Niko came in on three legs last January and I knew before I got to him which foot it was going to be. Right front. He always favors it when something’s wro
Browsing: Canine Safety, Gear & Welfare
Practical and investigative stories about trail safety, paw care, heat, gear, wildlife risk, dog access, and animal welfare outdoors.
Rook ate a harness clip last February. Not the webbing, just the clip, and I only found out because he was moving wrong through the gangline, favoring his
Wren went flat-eared and still before I heard anything. We were two miles out, the team moving well, the kind of cold that burns the back of your throat di
The dog’s front left pad had split clean down the center, and I didn’t catch it until we were back at the truck. Not dramatic. Kestrel barely favored it, w
The email came from a veterinarian in Fargo who’d been following my operation for a couple of years, and the subject line said thought you’d find this inte
Remy pulled her left front paw up at mile two, and I knew before I stopped what I’d find. The bootie had rolled. Not torn. Not lost. Rolled, bunched under
The first dog off the line that morning was Sable, and she hit the gangline so hard the whole team lurched before I’d hooked the second one. Minus fifteen.
The booties came out of a bag that cost more than my first sled. Neoprene, fleece-lined, with a reflective strip along the heel and a buckle closure I’d ne
The lip curl was so small I almost missed it. A father had his hand on Maple’s head, pressing down the way people do when they want a dog to hold still for
The dog sat down in the middle of the trail and wouldn’t get up. Not tired-wouldn’t, not stubborn-wouldn’t. Just done. She was a three-year-old Siberian, h
