FASTRK Registered Siberian Huskies. Terrace, B.C. Canada
Your Team Isn't Young Forever

"The golden years"

I know what you are thinking, why should I even concern myself with the team getting older, after all I have a young team right now. I can always think about this when it happens, after all that is years away from now. I have said all of this because I was just like you, I refused to listen when my husband kept mentioning what would I do when the dogs get older. Who will look after them if you need to leave them for some reason. We spent fifteen years with no holidays, the kids grew up and moved away so there was no one to look after the dogs for me. Finally I found a dear friend who was willing to trade looking after each others dogs. We went on our first holiday in fifteen years and loved every minute of it. Thank you "Julie" I could not have done it without you. Ah it is getting complicated now isn't it, now I hope I have you thinking and realizing what we have all gotten ourselves into. 

As the team got older I would use them to train my younger dogs, then the old dogs would run together in a team on short non stressful trails. (not many of those here). The last time I ran my old guys they were thirteen and I ran them down the road for a short distance and turned them around when they looked tuckered out. They were so happy and I then realized just how deaf my leader was when she ran with her ears pointed forward and did not hear my command to turn around. I ran them twice that year at the beginning of the season and the middle. That was it I just could not see putting them in harness ever again. Thankfully they ended their careers on a happy note.

Now here I sit with two sixteen year old dogs, one fifteen year old, a fourteen year old and so on and so on. I am down to a ten dog , dogyard but only run five in the team. The rest are retired and have various medications and needs to be looked at. Last winter I had three of my older guys in the basement living in doghouses , they are so use to doghouses that it is hard to change their sleeping habits. No one wants to see an old dog who can barely move let alone lay down trying to settle on a blanket on the floor. So pamper them ,I did! That meant running from the basement to the back door each morning as soon as your eyes open, hoping no one has had an accident on the floor. Then letting them out and waking up the ones still sleeping. Everyone out at the same time, then watch to make sure no one goes into freeze mode and cannot move. Mind you most sled dogs have enough fur even when geriatric to withstand the cold. Then bring them in to warm up and everyone gets fed." Bring out the soft foods and vitamins." Start the meds and then if its warm enough send them all back outside for a few hours. 

My dogyard is an open pen where all the dogs are loose and not tethered. The old guys are close to the house where I can keep an eye on them. I have discovered a secret to keep the old dogs off the stairs and I will share it with you. We tried gates but they are horrible you have to stop and open them up and the chances of leaving them open are rather good. I tried a bungee cord at the bottom of the stairs but that was hard to see and I kept feeling like I would end up doing a face plant. I had  a piece of oak that had once been a stanchion on my sled and I put that across the bottom of the stairs. It lays on the railing and is just a few inches from the second last stair. Don't worry I have a photo to help explain. Anyways we call this our magic stick, none of the dogs will cross it. I can get some of them to jump over it if I want to take them for a walk but the majority of them act like it is the biggest barrier they have ever encountered. We still cannot figure it out, these are dogs who balance on beaver dams when in the gang line and cross over small bits of ice, but put that stick across the steps and no one crosses it. 

Ah , yes before you ask how do I keep from tripping over it, I put reflective tape around it, that way when I am walking out at night I remember it is there. But believe me after stepping over it a few thousand times you too will remember its there. So far no accidents (knock wood). 

Whenever the old dogs are in the big pen I have to make sure the sleeping holes are filled in. You would be amazed at how just a small indent in the ground can cause the old guys to fall and  panic. So I go into the dogyard and fill in the holes. Yes I do let the old dogs into the big pen when they ask to go in with me. I let them in when I am there to supervise. They are not picked on or anything like that but they do seem to be in the line of fire when the dogs play. Small bumps can lead to major breakage on the old bones and being thrown around when you are old cannot be allot of fun. 

