Snow Dog

Mom n' Dad have been taking me to Pull class for the past 8 weeks and training me specifically for pulling and mushing. Mom was the main instructor and Dad helped a lot. Windy got to be the Demo Dog and she did a good job. Mostly I was there to learn, but I also got to help some of the other dogs learn to pull too. There was one sweet little cow dog that came in just shaking in his boots at the beginning, and by the end he was pulling like crazy...Windy would disagree, but some dogs just need a job to find their inner dog.


This last weekend Mom took us to Snow Basin for some snowshoeing, and the Malamute from our class, Spirit met us up there. Mom and everyone got started down the hill and at first I was having too much fun playing in the snow piles and chasing Windy to do much pulling so I hadn't noticed that Mom's clips weren't closed tight.

When mom finally got us in line and we really started pulling her, her clip popped right open...and Windy and I were FREEEEEEEE.....at first I didn't know what to do, I was running,...but I wasn't pulling...it felt wierd. But after a few seconds it clicked that I was on a trail and I was RUNNING so I just kept on running faster. Windy was right behind me cuz we had our lead on still. We followed the trail and kept right on running until we weren't on the trail anymore, but by this time there were lots of people around and all of them had skis, and we said HI! to as many as we could. One very nice man checked Windy's collar and called mom. I could hear her, but I didn't know she got lost. I wonder when that happened?  Any way the nice man said mom was coming to get us and then - he TIED US TO A FENCE! That wasn't very nice. But I figured we'd just hang out and watch the kids learn to ski, till mom gets unlost. (meanwhile mom had been tracking the dogs along the trail back to the main lodge, and thankfully still had cell coverage!)

Mom FINALLY showed up and untied us from that fence. For some reason, she seemed relieved. She must have been really scared when she was lost. But she told US that WE were the lucky ones - she told me we could have been creamed if we had gotten to the highway. That doesn't  sound so bad, I like ice cream :). Mom wasn't impressed.  

Anyway, mom took us back out on the trails and this time she used 2 clips, and a safety line in case we got loose again, I guess being lost on the trail really scared her. But I don't mind pulling her and I like having mom around so it's ok if the doesn't want to get lost again. Later, we all took a nap together.

Huge!

When Daemon came home with Brad at 43 lbs at 7 months, I was sure he was going to be HUGE...I had in my head a 75 lb Mini Mal-a-mutt! All Brawn and no Brains. Even though I know Sibes don't get over about 60-65lbs....and are always smarter than me.

D-man is no exception to the standard, Even though he is going to make a great Wheel Dog. y'see, we had D measured the other day. He's 23.5 inches tall at the shoulder, the top end of right where he should be. And he weighed 54lbs at the vet. In all he's "a good size dog" as the breeder would say, and not the huge monster dog I was afraid he'd be. Granted the AKC height and weight standard for sibes doesn't take into account that he is nearly 5 ft long from nose to tail base, and can stand up, put his paws on my shoulders and kiss my face.