All pet owners eventually have to deal with the same old and familiar issue - whose gonna take care of the critters while I go on vacation?
It’s difficult for me to leave my dogs behind when I hit the road for work or play; I really do enjoy their company. For the most part, Borage, Jigs, and Pig go everywhere I go. We’re four peas in a tiny SUV pod.
Even though my pups are good travelers, sometimes it’s best to leave them behind. Most dog owners can relate to the worry and stress attempting to find a good pet sitter can cause.
For the last month, I’ve been stuck in a quandary, trying to decide what to do with Pig, my ten-year old retired Iditarod lead dog, while I’m driving around Texas giving dog mushing presentations in the schools.
Borage, a highly social sled dog, is the star of my talks, so he always comes with me. Jigs, my German Jagd Terrier, tags along too; he doesn’t mind hanging out with the librarians or secretaries in their air-conditioned offices while I work. Pig, on the other hand, wants nothing to do with large quantities of spastic, screaming school kids (who can blame her?); she prefers to wait patiently in the comfort and security of the vehicle.
Unfortunately for Miss Pig, we’ll be spending over 5 weeks way down south where the temperatures might get too hot for dogs in the car. I needed to come up with a new plan.
I thought of several friends who could look after her, but she’d have to stay outdoors. Pig has become a peculiar dog in her retirement. She doesn’t like cold weather, and snow seems to seriously annoy her. Her picky eating habits make feeding time a challenge. She likes her dog bed placed near the heater. She can sleep for 12 hours straight. Living outside wasn’t going to work for her.
That’s when I thought of my friends, Bryan and Kim Busch.
The Busch’s now own two of the sled dogs that use to be on my team - Walla Walla and Lucy. They’ve been using the girls for skijoring (where a dog pulls a person on skis) and have recently taken the big “plunge” into mushing after buying their first dog sled. I thought they might be willing to take care of Pig for me, especially if my little leader might be able to work for them.
Pig and I met Bryan and his team at a snowmobile parking lot near Rimini. I told Pig that it was in her best interest to act like a sled dog again - just for a few hours, even. If she worked in Bryan’s team, he could use her on short 4-5 mile training runs for the rest of the winter. And she cold sleep on her dog bed inside of the Busch’s warm house all day long like a normal pet dog - a pretty good deal for everyone.
I had no idea if Pig would run in lead or not. So far this winter, she has been on snow strike. I crossed my fingers- for all of us.
Bryan tied his new sled off to his mini van and stretched the gangline out in front of the sled. He harnessed his three dogs; I harnessed Pig and put her in lead next to Lucy. When Pig saw the other dogs barking and pounding to go, something clicked in her brain. She became a dog with a job again - a working girl. Bryan pulled his safety release, letting the team free to run. It was a beautiful sight. Pig took off down the trail like all of the thousands of times before.
Maybe it was the leader instinct in her. Or maybe it was the thought of having to sleep in a cold dog house for the next month. Either way, Pig can still run.
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