When he was born, he was black, but now he's tan-coloured with darker highlights. Sparkey began working at around nine months old, when he was gradually incorporated into the sled pack. The young dogs need to calm down enough that they won't jump all over the others. “They run immediately, that's naturally an instinct, but learning manners takes time,” says Rixon. She said she and Schwanke knew early Sparkey was a leader. “When they're puppies, what we start doing with them is taking them for puppy walks,” she says. “We slowly build them up in speed and distance.”
When Sparkey was about five months old, the puppies at the time went out for a run alongside the quad. Sparkey would always be the slowest of the four. When the team would stop for a break, he would always be the last to catch up. While the group was resting and having a drink of water, Sparkey caught up, and just kept going. “He was the only one who wouldn't stop,” said Rixon. “He just kept on running right past us... because he knew that he was the slowest, and he didn't want anybody to wait for him. “He was always trying to be up front, even though he just didn't have the speed to do it.” As Sparkey grew into his body, he got faster and is now leading the team. “If we have a trail that needs to be broken with lots of fresh snow, putting Sparkey up front is a really good idea, because he just wants to barrel through and keep the team going.” To visit Sparkey in person, or for more information on sled dog adventures, visit mountainmanadventures.ca. WINTER 2013 l KIBBLE
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