Today marks two years since Miss Pingo officially joined our little crew. Pingo's story isn't nearly as dramatic as some of the other tails of woe in our yard. I don't consider her a rescue. Pingo was bred by Quest musher, Brian MacDougall, a little less than eight years ago. As a very young puppy, Brian gave her to his handler who at the time was just starting his own team. Fast forward several years and I am good friend's with Brian's former handler, Braden. Braden has gone on to run the Quest and this year is competing in the Wyoming Stage Race and some race in Russia!
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In June of 2002 he started nagging me that I had to come over and meet this dog. Nothing wrong with her. He just wasn't using her enough. As he moved up in the mushing world, Pingo got dropped from his A-team. She was spending more and more time left behind in the dog yard and she was not happy about this. Braden nagged me every time he saw me, convinced that Pingo and I would be a good match. On December 15, 2002 I finally agreed to come meet her, "just to look". What I saw was a very sweet little husky cross with soft brown eyes. Braden personally delivered Pingo to my home later that same night.
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At first I thought I'd made a horrible mistake! Pingo howled, the saddest howl ever, that first night. It took her about 20 minutes to realize Braden wasn't coming back! At the time he lived just down the road from me, so Pingo could hear her former teammates every time they howled. She was not happy about being moved. That first winter, I had more battles of will with that dog. She is a leader, but she wouldnt' take commands from me. I was not her musher and she didn't have to listen to me! She would hear Braden's voice and try to follow his team. She always tried to run back to his yard. If she got loose, that's where she went. If we passed his trail, she tried to turn in.
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It took about six months for Pingo to figure out where she fit in our pack and that it wasn't so bad. About the same time that she decided to stay, she discovered the COUCH!!! How she loves the couch!
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Now when Braden drops by, she's happy to see him--always gives him a display of her "happy dance", but there is no way she's leaving with him. He goes to the door and Pingo imbeds herself in the couch! She takes commands from me now, but she's a trail dog at heart. Her favorite command is "Pingo pick a trail"--when she gets to decide which loop the team will run that day. She always knows the way home, even when I don't. This summer, at seven years old, her herding instinct kicked in (she has border collie in her mix). She has great fun herding people on bikes and trying to herd the cats! She's a funny little furball and I'm very glad she's here.
