Pulling My Sled Is Their Thing To Do
The dogs were yipping excitedly and straining against their harnesses, eager to get down the trail. The lines were taut. The sun was shining. The path was clear.
All I had to do was release the brake on the wheeled training cart and my sled dog team and I would be alone on the Palouse prairie, spending the cold October afternoon sprinting the field access road we use to condition ourselves for the winter racing season.
It was our maiden run in the sense that it was the first time I had transported and hooked-up the team - my first racing team - completely on my own. There was none of the usual help from my neighbors, who graciously allow me to use their land, nor from my husband.
Looking first at my three-dog team and then down the trail, my foot still firmly on the brake, I wondered that day if I would ever be a musher like my hero, Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska.
The only way to find out was to release the brake. I did.
Today, I will release the break on my dog sled under the scrutiny of strangers as they watch me and Lacey, Nakita and Ajo funnel down the starting chute and onto the groomed trail at the Pacific Northwest Championship Sled Dog Race near Priest Lake.
It is my first sled dog race, but the routine is old hat to my dogs. Racing-line (as opposed to show-line) Siberian huskies, they were carefully bred for their job. They also have years of experience under their belts, or harnesses, from their time living with other mushers. I am the reason we’re competing in the novice class this weekend.
If you attend a sled dog race, you’ll mainly see Alaskan huskies and racing-line Siberian huskies. Generally, they’ll weigh 35-55 pounds. Sometimes you’ll see other northern breeds like samoyeds and Alaskan malamutes, however, most have trouble matching the speed of the small yet very strong huskies.
But mushing is not just about racing and northern breeds. It’s about traveling afield with a team of dogs. Any dogs that like to pull and run and are healthy enough to do so will work.
I started out with one shelter and three stray dogs whose collective ancestry included Labrador retriever, Akita, German shepherd, St. Bernard and beagle. I’ve even heard of teams composed of standard poodles. The two best dogs on my original team were from Florida!
It also doesn’t matter how few dogs you have. One or two dogs can pull you while you cross-country ski. It’s called skijoring. I sometimes have one dog pull me while I power walk behind. You could even Rollerblade this way.
Whatever mode of transportation you choose, make sure your dog is wearing a harness. Never let a dog pull by its collar, for obvious reasons.
While I am running my racing team, I marvel at their genetic engineering. Every cell in their bodies urges them to pull and run.
The son-in-law of a friend once asked with indignation how I could make my dogs participate in this sport. My reply: It would be inhumane not to let them.
If you’d like more information about mushing, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope to me at the address listed below. I’ll send you information on subscribing to the sport’s two magazines, a list of good how-to books, information on mushing groups and a list of equipment outfitters.
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