Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers

by Mike Dillingham

  “Okay Rivers, what is going on?”

  Come on Mike, you are a smart human. Can't you see that I want to be first and that the team is telling you that by blocking Nitro?

  Mike picked me up and said, “Doctor Jim, we are going to use Rivers first.” As he put me on the table next to Sunny, I could hear her breathing, very slowly, very softly. I am sure she was resting. If her eyes were open, I am sure she would have said something to me. I was becoming very worried and scared. Did I do the right thing? What if Sunny needs more blood than I can give her?

  “He is the smallest of the three, Mike. I have to be careful how much blood I take out of him,” Doctor Jim said. “Hmm, he was very calm when I operated on him. He will be Okay.” Doctor Jim continued, “That gives us the two bigger dogs in case we need more.”

  “Yes,” Mike said. “I bet they had this plan to let Rivers be first. Makes you wonder sometimes how smart these critters really are.”

  I felt the needle prick into my front leg where Doctor Jim wanted to take the blood. I heard my teammates move closer to the table. “Are you Okay Uncle Rivers?” It was Christmas.

  “I am fine Little One, don't worry.”

  “Rivers, is that you?” It was Sunny.

  “Yes, it is me,” I replied. “Don't talk. You need to rest and let the blood transfusion work,” I said.

  “Rivers,” she said. “Will you tell me how you see me in your mind's eye?”

  I answered, “Only if you get better and we run the trails again.”

  She asked, “You promise?”

  I answered. “Do you promise to get better?”

  “Yes,” she said as she drifted off to sleep.

  I heard Doctor Jim say, “All done, Rivers, you did a good job.” I never felt him take the needle out of my leg. Mike picked me up and laid me down in the big pile of straw that we have in the warming shed. I heard Christmas come over and sit next to me.

  “Well Mike,” Doctor Jim said. “I think we did it, but we will not know for sure for another 12 hours or so. Do you mind if I keep Sunny here for the night?”

  “I was going to recommend that since Nitro and Lakota are here and you might need them,” Mike said. “Let me get the team fed and watered.” He added, “I am sure they are hungry after this adventure.”

  I heard Mike command the team back to the yard for chow. They all left, knowing Sunny needed her rest. I needed mine also and I was just about to doze off when I heard her silky soft voice say, “Thank you, Rivers.”

  I heard Mike and Doctor Jim come in and out of warming shed several times. I just rested there in the soft straw listening to Sunny's breathing. However, nature does call and I headed to the yard. I wandered over to a far corner and softly howled my prayers for Sunny into the quiet of the night.

  I felt a dog sit besides me. I was puzzled since I did not hear any footsteps. There was no dog scent either. “Who are you?” I asked.

  “Now Rivers, I feel hurt that you did not recognize me,” a familiar voice chuckled.

  “Aurora!” I said excitedly, “Aurora Gooddog! What are you doing here?”

  “She answered, “I am here for you, Rivers. You did some very brave things today, even risked your own life for your friend,” She said. “Racing down that trail as fast as you could, and not being able to see. Facing that wolf, knowing you had no chance against it. After defending your friend, you gave her some of your blood. That is a lot to do in just one day. You made me proud that I am your Guardian Angel Dog.”

  I replied, “My friend needed help and that is all that matters. I know she is destined to fulfill her Husky destiny.” I paused, and then said. “What do you mean, Guardian Angel Dog?”

  Aurora answered, “Humans have Guardian Angels. Dogs have Guardian Angel Dogs. Most adult humans forget about their Guardian Angels when they grow older. Most dogs do not know they have a Guardian Angel Dog. We kind of watch over you.”

  “Do Sunny and my teammates have Guardian Angel Dogs? I asked.

  “Yes and no,” she answered. “I won't tell you about your teammates except for Christmas, she does have one.”

  “And Sunny?” I asked. “Nope, not yet.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “We just have not gotten around to it yet. Besides there is a shortage of Guardian Angel Dogs, right now.” She continued, “See, Rivers, Guardian Angel Dogs are dogs who have crossed the Bridge and have shown that they care for others. Once they do that, some are given the job of Guardian Angel Dog.

