Snow Dogs by Sylva Fae & Adrian Czarnecki

Snow Dogs

by Sylva Fae & Adrian Czarnecki

I have always loved these beautiful dogs, with their piercing eyes and distinctive wolf-like markings, but I must admit to being slightly ignorant about huskies. Recently, I was invited to join a husky group by children’s author, Adrian Czarnecki, whose books are about the adventures of his own litter of Siberian Husky pups. I originally joined to support the books, but instead, I discovered just how talented, clever and multi-skilled the breeds (and their owners) are. Their unique qualities make them perfect for training – just within this group alone, there are mushing sled dogs, awardwinning trick dogs, rafting, kayaking, swimming and flying dogs, medical, and emotional support dogs, and of course, all of them are considered part of the family.

I had previously assumed that huskies were sled dogs, and all sled dogs were huskies…. Not so, first of all, there many breeds, though Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute are what most of us would picture as a typical sled dog. Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for over 9000 years, as transportation, hauling supplies and delivering mail. Their dense, two-layer coat keeps them warm and waterproof, making them ideal to cope in freezing temperatures. In addition, their strength, stamina, endurance, and intelligence make them ideal working dogs. They are also loving and loyal, and some huskies like Janga, don’t work, or do tricks, they just make the perfect soulmate companion.

Sled Dog Tours

I had mistakenly assumed that sledding only takes place in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and similar such places, but again, I was surprised to learn that there are sled dogs working as far away as Australia. Neisha Shrimpton runs Australian Sleddog Tours with her pack of rescued huskies. Neisha explains how it started:

“It all started whilst out training for the Altitude 5000 Race, we were approached by an elderly Canadian lady. She asked, ‘could you possibly take my grandson for a short ride in your sled? I see Sleddogs all the time in Canada but my grandson lives in Australia, it's not something you see here every day. I really want him to experience what I take for granted at home in Canada.’ So off they went and on return they were giggling and had smiles from ear to ear. The Canadian lady thanked us all, including the Huskies, but before leaving she turned looked at us both and said, ‘You should do Sleddog Tours.’

So began our journey, we had five Huskies back then, more Huskies were needed so we started rescuing Huskies to join the team. There is nothing more rewarding than giving them a second chance in life and seeing them do what they love to do.”

Trick Dogs

Huskies are incredibly intelligent; they are also keen to learn and are naturally inquisitive, and these qualities make them ideal for training. I’d seen the term, ‘trick dog’ mentioned in the group, and I’d pictured some kind of circus performance – huskies balancing on balls, while juggling…. Kim Mayes is an award-winning trainer of trick dogs, and kindly explained what it actually meant.

“Tricks are a wide range of skills...everything from coordination to paw work, nose work, scent work, distance work, chaining behaviors, non-verbal skills, canine conditioning and more! There has never been a sport I have competed in, that I have learned as much about my dogs, as with this one. It is a great opportunity to really bond with your dog.”

Kim has three huskies and they are all champions. One of her dogs, Seppala was the first in the US to attain the title of Champion Trick Dog, and one of her girls, Nova held the record for youngest trick dog, for a while, earning the title at just twelve weeks old. Kim too is highly accredited in the world of dog training, and has written several books on training and behaviour, and is the Expert Dog Writer for a variety of publications.

(Kim Mayes’ books, ‘Getting Braver: Tricks & Games For Your Fearful Dog’, and ‘Hyper Dog 101’, are available to order from Amazon.) Kim’s talented pets have appeared in multiple TV shows and adverts, and together, they hold five world records. The photograph shows one of Kim’s newest pups, gaining awards at only fourteen weeks old.

Adventure Huskies

Huskies, it seems, can be trained to do almost anything, and are always up for an adventure, especially if it means quality time with their owner. Their boundless energy and enthusiasm for life makes them the perfect companion for an adventurous family.

Ashlee Kiser’s dog, Balto is her son, Ian’s best friend and companion. Together, they compete in weight pulling, which is a form of urban mushing, which replicates the traditional use of working dogs. In addition, Balto joins the family in hiking, rafting, kayaking, swimming and trail riding – the clever pup is even learning how to bike with Ian.

Abby Ritchie’s dog, Zeppelin is an accomplished soul mate and best friend.

rafting dog. She describes him as a sweetheart, her

He is also incredibly photogenic and you can see from his expression just how much he loves taking part in adventures with his owner.

