Buddy is one of those dogs who comes out of nowhere and changes your life forever. James' boss found him in her yard one day and started looking for his original owner. She placed ads in the local paper but no leads showed as to where Buddy had come from or if his owners were even looking for him.

Since his boss was already committed to three dogs of her own she couldn't take on another. Fortunately for Buddy we were looking for a good 'lie around the house' type dog that James could have as a fishing buddy. We decided to give this labrador a try and save him from an uncertain fate at the local pound.

Buddy adapted to our home right away and James and I both felt he was too good to be true. He was potty trained, didn't chew and even when left alone for hours on end didn't get into the trash or other trouble. We were completely stunned at how anyone would not miss this dog and soon worried that we might eventually find his owners and have to give him up.

Time passed and we saw no sign of where Buddy had originally belonged. I continued to work with my sled dogs and was very satisfied that we now had a permanent well trained house dog to keep me company inside at home (this was before any of our outside dogs were allowed in the house).

One day I harnessed up the team in our backyard and noticed that Buddy was barking like mad from behind our sliding glass door. Afraid that he might break it I ran in to let him know that was not acceptable behavior. Shortly after I arrived back outside he started up again and rather than waste my time correcting him I decided to let him come along. I fully expected him to come back exhausted and so run down that he would never want to come again, boy was I wrong!!

Out of the yard we flew with Buddy fast on our heels and having fun. After making our seven mile loop he was content to come home and relax. When the harnesses came out again he repeated the same behavior and was demanding to go! This time I put an old harness on him and halfway through our run he was looking so good that I put him directly into the team. A few missteps later something in Buddy's mind clicked and he pulled hard into his harness. I was shocked (still am!) that this little dog could do so much and have so much fun doing something his breed wasn't supposed to do!

This season we bought him his own harness and a new overcoat to help brave the cold of our tough winters out on the trail. As long as the temperature stays above 20 below Buddy is right there with us working his little heart out in our team. He would run in 40 below if we let him but I'm afraid that, even with a heavier coat, he may suffer.

As I take down the harnesses and sort them out for each run I always know which one is Buddy's, not by the names embroidered on each but by feeling for the one with the most wear. He works so hard in the team that we have to replace his harness every few years while the harnesses for many of our other dogs can last their entire lives! Buddy is a powerhouse and once in harness nothing slows him down!

In addition to his loyal work ethic Buddy continues to amaze us in his ability to lead the team. He runs beautifully with wonderful speed and is so confident that leadership comes easy. We have been running him up front for the last half of this season and in that short time I have seen many of his wonderful talents develop.

He still needs to work on taking commands but is very eager to learn. With a patient teacher like our new leader Patsy, I'm sure he will continue to excel.

August 2009