I don’t know how other mushers can mush when it’s this warm. I just went for my first run at 52 degrees (wind and no sun). Team: Nikki & Chevy (lead), Ahab & Shrek (point), Roo (swing), Luke & Spike (wheel). Everyone was excited to go and we hooked up and left the yard with little incident.
My neighbor told me that she was moving the sheep, so I figured it was safe to mush on the field. Ha. I got to a turn in the field and 5-6 loose sheep– were coming toward me. The sheep weren’t even on her property. I stopped the machine and cursed many times. I was able to turn the team around, but turning a 500lb ATV is without hurting the team or myself was challenging , but do-able. We trotted home.
Spike looked like she was having a hard time. She was in wheel position and took the brunt of the force when turning around. I think she had minor heat exhaustion. I’ve seen it before with Peetie. When overheating the dogs tend to stumble. Spike jumped in the baby pool, but was stumbling and had her back left foot turned over without noticing. I put the gang away, gave everyone raw hide, and tended to Spike with an ice pack and ice cubes.
I need to stick to my rule. No running dogs unless it’s 40 degrees or below.