Life with Siberian Huskies
The Journey is more important than the destination
The Song of the North:
Dogs of the North have up to 27% of wolf DNA in them. You wonder why they howl…this is why. They are also in perfect harmony.
Spirits in the Sky:
They hear a voice from deep inside,
when those speak, they must abide.
They whisper tales of long ago,
when huskies thrived in ice and snow.
Lonely nights without much food,
they gladly gave their servitude.
Adventures waiting each new day,
man and dogs, with just a sleigh.
Traveling without any fears,
all across those great frontiers.
And when their time came to pass,
the rainbow bridge they did advance.
When pointing snouts to the sky,
they’re calling out to those on high.
They sing a song for those above,
brother spirits they are thinking of.
Someday they will join that pack,
and knowing they will not come back.
Today might be their very last,
living large before its past.
They howl their tales of life on earth,
how far they’ve come since birth.
That’s when you’ll hear that soulful cry,
to the husky spirits in the sky.
TJ 2018
The Road Less Traveled:
A different world exist for a few. A world that is reminiscent of our ancestors. Dogs and Men (Now women as well) who find themselves drawn to something from the past, unknown by many but not ever lost. For it is in the DNA of their fathers and mothers. Passed down from generation to generation. Those brave souls who forged nations regardless of the dangers. That spirit awakening once again in to some. They hear the call and they answer it. They seek adventures and with that they accept the risk.
Partnered with these amazing animals that they share the bonds of love, and teamwork with. They head out to test themselves, and willingly face any obstacle put on the trail before them. They test themselves and their dogs against all nature can present. Winning or losing a race is not as important as the journey. A journey filled with trials and tribulations, but success comes from having done it with those that made it possible.
The dogs of the North.
Sled Dogs:
There are lots of debates about sled dogs in general, and sooner or later it comes down to them being chained and confined to a dog house for hours on end.
I have more than an acre of fenced ground for my dogs to do whatever they want. They are never chained, but I find them in their straw lined houses more often than not. If their needs are being met with exercise, love, and the basic necessities they are quite content.
A lot of folks put their dogs inside indoor kennels while they are at work for hours on end, or chain them in the backyard.
Does that mean they are not being mistreated because they are not sled dogs? I would suggest that a dog locked up in an indoor kennel for more than 8 hours is being subjected to much worse than a working sled dog. Or an urban dog chained and forgotten is even worse.
Musher’s care for their dogs at a high level because they rely on those dogs. They may race but in that environment anything can happen…they need those dogs to get them back home, maybe even to live another day.
To say that they don’t is equivalent to you punching holes in your only spare tire with an icepick before you travel through the worst storm you’ve ever seen.
You would be an idiot to trust your life to dogs that are not well maintained and happy with you at the controls.
A Study in Dogs:
Mr. Cooper clings to the past when men were men, and dogs were dogs. He likes the cold and a straw lined house like his ancestors. Queen Nikki has discovered the warmth of a wood stove and prefers to rule from comfort over old world traditions. Which one is smarter depends on your point of view. I love them both for who they are, not what they are.
Beyond the Rainbow bridge:
Jake was born unto the world of man in Mankato Minnesota. The barn was full of strange sounds and smells. He didn’t really know what he was or how he’d come to be.
He just knew the warmth of his mother and his siblings. He suckled her warm milk after fighting with his siblings. It was his first lesson in the struggles of life. He couldn’t hear and he couldn’t see those first couple of weeks, but he fought for milk and his body began to grow stronger each day.
When his eyes opened he saw a bleary new world. A world that would quickly come into sharp focus. He found the huge humans to be kind and mean at the same time. He had no idea what they were and why they were so different. But his mother seemed to love the humans, and sometimes when they held him something stirred deep inside of him.
It was some whisper in his mind from long ago that he didn’t quite understand. He didn’t understand exactly why his mother seemed to care about these big creatures. But always there was something inside him that said you should try your best to please them.
At six weeks old he was eating well and mom had kicked him away when he tried to suckle. He missed her belly warmth and the feelings he was safe. She looked at him with big blue eyes and licked his furry coat.
