February 15, 2006

If you’re “doggy,” this is the place…














February 15, 2006

This afternoon, Ivory and Nicky and I drove about fifteen miles out of town to “Muktuk Kennels,” a.k.a. “a place for people who love dogs.” As a long time dog lover, it was like coming home. Of course it didn’t bear any physical resemblance to anyplace I’ve ever lived but from the moment I stepped out of the car I just felt as comfortable and relaxed and happy and peaceful as I’ve ever felt in my life. They have a hundred fifteen dogs on the place, more or less, and I guess something like seventy or eighty of them were around when I got there. Probably a dozen or so run loose and the others are tied out on stakes. Ivory and Nicky and I were there for around two or three hours and of the eighty or so dogs that were there, I probably visited personally with fifty or sixty of them. And every dog – every single dog – that I visited with was, without fail, enthusiastic, happy, outgoing, friendly, healthy and exuberant. I’ve absolutely never seen anything like it. From the perspective of around fifteen years of hanging around with people and dogs I can tell you in no uncertain terms that the only way to get dogs with those qualities is to treat them that way. If you’re enthusiastic, happy, outgoing, friendly, healthy and exuberant around your dogs, that’s the way they become. The people who are working with these dogs are clearly doing an excellent, excellent job. I just could not have been any more impressed. Of course these guys (and girls) are bred to pull, not to hang around in hospitals but I’m completely certain I could have taken any dog out of that place and kept it for a week or so and it would be a perfect therapy dog. Because with that eagerness to be alive and to spend time around people invariably comes an eagerness to learn and an eagerness to please that, in my mind, are the only two basic qualities it takes to make an outstanding therapy dog.

I took almost fifty pictures there today; it was difficult to cull them down to just three to put up on this site. The one with the dog standing on the box with the house in the background was the first sight that met me when I arrived there today. That was before I’d even touched a single dog but you could just feel the joy from all of them; it was palpable. If you have to ask me what I mean by that, then I can’t explain it to you. But if you hang around dogs, or if you’ve ever felt joy without really being able to explain why, then you’ll understand perfectly.

There’s another one of a dog lying on top of her box looking at me, with her forelegs hanging over. I just liked her gaze; she was very peaceful and looked especially thoughtful and considerate. I regret that I didn’t get her name; perhaps I’ll get it when I return tomorrow. You can see my car in the background, a little bit to her left. It’s slowly beginning to blend in with the color of the soil!

The last picture is of a recreational team just getting ready to take a sled out for a little spin. That’s a four dog team; Quest teams start out with fourteen dogs per sled. You get the impression that pulling a tree stump out of the ground wouldn’t be asking too much for one of those big teams.

I’ll tell you one thing – it’s absolutely unmistakable the way those dogs love to pull. When the guys are hooking up one team, every single other dog on that place wishes they were the ones getting to go – they’re very clear about that. It’s very, very energetic and very, very fun.

Anyway, more tomorrow. Have a great day,

Jay, Ivory and Nicky

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Wow, Jay, I've just read through
your last several days and think
your writing and photos are so good! I'm so impressed. It feels like I've been there myself. Keep up the good work, have fun and stay warm!