Kyote, my little lead dog. I might be a little more than obsessed with this sweet pup but I’m just the most proud dog mom! Kyote has been running on dogsled teams for 2 years out at Good Times Adventures in Breckenridge, Colorado. She ended last winter season as a competent lead sled dog. Our adventures on dog sled teams started just after she turned 1 - a few months before winter blew in for the season. Kyote and I trained together from the moment she could run, around 8-9 months. Huskies are born with the desire to pull and I quickly learned that I would need a waist leash to keep my arms from falling off. I was so proud of my little pup with each mile we ran together and I couldn’t wait to see how she took to the team when the snow began to fall.
If you’ve followed me for a while you know that Kyote was born at Good Times Adventures on the dogsledding side of things. Good Times Adventures hosts several winter sports; snowmobiling tours, horse sleigh rides, and dogsledding. It’s a place full of wild and adventurous experiences! Kyote and her litter were quite the accident, her mother hopped a fence and took to a small male pup named Axel. Axel was not a dog we wanted to breed, he was too small with a funny personality and loved to jump up and down while waiting to run! We saw the action happening but we were too late to stop the two from having their fun. Kyote and her 3 sisters were born a few months later, a litter of 4.
I sat in a kennel with all 4 puppies, watching them walk around, play with each other, and curiously approach me. Two had beautiful blue eyes and two had pretty brown eyes with amazing raccoon facial markings. I loved the two with the well known husky mask. One of these two was quite wily and seemed to be the alpha of the litter (this was Kyote of course). I didn’t choose her. I chose Kyote’s identical sister to take home (identical markings are pretty rare in pups but these two look completely alike). The only determining mark is a 1 inch space in the middle of Kyote’s chest marking vs her sisters which fully connects around her neck. Kyote’s sister was a sweet husky who was curious and interested in people. She loved to crawl into your lap and lick your face. I loved her - still do, and plan to bring her home one day.
You know how people say that certain things choose you? I firmly believe in that. Caleb, my fiance who is a dog sled guide out a Good Times Adventures, brought me home the wrong puppy. This little rascal was not the sweet curious pup I wanted but was an independent stubborn thing who didn’t care for me at all. The struggle was real. I thought I’d just take this monster back when I headed into Breck that weekend but within the week I fell in love with her belligerent attitude. Plus, I’d already taught her how to go down the stairs and that was no easy task so, I decided to name her. I settled on the name Kyote, like Coyote without the e sound, a perfect fit for the little sassy mongrel.
Kyote hates cuddles but my forcefulness has warmed her up to my attacks of kisses and hugs. We like each other and nowadays are pretty inseparable. Funny enough, I’m writing this as she’s out dogsledding and I wish I could turn around and give her some affection. This winter has been a snowy one in Breckenridge, Colorado, and my little sled dog is loving it. It started pretty early - something I haven’t seen in years - and came in thick with deep powder days. Last year we weren’t able to start dogsledding until almost Christmas and this year we were able to start in November before Thanksgiving! I think that there’s more snow on the ground right now (February) then there was all last season on Breckenridge Mountain. With Good Times Adventures awaiting their soft opening in December; Caleb, Kyote, and I brought a few friends out to the yard to get warmed up for the season.
Kyote led the dog sled team with Roux - Roux is part of the Louisiana litter with litter mates named Gumbo, Voodoo, and Bayou. Kyote began our tour by rolling around in the snow like she hadn’t seen it in years while Roux ignored her show - this is what you would call an Alaskan flat tire. We all waited patiently for her to get her act together and the team took off. When you dog sled out at Good Times Adventures you actually get to drive the sled! One person drives and has control of the brakes while another person rides in the dogsled as though they were the cargo. The sled dogs are fast! Kicking up snow as they dig into the ground and pull the dogsled swiftly, up and over snowy hills. I was able to capture of few photos of Kyote and Roux in full sprint, tongues hanging out with wild eyes and big smiles across their snouts. It makes me so happy to see her like this - doing what she loves and running to her heart’s content. We took a few breaks along the trail, allowing the dogs to catch their breath because they weren’t quite acclimated to their peak season fitness level. Kyote rolled around again on the trail, dug her face in the snow, and started to jump up and down - just like her dad Axel would, to tell you that she’s ready to go!
A lot of people question dogsledding and whether or not it’s cruel to the huskies. I hope you take a look through these photos and see the sheer joy and excitement on these sweet pups faces. First and foremost, they are dearly loved and taken care of, but I hope you also see that they truly do love what they do, seen here by their big smiles and tongues hanging out the side of their mouths mid run.
And if you think that huskies can’t be nearly as ornery as everyone says, Kyote will be the first to prove you absolutely wrong by tearing into the trash when she’s mad at me. She’s decently trained but when I haven’t gotten her enough exercise, she has chosen to go on many revenge trash eating rampages to spite me. Kyote also likes to talk back to me, paws at the door to go outside and jumping up and down until I finally pick up my running shoes and her leash. This sled dog keeps me on my toes and makes sure that I stay as active as she does. I hope you enjoy taking a peek into our winter weekends and seeing how Kyote stays active and healthy with dogsledding.
