When I was a little girl, I was a real bookworm. I was particularly fond of stories about sled dogs and exciting adventures in the Far North.
I decided that I wanted to be a musher.
I grew up and -sorry mom- I didn't change my mind!
But before buying my first Alaskan husky, I needed to learn more about sled dogs. So I decided to spend a couple months in the northern forest in Canada with a real musher and his team.
And I learned a lot of things.
Living in the bush with animals is TRULY amazing. But not in the glamorous way that is depicted in books and movies. If you're not into mushing this is certainly how you picture yourself a dog musher:
But in reality this is how I was looking like after having spent a few days with the dogs.
Yeah, I was looking (and smelling) like a hobo. But it did'nt bother me. At least I was living my life to the fullest. Maybe it was not that glamorous but the surrounding was stunning.
But more important, I learned about DOGS.
Dogs are beautiful people. They are gentle and sweet creatures.
But sled dogs are born to run. When it comes to pulling, sled dogs run wild. Handlers, watch out!
Harnessing up a dog can be tricky as they are very excited about running.
Dogs are real characters. Some of them, like little Kera are very shy and quiet.
But their true personality fully reveals itself when you put them in front of a sled.
When some other dogs, like Halona, think that being pretty will exempt them from this exhausting exercice.
The dog's will to run is a fundamental of Mushing. You cannot force a dog to run. They do it because they like it.
Meet Blue. He's a gorgeous and powerful canine athlete.
Blue loves his job. But he also loves to give slobbery kisses to his teammate! Yes...even the best dogs have their moments.
Snow dogs live a very simple life. They run, eat and sleep. And they never get bored of this routine. They are very enthusiastic about what they do, and very grateful for what they have. They often express this gratitude by singing. And a good meal or a nice run are all good reasons to sing!
But sometimes, the timing is wrong...
This wonderful experience strengthened my desire to spend my life among by these playful, smelly, noisy, adorable, incredible animals.
And therefore I adopted my first race dog: Katie.
