Flu bugs, kid's races and fundraising...

The dogs have had a week off and are back into training again. It was a good thing I gave them time off...there is a flu bug in the kennel. It started with Dusk, throwing up a little bit for a few days, though he ate and drank well, with no diarrhea. But now, the rest of the kennel DOES have diarrhea. That's ok...I'd rather they get it now and get through it than get sick on the race trail. There's nothing worse than getting part way into a race and finding that your dogs are sick and you have to pack it in and go home. It's no fun to be sick, I know I'm a big baby when I'm sick sometimes...so just imagine how the dogs would feel out on a 300 mile race! No THANKS! Still, Dusk was only feeling under the weather for a few days, so I'm thinking that's the time frame for this flu bug.

Manny took 2 teams of 8 out yesterday for a short, fun run to get the dogs out, stretch their legs and take a sled out of our dogyard. It was fun for the dogs, though Manny took a hard bump on the elbow. That Gatt sled steers like a dream....when loaded. Manny wasn't running with any weight in the basket, so the sled was a bit squirrely. Still, he managed to run both 8 dog teams and the dogs came in loping and barking....that's a nice sign! :o) Here's the layout for the 2 teams:

Team 1: Feather/Just in lead, China/Willy in swing, Riley/Plato in team, and Rocket/Inu in wheel.

Team 2: Dutchess/Torus in lead, Booger/Ahab in swing, Dusk/Banjo in team, and Ody/Jake in wheel.

Manny said that he had to hold the team back a bit with Dutchess in lead, as the ole girl has slowed down, but that was ok. She had fun and that's what counted. Manny plans to do 30-40 milers with the main team on Tuesday and Thursday, to keep the dogs in shape and hone the team for the 300. Tricky is still laid off for another week, as he dinged up his wrist pretty bad on the Cantwell race, and though he's not limping now, I'd rather be safe by erring on the side of more rest than take a chance of losing him for my race team. He's a powerhouse and another leader I can use if need be (the boy has some speed!), so I want to be sure to have him healthy and solid for the Quest 300.

On another note, Devlyn had his first race of the season on Saturday. He ran the 2 dog class with Herod and Munchkin (SCL) as his team. He did quite well!! He had to use Dad's sprint sled, as we discovered that with Devlyn's growth spurt over the summer/fall, he is too tall for his kid sled. So, Devlyn used the red sled and started off well. The dogs were hauling down the track. I watched for him to head back up and thought he'd be a few minutes, but lo and behold, there he came flying up the hill. Herod and Munchkin were loping well, all the way to the finish line. Devlyn was covered in snow and it turns out that with him not quite being used to Manny's sled, he dumped it in the corner at the bottom of the field. But, Devlyn was very proud that he hung on, righted his sled, jumped back on then reached down and picked up the snow hook to continue on the trail. He finished in 4th place with a time of 4:14, just 45 seconds from 1st place! Devlyn was very excited and he's determined to practice more with the sled so that he can improve his time next weekend. Go Devlyn!

Well, I'm off. Fundraising is slowly getting there, so it looks like I'll have what I need to sign up for the Quest 300 and get my drop bags packed. I have to thank my wonderful co-workers at Hutchison High School, as they've taken it upon themselves to help me in my efforts. I'm just taken aback at the support and caring being sent my way...it's wonderful.

Stay tuned for more adventures in the weeks to come!
-Tammi