My girls love the Disney Buddies movies.
You know the ones I mean: cheesy plots, actors who prefer acting directly to the camera, talking dogs.
Yes, that last part is the kicker, and they LOVE the movies with talking dogs.
Their favourite, for years, has been Snow Buddies where the five talking golden retriever pups join Shasta to win a dog sledding competition.
The girls had been waiting for this opportunity for a while.
I only told them that they would get to ride in a real dog sled with a full team of dogs two days before the event, because I didn't want the wait to seem too long for them.
I love this sign.
I am so impressed that this sign exists, really.
We arrived at the kennels, and the girls were very excited!
About a hundred dogs live here, and they all have sign posts with their names on them.
I love that touch.
The girls' first stop was to see the young dogs, who will probably start training next season.
They were oh-so-very puppy-like.
The girls talked to them and were very entertained.
It got louder in the yard as go-time approached. All the dogs wanted to go!
The girls got to watch as the musher organized the dogs, and prepared them with their harnesses.
The dogs lined up along the fence, and the girls oohed and aahed over their coats and different coloured collars.
We posed next to the sled for a quick family photo.
It was another cold but sunny day, so we were well-bundled.
(You can click on that link in case you missed the story about Eli's birthday and my parka.)
I'm wearing a long purple goose down coat that Eli just ordered me from Cabela's over a Canada Goose vest, which he also just got me.
Eli loves to catalogue shop.
I like to be warm. I have, like, four layers on. So do the girls.
After chasing a particularly large raven, Miss G came running over when she heard that it was time to get in the sled!
Miss A yelled, "Wait for me!"
Daddy got in first.
A visitor to the Northwest Territories (from Japan) joined us on the sled ride.
I sat up front with the girls, who sat side by side so they could both see.
It was very very bright, so it was hard to get a good picture.
You can see Eli video taping from behind.
Smile!!
We were given a big blanket for the girls just after this picture was taken.
The dogs were eager to go, and this video will give you a sense of just how eager they were!
The dogs in harnesses were barking and jumping, and the other dogs in the kennel were also barking along!
Miss G and Miss A really felt like they were in a dog sled race with all the anticipation!
Fourteen dogs in total.
Nanny and Papa watched us leave, and took pictures for us.
Nanny took this video of us leaving. Speed. I am Speed.
And, this video is from Eli's perspective in the sled, as we took off.
We headed down this path, and then took about a 25 minute trip around Grace Lake.
My mom and dad said that as soon as the sled was out of sight, the dogs in the kennel calmed down, and it was very very quiet.
The trip on the lake was breathtaking.
I think that I liked this ride more than the night trip.
While the other one was all about the Auroras, this trip was all about the dogs.
Eli took this video on the trip.
It will give you a sense of the speed and beauty of the adventure.
Sorry about the noisy wind... what can I say?
It was fast and it was windy.
The girls hid their faces in the blanket when the wind was at our front, but were eager to see all they could, too.
Just as we pulled back in, Miss A told me that she was cold.
The trip was the perfect length.
Long enough to feel like we really did it, and short enough that the girls were comfortable.
The girls were well-snuggled under the sleeping bag in the front.
Once we were out of the sled, we had a chance to meet the dog team.
They were happy for any attention, and raring to go again.
Look at these beautiful eyes!
They were snow covered, and happy.
All the dogs were so well-behaved and happy to have pats.
This team was hardly even warmed up when our trip was over.
To them, it was just a tease! They train for much longer and faster runs.
Right after us, another group of people were going for a run on the sled with the same team, though I think they changed the lead dogs.
The girls were very excited to see the "worker dogs."
I had to explain to them in advance that these dogs are not indoor pets, but that they love to run and race.
The dog looking at Miss G was wearing a purple collar, which Miss G admired.
But, they are still animals looking for some lovin'.
3 comments:
I wish you could have seen Asha's expression when I played the video of the dogs all excited!! Hahaha! She wants to be a sled dog too!
Looks like a great time! Love the new purple coat :)
Kel
I love the pictures of the puppies, and the girls are cute too of course!
Kathryn
Post a Comment