This week was good week to look at some photos of the past and remember the good times here running dogs.
A lot has happened since some of the above teams and yet many of these  dogs are still running here today.
This week has been very quiet with no running here.
However, it has been a great week taking extra time in the kennel interacting, petting and spending some quality time with each dog.
There has been some nice sunny days and right now some Spring snow flurries.
Yes, Winter has a hard time giving up here at Miortuk.
It is also a great time to look forward and plan for the future.
When Olive comes into heat, we are looking at breeding here to Louis.
This will produce some great puppies of which some will be available for adoption to approved homes.
These puppies will be for those mushers that are looking to improve their kennels or looking to have a good foundation for their future kennels.
It is not too often that dogs are bred here for that purpose.
However, there some great bloodlines here that should be continued for the future.
Already, there have been inquiries for the puppies from France and the USA.
If anyone is interested, please contact me to reserve one.
​Until next week.......

The world has definitely changed since the last post.
Life here at Miortuk is no different!
Last week we had to make some emergency changes, we handled them with calm and made the necessary moves.
Due to the Covid-19 virus, Zoe had to return to France before her scheduled departure to catch a flight home before the airports shut down.
The good news is she arrived home safely.
Luckily before she left here , we got out to run the dogs.
The above video is of her running the 8 dog team.
Zoe was an excellent student and learned a lot about life here in a mushing kennel.
Not only about the dogs, but also about the simplicity of life here in the forest with Nature.
Due the need for her rapid departure, she had to leave her dog Saphir here until she is able to return and take her back to France. 
The last run here was in a snowstorm that dropped another 20+ cm of wet snow.
This could have been the last run of the season here as we received rain all day Thursday followed by freezing temperatures making for icy trails.
So now, like the rest of the world we are staying at home and in isolation.
However, the isolation here is not new for us and we are well prepared for at least a month with plenty of provisions for the dogs.
On a positive note, this is a good time for all to take stock and realize what is really important in life.
We don't need all the luxuries we thought was necessary and now it is time to appreciate a more simpler lifestyle.
Here, Nature goes on as usual with the birds singing, the squirrels scurrying around looking for food, the Raven making their daily visit and the rest of the animals carrying on with life as normal.
Stay safe and take time to count your blessings.
Until next week.......

The world seems to be in a panic over the Covid-19 virus with poorest qualities of human nature taking place!
Here life is basically the same.
Due to living in an isolated area, it is normal for us to have a few months supply of food for the dogs and us. We don't live an extravagant lifestyle, so we don't miss the trappings of the life in the cities.
Here we are still enjoying the peace and tranquility of Nature and of course running the dogs.
We have plenty of snow and this allowed us to enjoy a couple of great runs this week.
The above video is from yesterday on beautiful trails and perfect temperatures for Spring running.
The dogs were great and both teams performed fantastic.
Very lucky to be where we are and I hope all who follow is blog are safe, healthy and hopefully soon life will return to normal for you.
​Until next week........

It is incredible that at this time in the season, the dog are still crazy excited to run.
They love what they do and every run has the same excitement for me.
This week we have received another 20+ cm of new snow and warm temperatures.
Tuesday was a challenging run with the warm temperature and soft deep snow.
However, the dogs still charged ahead wanting to go fast. However, due to the conditions the teams were slowed down and given a couple of rest breaks during the run as to not over heat them.
We did not run the rest of the week as we had little virus go through the kennel.
The affected dogs would go off their eating, some for 24 hours and some for 48 hours.
The good news is today all the dogs ate with their normal enthusiasm.
Until next week......

Zoe Knight arrived here in the first week of October as a Handler/Trainee.
Zoe contacted me to come here to learn more about Sled Dogs, Training, Feeding, etc; so she could go back to France and start her own kennel.
Since Zoe has been here she has really embraced the reason for a Handler/Trainee.
Reading my book several times (in both French & English), Reading George Attles book and reading Mush A Beginners Manual.
She has asked a lot of questions and has been very observant on all the training runs with the dogs which I enjoy answering.
Zoe has learned and performed all the duties expected  with enthusiasm and a positive spirit.
Zoe has a very positive attitude and mixed in with a humorous spirit.
Since here, she purchased a Racing dog from a top Sprint Kennel here in Quebec and we have been training her dog with the dogs here since late December.
Zoe started running here own team here starting with 2 dogs and quickly graduated to a 4 dog team.
Zoe is going to be a great musher, in my estimation, as she has the passion, great contact with the dogs and prioritizes their needs before her own.
It is a great pleasure working and mentoring her.
This is what I want to see from a Handler/Trainee.
It is a great season working with Zoe.
​Merci Zoe!
Until next week......