During the summer you have heat to deal with. Old dogs seem to suffer like old humans. They get uncomfortable and their doghouses become ovens. I have one old guy who cannot lay on the ground for some reason so he has to come in when it gets too hot. That is usually around 25 degrees Celsius or 70 degrees Fahrenheit . He is brought into the basement and allowed to sleep down there. 

I think the hardest thing with your old team members is retiring them, I am not sure who it is harder on ,me or the dogs themselves. My Canuck retired last year, he just could not do it anymore and he would be sore for quite awhile afterwards. He would howl and scream at the fence when the others were being loaded up. Sometimes he would tear at the gate trying to get out and join the rest of the team. I felt so sorry for him that I would let him sit in the back of the truck until it was time to close the tailgate. It seemed to make him happier and he would jump down and into the dogyard with that little kick in his step again. I think he missed the whole camaraderie part of the sledding and this way he was still part of the preparation just not in the actual gang line.  Even now when I have the gate open and the drop chain set up my old guys will stand in their spot waiting to be hooked up. There are times when you have to push them back into the dogyard and tell them they are retired, enjoy it guys you have taken me all over this area, relax. But it doesn't always work , they love it and want to do it even when they can barely stand up. Crazy old dogs!

Then there is the inevitable , when their bodies decide that they cannot do it anymore. If you are lucky the old dog will pass away peacefully in their sleep. But chances are you will find yourself sitting up at night nursing the old dog/dogs trying to keep them alive and pain free. I always seem to have the latter, my old guys don't want to die and they keep fighting it. I have spent many a sleepless night talking to and comforting a dying friend. Its hard to say goodbye and I have cried crocodile tears over each and everyone of them. So if you have a team that is all relatively the same age you will be saying goodbye on a regular bases. That is another thing to keep in mind when it comes to old dogs or just team members. Are you up to it? Its hard and a piece of your heart goes with each and everyone of them. 

Well believe me you should put a plan into motion the moment you start building your team. You have to think about such things as :

• pens for your old dogs , they cannot be left in with younger dogs as they may get picked on or hurt by accident

• a place to keep your old dogs warm in the winter and not outside where they will suffer

• a place for hot summer days and a way to put screen on the doghouse to keep the bugs off of them

• a good supply of soft food for when their teeth have fallen out and they still need to eat

• a secure flooring in their doghouses so they can easily stand and turn around

• lighter collars so there is less pressure on their necks and you can walk them without hurting them

• company or companionship with a not so active dog, this way they will not feel vulnerable or lonely

• gates for stairs otherwise you will have broken bones and dogs stranded on the landings

• can they still have a bone to chew on

• my final advice is take lots of pictures and video so you can have them with you forever

• a meat grinder is an excellent way to make soft food for your old dogs, that way they still eat what the rest of the team eats and its familiar to them.

• familiar things are important to old dogs especially ones who are in their teens.

• clean sleeping areas are important, with soft bedding.

• a bed that is off the floor or even a doghouse works great, I replaced the roof on a doghouse using mesh that way it allowed the dog to keep cool and made it softer on the dogs back when he was getting up or doing the circle thing most dogs seem to do. 

• plenty of water is very important for old dogs, they need it to keep the kidneys working.

• a soft brush and towels for those days when they are wet or just need some extra tlc.

• and the most important thing is love plenty of it because they may not be there too much longer. 

I realize this is a cold slap in the face for allot of us musher's/ dog owners but it has to be said. Like a fool I kept putting it off until it was right there in front of me. There I sat looking at my dogs and thinking ..............how do I retire you and what do I do with you now? Do I find you a home or do I let you live the rest of your life out with your family/team members and with me. I decided that my dogs would live their lives out with me and the rest of their family. I am glad that I did, its hard at times and expensive but well worth it to see them greeted by their sons and daughters and now their great grandchildren.

 This Page is dedicated to my hardworking ,loving and forever in my heart friends of Fastrk Registered Siberian Huskies.

This page was created by: Eileen Puge

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