Gerry Willomitzer's
Blackjack Racing Kennel
Newsletter - November 19, 2004
Click on an image below for larger view
Hi everyone,
a lot of things happened in the last few weeks. Let me at least
touch on a few of them:
Freezing Rain usually happens few times before the winter sets in. We got a few inches of snow in late October, which was good for the dogs because it is not ideal to have them run on frozen ground for too long. My runs have been up to 2 1/2 hours or 20 miles at that point. In early November it warmed up a bit and we got a few hours of light rain one day, which then froze on top of the snow. The trails were crusty and slippery for a few days, and I had to run the entire team on booties for a few days in order to save their feet. Now the conditions are slightly better which means the crusty snow is gone, covered by another 1/2 inch of snow. I am saying this with sarcasm, as we live in a drybelt here north of Whitehorse. Our annual preciptation averages at only 270 Millimeter per year, which is semi-arid. Getting 2 feet of snow is considered enormous, and right now I would be happy with a foot so that we finally can get on sleds.
I had a handler lined up in
July to help me with training, yard chores, feeding, food drop preparation, scooping poop,
breaking trail, repairing and making gear, cutting the 544 nails on my 34 dogs, repairing
the dog truck, putting straw in the dog houses, cutting fire wood, finally cleaning up the
shop, unloading truckloads of frozen meat, cutting truckloads of frozen meats into
miniscule snacks, and finishing his own staff housing - the handlers cabin. Every bigger
mushing operation employs at least one handler, some kennels actually have several staff
on salary.
As my kennel is fairly small it can still be managed by the musher only. Which is
good because now it turns out that "my handler's" summer job does not end until
some unspecified date, which leaves me without help for the chores above. As a result I
quickly switched to plan B, which has me looking for "part-time dog drivers" to
help with the long training runs. Like last winter I will enlist the help of some friends
for food-drop preparation, and simply "wing" the rest. Not that this is not
manageable, but it requires a hell of a lot more prioritising. As any musher can attest
good handlers are hard to find.
Part of Plan B is also that the "staff housing unit" (cabin) was
transformed quickly into "tourism revenue potential" and is now available for
visitors looking for the aurora (which happens to shine right above the cabin on a regular
basis).
A big event every fall or early winter is the mounting of the dog box. In order to transport the race team to training runs and races mushers rely on mostly homemade transport boxes attached to pick-up trucks or trailers. I built my box last fall complete with 22 compartments for dogs (holding up to 30 dogs), centre ailse for storage, room for a 75 gallon tidy tank and underbed boxes. It was quite the project, but rewarded me with a perfect tool to go travelling with the team. In order to mount my box I have to remove the bed of the pick-up truck and then hoist the dog box onto the truck. The hole project took me 5 hours and would not have been possible without the help of the trusty 71 Ford with its gin pole and 18.000 pound shaft driven winch. Images say more than a thousand words so take a look:
 First lift the truck bed of the truck... |
 ...and store it safely on a stack of paletts for the winter. |
 Lift the dogbox with the winch, line up the truck... |
 ...and back it under the box. |
 After lowering the box there's time to throw sticks for little Arleigh. |
 Don't forget to bolt the box down onto the frame! |
 Connect the lights, mount the underbed boxes and the exhaust pipe. Ready to go! |
 Back side of dogbox with centre aisle, sewer pipe to hold runner plastic, tidy tank in the centre and top door. |
 There is a side door to allow for easy access to the tidy tank for refuelling, and for extra storage. |
If you are a
musher and interested in a dog box I will build one for you! Let me know your ideas and
needs. My boxes are glued and screwed, and covered with durable paint. Optional features
include marker lights, aluminum corners, under bed boxes, roof racks and ladders. Three main types are available: - mounted on the truck bed - mounted on a flat deck - mounted directly onto the frame (shown) Contact me to discuss your needs! |
| So much for today. More in the next newsletter, which should be available by late November. Take care and mail me some snow! |
|