Run A Mutt

03/13/2025

A downright GORGEOUS run this morning. It was borderline, but the shaded trail held up enough for these two teams.

Warm and melting now. Expecting more melt, slush, & flooding for tomorrow. Runs will be cancelled 😭

Working on walking schedules this weekend. If you haven't touched base through the form linked in a previous post, please do!

03/12/2025

And then 0 degrees by the time we walked...

I took a chance and went out with 4 regulars. The roads hadn't turned sloppy, but the trails would have been too soft to run safely.

These pups did amazing! A whole winter of sledding and pulling, and then a group walk. We had to do a bit of retraining, but overall these pups killed it!

I'm hoping to run Thursday morning. The afternoon we will play by ear - with the warm temps I'm expecting flooding, water over ice, etc.

03/12/2025

The tippy taps are her love language.

We did a 30 degree day today.

-30 when I started the van this morning.

-20 by the time I ran the first team

-10 by the time Beatrice tried to seduce me with her fast feet
..

03/11/2025

Everyone knows we're coming when Nash is on the team.

Them aussies are built different 🤣

**Sound on**

03/11/2025

Absolutely amazing trail conditions this morning... Before everything started to smush. Only got mildly stuck in one driveway while dropping dogs off though 😁

Tuesday's run has been pushed into the afternoon. Fingers crossed the flash freeze expected doesn't turn our trail to ice 🤞🤞

03/09/2025

I honestly have no idea what this week is bringing! I will attempt every run possible, and may be able to try some group walks on the warmer days like Wed and Thurs afternoon, and Friday...

Since it looks like spring is coming, I would like to start building the regular walk schedule for this year. For all existing clients (currently dogsledders and last year's walkers) please take a few moments to fill in this form.

Group Leash Walks 2025 (existing clients)

03/08/2025

Weekend of snow clearing! Working hard to get the trails back online for the pups.

Reminder that it's March break this coming week. If your pup's schedule will change because of that, please let me know.

03/06/2025

With the snow continuing to accumulate, Thursday's runs are cancelled to allow plows to clear the streets and for our private trail areas to be accessible. With this much snow I do want to ensure that we can get machines out to pack the trails again. A trail breaking run is all well and good - but this is a lot of snow and many dogs get frustrated trying to work through this much. It's tough!

Hoping to get things cleared up and packed ready for Friday!

In the meantime, here's an adorable recent pic of Keeper and Eo ❤️

03/03/2025

The Monday pups finally caught a break!

Every year there seems to be one day that gets cancelled more often than the others. This season it's been Mondays.

Making up for it this week as Monday May be one of our only runs! I'm officially cancelling tomorrow as the high keeps going up, and Wednesday for the snow day.

I asked Lola to run a little slower today, but that required a lot more responsibility! She got to run in lead again. She rocked it, and the team had a blast on the trails.

03/02/2025

Here we go again! Looking like another tumultuous week ahead.

Monday runs are likely to go ahead.

Tuesday may be too mild, I give this a 50/50 with this forecast.

Wednesday is likely cancelled with that large of a snowfall.

Thursday we will have to see whether the trails are accessible after the snowfall. I imagine most of the plows will be backed up getting everything clear...

Friday might be okay!

I will try to make a call based on the forecast the evening before your dog runs.

02/28/2025

Every so often I get asked about rides/tours, so this video from Great Canadian Wilderness fits in perfectly!

No - I don't offer rides/tours. I take the dogs running, or I teach you how to do it with your own dogs!

But if you are looking for that perfect dogsled adventure, North Ridge Ranch is the place I would recommend!

02/26/2025

Charlie is a happy boy!

Probably because he can't see the weather forecast 🤣

We've been thrown a spree of mild weather lately. This means I have to be extra vigilant with cancellations. There's a few reasons why:

1. Mild temps and fresh snow are horrible in the van. I got stuck twice on Tuesday midday in town just trying to go from house to house!

2. Mild temps can soften trails enough that the dogs can fall through. When this happens sporadically, it significantly increases the risk of injury for the pups because they aren't expecting it. If the trail isn't groomed after this activity, it can also firm up with lots of divets and holes which are difficult to fix once it's cold again.

3. The thaw and refreeze can make the trails very tough on feet. Crusty snow means that all the dogs need to get booties, which adds a lot of time to our runs. Ice sections are an injury risk.

I hate cancelling runs... But I am expecting many in the coming days. Tomorrow looks like a bad driving day, and the overnight super freeze may make the Friday run too slippery.

