The Athletes: Detour

Yes, I do have a lead dog named Detour. And she's one heck of a lead dog to boot. Detour is Whitney's sister and came from the Swingley kennel. Both of these girls are Peppy pups from his last breeding season. Detour came to Evening Star Kennel with five pups. The only one still running with us is Boggle. The others have become pets or now run with other mushers.

Detour was the best yearling leader I have ever seen. And I have seen a lot. Last year, she ran lead in my Seeley Lake team for over half of the race. She never balked at anything. She always wants to go faster and will go no matter how deep the snow is, even if it is well over her head. This year Detour has learned turning commands of "gee" and "haw" and is better than ever. No doubt she will be in the Quest team next year.

Last summer, Detour became a mom again. Doug Swingley's El Toro was the stud. The pups were born on July 5, 2008, about 10 days after the expected due date. I think she was so afraid of the fireworks that she held them in for a few extra days. She was HUGE and so uncomfortable. Detour had her pups on the floor next to my bed and I got to watch my first litter of my pups be born. She is an excellent mother. I will introduce the "Tequila pups" later but expect to see them in the team next year learning how to be leaders like their mom.

Detour is one of my main go-to leaders. She has a special place in the kennel and she knows it. She is one sassy lady with the other girls and lets them all know she is queen bee.

Yesterday, Detour gave me quite a scare. I had 7 of the adult females out for a free run next to the ATV. No one can keep up with Detour and she is the one who sets the pace, in front as always. Except now, Charlotte can keep up with her. And Charlotte decided to pick on Detour and Detour didn't like it. They ended up in a short scrap which resulted in 2 puncture wounds on Detours left front leg. She must have nicked an artery because there was a lot of bleeding and it was pulsing. I picked her up and carried her home as fast as I could. My friends Brooke and Sean gave me a hand to get her cleaned up, and I was so surprised to see that she only had 2 tiny little holes. Everything else is intact and she will be fine. For now, she is happy to get the special treatment of sleeping on the floor next to my bed inside the house.

So watch out for this tough little dog. And don't be fooled into thinking we are going the wrong way when you here me say "Detour" as we head down the Yukon Quest trail.