January 2008 re we are the end of January and .............Every race this month was cancelled!  Crazy isn't it, considering where my heads been this season I find it incredibly suiting!  I decided to pull out of the Canada race.  There were multiple reasons why.   Being unable to travel with all the dogs ( team & pups) our usual number of "good, house dogs" ( the dogs that stay home and friends look after) went from.......6 to...............12!  I had some major concerns leaving the pups home for 5 days with out me, Kev, or the "core" dogs. And because they are not actually" good dogs", they would need to stay outside...........and I'm fairly certain there would be some sort of trouble!  That in conjunction with the cost of this trip, and the fact that I should be saving for our new "dog truck" boxes, and sled..........well this just wasn't the right time for us. Havok and Legend are doing well in lead.  And I'm totally blown away that Havok of all dogs actually knows his commands!  Anyone who knows Havok would understand,  If you don't know Havok here's an idea.  Havok is AWESOME in wheel, he's a non-stop power machine, clue word being non-stop....as in he hates to stop.  We refer to him as our "steroid raging line backer" you know the crazy guy that slams into his team mates all hyped up......thats Havok so the fact that he's calm enough to listen, register and then perform the commands.....AMAZING! Legend is the pace setter and the first to "get up" when asked.  He needs some work on the commands but he and Havok are pairing offing nicely.  Now we'll just keep a watchful eye on his carpus and continue with our wrist wraps and ointments. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ December 07 STRUGGLE...............REBUILD I have to be honest I feel the loss of Tantrum, the tragic event of her death just as deeply and raw today as I did the day it happened.  I told myself this summer that i would feel better, get back to myself once training season began.  My passion and focus of being with the dogs would certainly pull me back to my feet.  This was an expectation I should never have placed on myself. Our training has lacked the normal focus, passion  and dedication on my part.  The team is doing well considering our mileage is substantially less then it should be. I then decided I would load the kids up and hit some snow.  What happened next was crushing. It was obvious that the ATV had made a significant change in our performance.  While most of this was positive..........There was one major issue, one issue that brought me to tears.  My leaders could no longer keep the pace. Mayhem has been my leader for 5 years. And this year with Tantrum dying, Outlaw heading to retirement......this was the last thing I needed! Race season was just around the corner and I had NO LEADERS. I arrived home distraught, broken and announced to Kev that I was considering pulling out of every race and just bagging the entire year.  The idea of not having any leaders at a time that I myself felt challenged was just so heavy for me.  Kev suggested I forget about "racing" use each and every race as a training tool, not to worry about time, just get the dogs more seasoned ( out of a team of 8 dogs this is the first season for....4 of them!) he told me to get back to basics, not to worry about mileage, time lines and just BE. IF ever a time he could have talked me out of this way of life, got me to stay home, save money and put more cash in OUR pockets and not the dogs......this was his opportunity.  And yet it was so basic, I never worry about winning, yet here I was with all this pressure. Yes I wanted to do better, but this is not what it's about.  So Kev calls this my rebuilding year, he spouts off famous football coaches that had theses type of seasons and then came back better, stronger, more focused..........and I laugh, all while thinking " this is our rebuilding year" then what will we call next year with 5 pups! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ November 07 - CELEBRITIES FOR A DAY On Thursday morning Primus, Mayhem, Quoia, Havok, Legend,Lyken, Envi, Rage, Brazen, Keen, Stanchion, and Ikon all went to Essex Elementary with me and our sled.  We did a presentation on Racing, Raising, and Living with a Pack of Sled Dogs. As usual it was not only fun but educational and we received many compliments and some great thank you cards from the children. The message was clear in many cards the kids wrote: Its not about winning, Its about having fun, keeping everyone safe and happy! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ October 07 - KEEN GETS HIS RABIES VACCINE Keens been home from the hospital for a few weeks, he's putting on weight and now that he's "out of the woods" he received his rabies vaccine and will finish his puppy series...........Finally ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ September 07 - A NEW TRAINING TOOL Well with the team size growing and the distances were looking to run, its clear that the rig just wont do. Seeing how I train all the dogs by myself its time to be sure I have CONTROL, and lets face it that just doesn't happen on the rig. So while last years training pool consisted of 8 dogs, this years holds 10 and next year when you add the pups..........thats 16. After checking some things out on line Kev decided we should just go to a local dealer and "see things for ourself" He of course came up with this idea as he poured my third martini and then off we went. Well looking turned into buying and Kev couldn't be happier that the dogs finally paid off for him as well. Finally a toy for him! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ August 07 - LEGENDS GETS A PROSTHETIC RIGHT EYE After noticing a trend in Legends I.O.P ( intra ocular pressure) it became clear we were beginning to loose some control of his Glaucoma. After contemplating the options ( removal, prosthesis, additional meds- he's blind in the affected eye) We've decided that A prosthesis is the way to go. Its actually Kev who felt there was no other choice, no other option..........Legend deserves a prosthetic   Thank you for stopping by and reading about us! Stay tuned for more Monthly Madness!