Carnivore's choice

It will come as no surprise to learn that a sled dog is in favor of any recipe that promotes the use of sharp, pointy teeth. Of course for a sled dog, the summer brings the "dog days", both in terms of weather and in terms of diet. The creative, meat and fat filled palate extravagansas mushers provide in the winter invariably give way to the drab sameness of dry kibble in June, July, and August. Just in case you're caught in the same rut, get your thinking out of the box and try something creative. It may not meet your taste expectations but you can be sure it will be fun to try.

Bombo

Martin

Waiting

I flunked out of the only school I ever attended (obedience school, 1993 … sled dogs don’t heel … ) but I have knocked enough biology homework off the table in my day doing things I wasn’t suppose to be doing to know what mitosis is – the process of cell division where one cell becomes two. Interestingly enough, it is in the stage of cell division in which there appears to be no activity that the cell spends most of its time and the most important processes for cell division happen. Many say that life is timing, but perhaps the adage would be better stated, life is waiting … for the right time.

Admittedly sled dogs are a vivid contradiction when it comes to waiting, but perhaps that is the lesson we have to share. The impatience of a sled dog anticipating a run when the harnesses come out is undeniable, but sled dogs have an equal and quite opposite ability to wait, not wishing to be anywhere else in particular and not coveting another location or lot in life. Innately a sled dog knows that the critical processes of the wait – recuperation, rest, reflection – like the processes of cell division, happen best when they are not burdened with the mental momentums of longing and impatience. Of course we are can be magnificently inconsistent in this regard but perhaps that inconsistency is our greatest gift – the ability to transition quickly and effortlessly to action and change when opportunity presents itself.

Ironically, the only thing I remember learning in puppy school was the “long down”. For a dog, that translates to learning to wait. Go figure.

Bombo

Connect the dots

Here are a few random pieces I've been thinking about of late. If there are connections, I will leave it to you to make them.

"And so to Storm ... Storm was almost a classic sled dog. He looked much like a brindle wolf, with beautifully slanted eyes. He had a great reach to his front legs and a thick mane and a straight back. In many ways he was still very primitive. but he liked people a great deal and would lean against your leg to be petted.

He pulled. Of course they all pull. It is genetic, so old a code or command that it has become part of what sled dogs are; the fiber of their very being. When they are six months old you harness them and they pull. There is no training necessary. It just is. But some pull better than others. Storm pulled from somewhere within himself, from some primitive core so strong that he could not not pull, even if he wanted to." ~ Gary Paulsen


"Find your nature and be true to it" ~ Buddist teaching


"The essence of being human is to try." ~ Loren Eiseley


Bombo

Fram! Fram!

Fram! Fram! A small school near my kennel has this phrase as part of their college seal -- from the original scandinavian language it translates roughly to "Forward! Forward!" This seems obvious to a sled dog. Forward is the next smell, forward is the next view, forward is the next everything, and in our world next is best. It is not that we do not begrudingly learn commands that halt or even reverse our movement forward, but "whoa" and "haw back", are admittedly not our strengths. Often an unnecessary stop has unwanted implications, and turning around creates circumstances in which tangles, spills, and general frustration, for both humans and dogs alike, are a real possibility. That is not to say that we don't learn from the past. Thin ice or a moose encounter will be remembered, but not by going back to look at the site of a bad decision or an unhappy incident. As far as a sled dog is concerned, let the learning be applied to the next moose, the next challenge. For people, "Whoa" and "Haw back" seem to be embedded in fear of change and regret. I'm not much of an expert on that perspective, but it seems to me that staying put often results in missed opportunity, and enabling regret with a "haw back" to the past only seems to result in tangles. Fram!, Fram! -- I think those college founders were on to something. Pull the hook and let's go.

Bombo

PMA

I hear talk these days about the belief that the human world is on the verge of a new scientific age. Much like the age of physics when scientific minds like Newton and Galileo uncovered foundational understandings about the physical world, apparently many believe that a similar day is dawning for the biolgoical sciences. Biochemical breakthroughs, DNA manipulation, and perhaps even an understanding the mind-body connection are supposedly within reach. Hey, I'm just a dog -- my biggest challenge most days is figuring out how to stretch my chain one more half inch to get to the bone that lies just out of my extended paw reach. I don't know the first thing about a double helix, but any husky can tell you the secret to the mind-body connection. PMA. Positive Mental Attitude. Show me a husky that's not happy and I'll show you a husky that is sick and/or soon to leave us. We are all about PMA, and humans could learn a lot about the presence of the half full glass in any situation from hanging out with a sled dog or two for a while. So research and test away ... search for the biochemistry of happiness and the ability to detect positive auras. But if you ask me the secret to the mind-body connection lies in the personal discipline and outlook to wag your tail and bang your harness into the teeth of any snowstorm. A friendly dog wager says that a wagging tail will prove to be the greatest thing since penicillin in the new scientific age.

