Sulkying by Niki2

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Sulkying

POSTED BY: NIKI2
UPDATED: Sunday, May 1, 2011 17:07
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Sunday, May 1, 2011 11:11 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

I have two huskies. These are my babies: Tashi, male, just over 2 yrs (the dark one), and Kochak, female, not quite a year and a half (the light one).

They are best buds; Tashi is very staid and regal (which fits with his coloring--he really IS that handsome!) and Kochak is hell on wheels...we call her the Pocket Rocket. And she IS, trust me!

They're a kick in the head, keep us in stitches, and I'll never have any other kind of dog again...despite all the <> "unique" aspects of huskies! They rule the house--well, not completely, but it's hard to say no, and my husband is TOTALLY puppy-whipped by Kochak. That's his bed they're on. He lets her get away with murder.

Soon after I got Tashi, I decided to try my hand at sulkying. That's something for people who don't live in snow country who have working dogs like huskies. Just like sulkies for horses--trotters--only smaller. It goes along with things like "carting" and "bike jorning", the latter is where people have dogs attached to their bike--something I would never have the guts to try, given my age and health! But sulkying is really cool and safe in comparison; the guy who builds them spent 35 years building horse sulkies, so he really knows his stuff.

They took to it like ducks to water, so now we're going out in the mornings when it's cool (already warming up out here in CA), and I'm loving it. There are numerous multi-use pathways around us here, and it's great to get out in the morning when there aren't a lot of people around and it's beautiful. The timing was perfect--I got the sulky because I've had knee surgery and then a persistent achilles tendonitis which, after two years, I gave up trying to fix and now I just live with. I used to hike a LOT, with every dog we've had, so unless I have another way, two young huskies would be a real challenge to exercise!

The sulky works perfectly, however, and just a couple of weeks ago I developed a really painful bone spur in my OTHER leg, so the timing couldn't be better.

This is us at Taylor, a state park just outside town. I can tske them there later in the morning because it's mostly in the redwoods and by a creek, so cooler than other places. Usually they trot, with the occasional gallop, but they amazed me at Taylor by taking off at full gallop and keeping it up for half of our drive!

Full stop--we have along Choey, my friend who lives with us, and her dog Kiowa, a bloodhound/lab cross. As soon as I stop Kiowa is always right there, looking for treats, which I keep in the front pouch of my belt.

We discovered Choey (who took these pix) likes driving the sulky too, so I got out to turn over the reins when she took this pic. It's great; it means we can go out together...I let her take the sulky on while I hobble with my cane, then she turns around and brings it back and I drive while she walks. Makes for GREAT worn-out huskies!

This is one of our earlier rides, up on Crown Road, a fire road that runs along the ridge of our mountain for miles. I didn't have the sulky set up right so I was all but swallowing my knees, and it ended up being too hot, the dogs wouldn't even TROT half way back! But it was fun anyway.

Life is tough, ain't it? 'Bye...

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Sunday, May 1, 2011 5:07 PM

DREAMTROVE

That's pretty cool.

That's what a ship is, you know - it's not just a keel and a hull and a deck and sails, that's what a ship needs.

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