“It’s time for you to move on. I love you my only son as no one else can know. It’s your time to move along. Do what huskies do.”
“What do huskies do?” he asked.
“What we’ve always done,” was her reply.
Jake was confused but did his best with the little knowledge he had. It was hard because life was all about play and learning about all the things his body could do. He found he was fast in the run, agile, and smarter that the other animals on the farm.
Then one day he was given to some people he didn’t know. He left with them, his family broken up. But he was brave from deep inside. He’d found the core of husky lore even if it was only a whisper in his mind.
The humans loved him, but they could not understand what he craved. His need to run and work and do his very best. He tried to tell them one day by eating up the couch. He spread it all around the room and watched them lose their minds.
They could not understand how someone so beautiful could have such an evil streak. His punishment was soon to show. Jake was tied in the back yard with nowhere else to go. His days were long and lonely, the solitude more than he could bear.
So, one day he chewed off his collar and climbed the privacy fence. Free at last he made a blast not knowing where to go. He ran so hard his muscles ached but it felt so good to run. He realized no matter what hurt this what he loved!
It all ended to soon when he crossed one more street.
That bumper chrome and hard, had hit him square, and threw him through the air. He crashed upon a cement wall and rolled into the street. His sight grew dim and with ragged breath he took his final breaths. Jake closed his eyes and felt regret. He’d never had the chance to understand this world. He died right there and no one cared upon that empty street.
Jake awoke upon clouds of mist as he rose his tired bones. Then he saw a line of ragged dogs headed for a bridge. He struggled up to follow them his pain was very great. But something deep inside said he must make it to that gate. Some in line looked really fine, they pranced and hoped about.
But most were just like him, in pain and full of sorrow. But all of them formed a line and crossed the gilded bridge. Their they waited patiently to tell their stories of life. To plead their case of why they should be admitted to the lands of glory.
As Jake approached he heard the stories of each and every dog. The tales were sad except a few who had lived a perfect life. Jake had no story, only pain and wanted it to end.
At last Jake stood before the giant gate his head and tail hung low. A voice boomed soft and sweet inside his head, “Welcome young Jake” it said, “Tell me your life story.”
Jake raised his snout and looked upon the voice. He was a huge Saint Bernard with brown floppy ears, his soft brown eyes filled with tears from all the fears and stories of this line.
“It’s okay little one, and you can call me Peter. I have to hear your story of life before I can let you enter.”
Jake looked at the great big gate with a husky on each side. He looked at Peter and told his tale from deep inside his heart. “I’ve done my time with mankind, and I think that I’ve had enough.”
Peter’s eyes laughed back at him and with a big smile, the voice boomed inside his head, “It’s your first time little one, and you’ve done nothing wrong.”
Jake was sad and his body hurt and he’d almost lost all hope. But somewhere deep inside a whispered voice called out. “We never quit and its been that way for all time.” It was followed by the howling of a pack inside his head.
The knowledge of a million souls who’d come before his time.
Jake looked up into Peter’s big brown eyes and asked, “What’s to become of me?”
“If you like you’ll live a life, a million times over. And if you don’t you are welcome to stay here forever.”
Jake followed Peter past the gates and entered into winter. The wind was fierce with blowing snow, and no signs of cover. The pines were swaying with the wind and the mountains went on forever. His body healed and he felt no pain as he transformed into the adult he’d never been. Beautiful and strong, as he’d never had a chance to discover.
Jake raced around the blowing drifts and others came and joined. They welcomed young Jake to the place where huskies go. Frolicking and biting legs amid the blowing snow.
Peter waited patiently beside the big gate. He knew young Jake was new, and for some… the time it takes to learn what they are.
When at last the games were over young Jake sauntered over, “He’d healed all up and found his home amid those frozen waste.
“Peter, can I stay here forever?”
“Of course, you can but is that what you truly want?”
Jake looked around and sniffed the wind, this place was all so perfect.
But deep inside a voice awoke inside his head and told him of the pact. “Man, and dogs it’s always been, they need us to learn. The hope of man lives inside your furry coat young Jake. The trail is hard and you must do your very best, for that’s what Huskies do.”
