Americano Blue's musher/mushing chat thread

[RezChamp]

This has been a sad few months, particularly today. One of my first dogs, Deluxe, passed away a few months ago due to old age. Today, Cinna, the dog I first got as a pup with Deluxe (and Sprite), passed away after a weeklong battle with stomach ulcers and extreme dehydration (she couldn't keep anything down, she even threw up the little bit of water she could drink). I de-wormed the kennel and she wasn't feeling good since then. The bottle said that some side effects could be lethargy and lack of appetite so we though that maybe the wormer didn't agree with her. My family just said to let it pass, let her get it out of her system. Only today I had enough and had my mom take her to the vet while I was at work. The vet informed us that she had stomach ulcers and the de-wormer aggravated it and she was very dehydrated. My mom took her home with some meds and at around 1pm she passed away. She was my whole world and wasn't even two years old yet.

OMG char. I am so sorry. I feel for you. I am close to tears. I really don't know what to say.

 

[Americano Blue]

This has been a sad few months, particularly today. One of my first dogs, Deluxe, passed away a few months ago due to old age. Today, Cinna, the dog I first got as a pup with Deluxe (and Sprite), passed away after a weeklong battle with stomach ulcers and extreme dehydration (she couldn't keep anything down, she even threw up the little bit of water she could drink). I de-wormed the kennel and she wasn't feeling good since then. The bottle said that some side effects could be lethargy and lack of appetite so we though that maybe the wormer didn't agree with her. My family just said to let it pass, let her get it out of her system. Only today I had enough and had my mom take her to the vet while I was at work. The vet informed us that she had stomach ulcers and the de-wormer aggravated it and she was very dehydrated. My mom took her home with some meds and at around 1pm she passed away. She was my whole world and wasn't even two years old yet.

I'm sorry to hear that, Char.

That's really tough to go through with any dog, especially losing them so close together

 

[Birdy Buddy]

I'm new to this forum. I just noticed this thread for mushing. I haven't had the time to peruse all 273 pages of this thread yet.
I have been a long time active musher since 1993. I bought one Alaskan Husky and taught him to lead. I went on to win five ISDRA medals in skijoring. I was president of the Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers for a couple years. I was on the national team and competed in Fairbanks AK in the one and two dog races in the 2001 IFSS worlds. I have raced my teams in Alaska, BC, Alberta, Oregon, California Colorado Washington and Utah.
I would still be racing but a nasty case of leukemia wrecked my body. My dogs are old now. I miss the whole scene very much.

I started out skijoring and I went on to bikejoring and scooter. I ended up late in my mushing career using Pointers. There is nothing wrong with huskies but they tend to overheat in California. With pointers I could extend my mushing season by two or three months. Alaskans were great for breaking trail like in the picture below.

 

[Americano Blue]

I'm new to this forum. I just noticed this thread for mushing. I haven't had the time to peruse all 273 pages of this thread yet.
I have been a long time active musher since 1993. I bought one Alaskan Husky and taught him to lead. I went on to win five ISDRA medals in skijoring. I was president of the Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers for a couple years. I was on the national team and competed in Fairbanks AK in the one and two dog races in the 2001 IFSS worlds. I have raced my teams in Alaska, BC, Alberta, Oregon, California Colorado Washington and Utah.
I would still be racing but a nasty case of leukemia wrecked my body. My dogs are old now. I miss the whole scene very much.

I started out skijoring and I went on to bikejoring and scooter. I ended up late in my mushing career using Pointers. There is nothing wrong with huskies but they tend to overheat in California. With pointers I could extend my mushing season by two or three months. Alaskans were great for breaking trail like in the picture below.

Hi there! Welcome to the mushing thread (which I am honestly surprised has been kept alive this long.

)

I've thought about using pointer's before (i have used and occasionally still use labs) but have heard that they don't do distance very well. What was your favorite race ?

 

[charnic44]

OMG char. I am so sorry. I feel for you. I am close to tears. I really don't know what to say.

I'm sorry to hear that, Char. That's really tough to go through with any dog, especially losing them so close together

Thanks guys, the worst part is that she was so young. I can usually handle old age catching up to an animal/person but it's always sad when someone so young passes away.

I'm new to this forum. I just noticed this thread for mushing. I haven't had the time to peruse all 273 pages of this thread yet. I have been a long time active musher since 1993. I bought one Alaskan Husky and taught him to lead. I went on to win five ISDRA medals in skijoring. I was president of the Sierra Nevada Dog Drivers for a couple years. I was on the national team and competed in Fairbanks AK in the one and two dog races in the 2001 IFSS worlds. I have raced my teams in Alaska, BC, Alberta, Oregon, California Colorado Washington and Utah. I would still be racing but a nasty case of leukemia wrecked my body. My dogs are old now. I miss the whole scene very much. I started out skijoring and I went on to bikejoring and scooter. I ended up late in my mushing career using Pointers. There is nothing wrong with huskies but they tend to overheat in California. With pointers I could extend my mushing season by two or three months. Alaskans were great for breaking trail like in the picture below.

