Happy The Sled Dog Goes To School

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

School kids and sled dogs - what a combination!

Happy the Sled Dog and Aliy visited Badger Elementary School in North Pole, Alaska one morning this spring. We told stories about the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest and talked about overcoming hardships in order to reach your goals. Of course, we also talked about caring for dogs and how to stay warm in the winter.

Happy and Aliy hope that they are invited to visit many more schools in the future!

Alaska Winter Wrap-Up

I had a fantastic -- amazing! -- time in Alaska. Living through the cold, dark and sometimes brutal winter conditions, bonding with a large pack of truly extraordinary sled dogs and working with exceptional people were all very powerful and highly rewarding experiences for me. From the moment I arrived until the end of the racing season, it was non-stop, fast-paced and intense. I loved it.

When we returned to the Kennel from our Post-Iditarod mushing adventure in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, I was astonished at the transformation. What had been a vast landscape of white, hard-packed snow only a few days before had suddenly become an expanse of boggy ground and muddy roads. The dogs were quite happy to be laying out in the sun on top of their houses, but for us humans it was a struggle to just walk around and downright treacherous to drive. Nature had once again given me a very clear signal: My "winter expedition" was over and it was time to move on.

I spent a few days wrapping up odds and ends, packing up my gear, closing up my cozy cabin and saying goodbye to all my human friends in Two Rivers. I had intended to go through the dog yard and give each of my canine friends a farewell hug, but by the time I had visited with Teddy, ChaCha, Stella and Happy... Well, I was a mess and could barely manage a wave at the rest of them before getting in my car and driving to the airport. If you've every had trouble saying good-bye to a dog, try to imagine parting with sixty of them. Ugh.

I flew straight to Seattle and hit the ground running with all of the stuff I usually do when I check in here: Catch up with old friends, catch up with myself and take care of all the personal business that's been pretty much ignored for months. It still amazes me that no matter how small and simple I make my life, there's still a lot that needs to be managed!

I've also started spending some time thinking about what might be next for me. Although I've come up with a few intriguing ideas, there's nothing that's clear enough for me to "put out there" yet. I've got a lot more thinking to do...

So, what is it I always say? Stay tuned!

ANWR 2009 -- Part 5: On The Run

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Here is last part of the video series on our recent Natural Extremes mushing adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

ANWR 2009 -- Part 4: Life With Dogs

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Here is Part 4 of the video series on our recent Natural Extremes mushing adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

ANWR 2009 -- Part 3: Panorama

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Here is Part 3 of the video series on our recent Natural Extremes mushing adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

ANWR 2009 -- Part 2: Mushing

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Here is Part 2 of the video series on our recent Natural Extremes mushing adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR):

ANWR 2009 -- Part 1: Base Camp

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

Everyone -- human and canine -- is back at the Kennel after some spectacular Natural Extremes mushing adventures in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). Here is the first in a 5-part series of videos:

Happy's New Neckwear

Hi, I'm Happy! I'm always Happy... That's why they call me Happy!

As you can see in the photo below, I've got some new neckwear! It's not fancy or anything, but there's a pretty good story that goes with it:

It seems like no sooner did we get back to SP Kennel after the Iditarod than we were getting back into the truck and heading up to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on the famous North Slope of the Brooks Range. It was a long drive, but totally worth it because it is so beautiful up there!

My pack mates and I spent a couple of days putting in trails, which means we mushed through deep, new snow to create trails for Aliy and Allen to use when their guests arrive. It was hard work, but I really liked it because it's so out there in the wilderness where dogs like me belong!

Well, the next thing I know, all the humans are looking at my neck and making a big fuss. It turns out that I have a little booboo on my neck where some of my fur is worn off and my skin is exposed and raw. The humans think it's because I pulled so hard while I ran the Iditarod and put in the trails-- which I did! -- that my harness chafed me. I think it's because I've been doing so many Happy Dances!

Anyway, I didn't even notice it because -- well, you know -- I don't really feel things like that. But, because I'm now such a great sled dog the humans didn't want to take any chances of me getting hurt. So, the boss -- that's what we call Aliy -- gave me the neckwear right off her neck and put it under my collar to protect my booboo. The boss is always nice, you know, but she's really nice to me now that I'm an Iditarod dog!

The bummer is that they sent me home! So, now I'm back at the Kennel with the other dogs who didn't go to the North Slope. They've been asking me all about what it was like, and about the Iditarod too! The weather is getting sunny and warm, so I'm spending my idle time hanging out on my dog house. Hopefully I'll have some time to work on my website store, so I can make some money and buy myself some really fancy neckwear!

Please don't worry about me. My booboo is really nothing and I'm totally fine!

Love, Happy

Happy's Last Night In Nome

Hi, I'm Happy! I'm always Happy... That's why they call me Happy!

I am happy to share this picture with you because it shows Bridgett hugging me at the finish line here in Nome.

Bridgett is soooooo nice to all the dogs and she has always been nice to me, but now she is really nice to me. What a difference there is in my life now that I'm an Iditarod dog!

Do you think this picture makes my nose look weird? It's true I have kind of a hound dog nose, but does it really look like that? And what's up with that big bulge on the top of my head? It must be something wrong with the picture, because I do not have a bulging head. Do I? Wow, looking at yourself can really make you crazy.

I think maybe looking at yourself should not be on the "Happy Do List." This picture doesn't make me very happy after all. Do my cheeks look fat? Oh, stop the madness!

Anyway, if you look at the picture really carefully, you can see two special things: One is the piece of reflective tape that Allen put on my collar ring so that drunk snow machine drivers would see me at night and not hit me. Was that nice of him, or what? The other is my very first piece of jewelry! That's right, the little red tag you see on my collar ring is my Iditarod identification tag. It has my team number on it and also a letter for my place on the team. All the dogs got them, but this is my first so it is really special. I've never dreamed I would ever have jewelry. Can you believe it? Me, a poor village dog with jewelry!

Everything is happening so fast that I'm a little topsy-turvy! I'll be flying out tomorrow and won't get back to the Kennel until late on Wednesday, so it will probably be later in the week when I write to you again. I can't wait to get back and see all my other Kennel mates. A lot of them don't have any jewelry... They'll be so jealous!

Talk to you soon!

Love, Happy

Remarkable Recovery -- Ready To Happy Dance!

Note: This is an excerpt from my contributions to the SP Kennel Dog Log

It seemed to me that after running more than a thousand miles over the course of 11 or 12 days, the dogs would take a few days of "down time" to recover their energy. So, when I went over to visit them this morning I was very quiet about peeking around Bridgett's house to see how they were resting. To my utter amazement, all of the dogs were not only up on their feet but pulling at their chains to go running again!

Sled dogs have a truly remarkable recovery rate, and it really give credence to what Dr. Mike Davis says about them having a fatigue resistant physiology. Seriously, all of the dogs look fantastic, and some of them look even better than they did at the Kennel before the Iditarod!

One dog in particular is as full of energy as ever, and the second she saw me she started going nuts. So, both as evidence of the dogs' remarkable recovery rate and because she just cracks me up, I offer you this little video of Happy making it very clear she is ready to do the Happy Dance!