Mike Dillingham - Alaska Dogs and Iditarod Mushers - The Adventures of Balto, Back of the Pack, Honor Bound, Rivers

“Sure, but only for a short while, I am kind of tired,” Sunny said, as I heard them walk off towards Christmas’ doghouse.

“Ladies.” It was Lakota. “Now get some rest, we have work to do tomorrow.”

“Yes Uncle Lakota,” Both Sunny and Christmas said chuckling.

I knew Lakota was laughing to himself when Nitro said, “Geez Lakota, ease up. This is not boot camp. Let the ladies have some fun. Life is just too short not to have a good time. Besides,” Nitro added, “it sounds like Sunny deserves some good times.”

“Yeah, Nitro, you are right.” Lakota said, “Did you hear the joke about the….”

“Wait a minute, Lakota.” It was Ugly. “I am the joke teller around here.”

We all started to laugh and went to our doghouses to get some rest.

I was dreaming of leading my team across the finish line when I heard Sunny’s beautiful voice saying, “Rivers, wake up, I need to talk to you.” What a dream this is, I thought. I am leading my team to victory and Sunny is speaking to me at the same time. It cannot get much better than that.

“Rivers, please wake up, I must talk to you.” Again the voice, however this time I realized this was no dream. The urgency in Sunny’s voice woke me right up.

“What is the matter, Sunny?” I asked.

“Can we talk, Rivers?” She asked.

“Of course Sunny, something bothering you?” I asked.

“Yes Rivers, I am scared,” she said

“Scared?” I said, leaping out of my doghouse. “Something in the yard?” I asked. “No, no Rivers,” she said. “I am scared of tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” I asked. “What could you possible be scared of?” We both started to walk over to the far corner of the yard so that our voices would not wake the rest of the team. I could tell from her voice that something was troubling Sunny and it would be best to give her some privacy to talk about it.

As we walked, she told me that she had never run in a team before. She was afraid that she would fail, and the guys and Christmas, or Mike or her beloved Doctor Jim would think badly of her.

“Why are you telling me all of this?” I asked her.

“Because you have faced so many challenges in your life and you overcame them. You would know the answer,” she said.

I told her that I have no single answer. I face each day as it comes and then deal with its challenges. If I succeed, great. If I fail, so what? I know that I gave it my best shot, and that is all that counts in life.

I also told her that Mike and the team would not think badly of me if I failed. Mike especially. He would just scoop me up, give me a big body hug, and tell me I did great, even if I failed. He would know, as well as my teammates, that I tried and did the best I could. As I said, that is really all that really counts in life.

“But my Doctor Jim wants me to run the trails like you guys and live up to my Husky heritage.” She added, “I do not know if I can do that.”

“I know your Doctor Jim very well and I will tell you that he just wants you to be happy. Furthermore,” I said, “Doctor Jim would be proud of you whether you became the best lead dog in the world, or never ran a race and just curled up in his lap.” I continued. “Doctor Jim is giving you a chance to find your destiny. I can assure you that whether your destiny is to be great lead dog or a house dog, Doctor Jim won’t care.” I added, “He only wants you to be happy. Doctor Jim is very much like Mike; he will like you no matter what you are. Unfortunately, some humans don’t feel that way,” I said. “But we are lucky. Mike and Doctor Jim do.”

“Rivers,” she asked, “will you be my friend?”

“I am your friend.” I replied.

“No Rivers,” she said. “I want you to be my good friend, my special friend.”

I told her I would always be there for her, and I would always be her friend. As I spoke those words to her, I realized that I was becoming very fond of this lady dog. I wanted to protect her from all of the uncertainty she was dealing with, yet I knew she had to experience it herself so she would find her true happiness and destiny.

This was very confusing for a simple trail running dog like me. I was thinking too much. I asked Sunny if she felt better. She said she did and we walked back to her doghouse. I told her not too worry. Things always happen for the best and just to believe in herself. She would do fine.

“You are so courageous, Rivers.” She said as we reached her doghouse.

“No,” I said. “You are the courageous one. Your life spirit could have given up when you were sick so often. It did not and I know it will not give up on you now. You will be a success at whatever you do. Now get some rest. I know we will have a fun day tomorrow.”

“Thank you Rivers, my special bud,” she said

“Goodnight Sunny.”

I got up before my teammates and went to the corner of the yard where I know the morning sun will shine on me. Mike tells me that I am looking east towards the sunrise. Sometimes he stands by my side and tells me what he sees. I can picture it all in my mind, as he talks to me and rubs my ears. It is so nice and comforting to be there and feel the warmth of the early morning sun. It makes me feel thankful for all the things given to me.

I heard her footsteps in the fresh snow behind me, but I did not turn around. “Mornin’ Sunny, how are you?” I asked.

“How did you know it was me, Rivers?” She asked.

“I heard your footsteps in the snow,” I answered.

She said nothing as she sat down beside me. After a moment of two, she asked me what I was doing. I told her I was looking at the sunrise. “But you can’t see,” she said, “you are blind!’

“True,” I replied, “but I can see it in my mind.”

“Can you see me, in your mind?” She asked. I told her yes I could. “What do I look like to you, in your mind?” She asked this in a very soft, almost cautious manner. However, before I could answer, we heard the sound of Mike hitting the food bucket with the big spoon and singing, “Hey you sleepy heads, get your fannies out of bed. Chow time!” There is nothing like Mike singing in the morning to get your heart pumping and your legs moving. If the food were not great, Mike would be one lonely critter after singing his morning wake up song!

As we ambled over to the chow, Sunny said, “You didn’t answer my question Rivers. What do I look like in your mind’s eye?”

I chuckled as I said jokingly, “Well, that is for me to know and for you to figure out.”

“Rivers you are so frustrating,” she sighed.

“Yes I know but that is what friends are for, right?” I said laughingly. “You better get over to your food bowl and eat that great chow before Sandy gets out here from the house. She likes cleaning up,” I added.

I heard Mike scoop out my chow and put it into my bowl. As I stuck my head in it to eat, I could hear my buddies eating and enjoying their kibble.

“Hey Lakota.” It was Ugly with his morning joke. “Did you hear the one about…”? I missed the rest of it as an airplane flew overhead. I could tell from the sound that it was Doctor Jim’s. I bet he was on his way up north to help the village dogs. Sunny told us that she often went with Doctor Jim on these trips.

After chow, we played in the yard for a while and then Mike came out to harness us up. “Okay gang, this is what we are going to do,” He said. “We will make two runs today. The first one will be a short run with only five dogs. Rivers and Lakota will be in the wheel position. Christmas and Doc will be the leaders and Sunny will run as a solo team dog. This way, Sunny can get used to running with the team. We will not be going very far, a few miles or so and it will be a nice gentle pace so that we do not tire Sunny out. She is recuperating and we do not want her to get hurt.”