Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Fall training is over but here is one of the glory days


It gets a little better every year

It gets a little better every year until one year when gets a lot better(which we are still looking forward to). When someone is spread as thin as us, they just can't make the great leaps and bounds toward success that an average person might think. Before I go any further please let me prepare anyones direction of thought(if I haven't lost you yet). Please don't feel any form of pity or feel like I am trying to get you to send me money. Keep in mind that I love the life that I have chosen. I just would appreciate it if anyone who is reading this might just take the lessons that I have learned and apply them to there life. Or I would appreciate any advice that any one has to offer.
I don't have any trust funds. No college education. No health insurance. Pay land taxes and have two business licenses in the state of Alaska. Haven't worked for a musher that races dogs(learning from the 'school of hard knocks'). Before becoming self employed most jobs were for sociopaths, who would hunt me down and take advantage(because I am an honest hard working, kind of desparate guy). Don't sell drugs or anything illegal. I work, at a fair rate, to pay bills that I have run up while pursuing a sled dog racing career for the last 10 years. It's hand to mouth, paycheck to paycheck. We don't live with running water or indoor plumbing. Still haven't finished paying off the vet bills that have exeeded $6000. I can no longer afford to buy a ton of dog food for cash, must use a credit card. I'm am proud to say that my dogs are happy, healthy and well fed. The credit card rates have doubled. Don't have a dog handler or anyone working for me. I have to supplement with other meats like, horse, beef tripe and suet, freezer meat clean outs. I process these various meats for hours after I have done the dog chores, cut firewood, housecleaning(we all know what that is), worked a 6-8 hour day(usually cleaning windows or construction), and this time of the year trained the dogs.
Our house burned down last year, my one ton Ford dog truck, the engine blew up, the 4 wheeler that I just paid off is broken down with a bad carburetor(that I don't have any money to replace). You might think that this would be depressing to someone, but with dogs on earth, it's possible to keep on going. There is enough snow to run a 10 dog team with a sled and I've got a better team than ever. We are a unit that agrees to work together, we trust each other, we are versatile. They know that I will take care of them. They trust me to help them heal when there injured. We know when to go fast and when to go slow. We all know what we think together. This is a real dog team. I look forward to seeing what they do this season.