Coldfoot Alaska: The Dogs (Part 1)

One of the main tourist attractions (in the winter) at Coldfoot camp is the dog sledding. But before I get to that I'd like to first dedicate a blog (or three) to the dogs themselves. I was lucky in that my brother was already familiar with the dogs, and learning the ropes of mushing, so I got to spend lots of time with them. On my first night at Coldfoot we headed out into the dark behind the Inn to the dog lot to meet the gang. There are 24 dogs in total, and they are chained to individual swiveling poles and each has it's own little plywood dog house. The chains are long enough that they can touch noses or paws with the adjacent dogs, but not so long that they get tangled up.
Their houses are square, or rectangular rather, and the roof is flat. They often lay on the top of their houses, or stand on them to get a better view of who is walking around the corner, and what's going on. The houses are raised up about 4-6" from the ground and the underside is stuffed with hay which acts as an insulator. For those of us that have been camping it's the difference between having a sleeping mat or sleeping directly on the ground. Just the little bit of separation can be dramatic. Anyway, their houses are not spacious, but that is part of the idea. It's harder to keep a bigger space warm when it's 40 below out, so the smaller the space, the easier it is for the animal to heat, and the warmer they will be. In fact I read a while back (don't remember where) that if you give an outdoor dog the option of a big dog house or a tiny one (when the weather is cold) they will choose the smaller one.
Anyway, there are plenty of dogs for them to keep each other company and not get lonely. Most of them seem to get along, but another reason for the chains (besides keeping them from running off) is to keep certain dogs separated from each other because they will fight. Jenna, the mother of 5 puppies, and another female Lightning got into a big fight a few months back and the latter was almost killed in the process. Needless to say they are not chained close to each other. I think for the most part the dogs are chained boy/girl/boy/girl and that helps.
I was surprised to learn that ALL the dogs are friendly to people. That is, while some are shy, or big and rough, or fight among each other, they are all genial enough to to get close to, hug, pet, etc. I would have thought there would be a few mean dogs in the bunch but that was not the case at all.
When we fist arrived at the lot the dogs were barking and howling like crazy. We went down the line and each said hello to to different dogs being careful not to skip anyone. I was a little apprehensive at first (not trusting that one of them wouldn't attack me) but half way through my first greeting that feeling was gone. The dogs bark until they have all been greeted, and then they settle down and are quiet. It's like they are shouting "Don't forget me! Don't skip me! I'm here!" And then afterward when they know they were not ignored or snubbed they are content to sit and watch whatever you are doing.
I guess there are some people who think dog sledding is animal abuse, so I thought it important to express my opinion on that after having been around the dogs. That (at least with these dogs) was not the case at all. They all want to go sledding. In fact there was only crying and wailing if they are left behind. One dog Birdie actually makes this weird moaning sound like she is being tortured when she realizes that she won't be a part of a sled team. It was almost heartbreaking not to take her. And then once the dogs are hooked on the line, they start lunging and jumping wanting to go even before the other dogs are in their places and ready. And there was never a reward like a Beggin Strip for getting hooked up to the line, or putting a harness on. They all willingly did everything for the sheer enjoyment of the run. They were not bribed in any way or coerced into pulling the sled. So for what it's worth, that's my opinion on that.
It was surprising that I found it easier to recognize the dogs and remember their names, while I wasn't so good with all of my brothers coworkers. But then I wasn't nose to nose, hugging his fellow employees, and scratching them behind the ears like I was with the dogs either! It took a couple days for their personalities to emerge, but just like people the dogs were very different from one another, and just like with people I found myself more drawn to dogs because of their personality. Since it was such a big part of my trip I am going to go through and say a little something about every dog (except I might lump all the puppies together because I can't tell most of them apart anyway). And I'll probably do it in order of how they are chained up. This might take a couple blogs because of the pictures but here I go:

Sleeper

Sleeper: He's the first dog you see when heading into the lot and one of the cutest. He has a white underbelly and a soft brownish red fur on his back and a matching nose, and has beautiful blue eyes. He was cuddly and not a huge barker, he seemed pretty content. He is a good puller of the sled and is sort of stocky and muscular.

Lucky (formerly Beatrice)

Lucky: Lucky used to be named Beatrice until she was attacked by a wolf and almost killed (Chad the owner of the dogs shot and killed the wolf). Then she became Lucky. She is an older gal with black fur and graying around the muzzle. She has two white dots above her eyes and seems very...patient. She does pace sometimes, but she doesn't bark and jump when waiting for her greeting. She's like the matriarch. Sort of regal in a certain way and wiser than most of the younger females.

Toby and Jay

Toby: Toby is the "Old Man" the "Godfather" the head boss or in dog terms the alpha male of the entire group. He is a lot like Lucky, calm, patient, not overly excitable. He's mostly black with grey around his nose. He is a lead dog (when sledding) which means he is one of the smartest and when he looks you in the eyes (which he does almost always) you really get the sense that he sees you as an individual person and not just as "people". I'm not anthropomorphising either. I really think he gets whats going on, and he seems to be very intuitive to human facial expressions and moods.

Huggable Bear

Bear: And then you have Bear. Bear is a Chow mix (and looks like a Chow), cute as a giant furry button and about as dumb as a post. He is probably the most huggable of the bunch because he is so fluffy and adorable, but apparently he can't quite figure out which direction to run when pulling a sled. He's a jumper and will put his paws on your shoulders and try to lick your face, but he's as harmless as a fly. He's the kind of dog you'd want to lay on and use as a headrest while reading a book. And to be honest he's probably enjoy a career as a footstool or pillow.

Princess Bacon

Bacon: Bacon is the princess (lol, what a weird sentence!). It might be hard to imagine a dog looking like a Disney princess but I swear she does. She is grey and white with the Husky markings around her eyes and on her face. Her name really doesn't suit her, but I guess it could have been worse, she could have been Ham or Sausage, or Salisbury Steak. She is petite, short, thin, slim legs, narrow face, poofy curly tail, and when she stands she always looks looks like she is posing. She's sweet and gentile, and when she stands on her hind legs and puts her paws on your chest she does it daintily. Even when she runs she is pretty.

Meeting Riley for the first time

Riley: I don't know why but Riley is one of my favorites. He's a middle aged dog (i.e. not a puppy or an old timer) a little skittish, and shy. Most peoples first impression of him is that he is scary looking because he has one brown eye and one blue one and there is a white stripe that runs down the middle of his nose, and his fur is a mixture of five different shades of brown. He looks more wild than the rest. Sort of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde, and I think he might get less attention than the other dogs because guests are afraid of him. But I loved him right away. He loved me too I think, and after our first meeting he was never shy around me. He, like Toby, is a lead dog, so he seems to pay special attention when you are talking to him, and appears to really be contemplating it when you ask him how he's doing. He is one of the only dogs that when sledding, will turn his head and acknowledge you when you shout out "Good job Riley! Keep it up boy!"

OK, that's enough for this installment! Only 19 more to go!