We found Salmon through a friend of mine who was helping another musher find homes for his dogs in the fall of 2006. I was still on the search for a female partner for Griffin and was starting to get used to the idea of making a size compromise since so many of the dogs in our community are much lighter and shorter than my freighters.

Salmon was shorter in leg with a nice thick build but what drew me immediately to her was a photograph. My friend sent photos of all the dogs in the mushers yard and the photo he took of Salmon looked just like Ursa, who I had lost only a couple months before. The comparison was eerie and I took that as a strong sign that I must pay this girl a visit.

In person her likeness to Ursa was slight but her shy nature (I am a sucker for shy dogs) drew me to her and I decided to take her home to see how she liked living in our kennel.

From the start she adapted extremely well to the yard and all the dogs. She was so quiet and easy going, only causing a problem when the other dogs tried to corner her (which was rare) and became virtually invisible at free time.

Salmon was more content running off on her own than socializing with the others. She had no desire to play or interact with the dogs or myself. This is a trait we see often in our rescues or ones who live their whole lives on a chain without full interaction with others of their species.

Over time Salmon slowly came around and let me catch her at dinner time and even became very reliable loose at the trailhead when I called her to the gang line but she always had to be the last one harnessed due to her nervous chewing habit. She was extremely fast in cutting through harness webbing, hers or the dog next to her, but when she had her free time before being hooked in she felt much more relaxed.

Salmon worked as a leader for most of her life but her previous owner said something clicked that changed her confidence before she came to live with us. I tried her up in lead on many occasions with mixed results. She knows what to do but something happened with her previous owner that has stuck in her mind to this day.

After working with her for a full year I was convinced that she would be a great match for Griffin and decided to plan for a spring litter if possible. Salmon's body had other ideas when she became very sick with pyrometria (an inflammation of the uterus) after her heat and successful mating with Griffin. We walked her through treatment with the help of our wonderful vet Dr. Rose and in a few short weeks she was doing much better and looking to make a full recovery.

After consulting with Dr. Rose about another attempted breeding we decided to give it one more go before deciding that this could be a chronic condition and to schedule her spay.

On the second attempt Salmon did wonderful and carried her little babies to full term without a single problem in their delivery. The pups came out very healthy but we were a bit concerned about their size, they were so long and thin that we had our doubts that they would grow at least as large as their father. We need not have worried! In due time they spouted like weeds, filled out and grew healthy through Salmon's love and devotion.

It was wonderful to see such a caring and attentive mother! She nursed those babies for so long and barely gave them a growl at even their most persistent behavior.

When the nursing time had passed she was more than ready to get back into harness. Any extra time she wasn't working she would get antsy and vocal when the team left without her. Since she still had a bare chest and thin coat from her pregnancy we gave her a nice dog jacket that fully covered her and her harness. She was a bit out of shape from all her maternity leave but she worked like a champ and literally sulked when I made her ride in the sled for a rest break on the trail.

Salmon worked for a solid year after her pups were born and helped show them the ropes while they ran loose beside her and were eventually tied in with the rest of the team. The next year it was the babies turn and they took over like dynamos! Salmon had a tough time keeping up and even on our slowest runs it was clear she was starting the process of her retirement.

I tried running her loose behind the team, which she did very well, but even then I had to put her in the sled bag for a ride. She would work her heart out for about seven or ten miles then would start shutting down.

This year I will start her with the team again and see where shes comfortable but it is clear that shes going to be gaining more and more limitations to what she can do out there. I never like to leave a dog at home but it is cruel to set them up on a task where they fail. Better yet to let them keep the positive memories of trails passed than to remind them of what their bodies can no longer do.

And like the other retirees she will continue to enjoy free time in the yard, watching her pups grow and enjoying the simple things... the spring sun warming her fur, ample food and a nice cozy house on a cold winters day...