Sorry for the silence lately, it’s been a quiet late fall and so-far winter around here. Maisy’s recovery and rehabilitation went great, she is using the leg normally and clear for normal activity. But I was down sick for several weeks and the weather is NOT cooperating in our corner of the world – either bitterly cold, or too much snow and ice to scooter but not enough to skijor. So she hasn’t actually been mushing since her surgery although we are both eager to get her out there. We are in the midst of a mini-thaw, though, so I am cautiously optimistic that we’ll get out over the next several days and find some clear trails for scootering.

Having said all that, the last week HAS been a busy one. I’m excited to announce the arrival of our newest Mush Puppy! I wasn’t actively thinking of adding a new dog at this point, but every once in awhile a really amazing opportunity just blossoms in front of you and you know if you don’t embrace it you’ll regret it forever. And so, meet Toast!

Sometimes opportunity is also adorable.

Toast is a 10 week old Belgian Malinois who should grow to be a great addition to our little team. My oh-so-tentative plan for the future is that when matures, he will run lead with Maisy and then Squash can run behind in wheel where I think he will be more suited and comfortable. But who knows? Nothing is set in stone with such a wee baby, everything will be what it is.

He’s only been home about 5 days, and so far we’ve mostly been getting him comfortable with the big dogs. He was a little intimidated at first, but he’s definitely come around. He walked yesterday with Squash and today with Maisy, just introducing him to walking in front of me when he’s wearing a harness (his natural inclination right now is to stay right by me, which I’ll continue to encourage on a collar).

One thing I’d like to point out is that while I expect Maisy the uber-lead dog to stay out in front of a puppy, Squash is also staying out in front beautifully. It’s a bittersweet sign of maturity.

We’re a long, long way from running a 3-dog team, but it’s never too early to start working on the fundamentals (Gee/Haw, Leave It/On By, etc) while he’s learning all the other things a puppy needs to learn. He’s got a great background and had a great start, so I’m sure he’s going to shine.