Frisky Huskies

I'm still in Lapland and loving living in the snow. Since arriving I have had some classic Lapland experiences and its been exciting getting to know the the area. One of my favourites has been being pulled around on a sled by the huskies.

There are 120 dogs in the husky farm and the owner knows them all by name. The dogs love to work hard all all go nuts when the sled is getting ready to depart. 

A blue-eyed beauty

As well as riding the husky sleds myself, I've also worked by the husky track at our activity centre. The guests get to drive a husky sled around a track that takes about 11 minutes. That may sound short but its a good amount of time as the wind chill from the dogs' speed lowers the temperature a lot.

While the adults get a briefing, I'll be entertaining the sprogs and following that I'll be petting the dogs on the sideline who are taking a break from running (yes its very easy 'work'). Once the dogs race off with the guests, the resting dogs always take a minute to howl and cry for their departed brothers, so they need a bit of attention.

But...

The huskies are currently on heat which, unfortunately, is an attitude they bring to the workplace rather than leaving at home (very unprofessional).

So the bitches and males are organised in seperate sled pulling teams to keep them apart. Being tied to a randy male would be the equivalent of canine bondage rape.
         Even still, the bitches need to be positioned in front of the males, or they guys would be constantly turning around to graft (which is dog terms involves a lot of butt sniffing) instead of pulling the sleds.

This also leads to heightened excitement before they get running. Prior to setting off, the boys and girls alike are very hyper because they are so eager to get going. They all bark maniacally, nip their fellows in fervent anticipation and jump about- despite being strapped together in a line of harnesses.

Due to their sexual arousal, some of the canines were springing about so much that it reminded me of Nick announcing "I'm a leaper" on an episode of New Girl. Or, if you've ever seen a video of a cat seeing itself in a mirror and shooting vertically in to the air, then its like that too. 

        This unnecessary jumping meant that some got tangled up in the reins- in fact one of the males was facing the wrong way every time I saw him that day. He must have been mistakenly courting a male, as all of the bitches were ahead of him. (or... gay dog?)

All aboard  the Husky sled!

Still, every time I have been riding a sled and the dogs are going mad before the depart, they all focus once they set off and the problems end. So when I had to drive an elderly couple round the track, I was not too worried when one of my bitches, Beverly, was practically mounting her girlfriend and seductively salivating in her ear (another gay dog?).

As the safety rope was pulled the dog team sped off. Myself standing at the back of the sled, working the brake, with my two guests sat down in the sled under a reindeer hide. To our amusement, Beverly was still hopping about, rather than concentrating on running, so strong was the yearning in her doggy loins. This was quite amusing and we all laughed at her energy.

Inevitably, she got a foot suck in one of the ropes attaching her to her partner and tripped up. I applied the brakes so she could get back on her feet but she then ended up bouncing along on three legs as the other was well tangled. It as like the solo version of the three legged race, and at 20 miles per hour, though its considered a light pace for huskies, she was really having difficulty.

I had a dilemma. For sure she needed help, but If I came to a stop then we'd be stranded- we were the last sled in the group after all. Plus if we did stop I would not be able to help her as I have to stand on the brake to keep the dogs from moving- one second of releasing it and the dogs will be off again. So we continued on but she was destined for more trouble when she fell completely, her legs unable to be freed from the rope.

The other bitches carried dutifully on and Beverly's free ride involved her being dragged along the cold snow of the bumpy track.

It started to become more worrying as her body was limp and her head was lolling as she was jostled along the path. My only option was to wait until the half-way pause point, which I did, wincing for the poor dog. I waved down the guide and he took her away in his arms, wrapping her in a blanket on his snowmobile that the dog teams follow.

We carried on and enjoyed our ride, though we did wonder if Beverly was going to be ok. The news about the fallen husky got out but I am sure people understood that it was not my fault.

But remember: I am on season. So not only did word of this travel very fast, it also reached people quite inaccurately.  (More on that topic here: Wildfire & Whispers)

Hey huskies, what's the weather like in Finland?
Answer: Ruf!

Later that afternoon, I was asked whether I personally had killed a dog that day. Its true that the huskies are very hardy and it was virtually roasting for them at -6 yesterday (after a good run the have a roll in the snow or rub their faces in it to cool down) but I am sure that Beverly had been given quite the chilling after being dragged about.

Working with the huskies is always fun but, of course, usually less traumatising. Its one of the many unforgettable experiences that I am having in Lapland and I am loving every day of it.

Happy Ending

So as it turns out Beverly was ok in the end and after a good rest she was alert again.  It goes to show that a cold shower really is a good remedy to being randy in the pants- even if the Arctic circle version of being dragged through half a mile of snow is a bit extreme!

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