Tag: sled dawg

The Sundog of Our Soul

Remembering the sundog of our soul, one month after we parted ways on the trail with Wyatt Ray Dawg, Tripawd hero.

One month ago today we parted ways temporarily and our hearts broke into pieces. But Wyatt Ray was clearly ready for bigger things. He didn’t waste any time going to the one place where he always wanted to be, in Alaska during winter, racing with his buddies, the Odaroloc Sled Dogs.

A few days after Wyatt transitioned, our friend TC, aka Calpurnia’s mom, sent us this photo of a genuine Alaska sundog. We had never heard of this atmospheric phenomena but now we will never forget it.

Sundog Sled Dog
Wyatt Ray, our forever Sundog in the sky. Photo by TC Wait.

The Sundogs of Alaska

TC explained how she saw Wyatt on the trail.

So, I was out on my first Official sled run of the season now that the swamps have frozen over and we have snow (whole long story there, but for another time, with a bottle of wine). I came around this stand of trees and saw this scene and had to stop and take a photo. It doesn’t show the amazing ice fog that is rising off the swamp in the distance, but do you see it…. the bright sundog right over the team?? Sort of a shimmery rainbow out there saying “HEY GUYS!! COME CHASE ME AND SEE WHERE WE GO!!!” Do you see it?????

Many of the Native cultures here believe that sundogs are friendly spirits. One of our Inupiat musher friends once told me he believed sundogs to be spirits of the dogs from past teams. I gotta think that maybe Wyatt Ray, in all his bright, shimmery glory, did come to play with us after all!

Thinking of you, and remembering a great big goofy dork dog who challenged you and taught you what unconditional love truly is.

Through our many tears of grief, it makes us happy knowing that Wyatt can mush to his hearts content in the wintery days he loved most. Mush on sweet boy.

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The Spirit of Bucky and Me

Musher Dog Wyatt gets blessed with Spirit Bucky’s ashes on the Feast of Saint Francis Day.

Ashes to ashes . . . they say that’s all we are in the end. But we are so much more than that don’t  you think? Take my friend Spirit Bucky for example.

Bucky, photo by TC Wait

Bucky was a pack member of the Odaroloc Sled Dogs, who you might know because of Tripawd Hero Calpurnia. Bucky was the kind of dawg who showed the world that statistics don’t mean a thing. He beat the cancer odds with not just one but two kinds of cancer, including hemangiosarcma! He made it 48 months when he was only supposed to stick around for six! His momma TC wrote in her blog:

Bucky was the kind of dog that didn’t care that he wasn’t a “real” sled dog.  He didn’t care that his coat was thin, his legs a bit too long, or that his ears were apparently put on backwards.  He loved being a part of his team, and when they sang, he did his very best to howl along in a baying hound sort of way.

So, you know how when you see someone cool, someone who just has a certain sparkle about them, you think “Man, I want some of what they’ve got!” Well, I got some of what Bucky had. Really!

sled dog, musher, german shepherd
Travelin with the Odaroloc Dawgs

When I saw the Odaroloc team last month, TC came over to share some of Bucky’s spirit with me. She carries his ashes around when the team travels. Sometimes dogs are lucky enough to get a dash of bucky Magic. . .

“Nice to meet you Bucky!”

On October 4th, the Feast of Saint Francis, which my people say was really cool to do on that day, I got some Bucky Magic. TC came over and took a pinch of his ashes and rubbed them on my head.

“Oh I’m not supposed to eat it?”

We’re nothing but a pile of ashes in the end, but I gots to believe that some of our goodness is left with those ashes too. So, hey ain’t it cool I got a pile of Bucky goodness all over my fur that day?

“Thank you TC”

Thank you TC and Bucky, I feel pretty special.