On the Road Again. Sled Dog Safaris.

We had great weather yesterday and 20 dogs got to run. Looks like a cool/somewhat rainy week ahead so we hope to get more time in.

With our new Polaris Ranger , we're offering Sled Dog Safari rides. We hook up small training teams and take a three to six mile run, out across the Brule River. Shorter rides are available on our own trails.

Fall Training Weather

Usual fall chores are underway, but it is still a bit warm to run very far. We are trail running just a mile or two on our own trails and all dogs are still enjoying the summer free run routines. Our new Polaris Ranger is turning into a useful vehicle, both for running dogs and hauling boulders to fill their summer 'digs'.

Photos: Matilda, doing well in leader training , and Ruthie, in harness, for a short run. Ruthie is a first choice leader. Matilda has been running co-lead with veteran, Buffy.

Looks like the next week will continue in the 70's and dust (little rain). The evenings are cooling off and we are taking some dusk trail runs with free running dogs, braving the wandering porcupine.

Here a Buck, there a buck...

Everywhere a buck, buck. And the dogs take it all in stride, their evening wildlife viewing.

First the does came in and ate all of the corn. Then they wandered up to the deck window, looking in, as if to say: "More corn, please." We fed them again and in came the bucks. Four bucks.

Hard to see at that distance, but I believe one nine point, one eight OR ten point, one six point? and one spikehorn. Many good photos but this caught three of the bucks together.

Tail Photo

Of course, we'd like to know what this is, since once in awhile we have a dog tethered on the front porch (never left alone). Last year the coyotes and foxes would wander close by, but did not approach the dog. Of course, if it's Skinny he makes a loud protest at any critter coming close. It is clearly ? not a cougar tail.

In the photo , the tail is between and directly above the '08' and the '09'. Hard to see unless you can enlarge it as I can.

Here kitty, kitty? No, not with that tail.

At first look, we thought the big cat might be back (cougar), but the next photo in sequence shows a coyote like tail. We can't see a coyote face in this photo, so we're not sure what this is.

Any votes welcome. Whatever it is, Skinny was very wild and crazy down there with the great new smells as he took his morning run.

The animal is directly above the '07' in the date on photo. A bit hard to see on here... any votes?

Four Bucks, Four Bucks

The bucks are coming in together. One night at 6PM there were four bucks down at the corn feed; every night under the apple trees we have a collection of bucks. Have seen one nine point, one looked like a ten point, several six points, one eight point and two or three spikehorns with distinctively different racks (differentiating one from another). The apples are plentiful, so they'll be around for awhile, if the bowhunters (other lands) don't get them. They are majestic to see.

The coyotes were yipping in the back hillside when I went for a short walk with Sierra, our little aging Elkhound. She takes her border guarding seriously and stopped in her tracks, but just to listen.

Fall Training Begins

We are returning from our summer blog, Summer at Summer Place. We hope to take our first training run on Wednesday of this week. Dogs are ready!

We enjoyed visiting the Mitch Seavey kennel in August and took a ride with Tyrell S. as our driver, learning a few more pointers on running dogs. Always learning.

Photo: Riding with a team at the Mitch Seavey kennel in Seward, August, 2008.