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Description
“Hey Audrey! Do you have a minute?”

She paused from where she was trying to wrestle the puppy x-back out of Twoey’s jaws to glance up at me. Blowing her hair out of her face she stood up to face me.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

I glanced down at the papers in my hand to ensure I had my facts straight before looking back up at her.

“Would you be willing to take a team of eight dogs to Utah for a dryland race? It’s a 3-mile total out and back at Arches National Park.”

She clearly thought for a second before excitedly bouncing in place.

“I’d love to take a team! Who did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking Sin and Dotty as the leads with Eyrie and Aggie as swing, Johnny and Little Fox as team dogs and Veruca and Tyson as wheel dogs? That would give you three highly experienced dogs, four decently experienced, and a less experienced dog. All of them have some race experience but Johnny has only entered in minor races.”

“Perfect! That team is made up of a bunch of paired dogs that have been trained and worked together a lot so they definitely have experience running with each other. Plus Sin, Eyrie, and Aggie have an insane amount of experience so they will definitely keep the others on track.”

“Excellent! I’ll email you the info and get transport and reservations setup. I figured you could take Vasi with you just to have extra hands on deck to help wrangle eight dogs.”

“That works! Twoey! No.......”

With Audrey being distracted Twoey had taken the chance to make a run for it, sprinting off towards the open door with the puppy x-back in tow. Audrey quickly following behind. Laughing, I headed back towards my office to get all the info together and start pre-booking hotels.

The big van was needed to haul all eight dogs, the three wheeled mushing cart, the supplies for the dogs and people as well as the emergency supplies. As usual the van was taken into the shop to be checked over and serviced prior to the trip to ensure it was in working condition prior to the long drive. Then it was simply a matter of all dogs getting a pre-race vet check up to ensure they were racing fit and ready to run!

The day of the race dawned bright and early. Audrey and Alexandros made their way to the national park with all eight dogs in tow. At the start of the race, Sin and Dotty were hooked up first and given the line out command. With them at the front of the tether holding tight, the other dogs could be hooked in behind them without issue. While Eyrie and Aggie stayed in their positions without issue, showing excitement in wagging tails and periodic barks, Little Fox was an immediate problem once hooked on. Johnny stuck next to her was calmer. He was calmly watching her antics and waiting for the run to begin. At the back of the line, Veruca was relatively calm, practically dancing in place and barking as she waited for the race to begin. Tyson was the last to be hooked up, still being brought over by Audrey. In contrast to all of this, Little Fox was acting incredibly excited. Bouncing in place and constantly barking. Multiple times she jumped high enough to clear the full height of the dogs around her. Sin and Aggie held strong at the front of the line, ensuring the tether stayed taught and wouldn’t be tangled. This was the only reason Little Fox’s antics didn’t cause a giant knot.
Once everyone was hooked in the tether was double checked to ensure everyone was properly tied in and hooked to their partner. Then the line itself was checked for weak points and to ensure it was properly connected to the cart. The cart was given another pass over, checking for any flat tires or leaks. Finally, the packs were quadruple checked. Audrey and Alexandros checked that the cooler was full of ice and water, that multiple water bowls were packed as well as an emergency first aid kit, a cooling blanket and a sled attachment in case any serious injuries occur requiring a dog to be hauled back to the start. Audrey also brought a small bag of high calorie dog bars and some granola bars for herself. The trip was short enough that she didn’t foresee needing them, but better safe than sorry. With these checks done, the race could begin!

Word Count: 764

Entry for Red Rock Dryland Race

Description
“Hey Audrey! Do you have a minute?”

She paused from where she was trying to wrestle the puppy x-back out of Twoey’s jaws to glance up at me. Blowing her hair out of her face she stood up to face me.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

I glanced down at the papers in my hand to ensure I had my facts straight before looking back up at her.

“Would you be willing to take a team of eight dogs to Utah for a dryland race? It’s a 3-mile total out and back at Arches National Park.”

She clearly thought for a second before excitedly bouncing in place.

“I’d love to take a team! Who did you have in mind?”

“I was thinking Sin and Dotty as the leads with Eyrie and Aggie as swing, Johnny and Little Fox as team dogs and Veruca and Tyson as wheel dogs? That would give you three highly experienced dogs, four decently experienced, and a less experienced dog. All of them have some race experience but Johnny has only entered in minor races.”

“Perfect! That team is made up of a bunch of paired dogs that have been trained and worked together a lot so they definitely have experience running with each other. Plus Sin, Eyrie, and Aggie have an insane amount of experience so they will definitely keep the others on track.”

“Excellent! I’ll email you the info and get transport and reservations setup. I figured you could take Vasi with you just to have extra hands on deck to help wrangle eight dogs.”

“That works! Twoey! No.......”

With Audrey being distracted Twoey had taken the chance to make a run for it, sprinting off towards the open door with the puppy x-back in tow. Audrey quickly following behind. Laughing, I headed back towards my office to get all the info together and start pre-booking hotels.

The big van was needed to haul all eight dogs, the three wheeled mushing cart, the supplies for the dogs and people as well as the emergency supplies. As usual the van was taken into the shop to be checked over and serviced prior to the trip to ensure it was in working condition prior to the long drive. Then it was simply a matter of all dogs getting a pre-race vet check up to ensure they were racing fit and ready to run!

The day of the race dawned bright and early. Audrey and Alexandros made their way to the national park with all eight dogs in tow. At the start of the race, Sin and Dotty were hooked up first and given the line out command. With them at the front of the tether holding tight, the other dogs could be hooked in behind them without issue. While Eyrie and Aggie stayed in their positions without issue, showing excitement in wagging tails and periodic barks, Little Fox was an immediate problem once hooked on. Johnny stuck next to her was calmer. He was calmly watching her antics and waiting for the run to begin. At the back of the line, Veruca was relatively calm, practically dancing in place and barking as she waited for the race to begin. Tyson was the last to be hooked up, still being brought over by Audrey. In contrast to all of this, Little Fox was acting incredibly excited. Bouncing in place and constantly barking. Multiple times she jumped high enough to clear the full height of the dogs around her. Sin and Aggie held strong at the front of the line, ensuring the tether stayed taught and wouldn’t be tangled. This was the only reason Little Fox’s antics didn’t cause a giant knot.
Once everyone was hooked in the tether was double checked to ensure everyone was properly tied in and hooked to their partner. Then the line itself was checked for weak points and to ensure it was properly connected to the cart. The cart was given another pass over, checking for any flat tires or leaks. Finally, the packs were quadruple checked. Audrey and Alexandros checked that the cooler was full of ice and water, that multiple water bowls were packed as well as an emergency first aid kit, a cooling blanket and a sled attachment in case any serious injuries occur requiring a dog to be hauled back to the start. Audrey also brought a small bag of high calorie dog bars and some granola bars for herself. The trip was short enough that she didn’t foresee needing them, but better safe than sorry. With these checks done, the race could begin!

Word Count: 764

Entry for Red Rock Dryland Race