Bombo

Guest Howls

Here's a guest audio entry from 35 friends of mine in northern Minnesota. Having a tough day? Throw your head back and join in. It may not change the situation you're in but I guarantee you'll feel better and see things differently after a singalong.

Bombo

As different as snowflakes

A common question often asked by people new to sled dogs is "How do you keep them all straight?" A perfectly legitimate question of course, particularly from folks exploring unfamiliar territory. The truth is that familiarity comes from experience and time. A new workplace, school, or community is full of new faces at first but with time they become known, not only in physical appearance but in personality and habits as well. The same is true for a kennel of sled dogs, for both people and dogs alike. For two leggeds it is community, for dogs it is the pack, but the process of "coming to know" is much the same. More on all of this later.

Here's a sample from my ipod -- one of my favorites from Libby Riddles, Hobo Jim, and Mr. Whitekeys. Enjoy!

Bombo

Johnny Highpockets

If you're lucky, you have friend or two that have been with you a while. Longitude in friendships seems to be rare these days, but perhaps it is what distinguishes a friendship from an aquaintance. Johnny Highpockets is one of those friends for me, and he will make an appearance here on occasion to help me out and to add his two cents. Here's his audio introduction. Thanks Highpockets.

Bombo

Substance, quality, and a tight tug

In the sleddog world, the most commonly used indicator of effort is a tight tug, a line pulled tight by a dog leaning into the harness. In reality, the true measure of effort -- the difference between success and failure, excellence and mediocrity, substance and spin -- is more than just a line pulled tight. True effort, and true character, lie hidden in the stretch of the rope; a rope that begrudgingly yields an extra half-inch in elastic length to the straining, honest effort of the dog pulling it. The world is full of dogs that have learned how to keep their tugline tight without really pulling. From my view this seems to be common in the two legged world as well. It is easier after all, and who is going to know? Humans appear to have the added burden of “self talk”, often convincing themselves that they are exerting a degree of effort or contribution that is simply not supported by the evidence. For a sleddog, consistent effort resulting in that hard-earned half inch comes from within. It is not a matter of creating the illusion of effort with a line pulled just tight enough. Nor is it a matter of working to gain that half inch only when the trail is hard packed and fast. A tight tug is not an end in itself, but a byproduct of a dog being true to its character, regardless of the circumstances. A warm pile of straw at the end of the day will always feel better when you've earned it.

Bombo

Take it all in

Think about it for a minute -- what better evidence is there that form does indeed follow function than a dog's head? 5 senses, highly functioning and efficient, all in one place. It consistently amazes me that humans undersell the nature of our existence, assuming that a blinding snowstorm means that we don't know where we are, that failing hearing automatically translates to a diminished life, or for that matter, that we are not sentient creatures picking up on subtlety and nuance in both humans and the world around us. Perhaps this a burden unique to the human, overconfidence in their rational world. As the Chinese proverb says, "If you understand, things are as they are. If you don't understand, things are as they are."

Bombo

Present moments

Over the holidays I joined several others, four and two leggeds alike, at the annual Christmas festivities. A new country home provided the setting and, as we nestled in our dog boxes on that starry winter night, we saw the soft warm glow of holiday lights through the windows and heard the muffled pronouncement of "time for presents" as it passed through the house walls and drifted past the dog truck as if borne on the falling snowflakes. Time for presents -- the "present moment" had arrived. Speaking for dogs everywhere I imagine, my perspective on "present moments" is somewhat different. Every moment is a present, and the best way to honor that gift is to be completely aware of it. The dogs I know, myself included, are focused on "right now", with a fervent enthusiasm and single mindedness that can at times drive humans to frustration. We of course have much to learn about conscious thought, but perhaps humans could learn a thing or two about good old fashioned tail wagging happiness by joining their four legged friends in appreciating the holiday gift of "now" a bit more. Just a thought. On a related note, recently the world lost a great example of living life to the fullest. This old dog driver was about an inspiration to two and four leggeds alike. Check out this website (http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/7309799p-7221499c.html) and see what you can do to fill the hole he leaves.

Keep your tugs tight.

Bombo

A Dog's eye view

The human condition is such that it often takes a four legged to help people manage the blind spots of their perspectives. That's where I come in. The jury is still out on whether or not big brain cases and opposable thumbs were a good evolutionary idea, but as long as there are humans I'll do my best to help them make sense of their world. As a lead dog, the mantle of leadership is never in the absence of pulling your own weight and making a contribution in service to the broader goal. So, I'll do my best to give you humans a different perspective on the challenges of the world you create, in hopes that you will gain wisdom to improve your choices and the lives of us all. I look forward to showing you the way down the trail.

Bombo