Micromanagers

Trout the malinois is hanging out with us this week while her mama recovers from ankle surgery. Her mama was the dog handler at Cricket's kennel of origin. Cricket and Trout have been friends for eight years now! However, Trout and Raven only met for the first time last summer.

I am astounded at the similarities between the two of them!

They both follow me everywhere and stare at me like micromanagers.

They both sleep like roaches.

They both like to stare out the windows.

They also both have giant pointy ears.

And they are are good protection dogs. On our walks, Raven and Trout don't let strange dogs get near me!

Guard Trout!

I briefly went down a (rather pleasant!) google hole and learned that while they are not directly related (Malinois are from Belgium and Sheppies are from Germany), they both descend from a common ancestor, some ur-shepherd whose descendants range throughout western Europe. They have the protection skills of the giant livestock guardians, as well as the herding skills of dogs like border collies. They are very smart and very devoted to their jobs! And when they are not herding livestock, they like to herd us! Which explains why Trout and Raven are so extremely committed to micromanaging.

It's actually kind of insane, and I'm not sure if I'd want more than one of these dogs long-term. They are kind of all up in my face all day, and while it's cute and endearing short-term, it could get tiresome for years and years. Still, their commitment to micromanaging is amazing. They are dead asleep on the couch and I go upstairs to just, like, change a shirt or something, and they are up like jack-in-the-boxes, chasing me up the stairs, jostling for position, just to watch me change a shirt! Then they squeeze in next to me to escort me back downstairs. They even have to be on the same side of the tiny cabin as I am.

Although they will both seek affection from daddy/uncle.

Our last time on this trail for the season.

Look at the water!

It's in actual streams now.

Handsome DL always following up the rear!

Then we get home and snooooooze. However, do not be deceived! Those ears are always listening!

The micromanagers take turns flopping!

Happy spring, I guess

Weeeelll, sad to say, spring is officially here. The trails are thawing out, and look what we had to do on our evening walk today, walk in mud:

We were already done skiing last weekend; the trails were too icy and hard. But we could walk on them.

Then it stormed for a few days. Sideways snow and slush! Then the sun came out very abruptly and made for a beautiful morning!

Mmmmm kalespinez!!!

We love kalespinez!!!

I taught the dogs that they get a cookie for coming back promptly after they pee. Cricket has turned into a monster.

The slowest run is the run you do not do

As I mentioned recently, I've been struggling to get running again. I've never been a fast runner, but I could slog along well enough. Lately, I'd just been feeling sluggish and had been walking with the girls, bringing our morning "run" from 40 minutes to over an hour. Not being interested in getting up 20 minutes earlier each day in service to my sluggishness, I decided to make getting into running shape again a priority. I joined a facebook group called "Slow AF Running Club", read about other people's journeys and small milestones, and shared mine. It seems that the only way to run again is to run again! Even when I huff and puff, even when I get unpleasantly sweaty. There's just no way around the unpleasant part, just gotta get through it!

I've also come to realize that after years of skijoring with racing dogs, I'm a pretty weak skier, too, hahahaha. The few times I've tried to ski without dogs, I am weak and huffing and puffing. Training Raven has been good for me because she's not a speed demon, and she's not really committed to skijoring, so she'll often stop and dawdle, and then I have to self-propel.

Last weekend, we did a skijor fun-race. I entered the 4-mile 2-dog class so I could bring Cricket, but at the end of all races is a goofy thing called the "Le Mans"-style. 1 mile-loop, 1 dog, no poles, mass start. It's chaos! I decided to do that with Raven.

Prerace hugs!

And prerace kissies!

With Cricket at her side, Raven didn't get to do her usual farting around. Cricket just yanks her along and forces her to be Committed! We did a credible job.

Without Cricket? We took off like a slingshot just a little bit behind the main group, but then stalled out when Raven got distracted and forgot that we were in a race. She stopped and rolled in the snow. She started sniffing things. There’s SO MUCH TO SNIFF on a new trail! I've been told that sniffs are kryptonite for those sheppy genes. And there I was flailing around, no poles, not a strong enough skier to propel myself with no dog. I was like a becalmed sailboat! I kicked and flailed and somehow got us going again, while far ahead, the other skiers were approaching the finish line in a group. First in came the real athletes, then my friend's 10-year-old with his golden retriever, then my other friend with her corgi (!!), and then...
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(keep waiting!)
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Here we are! Red lantern by far!

So I'm not a strong skiier at all and Raven's not a good racer without her sister by her side, but that's fine! She's not made for racing. She's made for LOVE!!

Please enjoy the video!

And after that we joined our friend Bertha for a walk through her neighborhood trails. Bertha is so much different now that she is part of a loving family! Not at all fearful. She even jumped up to see me! I was so honored!

Then we went home and ate CARTZ!!

Yeeeesh CARTZZZZ!!!

The aurora have been quite spectacular lately! And we see a lot of them since I always insist on a pre-bedtime walk to empty the bladders last thing before we go to bed.

It's light in the mornings nowadays, but we have dark nights for a few more weeks.

These harnesses are fantastic and have proven the highest visibilty in a test by local mushing friends.

Mmmmm salads!! I usually give them each a LETTUSSLEAFY while I make sandwiches, but the lettuce heads at the store looked really sad and wilty this week, so I got one of those spring mixes and had to give the girls their cut in their bowls. They seemed to approve of the FANCYLETTUSSS.

Ahhh now I am wrapping up this post and realized I had forgotten why I started it. I started it to say... I had an epiphany this morning on my slllooooow morning run. Do you know who is a slower runner than I am? The person on the couch. Do you know who is a slower skijor team than Raven and I are? The people and dogs not skijoring. As long as you are out there and having fun, you are already winning!

Wishing my 14 loyal readers a happy spring!