Rescued Huskies

Huskies are full of love, life and energy, but they have many other traits that require a lot of work: ♦ Huskies shed fur – all year round – so need regular brushing. ♦ They are expert escapologists and can easily jump a 6’ fence! ♦ They love to run, and run, and run…. They need an owner who has the energy to give them sufficient exercise. ♦ They are incredibly vocal and like their voice to be heard – loudly! ♦ They are pack animals, so often suffer separation anxiety – they need company. ♦ Some Huskies are naturally destructive, especially loving to dig, and a bored husky can be incredibly destructive.

With training and care from a responsible owner none of these traits is an issue, but sadly, inexperienced owners struggle to manage these strong characters, and huskies often end up in rescue centres.

Many owners in the group have rescue dogs and can’t stress enough the joy in seeing these dogs become part of a loving family. Jasmine Pratt’s first rescue dog was Hagrid. He’d had a difficult start in life, and came to them underweight, scared and aggressive. The first few days were hard work, but Jasmine and her family persevered. They spent a lot of time on enrichment toys, hand feeding him, and exercising his body and his mind, trying to build a bond with him. They worked on walking him with their other dogs, and it took a couple weeks for them to bond, and for Hagrid to become part of the pack.

Jasmine explains: “Hagrid spent his days learning new things, how to swim, how to pull a bike, and most of all that we were his home. He blossomed under our eyes, every adventure he went on, he got a little braver, a little more excited to get out and explore the world.

Hagrid loved learning to pull the bike, and canicross (basically cross country running with your dogs). He really started to come alive when I began training him to pull. We felt like he knew he had a job and he was good at it. His face when we brought his harness out was so happy, his whole body wiggled, and he sat so patiently waiting for me to put it on him. He was just an amazing boy.” Sadly, Hagrid crossed the rainbow bridge on a sunny Wednesday morning in July, leaving a huge hole in Jasmine’s heart, but also so many wonderful memories.

Cassie Macdonald found her dog, Girl tied to a tree outside a puppy mill. The poor dog had been deemed ‘worthless’ due to her loss of vision. At the same time, Cassie was also going through some personal difficulties and Girl gave her the strength to keep going. Cassie explains: “We met she ran up to me and flopped on her back asking for a belly rub, I fell in love. She came home with me that day, and we have been inseparable ever

Hero Huskies

There are many heart-warming stories of rescue huskies within the group, but as Cassie Macdonald’s story shows, often it is the husky doing the rescuing. Kathi Lanzetti suffered from deep depression, she didn’t care about anyone or anything, she had no feelings or emotions and had given up on life. Then a miracle appeared to bring her out of that dark place – her husky soulmate, Sakara. Sakara’s antics and rebellious teenager-like attitude made her start laughing again. As they bonded, she taught Kathi to love life again. Kathi now owns eleven huskies and is a great mentor to other husky

each other during our darkest times…the moment since.”

owners. Yomaira Habibe also tells a similar, heart-warming story: “Colombiana was given to me in a time where there was no light...only darkness. She laid almost one year next to me...to keep me company, and helped me get back in shape. I went from 100 steps a day to almost 15,000 and lost more than 40 pounds. She is the happiest when next to me. I honestly don't know, what would have happened to me if she didn't come into my life...I guess I probably wouldn't be around anymore.”

Megan Bielefeldt’s gorgeous puppy, Clara, arrived at the perfect time to help them through the grieving process after they lost their dogs in a house fire. Clara was named after Dr. Who’s companion, Clara Oswald, who saved the Dr from his depression when he lost his two best friends. Like her namesake, Clara helped to mend a broken heart.

It’s no surprise why Brittany Baldwin’s dog is called Blue, when you look at those beautiful, piercing eyes. Blue is a different kind of saviour as he acts as Brittany’s psychiatric service dog, and is trained to detect her panic attacks before they happen. He performs tasks to calm her panic attacks, should they occur. Out in public, Blue is trained to guide Brittany to an exit, should the panic take over, and he prevents people from getting too close for comfort. It took over 1,200 hours of training to become a service dog, but as Brittany says, “Blue is such a people pleaser and he’s happiest working alongside me.

Huskies and Children

Despite their size, huskies are gentle, affectionate and good natured. Although it’s wise to never leave a young child alone with any breed, huskies are generally good with children.

