Doggie stoke

[booner]

This fucking guy...

#Shitface

[riser4]

This fucking guy...

#Shitface

My hero.

[riser4]

Yeah, they found a pretty clean deer carcass in the woods close by.

You can either let humans harvest and eat the deer or you can let other predators eat the deer. There is no third option. Them's good eatin' in the neighborhood.

[Angle Parking]

Pretty sure Spider is a Malamute from a working dog line. In other words the last thing he needs is a jacket and booties.

Spider is an Alaskan Husky. Alaskan huskies are not really a breed but more of a category of dogs that pull sleds. He is a sled dog basically. Depending on the breeder or musher, they’ll mix in whatever type of dog they feel will give them the best results. Alaskan huskies usually have some amount of husky or malamute in there as well. But essentially if a dog was bred to pull sleds and some element of its parentage pulled sleds, then it’s considered an Alaskan Husky.

I spent 2 winters running sled dogs in my twenties in Salmo B.C. and Didsbury, Alberta, and I can say that sled dogs are not at all the blue-eyed huskies that everyone imagines. The truth is that Siberian Huskies (although tough as nails…. good coats, good paws, determined as f*ck) are really slow. Races have special categories for Pure Bred Siberians as they simply can’t compete with modern Alaskan Husky Sled Dogs. The modern sled dog is a mish mash of all sorts of breeds. The first musher I worked for really liked the hard headedness of Dalmations so he would breed a bit of that onto his dogs.

I picked Spider up at the local animal shelter here in the Bulkley Valley (Northern B.C.). His pregnant mom had been surrendered from an aboriginal / hippy / redneck community near Hazelton B.C. (KItwanga). The individual who runs the shelter told me that mom was going back to the dude once the puppies were weened and adopted. My read on the situation was that the owner of Spiders mom was a decent person, who didn’t completely have their sh*t together, and was smart enough the ask for help, hence the surrender and return thing.
Spider’s brother and sister live in Bulkley valley as well and in talking to his brother’s owner, I found out that his brother is part Husky, German Sheppard, Rhodesian Ridgeback and Mastiff. They did one of those genetic tests and as I understand the situation, it does not necessarily mean that Spider is those things but there is a good chance. And he certainly looks like he has those things in his mix.
A point of controversy in sled dog racing is that Alaskan Sled Dogs have been so profoundly bred for speed and endurance that they can’t handle the cold anymore. Thick coats and bomb proof pads, the hallmarks of Siberian Huskies, are not really priorities. That’s why you see Alaskan Huskies running the Iditarod and Yukon Quest, as well as hundreds of sprint and mid distance races, who have to wear coats because they can’t handle the cold.

So liv2ski is right in his observation that Spider’s coat is thin. He is only 4 years old so he can simply keep moving to stay warm but it will be difficult for him when he gets older. On the day the picture of Spider freezing was taken, our objective was a traverse / ridge walk connecting two drainages (Evelyn and Toboggan). We were nearing the crux of the trip when an Arctic Outflow moved in and it got windy and nasty and cold in a hurry. The rime ice building up on my dog was a sign we should turn around (or maybe not have brought the dog in the first place).

I’ve never tried a coat on Spider and but I have tried booties and TheSilverSurfer is right on this one. Let’s just say it did not really work out. And after a herculean struggle involving hand to hand combat with my dog, I shelved that idea.

I bring my dog on most of my adventures so please know that my guy is happy and well taken care of. He is tough as nails and a great bear dog (stands his ground and doesn’t chase things like a moron), he is great with my kids and the Outdoor Ed. Kids I teach as well. Doesn’t get in the way of people skiing, lays still in my canoe etc. etc. etc.

Sorry for the long post.

[Angle Parking]

Pics to go along with my longwindedness;

Spider's mom. Spider is the one nearest the blue bin.



Spider as a puppy



Spider canoeing



Spider looking at the camera

[Ted Striker]

Don't be sorry, that was interesting for sure.

[riser4]

Being still in the canoe is awesome. What a good boy!

[liv2ski]

AP, my comment was just an observation, but thanks for the explanation. My 2 kooks have some solid fur coats on, but if they looked unhappy due to cold, I would still take them in (which you did). Spider living a great puppy life thanks to you.

[Ted Striker]

You can either let humans harvest and eat the deer or you can let other predators eat the deer. There is no third option. Them's good eatin' in the neighborhood.

I have no problem with eating them

You can't shoot them with a gun around here due to the no lead in the watershed regs (although occasionally people still do) and people grow stuff in their yards that attracts them, hence the numbers. Within city limits their top predator is cars.

But out on the edges, where all of the new real estate development is (often purchased by out of towners who've never seen a wild animal up close) the problem is people feeding them. I've lost count of how many times I've seen suburban moms with their kids hand feeding and petting deer. Then those same idiots lose their shit when their natural predators show up. You're feeding their food, morons

[Mustonen]

Don’t be sorry for the long post if you’ve got shit to say. I learned something. I feel like you have some mushing stories that we’d all be happy to read.

My husky mix does not like swimming, though he can be coaxed in on a particularly hot day. He does like being a boat dog, though, and has spent plenty of time on a canoe or paddle board. He’s happy to just be close to me, stays still, and DNGAF about the water or any of the other shit going on outside of the boat.

[TheSilverSurfer]

Spider is an Alaskan Husky. Alaskan huskies are not really a breed but more of a category of dogs that pull sleds. He is a sled dog basically. Depending on the breeder or musher, they’ll mix in whatever type of dog they feel will give them the best results. Alaskan huskies usually have some amount of husky or malamute in there as well.

Cool read. Supposedly my guy (Patience) is mostly malamute and German Shepherd. I've been meaning to get a DNA test done.

[riser4]

I have no problem with eating them

You can't shoot them with a gun around here due to the no lead in the watershed regs (although occasionally people still do) and people grow stuff in their yards that attracts them, hence the numbers. Within city limits their top predator is cars.

But out on the edges, where all of the new real estate development is (often purchased by out of towners who've never seen a wild animal up close) the problem is people feeding them. I've lost count of how many times I've seen suburban moms with their kids hand feeding and petting deer. Then those same idiots lose their shit when their natural predators show up. You're feeding their food, morons

Use a crossbow. Or a maul.

[riser4]

What a good dog! https://www.wcax.com/2022/01/04/dog-...injured-owner/

[Marshall Tucker]

Yeah, I suppose we're gonna see some kind of big cat here before too long. Fuckin deer are out of control. Seeing 2-3 a day on average.

[babybear]

good book I read a few years ago on the subject of mountain lions and people

https://www.amazon.com/Beast-Garden-...6349/ref=nodl_

[riser4]

What a good dog! https://www.wcax.com/2022/01/04/dog-...injured-owner/

Sadly, there's more. The driver was drunk and his passenger's dog died in the crash. https://www.wcax.com/2022/01/05/dog-...-killed-crash/

[TheSilverSurfer]

[Angle Parking]

Love the action shots. Great pic. ^^^^^

[Ted Striker]

Yeah, that one's good. Very wolfy.

[liv2ski]

That squirrel is toast

[stapes]

10 minutes or so later….



Let it snow!

[riser4]

YETI!!!

[irul&ublo]

And I bet he’s fucking happy as hell

[Timberridge]

Just remember to get him in the Spring.

[seano732]

Finn wondering why I’m still in bed at noon today…..


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