines right before we were supposed to go.

On the trail we made quick work of catching and passing the team ahead of us (who appeared to be having problems staying on trail and avoid distractions). His dogs almost tangled up with mine, but I jumped off the sled and pulled us way from his approaching dogs.

As we went, we came across a loose dog headed back to the start. Then the team we past, past us. Next we past the musher who lost the dog.

Then Blizzard pooped.

Then Flurry pooped.

Then we caught back up to the team who we past and then past us. That team got distracted while going past someone standing by as trail help, so we past them. Then they past us again. We both past another team.

Then the team head of us got distracted (again) by two teams we were about to pass and I past them (and the other two teams). Then that team past us again.

I didn't pass them again because the whole game of pass was getting old, even though all three of my dogs did a great job passing the other teams the whole way (no tangles, no fights, just on by). Passing them again would just give them something to chase and they would try to pass again.

Finally we came in right on the heals of the other team at the finish line. Our time was about 15 about a half minutes, which put us in 9th place out of the 33 teams there.

We ended our adventures with a nice sunny drive home.

New toys and weather

2008-09-04T12:06:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a good day, once I got done at work. It started with the call that my new bike was ready to be picked up. That's right I have a new Trek 4300. I don't think the dogs are as excited as I am, but Blizzard doesn't yet realize I was going to put a lot of her training time in bikejoring. Last year she started to pick up on the commands, but she still depends on Flurry to know which way to go. Perhaps some individual attention might help with the commands and she feel pretty darn special too.

Since last years discovery of Lyme disease, Flurry doesn't seem like she as motivated to run. I'm thinking about trying some canicross with her during the fall training season. She won't have to pull as hard or run as fast, which might get her excited again. I do admit she did seem to like running longer distances at a slower pace last year. She just might not be a sprint racer.

Any way back to the new toys and weather. Before I took the new bike out for a test run last night, I decided to have the girls go for their first run of the season. The weather has dropped down to the 60s and I have been dying to run the scooter down to the parks here. It was a slow run, as it was still in the high 60s, but at least we got a run in.

When I got back, I put the dogs in our new kennel and took the bike out for a spin. Wow, it was a nice ride. I can't wait to get my next new toy, a BAY-o-net, so we can bikejor in style.

Wish me luck with all the exercise I'll be getting taking each dog out training separately.

New Training Grounds

2008-08-27T19:27:00.003-05:00

We finally have a new home. Flurry and Blizzard are loving the nice backyard. They have already picked some tomatoes out of the garden to eat. I keep trying to tell them to wait until they are red, but they can't wait and get them green.

We live right near lots of parks and some golf courses. I am hoping no one will mind if we sled on them in winter. I can have up to 3 dogs which means there is room for one more in the pack. We can walk to the lake and run on the beach (Blizzard and Flurry aren't big fans of waves). I don't think I'll get bored walking with all these parks.

Right now we are at my Grandma's house which is just a few blocks away. We are enjoying the new house and are getting excited to start our fall training.

Now what?

2008-03-29T09:11:00.000-05:00

The snow has been melting away, but last weekend we got two runs in. One right down the neighborhood streets, because we were in the middle of a 15 inch snow storm and the other I found a nice trail used by snowmobiles and horseback riders. I’ll be going back to that trail next year.

For now, I think my sledding days are done for a while, since there is more grass than snow surface areas outside. We will be switching over to long summer hikes and play days at the dog park (fenced in dog parks). I like to keep all three of us in shape over the summer so fall training doesn’t involve getting back in shape, it’s just a process of switching back over to winter activities.

To stay in shape myself, I have decided to participate in a bike ride to raise money for the MACC (Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc.) Fund. If you would like to help fight pediatric cancer and keep a snow lover busy training for a warm weather sport, feel free to contribute on my personal fund raising page: http://www.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=264114&u=264114-209529680&e=1615042211

The 20 miles of Michigan

2008-03-11T12:07:00.000-05:00

This last weekend, my girls and I hit the road to head over to Michigan. We got meet a completely new group of mushers and got to run 10 miles a day on some beautiful trails.

We took the sled with us instead of skis, which we original planned on taking. It was a good idea to use the sled as the trails were difficult with a sled and would have been worse with skis. The trails was a nice hard backed surface, but not icy. We flew down the hills at top speeds through wooded sections. I had to stay alert and be ready with the brake to keep the sled on the trail and avoid trees.

We made the 10-mile trip in a little under 2 hours each day. Flurry seemed a little tired the last part of the run on the second day. Both dogs were ready to go and full of energy the second day. However, they did have a good time goofing off and sniffing trees on the second day.

Mid distance runs are so much more enjoyable than sprint races. I might have to see what other mid distance events I can go to next year.

City Life

2008-02-23T21:40:00.000-06:00

You’ve probably heard by now, but life isn’t fair. Neither is city life for a sled team.

