A life as a dog musher

I chose this life a long time ago , when I was 9 years old. It all started when my parents decided to buy a farm and move to the coutry and get away from town life. A new beinning for all of us .

Many years ago ,way before I was born my dad was in in to dog mushing he only had maybe six or eight dogs . Did a couple races. He loved it but after two kids it was hard to keep traveling and start a family . So he found homes for the dogs and settled down. Till they had my sister the last one and I was nine and we moved to the farm. That same winter my dad came home with 4 dogs and I was intrigued right from the beginning . This is a start of alot of memories . And what made me who I am today.

As a young kid I was in to alot of sports . Specially hockey. But dog mushing and hockey are two very expensive sports , this is where my parents made me choose . And I think this decision is where my life was shaped to where I am today 12 years later . Do I ever wonder if I had decided differently where my life would be ? yes, but I also believe we think "what if" whenever we make any kind choice in our lives . I'm not mad about my choice because I wouldn't be who I am today other wise.

Being a young musher and wanting to compete in races . I believe I grew up a bit faster . I wasn't at all in to anything the other kids were in to. Never fully fit in . So I just focused on dog mushing . Learned alot of skills along the way, It wasn't always a smooth ride either. Actually growing up with dog mushing it pretty much was never a smooth ride . Every year I asked myself why I'm still doing this . And something always pulled me back. Maybe it was the views and quietness that you get to experience. If you were to ever talk to another musher I guaranteed you they will tell you the same thing.

Dog Chores / Discipline

Chores man oh man there was so many chores . To feeding twice a day , watering , cleaning poop twice a day , giving straw, giving them loving , traning them. This is where I was taugh discipline.

Here is the thing, dogs are alot of work specially when you climb from having 4 dogs to 30 in a couple years . Sometimes more when we had puppies . They are truly more work than children. They trust in you to give them everything they need. You could say we are their slaves . But occasionally they make up for that. But in dog mushing world . You need your dogs to trust you as much as they need to trust you to trust them . Because it's only you and the dogs out there most of the time . That's where discipline is the most important thing . So when you are out there in the cold winter air that you can keep going to take care of your dogs and yourself . The biggest discipline out there is that your dogs get cared before you or you are going no where. I was not taught this but it was learn't by mistakes and experience at a very young age. slaves . But occasionally they make up for that. But in dog mushing world . You need your dogs to trust you as much as they need to trust you to trust them . Because it's only you and the dogs out there most of the time . That's where discipline is the most important thing . So when you are out there in the cold winter air that you can keep going to take care of your dogs and yourself . The biggest discipline out there is that your dogs get cared before you or you are going no where. I was not taught this but it was learn't by mistakes and experience at a very young age.

Learning Discipline in the yard close at home is the best way to start before you head out in to the wilderness by yourself in training or in a race .

Training / determination

Depending on what kind of race you are training for you are out there everyday from 1 hour to 6 hours a day or longer . And half the time in horrible weather. You and the dogs are bundled up and you are still not warm . What keeps you going ? The dogs how much they are love it . Sometimes the speed , views , memories , or sometimes I have no idea.

Training the dogs comes alot of determination. It is every day , all day. There are rest days but those days you're catching up on other things like food for the dogs, equipment fixing , etc. There is almost never any rest . Dog mushing always brings something out it in us to keep us all going. I couldn't even try to explain it though. I'm 24 now but when I was younger determination was hard to grasp. But once I ran my first race at the age 12 in 6 mile sprint race . That's where I started to grasp it . To always hold on not always so easy.

Part Two to come :)