Working your dog

[raindog]

Lyn's post made me think about how having huskies (or other northern breeds) changes our lives - slightly off-topic, but there does seem to be a fairly consistent career path followed by those who become addicted to Siberian Huskies (or other northern breeds).

Stage One - normality (or whatever passes for it!)

Stage Two - purchase of cute husky puppy

Stage Three - conversion of house/garden into puppy-proof bunker.

Stage Four - consideration of acquiring second pup (to keep first pup company)

Stage Five - exposure to and infection by the showing/working bug (worst case scenario - both infections concurrently)

Stage Six - Gradual acquisition of more dogs (justified by the fact that you "need" them for your team, or you need better dogs to show)

Stage Seven - you suddenly realise that none of the friends you had before Stage Two ever visit any more and that all your current friends have multiple dogs.

Stage Eight - You exchange your posh car for a caged-out Transit Van so you have more room for the dogs (and the rig etc etc)

Stage Nine - You exchange your big house with tiny garden for a smaller house with a huge garden.

Stage Ten - you notice that an increasingly large proportion of your income goes on the dogs. You start to shop for your own clothes in Charity Shops.

Stage Eleven - If employment and finances allow, you move from your pleasant urban/suburban semi to a broken down cottage in the middle of Scotland (or if you don't yet want to go the whole hog - yet, somewhere in rural Norfolk).

Stage Twelve - As you are driving your mud-spattered Transit out of a forest at 7am in the morning after running several teams of your dogs in harness for 5 or 6 miles in the mud and ice, you glance over at the well-dressed drivers in their top of the range Audis on their way to well-paying office jobs and without a trace of irony, ask yourself, "How can anyone live like that?"

Mick ;)

[Mistyrayn]

LMFAO @ Mick..... only stage eleven left for me then !!!!

[siberian_wolf]

Im at stage 5 at the minute, and halfway to stage 6 as I would like another sibe

Very good mick - added to rep

How true that is. Im sure it wont be long until im at stage 12

[scott]

stage four is almost on me door steps then progress onto the next level lol

[MyMukki]

Just did step eleven last year...... mud splatters in weekends....

[Sarah]

great reply Lyn added to rep - and Mick, added to rep as well.

I need to work on stage 6 but have done stage 7, stage 8, ok didnt buy a van but bought a bigger car to accomodate 2 dogs lol

[Lyn]

Great post Mick....and

I am (though feel proud to be) at STAGE 12!

Skipped stage 9 by virtue of meeting the garden criteria already, with the added bonus of a decent house attatched. Not yet done stage 11, but its certainly up there for consideration. Maybe not rural Scotland though, more likely to be rural Alaska!.

Strange though, when Im passing those 'business' types in their flash cars on my way home in my mud-splattered van, do I feel 'robbed'?.......Not one little bit! I wouldn't trade places for a gold pig!