Winter arrived

So, we finally got some snow here too. Kati was able to train the dogs using a sled on Saturday for the first time this season, and yesterday both, Kati and Suvi, drove the dogs on sleds. Unfortunately I didn't have a camera with me on weekend training, but here's a photo from last Friday. Suvi trained her team on an ATV.

Team arriving home

Wilma's been running together with other dogs since December. She's obviously not in a good shape after giving birth to 5 little ones, but she loves going training and always does her best in harness.

Also the racing teams have changed some. First of all, Jade couldn't run together with Suvi's team, because of an old injury, a broken toe. She's been running in lead of the yearling team since early December. Benny and Simo have ran in Suvi's team for a few runs now. The boys are honest workers, but they're too big to make it in a bigger team's faster speed. Koff and Uule moved into Kati's team where they work well now that Kati's heading for mid distance races. (They'd be too young to participate on long distance races.) 

The first race of this season is held in weekend two weeks from now. Kati's participating on 8 dogs class and Suvi's heading for the 4 dogs class. I know it's not yet sure which dogs run in what teams. 

Anyway, puppies. The Nordysak E litter boys have grown a lot. They're a happy bunch of little ones. The boys live in a puppy pen with Wilma, but they've visited the "big boy pen" a few times, terrorising the peaceful life of older boys. The E-boys were just 5 weeks old when they played together with other boys for the first time, but these photos are also taken on last Friday. Pups are 8 weeks old.

Eko playing on Beck's tale

Putte afraid of a horrible little puppy

Keke likes to play with little boys

Little Egil

Four of the E puppies will stay at home and one will travel to Norway to kennel Huskyville's. We took stucture photos of the pups to see how the puppies have developed and grown.

Euro

Esko

Enzo

Eko

Egil

-Amppa

Photos from training

I finally remembered to take camera with me, as I went to help training the dogs yesterday. Kati's racing team didn't go for a run, but Suvi's did and so did the yearlings too.

I tried to get a good photo of Suvi's team coming to the finish, but there was a slight problem at the end: a horse. Dogs didn't mind sharing the same road with it, but the horse got scared of the dogs and the mushing cart's breaking noise.

I was waiting for the dog team at x-crossing just 100m from Kati's house when the horse trotted to towards me. The rider didn't know where to lead her scared horse, as cars were coming towards it from left and right, a dog team from behind and I was standing there infront of it. Eventually it came forward, passing me by a metre. The cars passed and the dog team ran eagerly back home.. But I didn't get a good photo. I took some back at home:

We had the first snow-day in South yesterday. Most of the snow had melted away by afternoon, though weather was quite chilly, around +/-0 Celcius. The training was a short, 7km, and even-speed run driven on a "light weight" cart.

The cart weights about 80kg (+driver), it's been built of car parts (back wheels) and motocross cycle wheel in front. You can't help the dogs by kicking when driving on this cart - not that kicking is needed in training, but in case Suvi or Kati decides to participate in off snow races.

Altti & Jade

Koff

Uule

Jojo

Sissi

Yearlings went for a run also. Dana's a bit over 8 months old and yesterday she got to join the team of youngsters for the first time. Like all first timers, she didn't really get the idea of pulling right away, (she pulled both, tugline and neck line as hard as she could) but running went well altogether. Suvi and Kati drove the team on ATV with two "oldies", Rina and Dooris, in lead.

Last X-turn to home

Rina & Dooris

Muru

Hottis

Keke

Iiris

Dana

- Amppa