plus four makes six

I was ecstatic to wake up to ice on my windshield on the last Sunday in September. The temperature was still well below freezing after I fed Norrin, Pico & August and double-checked the houses, fresh hay & tie-outs I'd been getting together in the yard. I headed out around eight, bound for the old mining district of Chatinika in the southern foothills of the White Mountains and DewClaw Kennel, home of Jodi Bailey and Dan Kaduce. The drive was beautiful, although more stark than our previous visit last month. On that initial trip, when we met the dogs and sealed the arrangements for them to join us for the winter, the hills were covered in deep fall gold. This trip, the birch and aspen were bare, reaching black branches into the icy blue sky, waiting for winter and snow.

After spending some time with Jodi over coffee, talking about everything from our experiences teaching for the local community college and observations on generational differences on Facebook to the ideal size of trail snacks for the dog team and comparative merits of various ointments & oils for sore paws, we went down to the yard to get the dogs. X-tra was already chilling in the cabin when I arrived, recovering from a spat with a team-mate. We let Reese, Parka & Devilfish loose and all three made a beeline up the hill. Reese was the first at the door, waiting to take his place on the dog bed inside. He spent most of his summer in the cabin, and was eager to return. Jodi graciously let us all back in the house and showed me how to go through range of motion and back-loosening exercises with Reese and X-tra and talked a bit about about dog-bootie use now that we're going to be putting in longer miles.

While my head spun with information overload, Jodi and Dan helped me load four still-unfamiliar dogs into my truck and we headed back towards Cripple Creek and home. Reese and X-tra were in the cab with me, and brother-sister pair Parka and Devilfish rode in the back. X-tra sat nervously at the other end of the bench seat for about a minute and a half before walking over and all but crawling into my lap. She slept with her nose in my hand for the remainder of the ride. Reese, sitting in the passenger seat well, inched his way over until his paws were resting next to my feet and his head lolled onto my knee. Parka & X-tra settled down quickly in the back and we made good time on the dry roads home.

Peter helped me settle the dogs into the yard, and we spent the remainder of the morning getting to know these four new crew members, introducing them to Pico and Norrin, then letting them settle in with snacks and fresh hay.

Reese - as in Reese's Pieces - is our big mellow addition.

All four are eight-year--old Iditarod & Quest veterans. Reese is a big boy, an experienced swing dog who we hope will step up and lead with Norrin, is a sweetheart who loves to be cuddled and is happy to stand, tail beating the wind, while you scratch his ears and rub his back. He ran the Quest on Jodi's team last year and Dan's Iditarod team the year before that with many other races under his paws. He's seen more of Alaska than most Alaskans ever will, and I'm eager to see how he and Norrin do together up front.

X-tra (in a rare moment of stillness) and her big brown love-me eyes.

X-tra, named for the classic Alaskan boot X-tra Tuffs, is a little girl who would wear a pair out in no time if given half a chance. She is a crazy bundle of energy (when not attempting to curl up in my lap) who has already worn a deep trench in her spot trotting solid mile after mile. It is hard to catch her standing still unless you are scratching behind her ears and under her belly.

Parka says drop the camera and pet me.

Parka is much more aggressive about getting attention, and will wrap her paws around your waist if you get close enough, daring you to walk away. She loves to bury her head into your chest or armpit and just sit there, soaking up the attention we've been lavishing on her, tail swinging wildly. She and her brother are solid team dogs that will make a valuable addition in power and experience to our growing winter team.

Devilfish, looking good.

Devilfish, the most wolfish looking of the four, loves attention, too, and hovers at your hip when you are working in his zone. But his most remarkable trait is his ability to make food disappear in an instant. At feeding time, when the other dogs are just beginning to dig into their meal, he is already pacing at the end of his line, bowl licked clean and hoping for seconds or thirds.

Devilfish's scar is from unauthorized canned-food reclaimation efforts.

All four dogs, not only veterans of racing but of travel and the change that comes with it, have settled nicely into our yard and into our pack. All six are getting along well,  eating like champs and howling together after meals. They make good company as we work around the yard finishing up fall projects before the snow and cold hit. I have been a picture of bliss, spending tons of time in the yard and house bonding with them. I'm chomping at the bit for snow, and I don't think I'm the only one eager for some good trail to run.

Parka gives one last high-five! To a spectacular season!
 

::: Editorial Note: Dog Profiles will probably change as we get to know our new members better. :::