  “Will you be Sunny's Guardian Angel Dog?’ I asked.

  “I am too busy. I have a bunch of dogs to take care of,” Aurora replied.

  “Okay,” I said. “Let her have my spot on your list of dogs to watch over.”

  There was silence. “Rivers, why would you do that?” Aurora asked.

  “Because she has been through so much that she needs and deserves a Guardian Angel Dog. I have done a lot. And I bet you were there to smooth trails for me as I ran them so I would not fall or trip and let my teammates down.” I pleaded, “Now it is her turn.”

  “Rivers, you are a true champion to think of someone else like that. Okay, tell you what I will do. I will sign on as Sunny's Guardian Angel Dog and make time for her and you also.” Aurora continued, “You can never tell her or Christmas about this. They have to believe on their own. Agreed?” she said as she put her paw on me.

  I replied. “Agreed. Thank you Aurora. Will Sunny get better? I asked

  “I don't have any idea about that nor any power to help,” she answered. “The power to heal comes from within you. Sunny has a strong desire to live and since you seem to know her pretty well, then you know the answer to your own question,” she said.

  Aurora continued. “Well it has been fun chatting with you, Rivers, but I have work to do. Take care.” With that, she was gone.

  I walked back to the warming shed. I lay down next to Sunny. I must have awoken her because she said, “Hi Rivers, good night,” and she went back to sleep.

  Mike woke me up and said, “Mornin’ buddy, you must be hungry. Here is some chow for you.”

  “Yes Rivers, it is chow time.” I jumped right up when Sunny said that. “You okay?” I asked.

  “A little weak and this thing on my leg itches, but other than that, I feel pretty good. Now,” Sunny continued with a stern tone in her voice, “you promised me that if I got well you would tell me what I looked liked in your mind's eye, Rivers.”

  “Are you sure I said that?” I joked. “You were pretty out of it last night and after I gave you some of my super high test, grade ‘A’ Alaskan Husky blood, I got a little tired. I do not remember saying anything like that.”

  “Mister Rivers!” she demanded. “What do I look like in your mind's eye?”

  “Okay Sunny, don't get your fur up. You look like a pretty lady dog with a thing on your rear leg!”

  “Rivers, you are so frustrating,” she shrieked.

  “Yes, I know,” I said as I laughed, “That's what friends are for.”

  Randy

  Mike and I took a walk on a trail that I had never walked on before. This trail was on some kind of hard stuff that Mike called sidewalk. There were many people walking on the sidewalk and Mike told me that there were some benches where people could sit down and rest. Mike said we were in the town near where we live. Mike told me that a town is a place where the stores are located, where he can buy things like food and sled dog harnesses. This is a little confusing to me. Is the town the place where Mike hunts for our food?

  It was very noisy and busy, but I was not scared. Sure, I could not see all the things around me, but Mike was with me and he is a good leader. He would talk to me and describe all of the things that were around us. When Mike describes things to me, I can see them in my mind's eye.

  Anyway, as we were walking, Mike told me that we were passing a bench and there was a young boy sitting on it with a book in his hands. I heard a young boy say, “Hey Mister, can you help me?”r />
  We stopped and I turned toward the voice. Mike asked, “Are you talking to me, son?”

  “Yes sir,” said the young boy. “I need help reading this book. I don't read so well.”

  Mike sat down on the bench next to the boy and I sat between Mike's legs. He asked the boy for the book. “Why son,” Mike said, “this is the Bible.” I could hear Mike thumb through the pages. “And it looks like this version is a very old version and has not been updated to make it easier to read and understand.” Mike continued, “This book would be hard for many people without reading challenges to understand, son. So don't be too hard on yourself because you have trouble reading it.”

  The boy sounded relieved, but he was still tense when he answered Mike. “But I still have to read it”, the boy said softly. “My teacher tells me that I have to read a lot more and this is the only book I own.”

  This was becoming very interesting. Here was a young boy and it was apparent that he had some difficulties. Mike asked him where he lived and what school he went to.

