FullSussa
@FullSussa
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www.issuu.com /FullSussa
February 2015, Vol 21
FullSussa #MTB
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Tankwa Trek
pg10
Epic4OneSight
pg8
Cakie-dog chasing her friend and builder of her favourite trails, Hylton Turvey.
Swen’s Tech Zone
pg20
Origin of Trails
Attakwas
pg22
pg14
A Mountain Biker’s Best Friend
L I A TR
dogs are better at running than others, but they all enjoy running. When you take them out into a wildish area, filled with amazing sensory stimulation, they tend to be far more doggy instinct orientated than if you take them to the park. They behave differently, they behave less like pets and more like untamed animals, and that requires thinking ahead when you’re riding. Planning which way to go to avoid main roads, to avoid a farm with cows that roam, to avoid the muddy patch where they love to just flop and get covered by gunk; they will do everything you don’t want them to do, hence planning is a key factor.
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rank, our Dalmatian X Bull Mastiff, has managed to catch a juvenile jackal and our other two dogs (Cake, a whippety Africanus, and Skollie, a caramel coloured mixed breed with big ears and a white snow drop on the end of her tail) have caught up with him and joined in the fray. The jackal is screaming in pure falsetto (literally, who would’ve thought jackal’s sound like children screeching blue murder) and the dogs are in what might be termed a “blood lust state of utter madness”. Mark manages to somehow get Frank to drop the poor jackal, and he regains control
of the situation. However, by this time I’ve also got involved, the jackal has buggered off as fast as lightning and there is a gash on Frank’s nose. Blood and spit is all over us, including our riding gloves. Only an hour later when we’re heading back to the car do we debate the fact that jackals are one of the few animals that can carry rabies. Awesome. I can officially tell you that rabies shots cost 420 bucks a pop, the first one is free, and then you need to pay for the next four. They also hurt like tetanus shots. And the moral of the story is that the concept of “trail dogs” is a big fat lie. When you take
dogs running on a trail that does not mean they stick to the actual trail. In fact, when you take dogs onto public trails, it comes with a heap of responsibilities that you need to recognise before you can actually enjoy having doggie companions when you’re out riding. This article is to explain the main considerations when wanting to turn your dog into the mythical “trail dog”.
Instinct: Think like a dog, plan ahead to avoid drama All dogs are born to be outside, to hunt, and to be in a pack and they are most definitely born to run. Some
Water: The pups need water more than you do KATH FOURIE
“FRANK! STOP! NO! FRANK! FRAAAAAAAAANK! FRAANKAAARRRGHFAAARRRKKK!” The absolutely desperate cry of Kath Fourie’s partner Mark, as his voice garbles into a non-sensical hysterical roar. Mark throws his Santa Cruz Nickel to the ground and sprints into the pines chasing a black dog with white spotty paws.
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Having dogs out on a ride with you is like having kids. They have needs (the first need is always to poop immediately as they get out the car) and you, as their human, have to tend to those needs. Three dogs drink a heap of water, and if you are going on a ride that doesn’t take them past a stream or dam it is a very good idea (not even a maybe, it’s a must) to take a full hydration pack of water for all of you (3 litre bladder). There are some very nifty folding drinking bowls that you can flatten and slide into your pack that weigh nothing. They make the world of difference to your dogs who then don’t have to attempt drinking out of your cupped hand as you hop around in small circles trying to raise the hydration pack high enough to get the water flowing, while
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