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What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 20th 08, 01:16 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
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Posts: 7,732
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

[]
Last night Lance Mackey won the Yukon Quest for the fourth
year in a row. This has been a bad year, with an awful,
awful trail and temperatures that hit -60F. The Quest
website has video up of Mackey leaving the last checkpoint
100 miles from the finish line in Whitehorse, at
http://www.yukonquest.com/site/view-...urn/#showMedia
(choose "Mackey leaves Braeburn for the Finish Line").

It also shows him drinking bottled water. News reports
about him often mention that he's a cancer survivor, but
what they tend not to mention is that he's got no salivary
glands as a result and so he's got to drink water nearly
constantly, which is a real challenge when you're spending
over a week on the trail with temperatures substantially
below zero.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #2  
Old February 20th 08, 01:38 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
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Posts: 6,155
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

Melinda Shore wrote:

http://www.yukonquest.com/site/view-...urn/#showMedia
(choose "Mackey leaves Braeburn for the Finish Line").


Very low key. You can tell they're all pretty tired.

The scene in the middle, when the starboard lead dog is nosing him,
is super sweet. That's a guy who really likes his dogs.

which is a real challenge when you're spending
over a week on the trail with temperatures substantially
below zero.


It's logistical things like that that I wonder about. Does he keep
a bunch of bottles on the sled, right in front of him? Don't they
freeze? Or does he stash a few in his pockets, where they might
stay warmer? And how the heck does he get the lids on and off with
those huge gloves? That can be kind of difficult with bare hands,
when it's a brand new bottle.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
  #3  
Old February 20th 08, 01:41 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
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Posts: 7,732
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

In article ,
Shelly wrote:
Very low key. You can tell they're all pretty tired.


Really? They look calm to me, not tired. They're not
barking and harness banging, but they're pretty clearly up
and ready to go.

The scene in the middle, when the starboard lead dog is nosing him,
is super sweet. That's a guy who really likes his dogs.


In talking about him Aliy Zirkle said "Lance is glad he's
alive. Lance's dogs are glad he's alive."

It's logistical things like that that I wonder about. Does he keep
a bunch of bottles on the sled, right in front of him? Don't they
freeze? Or does he stash a few in his pockets, where they might
stay warmer?


I understand he stashes a few inside his parka (the really
warm parkas have a mess of pockets in them) and keeps the
rest inside a cooler.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #4  
Old February 20th 08, 02:07 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
shelly
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Posts: 6,155
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

Melinda Shore wrote:

Really? They look calm to me, not tired. They're not
barking and harness banging, but they're pretty clearly up
and ready to go.


It's hard to tell on an itty bitty viewer (my screen resolution is
by necessity insanely high). I assumed tired, but you'd definitely
know better than me. Calm, it is!

In talking about him Aliy Zirkle said "Lance is glad he's
alive. Lance's dogs are glad he's alive."


That part came across loud and clear. It was neat watching them
interact like that.

Those little adjustments to the dogs' positions? Is that just a
touching base sort of thing, or is there a purpose in it?

I understand he stashes a few inside his parka (the really
warm parkas have a mess of pockets in them) and keeps the
rest inside a cooler.


Ah! Clever. I wouldn't have thought of a cooler as as working in
reverse.

--
Shelly
http://www.cat-sidh.net (the Mother Ship)
http://esther.cat-sidh.net (Letters to Esther)
  #5  
Old February 20th 08, 04:05 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
sighthounds & siberians
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Posts: 2,538
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

On 20 Feb 2008 07:16:08 -0500, (Melinda Shore) wrote:

[]
Last night Lance Mackey won the Yukon Quest for the fourth
year in a row. This has been a bad year, with an awful,
awful trail and temperatures that hit -60F. The Quest
website has video up of Mackey leaving the last checkpoint
100 miles from the finish line in Whitehorse, at
http://www.yukonquest.com/site/view-...urn/#showMedia
(choose "Mackey leaves Braeburn for the Finish Line").