  Mike's questions just opened the floodgates for this young boy to talk. Randy was his name and his parents had hurt him a long time ago. Then he went to several temporary homes, but they were always too poor to buy him anything. He had missed a lot of school since he was bounced among so many homes. He said he was 10 or 12 years of age. He was not sure, never had a birthday, he said. I really felt sad for this young boy. He indeed had a rough life and had so little. I wished there were something I could do for him. Maybe Mike would know how we could help him.

  “Do you mind if I pet your dog, Mister?” Randy asked.

  “My name is Mike, Randy, and my dog's name is Rivers,” Mike answered. “Yes, son, you may pet him.”

  As Randy petted me, Mike told Randy all about me.

  “Mister Mike, you mean Rivers is blind but still ran the big race to Nome? How could he do that?” Randy asked.

  “It takes courage to do that, and that courage comes from within you,” Mike answered. “If you believe in yourself, you will accomplish amazing things.” Mike continued. “You can overcome all kinds of challenges as long as you want to succeed.”

  I guess we sat there for the better part of the afternoon. Randy did a lot of talking. What he said made me more thankful for the many things I have. It also made me more appreciative of the simple things like a warm bed, good friends, and hot chow.

  Now I was thinking of what I could do for this young boy, when Mike said, “Randy, it is getting late. Would you mind if Rivers and I walk you home? We can talk some more on the way.”

  While Mike and I lived in the country, we do have neighbors around us, and it turned out that Randy lived down the trail from us.

  When we got to Randy's home, I heard Mike talking with Randy's foster parents. They agreed that Randy could visit us at our home. That would be just great. Mike gave Randy directions to our home.

  The next day, we were in the yard when Randy came by. I had told the team about Randy, so Christmas, Lakota, and the rest of the team made a big fuss over him. He was giggling and laughing as we jumped all over him.

  Mike was with us in the yard. He was sitting on a bench, and I could hear him laughing as Randy played with the team. Even Sandy was in the yard making a big fuss over this young boy. Mike said, “Hi Randy, how you doing? Come over here, I have something for you”. Lakota told me that Mike had a book in his hand.

  When Randy sat next to Mike, Mike gave him the book, Lakota told me.

  “Wow, my own Bible!” Randy said very excitedly. As he turned the pages, he started to read the words out of it. Mike helped him with the words that he stumbled over. He asked Mike many questions about what he read. Mike answered each of them. Lakota told me that the entire team, and even Sandy and Christmas were sitting around Mike and Randy listening to them talk.

  “You know what, Mister Mike?” Randy said. “I think I want to be a writer.”

  “Why?” Mike asked.

  “So that I can write books for kids that have a hard time reading like I do. What do you think, Mister Mike? Do you think I can do it?”

  “Yep,” Mike said, “And I bet you would be great at it too. Just remember that as long as you believe in yourself and want to succeed, you will accomplish amazing things in your life.”

  I heard Mike stand up and say, “Okay team. Trail time.” As we started to scamper around the yard, Randy asked Mike what was trail time. We all stopped playing around when we heard Randy ask this question. He did not know what trail time was! Lakota told me that Ugly and Brownie went over to Randy and nuzzled his hand. I guess we were feeling bad. If Randy did not know what trail time meant, then he never had experienced the fun of sledding on the trails.

  “Randy,” it was Mike. “Trail time is the way I tell the team that we are taking the sled out for a run on the trails.”

  “Oh,” Randy said sadly. “I guess it is time for me to go then.” Hold on here, I thought. Why does Randy have to go? I think Mike must have read my mind because he asked Randy why he thought he had to go.

  “Well Mister Mike,” Randy said, “I don't have any winter clothing or boots to do that. I figured you would want to be alone with your dogs and didn't want me around.”

  “I think you thought wrong, my friend,” Mike gently said to Randy. “Come with me.” Lakota told me that they headed for the warming shed where Mike keeps our sled and our equipment.

  We all followed them. Lakota told me that Mike gave Randy two boxes. “What are these Mister Mike?” Randy asked.

  “Well,” Mike answered. “I think they are two boxes that need a young man like you to open and find out what is inside of them.” Now Mike had me wondering. What was in the boxes?