Welcome! I look forward to hearing more about you/your mushing career... I don't ski but I do love to bikejor with my leaders in training. We mainly focus on mid distance.

 

[Birdy Buddy]

Hi there! Welcome to the mushing thread (which I am honestly surprised has been kept alive this long.

)

I've thought about using pointer's before (i have used and occasionally still use labs) but have heard that they don't do distance very well. What was your favorite race ?

Most of mushing sport is sprint I think. There's not much out there for distance skijoring. Most people have only heard of Iditarod and sprint is almost unheard of outside the bubble. Skijoring is the fringe of an already fringe sport. I don't know why because it's so much fun and you can do it with only one dog. For racing, an off the shelf pointer has a decent top speed and can go hard for 20K if you train them right. A pointer doesn't have overheating problems when the temps get warmer. For fall scooter racing season I was able to train for a month longer at least before the first race. Where I was training near Truckee I could run dogs all summer because at daybreak, the temps were often below 40F all summer.
I loved all the races I went to. Mostly the people I met were the best part. Fairbanks was always a lot of fun because it's the center of the mushing world. I met a lot of famous mushers there.

 

[RezChamp]

Hi Birdy Buddy
Ironic, Birdy is the name of a close friend of mine that recently left this world due to un-natural causes. Bird is what my son's name means when translated to English and his nickname is Buddy. His baby sister started calling him that.
Nice to have you join us. Is that you skijoring in the pic? If so I feel as if I recognize you. If you are who I think you are I am humbled and honoured to be in company(so to speak) with you.
Leukaemia. Sorry to hear. My uncle had that when he was younger.. He beat it. He's gone now. Not from leukaemia. He was 71 when he passed. He lived with Prostate Cancer for the last 21 years. There is much meds that grow upon the Earth that won't cost $1000's to avail of. He was utilizing them. He said that's why he lived so long. Sadly I know only a few of what is needed to combat cancers. It is my ongoing endeavour to acquire more knowledge in this area.
So....ya....GSHP's. Yes I have seen a big swing to this breed. Even here in Manitoba the sprinters are going to about 75% GSHP blood. I saw it at The Pas where Ray Cook's son took to 5 years in a row. Actually Ray was ahead at 5 miles to go but somewhere in the bush his son close the half mile between them and beat his dad to the line by 100yards. That was To be Ray's final race.
If it were me in my final race I would've took it with no regard for my son's 5th straight win. LOL

Where I live gets winter for upwards of 5 months, sometimes more, occasionally less. Some winters have little snow and darned cold, some have lotsa snow and kinda warm. The odd time we get lotsa snow and very cold, such as -50*C and 3, 4, 5 ft of snow in the bush. Usually 18"-24" @ -25 to -35*C. So ya, lotsa good mushing weather here..... for real huskies......and/or GSHP's and /or X's.

Yes, a fringe sport of a fringe sport. Skijoring is on the rise though. I see city folk with 1 or 2 or 3 dogs getting into it. Since urban #'s are growing skijoring looks like a growing sport.

Scootering and carting aren't really big here.....yet. Kind of a fringe sport on the outskirts of a fringe sport. I see it now and then though. So many dog breeds and so few that are actually used for the purposes they were originally bred for need an outlet for their energy. Humans will eventually see the need for execising their K9 companions as opposed to letting them get rolling fat and the diseases that a company that.
I am not the only lone mushing man now. Welcome mushing brother. Feel free to PM me.

 

[Birdy Buddy]

Nice to have you join us. Is that you skijoring in the pic? If so I feel as if I recognize you.

That is me skijoring in the photo. That was in 2007. My name is Mike Callahan. I could be the guy you think I am. I did get around a little in my heyday. The Birdy Buddy handle is a name I used to call my uncles cockateel. So.. Have we met before?

 

[RezChamp]

Thanks guys, the worst part is that she was so young. I can usually handle old age catching up to an animal/person but it's always sad when someone so young passes away.
Welcome! I look forward to hearing more about you/your mushing career... I don't ski but I do love to bikejor with my leaders in training. We mainly focus on mid distance.

Yes. Even more so when they are old enough that we've become attached. More yet when we've worked with them, played with them, sat with them and talked with them, cried on their shoulder and shared our secrets with. I know. It's tough.. We'll always remember but move on. I think our K9's help us to deal with a lot of stuff and even get us somewhat accustomed to losing what/who we love. Or maybe accustomed ain't the right word.

 

[RezChamp]

  That is me skijoring in the photo.  That was in 2007.  My name is Mike Callahan.  I could be the guy you think I am.  I did get around a little in my heyday.  The Birdy Buddy handle is a name I used to call my uncles cockateel.  So.. Have we met before?  

I can't say that we have met. Have you ever been to The Pas or any other races in Manitoba? Thompson? Cross Lake? York Landing?
Maybe I just saw your pic on a mushing site. Or a business site.
Do you have a website? Maybe a kennel site?
Your name does ring a bell.