Blue and Friends

02/04/2024

8 dog mushing teams, a new player has entered the chat.

29/02/2024

One of the fun things that come with being crate trained, anything can be a crate! It's not too often we find a deep enough wheel that she can fit almost all the way in without trying too hard. By doing little activities like this, I'm able to help build her confidence and bodily awareness.

14/02/2024

Just a helpful doggo doing human things. Some dogs stay nice and clean in the office, others get their paws a little dirty. Muppy frequently ends up covered in soil and mud. Someday I'll show you how.

24/12/2023

Not every run is rainbows and sunshine, sometimes it's chaos and mistakes.

Our most recent recorded run was an example of just that. It's no secret that Muppy can be dog reactive but when she's working (like in a race) she's focused on the job at hand, and can pass and be passed, without so much as a second glace. Unfortunately when we train, most of it's around in town and lacks that same race energy.

It's something that we are constantly working on. Knowing that she is reactive, I keep my head on a constant swivel looking for dogs, planning escape plans, detours, and trying to predict how the other dog might react. If the other dog is already barking, pulling on the leash or other actively focused behaviors, I'll either change my path completely or step off the bike/scooter, pull Muppy to the side, and wait for the dog to pass before remounting and continuing on.

This particular occurrence was with a friendly pup who wanted to say hello. Looking back, I should have pulled off to the side and walked past. Part of the reason I train with the scooter in town is the ease of dismounting and the response time. Going forward, we will be dismounting with every dog and working on desensitizing to pedestrian dogs.

Video that contains the occurrence as well as some of the scenic views where we typically train.

Black Locust Dryland race - in person was cancelled due to really wet trails and racers were given the option to enter virtually.

22/12/2023

I'm not sure which is harder, driving long distance or editing videos of races and training. Either way, Water Joe is there to keep me awake and aware. Perfect for early mornings when I need to wake up before breakfast and gentle enough to not irritate my sensitive stomach. Kwik Trip is my go to stop for stocking otherwise you can find a local retailer at www.waterjoe.com/get-joe

I realize this sounds like a sales pitch. I got a t-shirt and a case of water to be an ambassador but would use their stuff anyway. PS, the shirt is super soft and lightweight, perfect for training runs when it was warm.

09/12/2023

A picture of the print we got at the Can't Depend on Snow Sled Dog Race . Muppy is the goodest girl and trying to be the best reindeer she can in hopes that Santa chooses her for his reindeer team.

05/12/2023

On today's adventure, one of our favorite stops of the day was at Vande Hey Company, Inc. In Appleton WI.

Friendly employees, lovely atmosphere, good assortment of products and fun plants! Can't wait to come back in the spring when it's the busy season.

02/12/2023

Jungle puppy! Visiting Jung Garden Center, Randolph and sniffin' out some good deals and plants.

28/11/2023

We are training for our first official race as a team. The course is 1.7 miles long. The scary part is that our chute time is roughly 30 minutes after we get done with our 1 dog run of 2.2 miles. I'm confident Muppy can handle, I'm worried about my endurance! She's the athlete on this team.

30/10/2023

When in doubt, take the muddy route!

28/10/2023

Day 2 of Doty's Dusty Dog Dryland Race was even better. The weather was gorgeous and Muppy had no idea she had so many friends!

This video is a little longer than day 1 but I loved seeing how far down the racer parking went. Definitely a great group of people and a well run race for both the dog teams and the organizers. 10/10 would recommend attending, racing, and supporting!

Day 2 of the Doty's Dusty Dog Dryland Race. Sunday was absolutely gorgeous racing weather and Muppy was a lot more confident on the trail now that she had be...

28/10/2023

Day 1 of Doty's Dusty Dog Dryland Race is uploaded!
It was our first time coming to this race and we absolutely loved it! Definitely going to be back again with Muppy!

Day 2 will be posted shortly!

Day 1 of the Doty's Dusty Dog Dryland Race. This day was anything but dusty! It rained most of the day but still had a blast. The camera kept jostling loose ...

23/04/2023

Muppy sure looks good in neon colors! Which do you think looks the best on her? These are the Freemotion Harness 5.0 by Non-stop dogwear

Please ignore the wonky fits - I only have so much photo editing magic

24/03/2023

I present to you "Muppys best day ever turned worst day ever"

She came to work with me. During lunch she got to explore the compost windrows, wood chip pile, woods, and check pallets for pests (there were none, just turkeys). After work we went for a scooter ride and when we got home, she got a thorough bath.

20/03/2023

Muzzled dogs are not bad dogs.

Maybe they are still learning not to eat random stuff on the ground.
Maybe they have been attacked by other dogs and are now reactive.
Maybe the dog doesn't enjoy pets due to an injury or skin condition.

Or maybe muzzles should be just as common as a flat collar.

Muzzled dogs are not bad dogs.

18/03/2023

How early is too early to get excited about dryland racing? 👀👀

Twin Cities Dog Powered Sports is excited to announce our 3rd annual dryland race on October 28th, 2023!

Make sure to mark your calendars. This years race will be held at a different location. More details will follow.

Musher: Raging River Siberians
📸: M Shipe Photography

23/02/2023

Sometimes grace.
Sometimes bitey face.
Sometimes falling on face.

12/02/2023

She's only looking at me with adoration because I had her Frisbee right next to the camera. She has an eternal puppy face at this angle

08/01/2023

The Snow queen requests her ball to be thrown.

20/12/2022

We are starting to get a little festive now that Christmas is only a few days away!

15/12/2022

Why is this dog so ridiculously photogenic?

It was almost impossible to get her to sit still. All she wanted was to race around in the fresh snow like a lunatic.

11/12/2022

Finally put up Christmas lights and I think these might just become year round lights since they do such a good job lighting up the yard for night time potty breaks.

Cool glitchy photo of Muppy showing off the lights.

10/12/2022

We had a blast at the Can't Depend on Snow Sled Dog Race event today! Muppy ran the 2ish mile course in 12 minutes 46 seconds. I'm so proud of how she listened to directions instead of following the path.

Blue was happy to be moral support from the heated van.

15/11/2022

Blink and you miss it!

Muppy did 1.3 miles in 5 min 23 seconds which, in dachshund (mix) legs, translates to 3.9 dach-miles.

This was from Twin Cities Dog Powered Sports dryland event over the weekend which was a blast.

12/11/2022

5th place out of 14 dogs for novice and 13th out of 24 dogs overall!

Most importantly, we had a ton of fun (and beat our time from last year).

I'm still amazed at how many people recognized Muppy and how many knew of her but hadn't met her yet.

12/11/2022

Muppy had a wonderful run today! She pulled, followed commands and even passed another racer like a champ. Still waiting on the times but she's a winner to me!

She also got to meet a hoard of fans and loved all the attention.

09/11/2022

Barely remembered to start my Strava app before leaving the chute at the Redpaw Dirty Dog Derby over the weekend but so glad I did it. You can tell where the first big hill was in the beginning and then the last 2 spikes at the end where we were passed twice.

Not bad for a lil legged dog!

09/11/2022

Chute time is 11:17pm on Saturday for our next bikejoring race.

Last year we did this race in 5 minutes and 32ish seconds. Our goal this year is to beat that! (And maybe not come in last)

02/11/2022

With oddly toasty November temps, we have to train early mornings or evenings so Muppy doesn't overheat.

Only a few more days until our first race of the season. This weekend we will be in Pearson WI for the Redpaw race. We train by but race