  Lakota told me that when Randy opened the big flat box, he gasped. Lakota told me that Randy held up a green and black storm suit, just like the one Mike used when he took us on the trails. Christmas said that one time she curled up in Mike's storm suit when she was a small pup. It was so soft and warm. “Yeah, I remember that.” It was Nitro. “You snored almost as loud as Mike does.”

  “Uncle Nitro!” Christmas shrieked. We all chuckled at the way Nitro was teasing Christmas. Yep, our little Christmas was growing up and her Uncles had the gray hair to prove it!

  “I wonder what is in the other box,” Doc said. Lakota told me that Randy opened the other box and pulled out a pair of snow boots, socks, gloves, and a musher's cap.

  “These boots and socks will keep your toes warm, Randy. They are good to 100 below zero.” Mike said. “Now, how about getting that gear on while I get mine on, and let's harness this team up for a ride!”

  “Thank you Mister Mike, I don't know what to say.”

  Mike answered, “You said enough son. You are part of our team now, so shake a stick and get dressed.”

  I heard paw steps and Lakota told me that Brownie and Ugly ran over to Randy and started to nuzzle him and lick his face. Yes, Randy was now officially part of our team!

  When they were dressed, Mike pulled the sled out of the warming shed and Randy had our harnesses. Lakota told me that Mike laid out the gang and tug lines. Next he showed Randy how to harness us up. Lakota told me that Mike let Randy harness up Ugly and Brownie.

  Next, it was my turn. “Paw up, Rivers,” Randy said and I lifted my paw so that he could put the harness around it. He learned quickly and was very good. You could tell he was comfortable working with dogs. His voice told me that he enjoyed working with us. “Okay Randy,” Mike said. “We will have Christmas and Nitro as our lead dogs with Doc running in a solo swing position. Brownie and Ugly will be in the team dog position with Rivers and Lakota in the wheel.” Mike continued. “I will explain all the positions to you as we travel down the trail. It will make more sense then.”

  Lakota told me that Mike helped Randy into the sled basket and then Mike got on the runners. “Okay Team, Ready!” I heard the snow hook pulled from the snow. “Set!” I leaned into my harness ready to start. “Go!” We wer
e off.

  The trail was nice and smooth. Fresh snow on our paws made the running easy. It was a nice run. Christmas and Nitro were having fun leading. Ugly was telling jokes. Lakota was describing the trail to me. Mike was telling Randy about the commands, what each dog position does, and how he steers the sled.

  I am not too sure how long or how far we ran. It was a nice gentle pace, more like a restful trot. I heard Mike say, “Team stop” and we did. Then Mike said, “Team sit!” and we sat.

  Mike told Randy that it was time to head back because it was getting late. However, before we headed back, Mike said he wanted to change some dogs around. He moved Doc into solo lead and moved Christmas and Nitro into the swing position. I heard Mike whisper something into Doc's ear as he moved the team around. Lakota told me both Mike and Doc were grinning

  After we turned in the right direction to go home, Mike told Randy to get out of the sled basket and get on the runners. Lakota told me that Mike then pulled the snow hook and got into the basket.

  “Okay Randy, take us home.” Mike said.

  “But. But.” Randy said.

  “Randy,” Mike said, “believe in yourself, and tell the team to take us home.”

  “Okay Team,” Randy said. “Get set. Go”! As we headed back home, I figured out what Mike had whispered in Doc's ear: Take it nice and easy and let us build up Randy's confidence.

  For a kid that had never been on a sled before, Randy did pretty darn good. He leaned into the turns just as if he had been doing it forever.

  Soon we were home and Randy said, “Team stop.” You could tell he really enjoyed what he was doing and had a new level of confidence. His voice told me that.

  Mike showed Randy how to get us out of our harnesses, check our paws for sores, stow the sled and our gear, plus give us fresh water. Mike told Randy that it would be a smart idea for him to leave his mushing gear here in the warming shed, so that he would always have it ready for trail time.

  “Mister Mike, thank you,” Randy said.

  “My pleasure,” Mike replied.

  Randy asked, “Mister Mike, will you show me the rest of the things I have to know to be a good musher?”