Still Cold

Its been a long time since Ive seen it be this cold around Christmas. Usually I am enjoying an annual Christmas mush but this year things may be different. The cold has settled in early, with the highest temperature getting up to -20, but it is my hope that we can get the worst part of winter out of the way now to enjoy a warmer January later. Possible? Only time will tell...

Work continues on the dog truck with only painting left to do. All the construction has been taken care of and it feels so nice to slow way down and get back to the joy of painting. Even though I dont consider it fine art, painting the kennel name and all the dogs names has been very relaxing for me.

James L has been a big help, as always, and I am teaching him how I get all the necessary details painted on the truck so it looks top notch. Displaying the kennel name could be as easy as going to a printer and purchasing decals but its just not the same. Hand painting may take time but in the end it makes a HUGE difference in the quality.

I keep reminding myself that if it wasn't so cold we wouldn't be able to get so caught up on the truck repairs and painting. Even though I want to be out on the trail, and the dogs do too, it is best to focus on what I can do for now and how great it feels to be doing it. The last time the dog truck was in this good of shape was when it was built!

Let me try to run down a list of improvements to get a better perspective for all our hard work...
- New front 'nose' to replace the old sagging one (HUGE thanks to Mike for his help on that!)
- New hardware in 'nose' to better support the weight of gear and dogs
- Two new boxes in the 'nose' to house up to four medium sized dogs (these boxes will be designated for foster dogs)
- New latch hardware to eliminate the noise of snaps on latches (makes for a much quieter ride for our dogs, especially fosters who are nervous in their new surroundings after leaving the animal shelter)
- Repairs made to Hera's box to clean up Reba's custom wood chewing handiwork!
- Additional storage added to the bed of the truck on the inside to house extra boots, sleeping bags, ganglines, treats, etc...
- New paint inside and out
- New plywood for the roof and new rails to tie back the sleds
- Better sealant on all roof seams to prevent leaks from the rain (we had a lot of trouble with this last year which is why the roof was starting to rot away)
- New supports on the ladder to make it safer for mushers to climb on the roof to load sleds
- All dogs names painted on each one of their boxes, inside and out
- New kennel name painted to each side of the dog truck as well as the new kennel website address painted on the back.

I think that's everything though James L might be able to fill in a few more details as I am likely to forget some things for sure... its been a whirlwind of work and hard to remember all the details... :)

And here are a few snapshots from our recent completed work...

New 'nose'. Notice there are no holes to the outside for the two dog boxes that were built within. We arranged these boxes specifically for our foster dogs who train with us. Since most of the fosters who come from shelter are thin coated it is best for them not to have the cold wind coming in while they travel.

There is plenty of ventilation for them through the rest of the box since the main aisle is not closed. There are grates on their doors (see photos below) to let the warmer air come in from the inside of the truck.

A view of the 'nose' from the inside. This was before painting but shows the platform that our dogs can jump up onto to easily get into their boxes without us having to strain to lift them. Notice the new quieter hardware on each dogs door.

Zephyr shows how comfortable and spacious they are even without the straw added yet! :)
These boxes are longer than the regular ones and offer a bit more stretching out room or more room for two dogs to travel together.

Here Juno and Zephyr show how they can travel together in one box though a dog like Zephyr, who is so long, usually gets his own box for maximum comfort. Across the way neighbor Chronos relaxes on the other side.

After painting and the addition of a bit more hardware we are able to show our first new storage option for parkas and other goods that can be easily 'stuffed' into the new space. A long bungee cord holds everything back nicely.

The new dog box doors can still be opened and dogs loaded in and out without getting in the way of the items stored in the back.

And with the addition of four eye bolts to the front we are able to string up an X-pattern with more bungee cords to hold back larger gear to keep it in place while we drive out to the trail.

Last but not least is the new 'boot locker' storage areas under the boxes to take advantage of the extra room on the bed of the truck. There are six boxes total, one for boots, one for sleeping bags, one for treats, one for ganglines and two more for miscellaneous items.

And that concludes the walk through of our repairs on the dog truck! We will have updates on painting soon... that is the icing on the cake and we are saving the best for last! :) :)

HUGE thanks to James Cooper for the use of the heated shop and electricity, HUGE thanks to James Langston for helping so much with all the repairs and painting and a HUGE thanks to Mike Pawlak for helping us work the details of angles on the 'nose' of the dog truck. We couldn't have come this far without all your help!!