Phoebe's debut as a long-distance dog...!

Voff!? This weekend we went to Johanne's cabin to run our new sled..... Johanne was very kind in giving us a "helping hand", lending us dogs to match Phoebe with and give her a real initiation into the art of running....! We did a quick run on Friday when we arrived, giving Phoebe and some of Johanne's dogs a short stretch of the legs... On Saturday, I ran a string of 4 dogs, Racer (from Hans Christian) and Kobuq (Johanne's) up front, with Phoebe and Spock forming the wheel-dig pair. It was a great feeling running the new sled, and observing how Phoebe ran. She was mostly very concentrated and seemed to be enjoying herself very much! Priscila is perhaps the up-and-coming (only one?!) Brasilian dog musher!? She ran another set of 4 dogs with Johanne's sprint sled - expertly controlling the situation even when the sled tipped over!!! Johanne had another 4 dogs and her friend Egil had a string of 7 Alaska huskies.... Boy were we glad he took the job of leading all the teams in the beginning...! There was a LOT of snow, so his team broke trail for all of us :-) Thanks Egil! The total distance run was around 27 kms with a break midway - pretty good going for Phoebe the novice long-distance dog!!! On Staturday evening we joined the local dog musher neighours for a dinner party - what a party! Good food, good drink and good fun for all :-)

Phoebe really enjoyed her initiation to distance running - her tug-line was mostly tight and despite being tired at the end, she kept running...and pulling - gooooood girl!
She also seemed to fit in very well with Johanne's dogs, all of which behaved themselved very well around her! Perhaps she is eyeing them up as potential mates for the future?! Needless to say, her "boyfriend" Bardus was happy to see her :-) Woof, woof!

See a couple of videos from the weekend here:
http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/71/Siberian_husky_dogsledding
http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/72/Dogs_talking...
http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/73/8-dog_Siberian_husky_team_setting_off...

Not to forget "chubby boy" Nexus! He had the treatment befitting a King during the weekend, when my mother looked after him! I believe he has charmed his way into her heart......miiiiiiijau!?

Snow, snow, snow!

Last weekend we went to Trysil to do some alpine skiing for the first time this winter - Priscila, Paula, Rodrigo and Patricia - we all enjoyed playing in the white stuff!
We bought a cheap "akrebrett" (toboggan?) that the kids use to slide down the hills... Phoebe was hooked up in front and.....she pulled!! See the video from this week that I took at home - by the shaking of the camera, you should realise that I was running to keep up!
http://andersf.multiply.com/video/item/69

Priscila really enjoyed it - it has given us a preview taste the dogsledding.... We are going to Johanne's cabin this weekend, bringing the new sled and borrowing a set of dogs :-)

Holiday, party and growing up!

Priscila and I went to Brasil over the Xmas and New Year holidays - the first time since she moved 1.5 yrs ago! It was very good to see family again, but since most people were travelling, we didn't see as many friends as we wanted.... My parents came over, and we - Priscila, her mum Zo, my mum and dad and me, all went to a beautiful island "Ilha Grande"...

The word on the beach is that a new World Champion surfer was born......NOT! Great fun at least!

The main event of our trip was the delayed celebration of our wedding - a great party was had by all - a modest (by Brazilian standards) 150 guests! See the pictures on Priscila's website here: http://prikoh.multiply.com/photos/album/95
http://prikoh.multiply.com/photos/album/96

As for the animals.... They had a nice stay in a "dog and cat hotel" - Nexus emerging as a larger cat after 3 weeks of what must have been a food orgy! :-) And little Phoebe......is not so "little" anymore! She had her first menstrual cycle - as I write this, she is in the last week of the cycle... At least it seems most of her "PMS" attidue has relaxed a bit....nothing destroyed here in the apartment of note the last few days....heheh! She is now 8 months old - weighs 16 kg.

We are looking forward to the return of winter, and will hopefully have a debut with the new sled in the weekend in little more than one week..... We shall see......!

MjauVoff!