I follow the rules of the city. I have only two dogs when I need four to compete in the sport I love. I clean up after my dogs. I don’t take them into the city parks (none of which allow dogs). I walk everyday on hard concrete past open parks full of soft grass. Just following the rules. The city has lots of rules. In return for following the rules, the city has very little to offer my dogs and I.

Near by is a state park, which “allows” dog sledding. However, the trail is never groomed and “never will be”. In a race, we can complete 4 miles in twenty to thirty minutes. In practice, we never even get close. Today it took us over an hour to do 3 miles. We spend every hour of practice at this park trudging through deep snow. The hikers and snowshoers the park is preserving this area for usually stick to about a mile loop on a 4-mile trail. Most of the trail remains untouched, because the few people that do venture beyond the 1-mile loop have no idea where the trail is. We do. We are out there every chance we get. We know that trail so well we can find it in the dark.

Would it really hurt the hikers and snowshoers if someone ran a snowmobile or something around occasionally to pack it down a bit? The snow will still be there, just as deep as before and will still blow over with drifts for them to frolic through.

We do have options. We can run on bike trails and risk crossing roads. We can also run on snowmobile trails and risk being hit by one flying around a bend. We could also buy our own land and make our own trails, but to find the land at an affordable price would mean leaving the city.

Maybe we should leave the city. The city is not warm and welcoming to dogs. It is even less so for mushers. I don’t fit in with city life. Let’s face it my idea of “green” transportation is a little different than the hybrid cars the city folk are talking about.

So why am I telling you all this? I have all the snow I could possibly want this year, but I still can’t get in enough practice to prepare for our next race.

Musher Gets Cold Feet

2008-02-17T10:34:00.000-06:00

I submitted an entry into my first mid-distance race. In March, the team and I will be skijoring 10 to 20 miles. To prepare for the event the three of us went out skiing yesterday. We put on a total of 13 miles, for the day.

A skijoring race presents a few problems for someone like myself:

I can’t ski down hills…which means we might have the worst time ever because I’ll be pealing myself up out of the snow a million times. This constant falling and getting back up will not win us any world records and may mean we take too long to finish.
As we discovered yesterday my ski boots suck. My feet were instantly wet and while my skiing activity kept my feet warm for most of the run, my feet were freezing by time we were done. I literally had cold feet.
I am a slow skier. If the dogs do not pull, we will not be getting anywhere fast.
If my dogs do pull, I may have the same problems I have when I go down hill.
It is raining now and my snow to practice on is at risk.

If only I have two more dogs, we could run it with a sled.

The good news is Flurry will be done with her antibiotics before the race and she should be back to 100%. I did not notice any stiff joints, sore legs, or favored paws, yesterday.

For now to prepare for the race I am going to try to water proof my boots (I’m not spending money on new equipment for my least preferred dog powered event). Hopefully my boots will finish drying out today and I can get to work at this task.

Second, I am going to stop walking with the dogs. I do not want them too used to our usual slow pace. Our walks have been great and they both really stick by me, but I want lean, mean, running machines for a mid distance even, so I do not have to work as hard the whole race. Therefore, instead of walking I will jog with them, if I can (this rain might make it too icy to jog).

Wish us luck!

Vet Visit May Mean New Threat to Four Dog Teams

2008-02-08T17:15:00.000-06:00

Disappointed with an eight place finish, musher Janine Sajdak, was determined there must be something wrong with her two dog team that they didn’t beat all 14 four dog teams at last weekend’s Christmas Mountain sled race. Noticing suspicious sore legs that vanished and reappeared on different legs at different times on her lead dog Flurry, she sought out the expert opinion of her team veterinary.

Doctor Mike indicated that Flurry's joints are in excellent condition, but that the four dog teams may have something to worry about. Due to an apparent exposure to Lyme disease, Flurry may have been performing at less than 100%. An antibiotic may be the secret weapon to launching the small but mighty team into a whole new class.

When reporters asked Janine about the incident she said, “This last week after the race she (Flurry) seemed to slow down more than normal and actually wanted to turn around and go back to the car on a run. So, I scheduled an appointment at the Vet to check this out. My suspicion was Lyme disease. It turns out I was right.”

It seems that mushers like Janine keep a close eye on any favored paw or sore shoulder within their teams. She reported that Flurry’s symptoms would come and go, never lasting very long, leaving her to believe the problems were imaginary at times.

While some might say that a diagnosis of an exposure to Lyme disease could be devastating, Doctor Mike clearly had only good things to say about Flurry’s health and physical condition. Janine has sent out a friendly warning to all four dog teams, “We should be back up to full force in no time, so beware and keep an eye out for the health and safety of your teams.”

To learn more about Lyme disease in pets go to http://www.lyme.org/otherdis/ld_pets.html