Rema Murphy Mitchell has spent the last twenty years rescuing huskies and has fifteen Siberian Huskies and Malamutes, plus one crazy Border Collie. She now uses her knowledge of the breed to educate

children. The business, ‘Our Furry Husky Kiddos Kennel’, does demonstrations in schools, to share educational information about Northern breeds. Rema’s granddaughter, Emma Rea, has been on a dogsled since she was six months old, and mushed her own snow dogsled, with one dog at the age of one! Last year, at age six, Emma Rea ran her first competitive race in Brownville, Maine.

Mush / hike Whoa Gee Haw Let’s go! Stop! Turn right Turn left

Inspirational Huskies

So far, we’ve met some amazingly talented huskies, but this last one inspired a character in Adrian Czarnecki’s, Adventures of Hot Rod Todd books. I’ll let his owner, Alex Lundberg tell his story:

“This is my baby Chinook. Or as many know him, Captain Chinook. We rescued him when he was ten weeks old. He was left in a crate outside a rescue place, with no food and water, and a note that said, ‘Too hyper and has a biting issue.’ The only thing he had with him was a pink squeaking dumbell toy, that he still adores to this day. He got his nickname ‘Captain’, because my husband and I flew in our plane to get him and give him his ‘freedom flight’ home. We named him Chinook because of the massive Chinook helicopters and when he is really excited, he wags his tail in circles like a helicopter. He has logged about 5 hours riding in airplanes, he's the best farm dog you could ask for and can 90% of the time be seen zooming down our grass airfield like he's a plane building speed to take off. He loves his big/little sister Piper (also named after the greatest aviation manufacturer) and can be seen resting his head on her or being her wingman. He is a true and true farm dog and helps take care of our horses, pigs, and feathery friends. He's done a little of everything so has a very full life of adventures.”

In the book, Captain Chinook is Rock Star Mercs best friend and pilots his revolutionary eco-friendly tour jet. You can read about his adventures in the latest Hot Rod Todd book: Hot Rod Todd Visits Loch Ness. All books in this series are available from Amazon or through the author’s website –www.adventuresofhotrodtodd.com – and if you look closely, you may spot some of the other special dogs featured in this article, within the beautiful illustrations by Cameo Anderson.

Sylva Fae is a married mum of three from Lancashire, England. She has spent twenty years teaching literacy to adults with learning difficulties and disabilities, and now works from home as a children’s writer and illustrator.

Sylva has published several children’s books and also writes a blog, Sylvanian Ramblings. Her debut book, Rainbow Monsters won the Chanticleer Best in Category award. Discover more about Sylva on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/sylva-fae/

Winter Time

by Stan Phillips

One last day of summer time till the tick tocking time falls back. Losing that hour in its careless rush to usher the summer away.

And opening the arms of the world, Frosty fingered, scarved, and coated, To greet another winter.

Negative November Wassailing December Two faced January Frigid February Marauding March

Oh wild and wicked season. Come on Do your worst!

Stan Phillips is an 80 year old poet, musical podcast maker, part-time wannabe male model, and occasional stand up comedian. “I used to be a psychotherapist/counsellor when I had

an honest job. I was born into prewar London, and attended 17 schools (my father believed they couldn’t hit a moving target) and I eventually finished up here in Ireland. Still wondering what I will be when I grow up — but enjoying writing my quirky poetry as I do so.”

Discover more about Stan on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips

The Social Distance Tango

by Stan Phillips

All that I ask dear Is you take off your mask dear For I want a little more As we move around the floor While we're dancing the social distance tango

It's a shame that I cannot see your face Just because of the interminable space That lies between us Like Mars to Venus As we're dancing the social distance tango

And oh for the touch of your hand dear I know that would be oh so grand dear. But though it's a disgrace The rules are in place As we dance to the social distance tango So let the music play As we struggle through another day Though the politicians try us We'll not be killed off by a virus While we're dancing the social distance tango

So get your best dance frock out For all the six week lock out. And let the music play Throughout the livelong day The virus won't defeat us And Covid cannot beat us While we're dancing the social distance tango Ole!!

Stan Phillips is an 80 year old poet, musical podcast maker, part-time wannabe male model, and occasional stand up comedian. “I used to be a psychotherapist/counsellor when I had

an honest job. I was born into prewar London, and attended 17 schools (my father believed they couldn’t hit a moving target) and I eventually finished up here in Ireland. Still wondering what I will be when I grow up — but enjoying writing my quirky poetry as I do so.”

Discover more about Stan on Mom’s Favorite Reads website: https://moms-favorite-reads.com/moms-authors/stan-phillips