Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers

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Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers Page 57

by Mike Dillingham


  I am not sure how long we napped. I woke up hearing Lakota whimpering and crying. “Do not hit me, I did nothing wrong. Why are you hitting me? Ow, that hurts. Please stop hitting me.” I jumped up because I thought someone was in the yard beating on Lakota. However, I heard no one. Lakota was sleep talking!

  He kept saying these things over and over. I nudged him and I guess startled him when I said, “Lakota, wake up, you are dreaming. You are safe, your friends are here.”

  I could feel him trembling as he stood up next to me. “Are you okay, Lakota?” I asked.

  “Yes,” he whispered. It was just a dream.”

  “Some dream,” I said. “You were talking in your sleep about someone beating on you.”

  “Do you think any of the guys heard me?” Lakota asked.

  “I don't know,” I replied. “Why is that important?”

  “I do not want them, and especially Christmas, to know about the dream. I have that dream very often,” he said.

  “Sounds like this dream bothers you a lot,” I replied.

  “It does and it comes from a time in my life that I really don't want to remember or talk about,” Lakota said.

  “Maybe you do need to talk about it. Who knows, Lakota,” I said, “maybe talking about it would help you to put it to rest, and you can get on with your life.”

  I heard Lakota sit down next to me. “Rivers,” he said, “you are my best friend, but I am very ashamed to tell you what happened to me. I felt I was a disgrace to our Husky heritage.”

  “You are ashamed for being beaten?” I replied, astonished. “Lakota, you have nothing to be ashamed of. The persons who beat you should be ashamed of what they did to you. You don't have to beat a dog to get the dog to be a good dog.” I said, “I guess whoever did that to you was not too smart.”

  Now Lakota is a thinker and if you do not know him or respect him, you may think he is slow. He really is not. He thinks things out and then acts. In addition, when he acts, he does the right thing.

  Soon Lakota started to tell me his story. Lakota is older than I am. He was born in a place where some of the humans are mean and do not train dogs to be good. Instead they hit the dogs to make them do work or obey. Really bad news.

  When Lakota was born, he was a very big puppy. His human did not like him because he ate too much. They gave Lakota very little to eat. Lakota was always hungry. Nevertheless, he grew to be a very big and powerful dog.

  His human had children who also abused Lakota by always pulling his tail, poking him in his eyes, or teasing him before they fed him. If they gave him any treats, they would put the treats out of his reach so Lakota could not get to them. However, the worst thing was that they would slap Lakota in his face. Now that is bad stuff. You can make a dog deaf or blind by doing that. Slapping a dog in his face confuses the dog. The dog does not know if he is going to receive a great ear rub or be hit. This confusion may cause a dog to bite the hand in order to protect himself. That is not good. Dogs want to love and protect their humans and their kids, not bite them.

  Because he was so big, and most of the other dogs were smaller, they never played with him. Some other dogs would make fun of him, call him names, and gang up on him. They said he was chicken, stupid, clumsy or an oaf. So Lakota kept to himself. He had no friends. He was alone and very sad.

  Now the human would hook Lakota up to the sled but did not train him how to run with the team. When Lakota did not quickly figure out what he should do, he got beat. The other dogs would make fun of him because he did not know how to be a team dog.

  Lakota had the smarts to be a great lead dog, but no one would train him. And you know, if you are beat or made fun of when you have a hard time doing something, you are not going to want to do it. It was the same with Lakota. Because the humans made fun of him or hit him, Lakota really hated to run. The humans forced Lakota to run, even when his paws were hurt.

  One day Lakota had enough of this abuse and ran away. He figured that he would rather die on the trail then continue to live that kind of life. Now that is ironic. Lakota believed that he was a disgrace to his Husky tradition, yet he wanted to die on the trail. The very essence of being a Husky is to live and die on the very trails we love to run on, especially with a musher that we are devoted to. The fact is that Lakota almost did die on the trail. However, before that happened, Lakota was found and eventually met Mike and me.

