The exact dates have been lost, but three of my dogs have birthdays in May. Today is my human sister's birthday so it seemed like as good a day as any to celebrate the dogs' b-days too!
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My precious Paxil is 11 this month. Paxil is the dog who changed my life. The first time I ever drove a dog team, she was my leader. She's showing her age a little. She ran hundreds of miles for me this winter, but her tug line was slack more often than ever before. She definately isn't as fast as she used to be, but she still wants to run, is determined that she will run and lead her team. She continues to be unfailing as a lead dog; never misses a command, never looses a trail. She may be slowing down, but she's not ready to retire yet. She will be helping me train Tehya this year. She can teach Tehya more in one run than I could in a month.
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She's fiesty, bossy and overwhelmingly sweet. She will lick your face off given half a chance. She has battled and beaten cancer twice. She is well named--nothing gets Paxil down and she's a good anti-depressant for those around her.
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Pingo is 10 now. She's my other main leader, but she is being quite clear that she would like to retire. Pingo has horrible confirmation and a funky gait. She's had problems with soft tissue injuries in her back end for a couple years. This winter she ran quite often, but just as often she hid under the deck. She still chases her tennis balls and hordes them in her doghouse, but I think her running career is over. Paxil would be deeply upset and depressed if I told her that. I think Pingo will be quite thrilled to retire to a life of full time lounging!
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Pingo's son, Sundin, also has a birthday this month. Sundin is 7. Sundin is extremely shy and progress with him has been slow. He will let me scratch his chin now and jumps on me if he thinks I have food. Catching him is a process and often hit and miss. Sundin lets me catch him when he wants to and only when he wants to. He does love to run. He's a fine little lead dog, much like his Momma in harness. Sundin was born to be a sled dog and all his confidence comes from that. After a run, he's calm, confident and affectionate. I just have to find a way to get him to have that level of self-assurance all the time. Sundin is probably the happiest dog in my yard. He's always bouncing around, running and playing. I just moved him to a bigger pen so he'd have some more room to stretch his legs. He throughly enjoys not being tethered anymore!
Happy birthday my babies!
