Old Sled dogs never quit–they just keep pulling for you
I have heard some people say that huskies were born to pull. I don’t know whether that is true for all huskies, but the ones I have known that were trained to the harness certainly bear that out.
We have some friends who skijor, and one summer we took care of their oldest dog, a gentle husky named Panda. Panda was about 12 or 13 years old–with grizzled muzzle, arthritic hips, and failing hearing and eyesight. She wobbled when she walked, looked tired most of the time and spent a lot of time just resting.
Once or twice a day we took her for a walk, and the moment we snapped the lead on to her harness her demeanor changed. A gleam would come to her tired old eyes and she started to pull. She always started a bit hesitantly, but the farther we walked the stronger she pulled. Soon those husky endorphins would kick in and Panda was loping along like a dog half her age. She was usually pooped when the walk was over, but you could tell that she was happy.
Panda is gone now but I still remember her fondly. She was a gallant old lady.
