On the evening of October 30th, Rose, one of our special retired sled dogs, fell suddenly very ill and collasped. She was rushed to emergency veterinary services but sadly, could not be saved. In the early morning hours of Oct 31st, I found the courage to help her slip away while kissing her sweet face and showering her with words of love and praise for her remarkable legacy. Rose was 13 years old.

Rose's career with our kennel spanned 10 years, beginning with her rescue from the county shelter at age 3. For over eight years she ran as both team dog and trail leader on countless miles of trails. She ran too many races to mention here but was an outstanding and enthusiastic performer in each and every one.

Rose was often referred to as the team cheerleader due to her enthusiastic vocal performances at the start of every run. She had a special talent for getting all the other huskies revved up. Rose was the constant companion of my wife, Judy, and her very best friend.

Until the last day of her life, Rose was active and enjoyed good health. Her sudden collaspe and loss has been a terrible shock. Her kennel mates, particulary her best canine buddy, Sol-leks, are greatly missing her. If you could have ever seen Rose run in harness, you would agree that she was all heart. She LIVED to run.

I had hoped to complete the final two chapters of my book, A LONG WAY TO NOME this weekend but find myself struggling with my emotions and grieving for the unexpected loss of a Best Friend. In the meantime, I am making the best effort to move the book to completion. Thanks to all who offered condolences at this time.

With the first two "dryland" sled dog races now behind us for Fall 2009, I will be taking the Halloween weekend off to make a "big push" to complete the last two chapters of my forthcoming book, "A Long Way to Nome". It wil be good to have two solid days (and nights) away from work and the trail to concentrate on writing!

While I'm going to miss being on the trail with all my huskies this weekend, we will return to training to prepare for our upcoming snow races (Jan & Feb 2010) next weekend.

In the meantime, here is a favorite photo taken with my two lead dogs, Chewbacca and Grits, at the start of the 2009 Pacific NW Dryland Championship Sled Dog Race on Oct. 25, 2009. Chewbacca and Grits were my primary lead dogs during our expedition across Alaska last winter!

Race Results - "Pacific Northwest Dryland Championship Sled Dog Race" - completed Oct 25, 2009. This was our 2nd "dryland" race of the 2009 - 2010 season.

We finished 5th in the 12 Dog Mid-Distance Class - running a total of 18 miles in 2 hrs 2 min 7 sec.

All the dogs were still at a lope when crossing the finish line. Not bad for mostly 9 to 11 year olds - all of whom were with me on the Serum Run Expedition in Alaska last winter!

Book Update - I have completed the first 13 chapters of "A LONG WAY TO NOME" and have only 2 chapters to complete prior to publication. I am getting a lot of requests for the book and I am very anxious to make it available to readers just as soon as possible. Looking for this November.