Dog Lover!

Running the Mid Distance Bear Grease Sled Dog Marathon
Day 29 September 29, 2010
Team Buzzsaw / Stewart Taylor Printing

I love these dogs. They are nothing like I had expected. I am reading Gary Paulsons "Winter Dance" and I am amazed at the difference from the wild dogs he ran in the Iditarod compared to the veteran team that is training me. Almost every dog in my team has over 20,000 miles and some have over 35,000. When I say "my team" I am talking about the 10 dogs that I train with. Stetson has 3-10 dog teams and I am working with the veterans for now. I don't know which dogs I will run with in the Beargrease, but I am learning all of the basics with the "easiest" team. The pups are tougher to control compared to the veterans. The experienced dogs put their nose up and let you slide the harness on, then they lift their right paw to slip the saddlebag harness over their right leg....it is becoming easy. Some pups are like putting a saddle on a wild horse, they are very playful and full of energy. It has become easy to have favorite dogs and dogs you want to run with compared to dogs that are still learning. In the end, they all pull hard and want to run, it comes down to finding the right mix of dogs that will compete but still give me a chance to have an error free race (which doesn't happen often). My favorite saying is "When you race, there are 100 things that can happen... and 99 of them are bad". The veteran team is loaded with experienced dogs and I have learned to appreciate the good ones.

Whisper

......is a female that has been a lead dog for me. She straightens out the gangline when I say "Tighten up". She is quiet and never causes a problem. She is a joy to run and a very good dog. I wish they all behaved as sweet as her. But, the one thing she lacks is aggressive speed, which may keep her off the race team. Either way, I have had the priveledge to run with a great sled dog.