Pingo arrived next. I needed a lead dog, a musher friend wanted to get rid of her. She was well treated in his yard, but she had been bumped off his A team and wasn't getting much work. She's my main leader now. She's a silly little dog who hordes things in her dog house. I have no idea how she sleeps on top of bones, rocks and toys!


Then came Chum. Chum was found wandering on the airport runway. Fortunately, no flights were coming in so the airport staff had time to catch him instead of shooting him, which is what normally happens to animals on the tarmack! Chum was in iso at the shelter for a long time as the staff tried to assess his temperment. Chum growls constantly. It's just how he talks, but if you didn't know him, it can sound aggressive. Then one Friday night, a family claiming to be his owners showed up--extremely drunk and abusive to the staff. I was in the back with the iso dogs. When Chum heard their voices, he began to cower and tried to hide in his kennell. I leashed him up, walked him out the back door, put him in my truck and took him home. He was supposed to be "in hiding" until we found him another home. Almost two years later, he's still here!


Hobo arrived next. He was attacked by a wolf while staying in our yard. We were taking care of his dog team while their musher was in hospital. Hobo saved his entire team by slipping his collar and running away. The wolf followed him. We kept him as it didnt' look like he would survived, let alone race again. It took months to get him back to full health, but he made it. He's the happiest little dog I've ever met. He's a great puller and hates to be left behind.

The next arrivals were another twosome!

Ozzy

His littermate, Mac. Mac & Ozzy come from a line of sled dogs. They were sick as puppies and dumped as their musher thought they couldn't run. Silly fool! They are running maniacs! Mac is a leader in training. Ozzy is a team dog, but a fine one! They were also very timid at first, but they have come around nicely.