Spring has arrived. Maybe winter won't tease us anymore.

Its been a weird spring so far. We have had hot, like HOT,days and the dogs are in the kiddy pools and then the next morning you wake up and the pools are a solid brick of ice. We haven't been doing any atv runs this spring. BUT our neighbor cleaned up a few trees that were blocking the trail and the cattle have not arrived  yet so we have been doing a ton of off leash walking. We start from our yard and can hike it or cruise on the ATV and the dogs chase me, which they love opening up and racing each other.  Eli and Munchkin have gone to their new homes and their new owners report back that they are doing great! Carmine is looking for a home still and will make a great pet for someone or an addition to any type of team Sprint to Mid Distance, Competitive or Recreation. So far all you readers out there keep your eye out for a nice new home for the big guy.  He has been to doggy day care a few times and LOVES it. He is coming out his shell a lot now that there are fewer dogs. As for our plans I am still planning on skijoring next winter and if I am lucky and with practice I will get better at cross country skate skiing and we can enter a race or two. Even though I really miss having all of the dogs here, its also been a lot more manageable with so few. It will be nice to be down to  a number where all the dogs can fit in the canoe for weekend camping trips and all of them fitting in the back of my hatch back ( although after fitting 6 dogs in my 2 door ford many years ago I think 4 will certainly fit in my car now! Enjoy our little video!

Changes

Well after a tragic fall and winter of animal losses and some life changes we have decided to re-home most of the team. I spent the last part of the winter Skijoring and think that will be a more manageable direction. I mulled over this over many weeks and we have started the process. Munchkin went to her new home a few weeks ago to a very cool young couple in Barre Vermont to live her life out as an active pet.

The big boys Eli ( 5) and Carmine ( 4) are still available. Both would be best in a sled dog home since they still have hard work ethics and desire. But would also be great as active pets! The do not need to go together. They are crate trained, house trained, are being taught how to walk nicely on a leash and can be walked off leash. They can be tethered or penned outside. They have bikejored, skijored, hiked with back packs and have done overnight camping.

Eli has been a fantastic lead dog for me for the last 3 years, taking us past and through some tricky situations. Like past a flock of 20 wild turkeys or through the tight tunnel at the Stratford race with out a skip in his step. He would be a great addition to any team. He is so enthusiastic about running that he has to be tethered with a heavy cable and shackle directly to the truck. He is great in the house, with kids and small animals, loves on everyone he can get to pet him. He can be walked on a leash with the use of a prong collar, rides well in the car and is very people oriented.

Carmine is the hardest worker who I never have to fuss about. He can run in lead although sometimes his mind wanders with his nose. He does have epilepsy which has been almost completely controlled with an all raw diet. He was having them in his sleep ( usually at 1 or 2 in the morning) and every 6 weeks when they first developed about 2 years ago. But hasn't had one in nearly 9 months! The seizures have never effected his running and I have never feared an episode while he is working. He is great in the kennel can be penned or tethered. He is not a barker, he plays well with the other dogs, and loves to cuddle once he knows you. He is a super happy dog, his favorite game is to chase the laser pointer. He will go to my work bench and point to the pointer until I play with him! He is shy so doesn't do well with human crowds but really enjoys car rides.

If you are interested please email me at elizstrobridge@gmail.com

January 2012

We were really doing well when the beginning of January came around. The snow started to fall and we hit the trail! I got a LOT of video using our new GoPro Camera and tried out a bunch of mounting options. The dogs were doing great for about 3 weeks. We met up with our friends a few times a week and got some great training. The last time we ran i did notice something was up, Eli was being super cranky and was going after other teams which is totally unlike him. I pulled him out of lead and stuck him in wheel he was working great but when we got home it started. Eli, Munchkin, Suzie and Henry all started to cough. So for the last 10 days they have been inside, crated and medicated. It did give me time to work on a longer video. Hopefully not too long..... But here is what I have so far!

Living with my dogs

Now that we have only 6 sled dogs and Deklyn the routines and daily life has gotten a little simpler. The dogs are routinely coming upstairs for quiet time before bed and they are spending a lot less time in crates since everyone gets along. Even with Suzie in heat the boys and girls are all behaving themselves. Henry is learning manners quickly, Carmine is starting to settle down ( only slightly), Eli loves sitting for love. The girls are very well behaved, suzie does jump on the couch a lot though... So its going well. Which is good because there hasn't been a lot of snow to train this season, infact there is none at my house! A few of the dogs started coughing again so Soon after this post we will be headed to the VET! They love us!

Cute Video I found from Fall Training

Deklyn sometimes gets very upset that he is not included in the sled dog activities. Being a sensitive Border Collie Mix he sits and sulks on the couch in the basement. He thinks he is "hiding" his shame of being different.

Hit our Funk.

Today we had a whole lata funk and attitude out on the trail. So we won't talk to much about the fact that all the boys were on edge. It may be due to the fact that Suzie, sweet little Suzie has become a lady today and hormones are raging..... Lee and I did get the chance to video the dogs this weekend and I experimented with a few camera angles today that will be posted to Youtube.com later. One view I will warn you may cause seizures as the camera was attached to Munchkin's back. I will have to figure out a different mounting for the desired view I was going for!

I have been filming almost every run since we hit snow so below is a preview of the longer video I am working on for the end of the season. The video was taken yesterday prior to the funk and Attitude!

SNOW!

So last weekend we finally got on the sled! The dogs and I met up with friends at Eden Mountain Lodge both Saturday and Sunday. The dogs did fantastic! The conditions were still a little sketchy but I rotated the dogs and we went out in groups of 4 dogs. Then on Wednesday Lee and I went back to Eden and took all 6 out with both of us in/on the sled. It was a blast and I got some great video and photos of the dogs. One is featured on the home page of sleddogcentral.com for a limited time!

Being on the sled is so refreshing. Its like putting on you sandals when summer arrives for the first time or when you get the Christmas tree up in December. You forget how much you love the feel of the runners under your feet, the sound of the dogs panting away with the jingle of their tags. Being on sleds for the first time for the season reminds you why you pick up dog crap and deal with tumble weeds of dog hair all year round. I think I heard the words " NOW I REMEMBER WHY I DO THIS" about 50 times this past weekend from all the mushers who flocked to snowy Eden. We got a healthy amount of snow last night up here in Vermont and I hope to hit my local spots this coming week. Lee is out today scouting the Lincoln trails. Lets cross our fingers that he returns from snowmobiling with good news!

Free Running

Well, at least we got some exercise. We are so far behind in training its getting kinda ridiculous.... we got up to Jay, Vermont Friday night with dogs and equipment in tow. I bedded down with the dogs to experience some outdoor sleeping with the dogs. It took the dogs a long time to settle dog and then around 1am i was woken up by Henry sniffing me and a few of the dogs whining. Henry had twisted his drop chain off and was wondering around. I poked my head out of the sleeping bag to find it was raining.... yea. As comfortable as I was in my warm sleeping bag I knew that the dogs were miserable house pets getting wet. So I put them in the box, grabbed all my stuff and went inside to find the fire roaring and my husband and friend out cold on the couches and settled down on the floor with the house dog, Deklyn. When we got up in the morning the "snow" was almost gone. Needless to say we ended up free running the dogs every day and did not go snowboarding. The dogs seemed to really enjoy the change of scenery and had the opportunity to socialize with some other dogs.

Eli, Henry, Munchkin, Deklyn, Ellie, and Suzie

Power lines, very bare trail!

Munchkin chilling off in a puddle!