Yes, Winter is still here at Miortuk with -30's through the night and another 15-20 cm of new snow.
We had three days of training so far this week and expecting Zoe to run on Sunday with four dogs for the first time this season.
All the runs this week were great and the dogs are more than crazy to run.
They are having a wonderful time this season and are excited before and after each run.
They never stop amazing me!
These dogs personalities are fantastic: Crazy to run and Loving Pets in the kennel.
Very fortunate to enjoy the great life living here in the forest with my best friends!
​Until next week.......

Leader development is a yearly process here at Miortuk.
Last week was the time to try new dogs at lead and see who will be next season's applicants for more lead training.
This season the development has been working with Louis at lead and he is turning into a super leader running with Kira.
We have also been working with Zoe's dog Saphir at lead and she is proving to be a great young leader and will be the basis of Zoe's kennel and eventual Racing Team.
This week, we ran Hok'ee, Pippin, Lloyd,Lance and Levi up at lead.
All the dogs did great wanting to stay up front and lead the teams back home.
We usually start new leaders on the return trip to the kennel as they know they are going home and will get their treat at the end of the run.
It is important to make their first run up front a positive one!
I was especially impressed with Levi who drove hard setting a fast pace and with no distractions.( levi is running at the right with Kira on the left in the above video)
Lloyd did great as well getting a little distracted when we passed plowed entrances to other chalets. Other than that he drove hard and will with more runs turn into a good leader.
Lance also did well driving hard at times and will be better with more confidence with more runs. He ran with his sister Lilly who is quite dominant and can be a little intimidating. He will probably run better paired with Kira on future runs.
All of the "L" litter run lead with at least three of the dogs being Super Leaders!
Pippin was the big surprise as he tends to be inconsistent in the team at wheel.
He is a very calm, laid back dog and doesn't really show the attitude to be a leader.
However, when he was placed at lead, he was very focussed and pulled very hard the whole way home. When stopped, he held out the line and showed he was very comfortable at lead running with Bergen.
Maybe, I was running him in the wrong position all this time.
You never really know who will like running lead unless you try them.
Hok'ee has run lead before and is very focused and comfortable in the lead position.
Next season will be interesting as I will be able to alternate at least three pairs of leaders in the "A" Team and two pairs of leaders in the "B" Team.
of the 18 dogs here only 4 don't run lead and I have yet to try Merry who is always a hard driving dog in the "A" Team.
Overall, it was a very interesting and exciting week here at Miortuk!
​Until next week.......

Yes, again this year my finger tips have taken a beating with the freezing temperatures.
However, the trill and pleasure of working with the dogs here is way better than living in the city and hibernating  inside.
I love my life here!
As usual, the dogs ran great again this week on some nice scenic, hard packed trails through the forest.
We had a major snow storm here the later part of the week with some very high winds.
This caused a delay in the training just digging out.
The dogs all got a nice thick, fresh bed of straw to make them comfortable tonight with the forecast of some very cold temperatures.
Thank you Zoe for all your hard work in the kennel.
Both the dogs and I appreciate it!
​Until next week......

It was a great week here with getting in four days of running.
We had some very cold nights in the -20's and some beautiful days with little new snow.
The dogs enjoyed their runs this week and with some very fast trails.
We got Olive out for her first run in the team after her ankle injury in the Fall.
She was very enthusiastic and ran well with no real signs of a problem. We only ran her 2 miles to start with. It looks like she could use some vet wrap on her ankles on the next run to give her a little more support until her the muscles and tendons get a little stronger. 
We will slowly work her back into running with only short distance and maybe just once or twice a week.
The rest of the dogs are running great and continue to show great enthusiasm for the runs.
​Until next week........

Mushing, like life, is full of challenges!
The important thing is how you handle them.
The above video is long. However, I feel it is important to see how to handle a situation that could have caused some injuries to the dogs in a team.
As mushers, we can not predict or prevent all the situations that can occur when running dogs.
I feel the main thing is the musher stays calm and slowly, deliberately go about the task of handling the challenge.
By doing this, the dogs stay calm, not stressed or panicked and allow you to undo the tangles and get the team back stretched out. 
As you can see in the video, some dogs had the gangline or tug lines wrapped around their legs or body. 
If the dogs were stressed these lines could cause injury to the dogs.
I am not in favor of cable ganglines as they could cut or cause serious injuries to a dog. Rope is more flexible and easier to untangle.
I know this is not a popular thing to talk about.
However, things like this can occur and can be dealt with no bad effects with the team.
In this instance the dogs stayed calm and waited for the command to go.
They ran home with great enthusiasm and most importantly no mental or physical injuries.
Life is full of challenges; meet them methodically and calmly and they will quietly disappear.
​Until next week.....