02/25/2025

This cutie is Zeke! He popped in recently for a "don't let aging slow me down" massage session. Zeke's owner is very aware of Zeke's active disposition, and since Zeke is just cresting over that "middle age" zone, his owner is being proactive in keeping the "oldies" at bay.

He prefers that every massage session include every toy in the house 🏀

02/24/2025

I did something a little different this past weekend!

I traveled south with a team of Siberian Huskies. Their goal was to pay tribute to the breed's working dog history by running in a commemorative leg of the "mail run." Dog teams were responsible for so much work in those early days, from transporting goods (like mail) long distances to hauling heavy loads.

My goal was to drive the team in the dog van, ensure they had everything they needed, get them to the start area, and then pack up and meet them at the finish.

The event itself is the Seguin Sled Dog Mail Run. It's set up to be a very welcoming and educational experience for spectators. The teams are out to meet & greet with the public, and the mushers and their handlers spend a lot of time talking with people about their dogs, mushing, and lifestyles.

While I am a firm believer that any breed can be a sled dog, it's vital to acknowledge the contribution of breeds that were maintained specifically for those purposes in the past. This event spotlights the Siberian Husky, but many of the nordic breeds are built the way they are in order to complete a specific task in a specific terrain.

Check out these great photos by KT Art and Photography. If you are in the Parry Sound area - mark this event as one to check out next year!

02/20/2025

I'd say Nash had a fun time blasting through snow drifts on the dogsled team today!!

I had a different opinion 😂. I've been putting up with some "muscular distress" the past few days. Mostly in my back, but this morning it appeared to have resolved. Until I took a step sideways and my hip said "no thank you!!". I managed to stay on the sled for the morning runs, but had to call it for the afternoon runs as the pain was just getting worse.

So I'm currently using the dogs' PEMF mat, and have a few "rest" days lined up. It feels so wrong to cancel runs when the trails are in such good shape!

02/18/2025

Tongues out Tuesday!

I run "eurohounds" - a purpose-bred mix stemming from Alaskan Husky (which is a purpose-bred mix that has been around long enough to have its own genetic markers!). There's a lot of pointer & hound influence in the eurohound, and sometimes I'm asked if the dogs get cold because they don't have the big fluffy fur of the more traditional long-distance dogs.

The eurohound mix was developed for sprint racing - not marathons. Although many do produce very nice coats and can be outside most of the time, mine live indoors. This means that they don't get the opportunity to acclimate to outdoor temperatures and grow that thicker winter coat.

It's a different story when they run. Their muscles can produce enough heat to keep them warm, AND they need to let some of it out! Tongues are one of a dog's best heat regulation tools, and when a dog lets its tongue fly, it's essentially turning on their internal AC unit.

The team gets a warm up walk pre-race, and wear jackets if needed. They only run in a jacket if it's absurdly cold out, or we expect to be standing around a little bit. After running, they get a cool-down walk before getting a snack, a jacket, and snuggling up in their beds for a snooze.

📸Carol Redford
Kearney Dog Sled Races 2025

02/16/2025

Another try it run today!

Kudos to Rocky 👏
With the help of his "brother" Cooper, he's officially a dogpower dog! This pup had a rough first attempt, and ended up riding with the humans most of the way. Fast forward to today and he's out powering regular runner Cooper!

Evee also got to help introduce her littermate Maggie to the sport! If these sisters are anything alike, were going to have one super adorable and high powered golden team on the scene!!

02/15/2025

Let's talk options for dogs who don't want to run.

Short answer - they don't! We have a system set up to test dogs aptitude for the sport before they get a regular spot. We also have teams set up with dogs that prefer a certain speed, so that no one is asked to run too slowly or too quickly.

Sometimes dogs have an off day. Sometimes we'll see a loose tug line. Sometimes we need to take extra breaks or slow the whole team down.

Then there's the day where Alpha decided he absolutely needed a break, immediately. Full stop 🛑

We cannot and will not "force" a dog to run. These pups do this because they have fun doing it. Dogs that don't have fun, don't come. We encourage all owners to find the activities that their dog finds value in.

Alpha is fine. We took a breather, he got some pets. We slowed the team down, and he was smiling at the end. He gets to try again another day 😊. This was our first "Alaskan flat tire". Alpha has always had a flair for the dramatic 🕺

Blaze (chase)

Fairy & EO
Marshall & Sadie
Alpha & Willow