  When Lakota was finished telling me all of this, he was very exhausted and laid down on the fresh straw. I stretched out next to him and put my head on his shoulder, telling him he was very brave to talk about it. He was still trembling.

  “You know, Lakota,” I said, “did you ever think that maybe your shyness is due to the fact that you were so alone for so long? No need to answer,” I said, “just think about it.”

  I told Lakota that Mike says Lakota pulls back when he tries to pet him. “I wonder if you do that without realizing it because you think you are going to get hit again?”

  “Yes, it must be; it makes sense,” Lakota said. “I don't mean to do that. It just happens. I know Mike will not hit me or allow anyone to hurt me. I guess Mike gets a little frustrated when I do.” Lakota added, “That is when he puts me in that body hug you told me about, Rivers, and I have to admit it feels so good when he gives me all of that attention.”

  I replied. “It takes awhile to get comfortable with all of the affection, especially when you never had any before.”

  “Yes,” Lakota said. “I really like it when Mike rolls me over and rubs my tummy. I hear him laugh when he scratches that certain spot that makes my leg move.”

  I told Lakota he did the same to me. We laughed together.

  “Lakota,” I said, let me ask you a question. “Do you like running now?”

  “Yes,” he replied, “I really enjoy it, especially since Mike took special care of me so that my paws healed.” He continued, “Yes, Mike does take very good care of me. The chow is great and the team members are my friends and respect me. It is so different from where I was born.” Then in a softer voice, he added, “I never believed I would be trained or allowed to run lead.”

  We relaxed for a while longer. I sensed that Lakota was deep in thought. “Rivers,” Lakota asked, “Do you think some human kids are abused like I was?”

  “No doubt in my mind,” I answered. I knew this to be true. I told Lakota that Mike reads the e-mail we receive from the kids to me. Some of those kids tell us how bad it is at home for them. I bet some of the kids at the orphanage were abused also.

  “That is terrible!” Lakota said.

  “Yes it is, but it gets worse,” I replied. I told him that I had heard that some humans abuse each other. Some of the strong ones abuse the weak ones. I heard that kids sometimes abuse each other where the big ones pick on the smaller ones.

  “That is really stupid.” Lakota said, “I thought humans were supposed to be smart.”

  I told Lakota that most are, but the dumb ones just do not get it. They believe that the only way to succeed is to hurt others and force them to do what the stupid ones want them to do.

  “Abusers,” I said, “make you think you are the dumb one, like they did to you, Lakota.” I asked, “Didn't they make you feel dumb because you were so big and did not know how to run? Didn't they make you feel that you were at fault, and that you were the problem? Didn't they make you feel like you were a disgrace to the point where you wanted to die?”

  I could sense the anger in Lakota's voice when he said, “Yes, to all of those, Rivers.”

  “So Lakota,” I asked, “who are you angry with?” Remember that Lakota is a thinker and I knew he was thinking about his anger.

  “Me,” he said. “I should have been smarter.”

  “Smarter about what?” I asked. Lakota had no answer. I told him that he was wrong for thinking that. He should not be angry with himself, but instead should be angry with the ones who hurt him. “You did not ask to be beat, or to be made fun of, or forced t
o be alone,” I said. “Actually, anger just adds to the problem. You really need to focus your energy on repairing the damage done and not allow it to stop you from enjoying your life.” I paused before saying, “I guess talking about it helps you deal with it in a positive way.”

  “You know, Rivers, you make a lot of sense. How did you get so smart?” Lakota asked.

  “I'm not that smart,” I replied, “Blind dogs just see things differently.”

  Hello Sunny

  When Mike told us we would be having a visitor for a few months, we were not surprised. We often have dog guests who need special attention. Some are recuperating from medical problems, while others just need some handson individualized training and TLC.

  We enjoy having these visitors to our kennel, because we believe in sharing our good fortune, our experiences, and our knowledge with others. We work together as a team to make our visitor feel welcome, enjoy their stay with us, and learn a lot. That is the important thing.

  Therefore, we were eagerly waiting for the arrival of our new guest. All we knew was that she was a lady dog who had some medical problems and needed sled dog training.

