The Final Stretch and A Sweet Girl's Story

13 February 2012
12:24 PM

Sunrise at	8:57 AM	in direction	121°	East-southeast
Sunset at	5:14 PM	in direction	239°	West-southwest

Duration of day: 8 hours, 16 minutes (6 minutes, 49 seconds longer than yesterday)


Well, this is it .. SP Kennel's Black Team will be the first team out at Braeburn checkpoint after the mandatory 8 hour layover.  Allen earliest departure time is 16:32 PST and he has a 43 minute lead over second place competitor, Hugh Neff.  Allen commented there was a lot of overflow from Carmacks to Braeburn, and they are anticipating much of the same into White Horse, so Allen winning The Yukon Quest is not a done deal, but I am hopeful.  Yes, I am hopeful.

We sponsor this girl, my daughter and I (photo taken from SPKennelDogLog.blogspot.com).

Puppet - on the trail to White Horse

I made Puppet's acquaintance over the summer.  After the Iditarod last year, Paul Gebhardt wanted to sell some of his dogs.  Aliy and Allen, wanting to diversify some of the blood lines, brought in several from his Kennel and Puppet was one of them.  She is another rock eater, so she was put over by Nacho, Dingle, Cutter, and Chica where there are no rocks for her to treat like bones.  Cutter is the first dog we sponsored and a really, really nice animal.  He is extremely affectionate and over time I have gotten to know the dogs that live near him since I can't spend a lot of time with him and not visit with them equally.  It's just not possible.

Puppet's home is just off the platform, back toward the trees and she watched carefully at the start.  I don't remember now if I approached her the first time I met her.  I think I must have because I don't have a memory of her being shy with me.  I remember her being reserved, which is what I expected of a new dog in the yard, but once I let her sniff me, she accepted some rubs.  As time went on, she was as happy to see me (in her very, quiet, reserved way) as the others so I would rub her ears and chest like the other dogs.

I was doing this while Aliy and Teresa were talking about Cutter in late last summer.  Teresa was giving him lots of hugs and encouragement so I was visiting with all the others on the platform as well as Puppet.   If you look down along Puppet's back, you can't help but notice she is one fine dog.

Aliy looked over and exclaimed,  "I have never seen her like that!"

She sounded really astonished.  I had no idea what she was talking about.

"She is not that way with me at all!  She goes into submission mode the minute I approach her."

I didn't know what to think.

"She has always let me love her," I said.

Aliy told us that she was not sure if Puppet would make the team because she seemed to be intimidated by her and she was afraid that if she got loose on the trail, she would not return to her.  For that reason, she was not included in the roster of dogs to support.  We talked it over a little while.  I was mystified because she was certainly not concerned about me.  We speculated that Aliy's height, and the fact that she was dominant in the kennel whereas I was the kindly, grey-haired visitor made it easier for her to feel comfortable.  I suggested it was probably because she lives near Cutter and the other platform dwellers and she had plenty of opportunity to watch me interact with them before I approached her.  Maybe running her in line next to Cutter would make it easier for her.

It turns out that is what Aliy did to start integrating her into the team.  She said it seemed to calm her to have him in line next to her. Then we noticed her photo was up on the roster.  I asked Aliy and she said, sure enough, she was reserved, but making her way into the team and the environment of the kennel nicely.  That was good news.  Some time about then, I don't exactly remember when, Teresa and I decided to sponsor her in addition to Cutter.

Then Puppet was included in the Red Team for the Copper Basin 300.  I was elated.  That team was not the mid-distance racing team that Allen put together, but a good solid team and the one that would be carrying dogs Aliy wanted to test for the Iditarod.  Well, as you know, the Copper Basin 300 was cancelled and she did not complete her run, but I expected to see her on the roster of those Aliy took on the Don Bowers 300.  She wasn't.  That only meant one of two things - she was not doing well, or she was being kept back in training for Allen's YQ team.

When I went out to visit just before the Quest, I asked and Aliy confirmed she was going with Allen.  She nodded, "Allen took her out for long run and then turned around and took her on another.  He came back into the yard saying, 'I like this dog.'"

She is a part of what Allen and the team are doing right now and it is so much fun to watch.  I just can't convey what  pleasure I feel seeing her on the team and how good it all feels to me to see this team come through like they are.  Tonight, I will once again be a prisoner of my laptop until the wee hours of the morning - and trust me, I am NOT complaining about that!

Now, if Cutter would just take a clue from his neighbor and run the distance, that would be great.