Tuesday, March 10th - Day 4

Ahhh... A long day of keeping close to the GPS tracker. It is so hard to concentrate on work, but the day goes one like usual. I have a map outside my office and the big event of the day is when I can move my post-it to the next check point, speculate how much time Bruce will spend resting and when he will leave again.

Debbie and Jean, my co-workers, like to keep track of how accurate I am with my predictions.

Since Bruce is not communicating as much, I thought I might talk about the dogs on the team. Since we have moved to Alaska, we have made a point not to purchase dogs any more. We have the genetics in our kennel now to breed our own pups and see them through training.

Kiwi, one of our most precious dogs gave birth late fall, and we thought should would not be able to keep up with the training regiment of the race team. But amazingly enough, she ran like she never missed a beat. She is not running first string lead this year, but I bet you bottom dollar if Bruce come into a tricky situation, she will be leading the way. I have never seen a dog bond with her master - as Bruce is her master. Ask our tour guides from Green Mountain Dog Sled Adventures... Kiwi was the biggest pain in the rear - stubborn and sneaky with everyone except for Bruce. Bruce would comment "I have no idea what you are talking about, she is fine and I have no problems..." Emily and Nate - they know the real story though :).

Maya is also on the team this year... She is Kiwi's best friend. Maya is priceless and we could never ever replace her. She responds to Bruce like no other dog in the world. We love her so... and she loves Brody as well. You should see them together.

Jake is back... Jake is a tour dog from Vermont who has grown into a wonderful sled dog. He has his quirks no doubt, but he finished last year with Bruce.

Ruby and Moscow are half siblings - their mother being Rosie. Though Rosie is not a race dog anymore, she is our main brew bitch and she has lovely pups. Ruby, an albino almost 2 year old is just a sweetie. Moscow, is one of our larger males with energy above and beyond. Both pups have Rosie's blue eyes and they are just awesome, awesome dogs.

Ok, time for bed - more on the dogs tomorrow!
Happy Trails,
Melissa and Brody