  We were all in our yard. Lakota was standing next to me. He was describing how Ugly and Christmas were playing their chasing game. Lakota also mentioned that Brownie and Nitro were using a piece of rope to play the tugging game that Sandy taught us. I know Doc was standing with us just laughing as Brownie was trying to pull the rope from Nitro. As you know, Nitro is the biggest and strongest dog on our team and no one can beat him at the tugging game. However, sometimes Nitro lets us win so that we will play it again with him.

  Doc was laughing and telling me that Nitro let the rope go as Brownie was pulling it very hard. Brownie just flopped across the yard, laughing. As Nitro went over to Brownie to make sure he was okay, we heard Mike's truck enter the driveway. We knew he had our visitor with him.

  I heard the guys move closer to the gate and Lakota walked with me. He was telling me that Christmas was scampering all around. She was very excited.

  I heard the gate open and I was surprised to hear the guys gasp. What is wrong, I thought. Lakota told me that our visitor was one of the most beautiful dogs he had ever seen. Lakota said that she looked at each one of us and just smiled the most radiant smile he had ever seen. He said she had the kind of smile that just made you want to be her friend.

  As I heard Mike lead her into our yard, Christmas was the first to talk to her. “Hi,” Christmas said, “my name is Christmas and welcome to our home. You sure are very beautiful.”

  “Hello Christmas, you are very pretty yourself,” the lady dog replied. “Your eyes are so blue and beautiful.” We all heard Christmas giggle at the compliment.

  When I heard this lady dog speak, I could not believe my ears. Her voice was as soft as fresh snow beneath my paws. She had a voice that you would never get tired of listening to. Moreover, while I know she was talking to all of us, her voice had that quality that made you feel that she was talking only to you.

  Christmas asked, “What is your name?”

  The lady dog answered, “I have a native name that is very hard to pronounce.” She continued, “It translates to ‘Beautiful dog with the sunshine smile.’ So my friends call me Sunny.”

  “Awesome!” Christmas said. “That is so cool. I am called Christmas because my uncles, all the dogs here, saved me on Christmas Eve.” With that, Christmas introduced each one of her uncles to Sunny.

  She saved me for last and then said. “This is my Uncle Rivers. He is blind, but he is the one who found me, and saved me from the eagle, and saved the team from the ice and….”

  “Christmas,” I said softly. “Enough talk, you are embarrassing me, Little One.”

  “Please let her continue, Rivers,” Sunny said. “If I am to be a good lead dog, I need to learn all the good things that you and the other guys did. Besides,” she continued, “my Doctor Jim says many nice things about you and your teammates.”

  Before I could answer, Doc said, “Sunny, you must be very tired from your trip. May we show you to your doghouse?” He added, “Would you like some water and biscuits?”

  “That would be very kind of you,” Sunny replied softly. “Maybe after that, we could all relax and talk. I really want to hear all about each of you.”

  “Me too?” Christmas asked. ”Yes, Christmas, you too.” Sunny chuckled. “You know, I am not too much older than you are. I am only two and a half years old.”

  “Awesome!” Christmas said. “I am just over a year old. You could be like my big sister. I have an Aunt Sandy, but she is very old and…”

  It was Lakota who said, “Christmas, Aunt Sandy is not that old. Be respectful, young lady.”

  “Yes Uncle Lakota,” Christmas said meekly. I smiled inside as I wondered if Christmas would be luckier to have six older brothers instead of her six uncles.

  Lakota told me that Doc led Sunny over to her doghouse, which was between Christmas’ doghouse and mine. I smiled as I pictured it in my mind, Christmas just bending Sunny's ear, asking questions and so on. I cannot really blame Christmas for being excited. She does not get much chance to talk to lady dogs her own age. Sandy is twelve years old, so I do not believe they have too many things in common. Moreover, having six very protective uncles really does not help Christmas with coping with lady dog issues. I chuckled. I hoped Sunny would get some rest.

