The Sled Dog Experience
Going to Alaska and working with the sled dogs for two weeks was the adventure of a lifetime and it’s tough to edit down to a 90 second video.
Working with the dogs was a magical experience, leaving me with a sense of peace I haven’t felt in a long time. My life is all about dogs and I feel like maybe it doesn’t get any better than The Sled Dogs of Denali.
The process of loading the dogs into the truck takes about 20 minutes. Unloading takes just about as long. There are four teams of dogs; two teams are hooked up to their sleds, while the other two teams are put on gang lines as they wait their turn to pull the sleds. The air is filled with anticipatory howls and barking and it is GLORIOUS! (the song of my people, truly!)
Once the dogs are securely fastened to the sled and each other, the humans climb aboard the sled, the passenger seated in front and the Kennel Ranger standing behind. The dogs sense when the sled is loaded and they pull their line taut, ready for the release command.
The Kennel Ranger doesn't actually say "MUSH". Yes, I know, I was surprised too! They say "line out" (so the dogs know to keep the line straight before they go.) Then, they are off!
The cacophony of howls and barks immediately stops as soon as the dogs begin their work. Of all of the dogs, there was only one who would make any noise as she worked and that was Story. (A story for another day, perhaps.)
As the dogs ran through the trails, the ears of the lead dogs would swivel back and forth, listening for commands from the Kennel Ranger. Their commands consisted of "on by", which means "keep going, don't get distracted"; "yee" for turn right and "haw" for turn left. Whoa means stop. If you are familiar with horses, then these terms may seem familiar to you. That's because they come from the horse world.
Interesting side note: the very first harnesses the dogs used in 1902 were loosely based on the same harness design used for draft horses. Once the handlers figured out that the dogs needed a different set up, they tailored the harnesses to be more efficient for the dogs to wear,
As the dogs run the trails, the Kennel Ranger must be very observant to who or what may be on the trail with them, including Grouse. Grouse don't seem to be afraid of anything and will literally stand in the middle of the trail until the dogs are nearly on top of them. The dogs just keep going, giving the Grouse no mind, but scaring the wits out of me!
I could continue to tell you about the history of the sled dogs, the ins and outs of working the trail and all of that, but you can Google all of that information. =)
This experience is one I will never forget and has forged lasting memories for Tony and me. It's also inspired me to make some changes in my life to foster that sense of peace I found with the sled dogs. It's not easy, especially right now with all of the political chaos going on.
I'll be honest and tell you that when things get hectic and scary, I just watch one of the videos of the dogs and my soul settles down a little.
Hugs to your dog!
Holly