Myth Busters: Sled Dog Edition

It is always an interesting and tedious game trying to recount my experience in the mushing world to those who have never been there. There are usually two preconceptions of sleddogs and the sports that I have to debunk within the first 45 seconds of the conversation, misconceptions that can be attributed to the Wonderful World of Disney and the wonderful world of negative journalism:

       

      1)   All sled dogs look like this:

 Or like this: 

and

 2) Sled dogs are sad creatures who have had their rights infringed upon and work like slaves for mushers. 

It is an unfortunate reality of the today's media that causes news consumers to believe that this is the case for every dog that has ever been placed in front of a sled. I am not so naïve to say that there are more than a few irresponsable and infamous mushers in the world; the bulk of exposer that the mushing community recieves is from this group of individuals. The articles about the rest of the community, the majority of the community are few and far between. Try to remember the last time you read an article in the news about the love, care, and time that most mushers devote to their dogs. Outside of the annual "living section" piece that is usually written in time for the Iditarod, there are far to few articles written about the mushers whose dogs eat better than they do, about the hours of petting and brushing and massaging, about the attention that is paid to every slight physical and mental change in every dog.

Maybe, just maybe you know the names Buser or Butcher, mushers whose love and care and hard work have been recognized from time to time outside the world of sled dog racing. It is a great injustice to the sport that so many people work and live with their dogs just like them, and yet face opposition from the media and therefore the public anytime they talk about their passion; these are the mushers with last names like Morgan and Gonsolin and so many others that I have had the pleasure to meet and learn from during my "survive-Canadian-winter-leave-college-and-become-a-musher" adventure.

So, to all of those unharolded mushers, I may just be a desert kid from Arizona, but I recognize your dedication to your dogs and the hours you spend in your kennels: the poop you pick up; the soreness in your back, your arms, your legs from carrying buckets of food, buckets of water, buckets of poop and bending to put on booties, to massage legs, to scratch ears.

I recognize you and I applaud you because you do all you do not for recognition, but for your dogs. Your passion is an example for people in any field, following any dream, interacting with type of animal or human being. If everyone treated people the way you unsung mushers treat your dogs, the world would genuinely be a better place.

This is what I like to call FaceTime.

Which I guess would make this Butt Time, because if there is one thing that a dog likes more than having his ears scratched, it's having his butt scratched. 

A beautiful moment...."Halona, I love you too, but please don't lick my mouth. I have seen you eat your poop."

Sun bathing in Canada really has nothing to do with tanning, as the suns rays are inhibited by parkas and insulated overalls. They are more of an act of rejoicing that for the first time in months, the sun actually feels warm instead of just being a useless ball of light in the sky, doing nothing to render the -35 degrees more bearable. 

For the honor and glory.