Jake’s heart felt like it would explode out through his chest. His job was to help all those below the icy clouds. To give his love unconditionally, come rain, or snow, or thunder. He might suffer but then again, he might get that life he’d heard about. Man, and dogs fighting through the storms of life, one heart with another.
Jake looked over at St. Peter and told him with full conviction, “I’ll go back and try again, I think I can do better.”
St. Peter smiled and walked away, looking back over his shoulder.
“I knew you would my little friend, of this I had no doubt. I’ll call you soon because the time is very short. They need your heart and knowledge too… maybe even you can save a few. For that’s what you huskies do.”
Jake looked around and then raced around as fast as his feet could fly. He would enjoy his time before he left these frozen skies. He’d go below and spread his love the best that he could muster.
“Maybe next time I’ll get a musher!” he thought, as played with all the others.
A native girl he was bonded to under the northern lights. Peter smiled down at the beauty of two young hearts as they grew up together. For 15 years they never were apart before he did return… beyond that rainbow bridge. But he’d left the world a better place. A young woman would never forget their last race.
Voices speak upon the winds, howling in the night, stories of love and sacrifice heard by just a few.
The Huskies hear it loud and clear…because that’s what huskies do.
The Gift:
There was a time when the animals ruled this earth. The Divine had created them long before man. The Divine had given them strength and cunning, tooth and claw, fang and talon, poison and stealth so that they could survive the new world he had made for all his creations.
All his creations were part of the balance of this world. Each animal had a part to play, and limited intelligence that would not disrupt the harmony, but allow for survival of the hardiest. This would ensure that only the best of the best would endure. That over generation upon generation they would flourish and become better than those before.
Over the eons They Great Divine tired of them and began to test them with natural disasters to see how they would adapt. Some perished, but others found a way to live. He was inspired by this, that his creations wanted to live in his world so badly that they would mutate and overcome his obstacles.
In time this too became mundane to him so The Divine thought to create a new animal…man.
He’d used up all the great ideas of his perfect beast. All that was left was a creature that was weak at birth and took years to learn and become strong. This new creation needed an edge to survive the beast so he gave them more intelligence. Much more than he had intended, but what was done was done.
They still retained a bit of animal in them but they learned from their mistakes, they endured tooth and claw, poison and stealth. But still they died daily and were about to expire so he gave them fire. Fire to keep the nocturnal hunters at bay. It worked and in time their intelligence grew and they were able to craft weapons, simple things of stone blade that could give them parity against fangs, and claws.
Slowly over time they became equals and later to master all of his beast. But all was not right with his new creations. They could not seem to stop themselves and be happy being the masters of the world. They wanted more, and more. They wanted to rule as he did on high. They not only wanted to master the beast but each other.
Great conflicts were fought by weapons created from the intelligence he gave them. Some lost, and some won, but still they wanted more. They had forgotten the days of old when they had almost been extinguished for all time.
Many times, The Divine purged the planet with the forces at his disposal. He tried to cleanse them of their defects but it never worked completely. Time and again they would rebuild but still a few of the inferiors prevailed to rotten the batches of new humans.
Eventually he recognized that he had failed. So, he left them to their own fates and went on to other blank worlds to start over again. His creations would either make it or die out for all time. But before he left he gave them one last hope.
He left them his name sake spelled backwards…Dog. The one creation of his that had remained pure of heart in spite of their simple minds. He had instilled in them the qualities of forgiveness, and love everlasting. Courage and sacrifice, with the love of family and friends.
The Divine left them with this last gift, and then turned his back on the first world he’d created. They would either learn the lessons his dogs taught, or the world would turn to ash. The humans would learn to live in harmony with all living things or perish forever.
Some day he would return to view the results.
What Musher’s know:
Ghost Train
The Ghost Train:
There are a million stories of the trail with dogs, this is one of them. This is a story about one of my night runs with the huskies. You see in the urban lands trails and roads are full of speeding cars and unloose dogs that want to eat yours. There are many dangers besides frozen trails of Alaska, and no medical help within hundreds of miles.
