The Junk Brothers....

Togo's antics with garbage a few weeks ago were documented in my blog, but I haven't mentioned that he has a partner in crime - Runner.

Runner is actually alittle better at the 'grabbing garbage game' then Togo as he is quicker on his feet. He remains the only leader I've ever had that managed to catch (and eat) a squirrel on the fly on a training run (okay, maybe I stopped for 10 seconds so he could swallow, but it was all long over before I even got the ATV stopped). He's pretty good about dropping stuff if I notice him grabbing it and call his name, but he does try to be sneaky about it so I don't see.
The other night when Helen and I went out to feed, Runner was hunched over trying to pass a rag that he had obvious scored and inhaled on a run. With alittle help he got through the incident fine.

I don't know if this has any bearing on the situation, but both Togo and Runner where born at Kelim Kennels in New Hampshire. Helen says that New Hampshire is a dirty state compared to lovely green Vermont, but I know nothing about that ;) But you must know Helen is the woman that struggled to close a gate for me a few weeks back and once she successfully closed it, found herself standing on the wrong side of it! *VBG*

I don't know what I was thinking when I put the two boys in lead together today. Well, I guess that isn't true, I do know what I was thinking, they are good leaders and I want to give them a bit more experience up front -- and I was planning on running the Landing Trail which doesn't really have any garbage on it. But of course, plans changed and we headed over to Perryvale so Helen could get her absentee ballot in the mail.

The run was going well with only the occasional bit of ducking and diving for 'tasty tidbits' when Runner and Togo FLEW off the trail after something. Runner was already swallowing a prize when I jumped off the ATV and started up front. Helen was reaching for her camera to take pictures of my out of control team (now you understand my mentioning the gate episode!!!). I was halfway up the 16 dog team when the smell hit me and I realized that this was probably not going to be a good day. FRESH ROAD KILL!
Thankfully, something had dragged the deer carcass a ways into the bush, so I was able to stop the team before they got right on top of it but there was lots of bits and pieces about. I looked over at one point and Flash was rubbing his handsome piebald face in a green pile of stomach contents. How special!!!
It took about ten stinky, unpleasant minutes to drag the team out of the bush, undo all the tangles and get everyone pointed down the road again.

On the way home the deer had been moved quite aways down the road, perhaps by the huge bald eagle that we flushed off of it as we passed by (very cool). Thankfully, the dogs didn't get wind of the stink until we were by, but they did try to check out where it had been earlier in the day.

I think I'm going to have to save 'The Garbage Guys' (or 'The Trash Talkers', as Helen calls them) until we are way out in the wilderness from now on - at least as a pair!

Karen