Walker's latest show win photo arrived and here it is. It's hard for me to believe that he will be 8 years old at the end of September! He and I are going to hit a few shows here and there this summer and fall while I wait for the puppies to grow up and get their acts together. I've been walking Zach with Breaker, who is such a smooth easy mover, so Zach is learning some good lessons from his big brother. I'm doing something similar with Desi and Mira. It's working well too! Both Breaker and Mira seem to be enjoying their new roles.
Last weekend was one of those rare stay-at-home weekends for me. I did the usual chores: grocery shopping, laundry, dog grooming, etc. but I also found time to read. One book I read was one I did not want to put down. Since dogs, albeit not Lhasas, are at its heart I can write about it in this blog! Here is the story of how I came to read that book:
In February and March, while reading comments on The Mudflats blog, I became interested in this year's Iditarod. You can find out more about it at http://www.iditarod.com. Basically it is an annual dog sled race over 1150 miles of rugged Alaskan terrain. It pits people and dogs against terrain and weather. That is definitely NOT something I'd ever want to do, but I certainly admire those with the courage to do it.
At any rate, I started reading about the race, its history, and various mushers involved in it this year. That was when I first read about Lance Mackey, a musher who'd won the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Iditarods and was going for a history-making four years in a row. Wow! Best of all, he actually did it; he won the 2010 race.
Most of us are familiar with another Lance — Lance Armstrong, who refused to allow his cancer to stop him from meeting his athletic goals. In Lance Mackey, I found a new hero. This Lance is also a cancer survivor, whose surgery left him with no salivary glands and extreme discomfort in his hands and feet. If you are into reading about come-from-behind people with the gumption to overcome obstacles and set and achieve goals in their lives, then I highly recommend that you ask your local library for The Lance Mackey Story: How My Obsession with Dog Mushing Saved My Life. ISBN 978-0-615-34423-2. Published by Zorro Books, the book takes readers from Lance's early years through his 2009 Iditarod win. Once you finish it, you'll definitely wish you could read on and learn the story of his 2010 race, when Lance finished in first place with a time of just under 9 days. I was especially impressed with the bonds he forges with his dogs.
Back to what is happening here:
• Secret is no more pregnant than I am. There will be no puppies whelped next week. Our hope now lies with Dancer.
• Our next shows are in Iowa City on the 26th and 27th of this month. The entry is small and I'm hoping the young ones behave themselves. For them, it will be a training weekend. Walker is entered on Saturday only, and he'll enjoy being in the ring with me again. Speaking of Walker, if you want to see him in action at a show, doing his "down and back," go to http://s461.photobucket.com/albums/qq337/rpowell7905/?action=view¤t=DSCN2567.flv
Life is good when you have a Lhasa to love you.
Joyce
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