Bogieblog

Satan's War got a Snowball's Chance

When the Kentucky Derby comes around, as it did last Saturday (I actually got to watch it live - very exciting race), stories about the horses and decendants of past champions get highlighted in the press. One such story is of a former race horse, a grandson of Secretariat, who sustained a knee injury in the early 90's. He had raced for three years before the injury.

Some former race horses are put out for breeding, some are re-purposed as hunter/jumpers. Some are sold at auction and find homes with the general public and others have an unfortunate end. However, Satan's War was put to work at the New Orleans police force (his street name is a more public-friendly Snowball). He has been on the job for 20 years, putting him at 25-26, a pretty ripe age for a horse. He has been semi-retired and now works parades, school functions and other special events.

He still looks magnificent running around in the field (see video in the story). We should all do so well in our old ages.

Almost There

Although the Iditarod isn't quite over yet,there are still two teams racing, I would like to congratulate everyone who entered the race - just starting the race takes more courage, strength, and determination than most (even me) can imagine.

The top finishers were:

1. Dallas Seavey
2. Aliy Zirkle,
3. Ramey Smyth,
4. Aaron Burmeister,
5. Peter Kaiser,
6. Ray Reddington Jr,
7. Mitch Seavey,
8. Michael Williams Jr.,
9. John Baker,
10. DeeDee Jonrowe.We

We are still waiting to find out who will win the Red Latern award (last racer in).

Iditarod 2012 Update

Jeff King, a yearly threat to win, has scratched from the Iditarod. Aliy Zirkle, a New Hampshire native, is currently in second, behind Dallas Seavy. Looks like a different generation of dog sledders is trying to kick some butt.

Of course, there are still some miles to go, so it is still anybody's race.

As usual, besides the official Iditarod site, the Anchorage Daily News has lots of stories on the race.

It's a What?

A PSNH worker did a good dead the other day by breaking down the door to a burning house to allow the owner's pet dog escape.

When I read the name of the dog breed, I thought there must be some mistake. The story called the dog a Blackmouth Cur breed. I have never heard of a blackmouth cur, and looking at the picture I thought the dog looked somewhat like a boxer mix. I thought that either the owners were having fun with the reporter, or the owners had been taken for some cash when they got the dog.

However, upon further investigation, I found that there is indeed a Blackmouth Cur breed and it has been listed by the UKC since 1998.

Hu, learn something new everyday.

Interesting

I have become a research resource on sled dogs - given as an assignment by a Texas teacher. The teacher points to a post I did quite some time ago.

Found this little tidbit because my stats automatically loaded when I signed it=nto Typepad and I got curious as to why I was getting referals from Teacherweb.

Hey, and only 3 days until Iditarod 2012 starts!

 

Doggie Fun

_{You gotta go check out the pictures of the dogs on Little Friends Lifestyles. (found thru Hell in a handbasket). Somebody likes to take pictures of dogs as they plunge into a pool after a toy - some great stuff there, even if you are't a dog person. Give it a moment to load, then it will go thru a slideshow.}

Coyotes Howl At Sled Dogs In Bridgewater

The local TV station was taping when coyotes started howling at soem sled dogs. You have to suffer thru about 15 seconds of ad, then the film starts. At the beginning, you can hear an owl hooting, then the cacaphony of the coyotes takes over. Really cool to listen to.

Raw Video: Coyotes Howl At Sled Dogs In Bridgewater - Video - WMUR New Hampshire.

We don't get that much from the local coyotes - I'm guessing not as many are around here, but we still hear them on occassion (of course I'm in bed before they start most times - I usually hear them when letting the dogs out in the early morning).

Missing Musher

Melanie Gould, a musher who runs the Iditarod every year is missing. Apparently she didn't make arrangements for anyone to take care of her dogs - not a typical musher move (i wouldn't think). Hope she turns out to be okay!

Just Full of Cute

Found this over at Parkway Rest Stop and figured a couple of my readers would enjoy. There is music, but it is delightful to watch even without the sound on. Most people can see when a dog is happy, and can tell when the dog is "smiling". The slow motion allows you to see the "smiles" of the cat and it is evident he is having a great deal of fun.

You are welcome for your Zen of the day.

Different Things

I will be looking at something interesting Monday. Can't say what, where or who, but it will at the very least do something to satisfy my curiosity about something which has been intriguing me for about 1 1/2 years.

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When I took my new job, the medical benefits (and deductibles) were better than what WS had been getting thru his work, so we switched. Friday WS said that his company was dropping their contribution to 50% (it had been 70%). They are also completely dropping their contribution to the 401k. Looks like I picked a good time to find a job that has good medical and contributes to my 401k (my previous employer had dropped 401k contributions a couple of years ago). They also laid off one person - things aren't looking good for them right now.

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We got 11" of snow on Friday. This morning WS went out sledding with Jimmy and some other buddies, He left about 11:30 and is projected to get home about 8:30 (he called a couple of hours ago). He leaves again tomorrow to sled with the neighbor. Now that he finally got the sled fixed, he has to ride it like he stole it before the rain and warmer temps come in later in the week.

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WS has lost another crown. this one has come off before (last time we were in Kansas) and there is barely any tooth left above the gumline to glue it to. We wil probably have them yank the tooth and look into implants (which he could use for the other 5-6 teeth he is missing - all molars). Probably won't yank the tooth yet as he has already used most of the dental benefits for the year and as long as it doesn't bother him, it should be okay.

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The Last Great Race on Earth starts March 5th.

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And that is it for the short taks from the bogie household.