Today is the 89th anniversary of the arrival of serum at Nome, Alaska. It was delivered through the heart of the Alaskan winter by a sled dog team led by Balto, for a while the most famous dog in the world. This is the event that inspired the annual Iditarod race.
Even with the recent Snowmageddon here in Dixie, you can't do this. But with the introduction of small video cameras, here is someone taking us along with her.
#2 Son loves huskies more than any other breed. Wonder if he'll end up moving to Alaska.
5 comments:
I hate to burst your son's bubble, but the mushers don't race huskies anymore; they're too small. The breed of choice now is Malamute, or sometimes a hybrid of the two.
RE: Huskies - No, no and Hell no.
You've never seen anything shed like a Husky. Put one in the back seat, roll the windows down at 45 and you're driving a snow globe.
They chew. Everything. Reportedly they're the second worst chewers. I do not want to know what breed is #1.
They are pack animals par excellence. Extremely hiearchy-oriented, and that includes the people they live with.
My advice: get a cat. Or find a neighbor you dislike and buy him the husky.
A couple recently moved here to southern Montana from Fairbanks to get away from the harsh winters. They have a couple of rescued huskies that they brought along. These dogs had never been indoors for the first years of their lives and were very happy when the temps here (finally) dropped below zero. The owners found them asleep in a snow bank.
Husky's are not for everyone. If you can't stand shedding fur, digging in the yard, and wanderlust, the husky is not for you. They also need a lot of exercise. Lot's of walks and a big fenced yard is a must. However, we owned a husky for over 13 years, and a more beautiful, lovable dog cannot be found. Yes, they do assert their place in the pack when they are young, but all you have to do is show them who is boss and they settle right down.
There is no need to move north in order to have a husky. We live in the upper south - Kentucky - and our husky got along fine in the hot summer months. All you have to do is make sure there is plenty of water available. In the summer, we kept one of those small kiddie pools in the yard, and she loved playing in the lawn sprinkler. But every now and then, we would find her curled up on the concrete driveway snoozing away in the hot sun. It didn't seem to bother her at all. I guess that thick fur insulates both ways.
But oh what fur. Thick and luxurious, they molt twice a year. And after brushing you wonder how all of that fuzz came off of just one dog. Misty's been gone over 5 years now and we still find the occasional tuft hidden behind the furniture. My wife still cries when that happens. We still miss her.
Roy, that's a great story.
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