Routine

Routine
Sep 25th 2009
wolfmoonsleddog
Midwest
Location: Finland, MN
Time - 6:55pm Central Daylight Time
Temperature: 61 degrees F (16 C)
Conditions: Clear
Forecast: Clouding up tonight, showers tomorrow. Highs in the 60s, lows in the 40s

Looking towards the free-run yard from just outside the bunkhouse door

Well, things have cooled down slightly. We saw temps dip into the 30s F the other day, so that was a definite improvement. We’re supposed to see 20s this weekend! That will make for good training. But once again, Wyoming beat out Minnesota! Two states over and to the SOUTHwest from here, Yellowstone park is forecasting temps in the teens and SNOW showers next Wednesday and Thursday! Right then! Tomorrow I’ll jump in shuttlecraft and drive to Yellowstone.

Anyway, getting back to MCK, some of you may wonder what exactly we do with our time here. What is a typical day like for handlers at MCK?

Well, I will tell you!


The bunkhouse

We get up between 5:00am and 5:15am and our goal is to be out in the hookup area by 5:30am in the mornings. A month ago it was pretty light by this point but we are losing that daylight and we are losing it fast. Now it is pitch dark when we go outside.

I usually get up (often with the thought that it can’t be 5 already), throw on my clothes, a hat and a headlamp and then make a run to the outhouse off behind the bunkhouse. I come back and put on my overalls and jacket and Muck boots. Then I grab my gloves and it’s out to the yard. You don’t really need this much gear just working in the yard and it can be downright hot hooking up. However you feel cooler if you go on a run.

Once in the yard, we set up the ATV and lines and then let the dogs out. The dogs run loose in the hookup area and gather under the shed to be harnessed. By headlamp we harness the dogs and then hook them to the gangline. Then either Blake or Jen gets on the ATV and one of the handlers climbs on the back of the ATV and goes on the run too. The handlers open the gate to the hookup area, release the ATV and then the team is out of the yard and off onto the trail.

On cooler mornings we get two teams out. On a really good weekend morning we might run three teams.

While the teams are out, the handlers mix up food for the dogs, fill up a water tub for the dogs when they return from the run and scoop poop.

When a team gets back, we close the gate to the hookup area and unharness the dogs. They run around the hookup area and jump in the water tub to cool off. We then pick up all the used harnesses, dunk them in a different water tank to wash off any dirt or grit (dirt and grit can cause harness rubs), roll up the gangline and then put the ATV back into the shed.

We often let all the dogs out to play at this point and usually try to give all the boys and all the girls a good long time to play in the free-run yard. While this is going on, someone is usually scooping poop.

Later, we hook up all the dogs and feed them. Then we give eyedrops and any other meds a dog might need.

And then, WE have breakfast in the cabin. Usually that is cereal but sometimes we make pancakes or French toast (especially on the weekends). On weekdays, Blake and Jen head off to work (once a week I go into Ely with Jen to shadow at the vet clinic).

There are various ongoing projects that we do during the day. Brushing dogs is one of these. I have spent a couple of mornings this week doing nothing but brush dogs. This is one of my favorite jobs. I also checked for harness rubs the other day.

We usually eat lunch in the cabin sometime after noon. It might be a sandwich or soup. At noon we feed the puppies and moms again. We try to do puppy adventures. Yesterday we had all the puppies out in the puppy play area for over two hours. They learn to sit and they get a LOT of socialization and playtime. Some days we will take them for walks down the trail, other times we will bring them into the cabin or bunkhouse. You can never get bored playing with puppies.

Then there are less-fun jobs like scrubbing food buckets if they are dirty, raking rocks out of the trail and hookup area, hauling dirt to fill in holes, washing food bowls, washing harnesses, fence repairs, ATV repairs (I’m not usually doing much ATV work except when I helped wash them) not to mention household stuff.

We do have time to chill out right now, especially since there are three handlers at MCK this year. Sometimes there is time for an afternoon nap or a hike through the woods. I’ve been trying to read some in the afternoon or catch up on some of my writing projects. And of course I have to go into “town” to do laundry once a week.

In the evening we soup the dogs again, clean the yard again and play with the puppies some more. We cut up frozen meat and leave it overnight in buckets of water so it will be thawed out for morning feed. Blake and Jen usually arrive back from work while chores are in progress.

After all the evening chores are done, we usually all gather in the cabin with our computers and fix supper. House rule says that whoever cooks supper doesn’t have to wash dishes. This is a fun time because we all get to be in one place and talk about the day and anything else we want to discuss. It can get pretty hilarious at times with ongoing discussions and ribbing. If ever anyone takes a shower, this is often when we do so.

After supper, the handlers retire to the bunkhouse. Kim and I have taken to watching a few YouTube videos in the bunkhouse and then quoting them the next day.

Then we set our alarms and read or listen to music or even watch DVDs on our computers. I find this is also a good time to make phone calls…assuming it’s not too late.

And I virtually never have trouble going to sleep.


In my room in the bunkhouse

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2 Comments »

2 Responses to “Routine”
Dave Lukosik on 25 Sep 2009 at 9:32 pm # edit this

That was a nice “Day In The Life Of A MCK Dog Handler” story! Lots of work and never a dull moment at the Kennel! Great looking fence and bunkhouse! Post some photos of the teams on the forest trails if you have time in the future.

wolfmoonsleddog on 06 Oct 2009 at 2:10 pm # edit this

Glad you enjoyed it, Dave. I was trying to give everyone an idea of what we are doing each day!