  Evening chow was just great and after it, we all gathered in the yard to talk and share experiences. Since Sunny was new to our home, Brownie asked her to tell us about herself. While I could not see her, I knew exactly where she was by listening to her beautiful voice. I just sat down and enjoyed listening to her.

  Sunny's story is very sad. She is Doctor Jim's dog. Doctor Jim is the eye vet who made me pain free and takes good care of all of us. As Christmas would say, he is just awesome!

  Sunny was very sick and her owners did not want her because she was a burden. They were ready to send her across the Rainbow Bridge, but Doctor Jim saved her. He raised Sunny and nursed her back to health. It was a long process and Sunny may never fully recover. It seems that every time Sunny made progress, another medical obstacle developed, which she struggled to overcome. As I said, no one knows if she will ever be 100 percent healthy. Nevertheless, Doctor Jim asked Mike to see if Sunny could learn to enjoy her Husky heritage and run the trails.

  As I listened to her, I was inspired by Sunny's courage. It is the strong silent type of courage. It shows in her determination to overcome these challenges and never give up. As she told us what she had gone through, it became very apparent that Sunny met her challenges head-on and never felt sorry for herself, even when her health failed her. It was very clear that Sunny loved life to its fullest and made the most of every second.

  The more I listened to her, the more I admired her. If any dog needed a chance to succeed, it was Sunny and I bet the guys were thinking the same thing. We would do everything we could to help her.

  As Mike said, it is not the ribbons around your neck, or medals you win, or even the trophies you get that make you a champion. It is what is inside of you. As we listened to Sunny, it was amazing that she had gone through so much yet still had the desire to live up to her Husky heritage. My instincts told me Sunny has the stuff to be a true champion.

  While I could not see their facial expressions, I sensed that every dog in our yard would watch over Sunny and help her to do her best. Sunny may never realize it, but she was now “family” with seven friends who would look after her while she stayed with us.

  After Sunny finished her story, there was not a sound in the yard except for the gentle breezes blowing through the trees, and that of Christmas crying.

  “Why are you crying, Christmas?” Sunny asked.

  “Because you had a very hard life and it hurts to know that you lived with all of that bad stuff.” Christmas said.

  “No Christmas, please do not feel sorry for me,” Sunny said. “I actually consider
myself blessed.” She explained, “Doctor Jim has been a very loving companion and I have friends like you and your Uncles Doc, Nitro, Brownie, Ugly, Lakota and Rivers.” Sunny continued, “I can feel the warmth and understanding from all of you and I know that I am very welcome here.” She added, “Not too many dogs or people have that. I know you will take good care of me, just like your Mike takes good care of all of you.”

  Christmas stopped crying and said, “I am glad you came and I bet we will become great friends. My uncles take good care of me, and I know that they will take good care of you too.” You could hear the pride in her voice.

  Christmas told Sunny about her uncles. “My Uncle Brownie is the fastest dog on our team and the first to defend his friends.”

  She continued. “Uncle Doc is the smartest and the gentlest. He is a great lead dog and taught us to be good leaders also.”

  “My Uncle Nitro is the biggest and bravest dog on our team and lets no harm come to any of us.”

  “My Uncle Ugly is not ugly at all. As you can see, he is very handsome and loves to tell jokes. He will make you laugh when you are sad,” Christmas added.

  “My Uncle Lakota is very shy, but very, very smart. He is a thinker. Uncle Lakota is a very gentle dog and a great listener. He watches over me and reminds me to be respectful, not only of my elders, but especially of myself.”

  “My Uncle Rivers is my hero. He saved my life more than once. He saved our team from the ice floats. My Uncle Rivers is blind, but that has never stopped him racing the trails or caring for his teammates.”

  “When I grow up,” Christmas said, “I hope I am like all of my uncles.” I was embarrassed and I bet the other guys were also, but I know we were very proud of our little pup. She is becoming quite a lady dog.

  “And I bet your Uncles are very proud of you also, Christmas,” Sunny said. “But you know what? It is getting late and you know we lady dogs need our rest so that we can look great in the morning.”

 

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