It also shows him drinking bottled water. News reports
about him often mention that he's a cancer survivor, but
what they tend not to mention is that he's got no salivary
glands as a result and so he's got to drink water nearly
constantly, which is a real challenge when you're spending
over a week on the trail with temperatures substantially
below zero.


That sounds familiar (not the trail part). What kind of cancer did he
have?

Mustang Sally

  #6  
Old February 20th 08, 07:45 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
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Posts: 7,732
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

In article ,
Shelly wrote:
It's hard to tell on an itty bitty viewer (my screen resolution is
by necessity insanely high). I assumed tired, but you'd definitely
know better than me. Calm, it is!


Yeah - they're up, alert, and wagging their tails, and they
trot off smartly (there's another video of them a short bit
down the trail). Genuinely tired dogs won't get up. After
900 miles, the dogs know what's next.

Those little adjustments to the dogs' positions? Is that just a
touching base sort of thing, or is there a purpose in it?


I'm not really sure, but from what I could see on the video
he was making small harness adjustments (centering the tug,
etc.) that don't really matter but that make contact with
the dog - touching base, as you said. It's pretty
interesting to contrast his interactions with his dogs with
Ken Anderson's, on an adjacent video. Anderson is also a
great musher but he doesn't seem to be as involved with his
dogs.

Ah! Clever. I wouldn't have thought of a cooler as as working in
reverse.


That's pretty much SOP for people who have to carry
medications, etc., but it's not something you'd think of
unless you're spending extended periods outside in very,
very cold weather.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #7  
Old February 20th 08, 07:47 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7,732
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

In article ,
sighthounds & siberians wrote:
That sounds familiar (not the trail part). What kind of cancer did he
have?


They keep saying "throat cancer" without providing more
details. Apparently he wasn't expected to make it, and he
was a young guy at the time (still is). Apparently when he
was recovering he was too weak to do much, but he'd sit
outside with his dogs and make plans.
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
  #8  
Old February 20th 08, 10:21 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
filly[_3_]
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Posts: 212
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail


"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
[]
Last night Lance Mackey won the Yukon Quest for the fourth
year in a row. This has been a bad year, with an awful,
awful trail and temperatures that hit -60F. The Quest
website has video up of Mackey leaving the last checkpoint
100 miles from the finish line in Whitehorse, at
http://www.yukonquest.com/site/view-...urn/#showMedia
(choose "Mackey leaves Braeburn for the Finish Line").

(snip)

I found the video moving, and really got a kick out of the "Road Closed"
sign. Road closed my ass, mush on!

The finish line video showed Lance to be a gracious winner, he remarks that
his feet are frozen, then sees to his dogs and returns to the finish line
for Anderson's arrival. Well done.
Karla


  #9  
Old February 21st 08, 01:57 AM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
BethInAK
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Posts: 452
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail


"Melinda Shore" wrote in message
...
It also shows him drinking bottled water. News reports

about him often mention that he's a cancer survivor, but
what they tend not to mention is that he's got no salivary
glands as a result and so he's got to drink water nearly
constantly, which is a real challenge when you're spending
over a week on the trail with temperatures substantially
below zero.



I didn't know that. I have no idea how you'd manage to even walk around in
those temps - the air is soo dry, without salivary glands. He's a hard core
guy.

  #10  
Old February 24th 08, 07:37 PM posted to rec.pets.dogs.behavior
Melinda Shore
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 7,732
Default What dogs look like after 900 miles of awful trail

In article ,
Shelly wrote:
It's hard to tell on an itty bitty viewer (my screen resolution is
by necessity insanely high). I assumed tired, but you'd definitely
know better than me. Calm, it is!


By way of follow-up, the finishers banquet was last night
and Mackey won the veterinary award, given by the
veterinarians for best dog care and the dogs in the best
shape.
http://newsminer.com/news/2008/feb/2...quest-banquet/
--
Melinda Shore - Software longa, hardware brevis -

Prouder than ever to be a member of the reality-based community
 




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