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

It was very quiet except for the chopper coming closer to us. “One more thing,” Mike said, “beating your dogs is also illegal.” I heard Mike walk over to one of the dogs on the other team. “This dog’s name is Smokey Joe. I know this dog, I can see where you have beat him.”

Lakota told me it was Smokey Joe, and he did not look like the dog we knew. He was cowering, dirty, and looked like he had been beat up a lot.

“Smokey, this is Rivers. Is that you?” I asked.

“Rivers,” the dog replied, “yes it is me Smokey Joe. Be careful,” he said, ”this musher is a very bad person.”

The chopper was directly overhead when the musher pushed Mike down and then jumped on the runners of his sled. The team would have run over Mike, but we told the team not to go. They were confused, but did not move. The musher came around to the front of the team where Smokey Joe was, but Smokey Joe jumped the musher. That gave Mike a chance to get up and hold the musher until the trooper chopper landed. Lakota told me that the musher kicked Smokey Joe in the head and Smokey went down, just before the troopers grabbed the musher.

Lakota said that Smokey was not moving and Mike was kneeling next to him. Smokey’s head was in Mike’s lap and he was gently stroking Smokey’s head. Doc said that Smokey opened his eyes. He looked at us and said that he was very sorry for being mean to us the last time we ran together. He said he was stupid for running away. He wished he had raced with us to Nome and honored his Husky heritage. Smokey looked up at Mike, licked his hand, and closed his eyes. Smokey was gone.

Lakota told me that Mike took his knife out of his pocket and cut Smokey Joe out of his harness. The troopers walked up to Mike and he told the troopers that he was going to take Smokey back to our place and give him a decent burial. Mike suggested that one of the troopers drive Smokey’s team up to Mike’s kennel and he would find homes for the dogs. The pelts and traps were evidence, and Mike told the troopers he would be available to testify against this musher if needed.

Christmas’ voice sounded confused and sad as she told me how Mike gently lifted Smokey Joe up off the ground, placed him in our sled basket, and covered him with a blanket. Outside of Mike’s commands, the run home was very quiet and somber.

Sunny was stunned. What had started as a fun run, turned tragic. She did not know about Smokey Joe. On the run back home, we told her about how he was a bully, picked on Old Rex and me, plus snapped at Christmas and Mike. We told Sunny that Smokey did not want to run in the big race, and how he planned to get us disqualified from it. We told Sunny that Smokey ran off and joined a wolf pack after he was dropped at a checkpoint for a phony limp. That was the last we saw of him until today.

We were all silent until Lakota said, “Who would have thought that Smokey Joe would live up to his Husky heritage, to live and die on the trails we love to run and race on?” Lakota continued. “Who would have thought that Smokey would protect Mike?”

After we got home, Mike got us out of our harnesses and gave us fresh water. The other guys were ready for their run, but we told them what had happened. We were all in the yard talking, while listening to Mike in his workshop. He was building something. We walked over to the workshop. The door was open. Ugly was standing next to me and told me what he saw. Smokey Joe was still wrapped in the blanket and resting on one part of the worktable. Mike was building a box that was the same size as Smokey Joe. Doc told us that the box is called a coffin. After we die, our spirits cross the Rainbow Bridge, but our bodies stay here. We will not need them at the Bridge since we will be happy, young, and healthy dogs.

Ugly told us that Mike had his back to us and when he turned around, you could tell he was very sad. I guess Mike saw us standing there because he said, “So you guys are feeling sad also? Well, Smokey may have been a bad dog, but in the end, he was a good dog and a hero.” Mike added, “We will remember him for the good and not the bad. That is how we should remember anyone who dies”

Ugly told me that Mike put one of our team harnesses on Smokey Joe. Then Mike took off Smokey’s old collar and put one of our team collars on him. Ugly said that Mike took a brush and brushed Smokey out and made him look like the champion he had been.

“You are on my team now Smokey,” Mike said, as he gently placed Smokey into the box and put the top on it. Brownie said that Mike’s face was a little wet and his eyes were red. Yes I thought, Mike was very sad. As we looked at the box, Nitro said that Mike painted Smokey Joe’s name on it and underneath his name the word “HERO.”

Mike lifted the box up and I heard him carry it out of the workshop. Lakota was next to me and we walked with the rest of the team to a hill that is located a little ways down the trail. It is not a big hill, but it looks down on the trail.

When we got to the hill, Lakota told me that Mike put the box down and cleared the snow from the ground. Mike began to dig a hole in the ground. The dirt was not frozen as it was on the trail since the sun warms the ground here. I heard where Mike was digging and I started to dig the dirt by his feet. Next thing I knew, we all were digging in the dirt helping Mike dig this grave for Smokey.

When we were done, Mike placed Smokey’s coffin into the grave, and covered it with dirt. Mike said that when Spring comes, he would plant some flowers here and put a marker on Smokey’s grave. We sat for a few moments and I got a strange, but nice feeling, that Smokey was across the Bridge looking back smiling at us, and happy with what we did for him. I bet he was truly happy for the first time in his life.

When we returned from where we buried Smokey, we all went to our doghouses to get some rest. After a while, we all came back out to the yard and started to talk about what had happened. This had been a confusing day. What had started out as a fun day turned into a sad day, which made us think about how lucky we were.

“Uncle Rivers.” It was Christmas. “I am confused,” she said. I asked her what was confusing her.

She was remembering Smokey Joe as a very mean dog who snapped at her when he visited us before the big race. She reminded us that Smokey had picked on Aunt Sandy and Grandpa Rex. She even remembered how Mike wrestled Smokey to the ground in order to protect us from him. He was a big powerful dog. However, when we saw him today, he looked so old and weak. He even protected Mike. Christmas asked whether she should feel sad or angry.

There was silence until Lakota answered her. He said that we should feel sad because Smokey died, but we should feel very happy that he is in a better place now, and that he turned out to be a good dog. Lakota added that it is all right to feel angry, but we should replace that anger with appreciation and happiness that we are in a good home, with a good musher who takes great care of us.

I was amazed at Lakota for what he said. He really knew the score. However, Nitro finally put this issue to rest when he said, “Christmas, our job as dogs is to be good and to protect our musher. Some of us do and some of do not. Smokey chose not to be good, but in the end, he did the right thing. He proved that good would always win over evil.”

This was coming from Nitro. Amazing! Nitro stood nose to nose with Smokey Joe when Smokey picked on Grandpa Rex and me. Sometimes words of wisdom come from the least expected mouths.

“Christmas,” Sunny said, “you have some very smart Uncles.”

“Yes,” Christmas said. “And they are very brave and I am proud of all of them.”