To live with the sled dogs is to do just that…you live and maybe die with them, as it should be and was written long ago. Your job as the Musher is to guide them safely into the night, so that you live to run another day. Danger abounds on the urban highway; each mile is subject to the unknown as you run down the asphalt highways of modern man.
The dogs understand that, and they will tell you when you don’t get it. They are born with a sixth sense of danger. They have the nose and DNA to know the perils of life on the trail. It was handed down generation after generation. The price of these lessons was paid for in the blood of their ancestors.
One fine night after a nice cold Coors Light I decided to forgo the normal problems of urban incursion and try a night run. It seemed the best way to exclude the multitudes of unleashed dogs and neighbors that have no clues about how dogs will behave when unleashed.
I suited up with helmet, coat, gloves, and made sure the tail light and headlight were charged. I also wore my tactile helmet lamp. A rechargeable 3 lamp set up that would bubble the paint on a car when the beam hits it.
I was fixed for battle in the urban environment. The dogs were ready, they fed off my energy and confidence. When harness was secure I hooked them up to my trike. 40 pounds of steel with disc brakes and ready to run.
They pawed the pavement, wanting to go forth into the night. I wasn’t so sure in spite of a beer, but someone needs to lead this pack. You see the leader has to lead, and it’s the job of those under them to tell them when the are wrong. In this case the dogs were good with me and we released the brakes. We fled into the great unknown like their ancestors had done for years.
The night was overcast, a heavy rain had prevailed all day. Now that evening had set the fog rolled off the asphalt. Moisture condensed off the warm tarmac making fog…thick fog that made me want a fog horn on my bike.
Dogs being what they are used their noses and ears, and night vision to lead me at breakneck speeds. I trusted them more that I trusted myself. This is when you trust what you have taught them since birth, this is when the moments of truth become real. This is when you realize that your well-being has been turned over to the dogs.
My dogs did not fail me, they ran through that fog like it was a sunny day. I was just a passenger on this husky train. I didn’t have to tell them the way because they knew it from miles of training. It was time for me to trust them.
This whole run was more or less just me enjoying the fruits of my labor. Raising the pups and letting them do what they do. I did the work and they learned what I wanted.
I let them be what they were meant to be…Sled Dogs, or in this case Urban mushing Huskies!
The best part of this adventure I will never forget is this. We were coming down a hill, pitch black and totally silent. My head lights lit they way but the dogs didn’t need it. The fog was in rolls, rolling in and out on our trail.
In only seconds, we came out of the fog at about 18 Mph. Silent as the special forces we ate up ground at an alarming rate. I happened to look to the left at a man in the ditch with his yapper dog. He cowered in fear as the Flying Dutchman Husky Train came out of the fog like a demon from hell!
Silent dogs, headlights blazing we disappeared into the next fog bank like ghost. I’ll always remember him cowering in the ditch, clutching his yapper that had for the first time in its life lost its voice!
The husky train, led me home in the dark, and I laughed all the way.
Heart of Gold
We live in a complicated world these days. I think many have lost their way and search for answers to life’s problems. Many have forgotten the lessons learned before by our ancestors. To me the answers to many questions are in the past. As history often repeats itself, you only have to look back in time.
A smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from the mistakes of others.
There are great teachers at your feet or in your dog yard. They have seen it all before, they retain this knowledge not in books but in their DNA. They have ridden on the dark trails of humanity before. They remember the abuses we have levied upon them. But in spite of that, they remain hopeful for us, as we should.
I only have to look at them to understand the love they unquestionably offer me, and ask little in return.
So, when I’m feeling melancholy, I choose to create something instead of destroying. I choose to look at life with all its hardships and pain in a positive light. For without some pain we never learn anything. The sled dogs have told me many stories of their struggles, victories, and hope. And they’ve done it without one word. They’ve done it with their actions and love.
The Klondike Gold rush was as hard on men as it was on the animals. I made this little slide show for you to see life back during those times. This is a glimpse into the history of our sled dogs.
Life with Siberian Huskies 