Snow Dogs: November 2014

Hi everybody, Storm here from Horse and Husky!

I’ve just got back from an incredible camping trip with my good friend, Blue!

Me and Blue outside our tent

The weather was brilliant as we set off – Blue and I gazed out of the window as Sonia drove us down the winding Lake District lanes.

We both couldn’t wait to arrive and feel the warm sun on our fur!

I’d also heard a rumour from our friend, Danielle, that there was pizza available at the campsite.

Now, being a husky, I’ve experienced many fine foods in my time – Cumberland sausages, brown rice drizzled in vegetable oil, French cheeses, but up until now, never pizza. Mmmmm I do like my food!

Mmmm, pizza!

During the journey, we also had a new companion to look after – our new friend, Luka, who was travelling with us so we could help him settle in. Luka had been with us at Horse and Husky for a few days now and was starting to feel more confident, but he was still slightly nervous when it came to travelling.

Blue was a great help at making Luka feel better – cracking jokes here and there:

“How did the little dog feel when he saw a monster?”  “Terrier-fied!”

“Why are Dalmatians no good at ‘Hide and Seek’?” “They’re always spotted!”

When we reached the campsite, the view was fantastic and I could see for miles around. The sun was still shining brightly and I took a quick opportunity to sunbathe.

Great views at Low Wray Campsite

Blue and I waved goodbye to Luka who was riding back home with Sonia. He smiled and waved back – it was great to see him looking more happy and confident.
And then it was time to put up our tent . . . Well, actually, we let the humans do that! Danielle and Izaak set to work sorting out the tent pegs. I on the other hand, found a nice, shady spot and had a quick nap while Blue helped himself to fresh blackberries from a nearby bush.

When I awoke, the first thing I saw was Blue with blackberry juice dripping down his face. Danielle, Izaak and Kev had successfully put up the tent, and it looked great – mine and Blue’s bedroom was very posh!

Blue’s Blackberries

Later that night, we got a campfire going and cooked bacon and sausages – there were marshmallows afterwards too! We had a busy and exciting day ahead – giving carriage rides up at Wray Castle, so after a few too many sausages, we called it a night and wandered into our tent. The stars were out now and we could hear the faint calls of small dogs from around the campsite. We hoped Luka was settling in nicely back at home.

Husky fan, Kia enjoying rides with us

Up at Wray Castle the next day, we met our excited passengers, and made a lot of new friends. After several carriage rides, I grew a bit tired so I asked Blue if he could do the rest. I lay down outside the castle and it wasn’t long before people came over to start giving me tummy tickles. Well, everybody needs a massage now and again! I did have to get up at one point though when Blue complained that he’d given more rides than me. So off I went again, this time with a friendly young Canadian girl called Kia who was absolutely mad about huskies!

Back at the campsite, Blue and I were really excited because tonight was pizza night! We found a coin back in the tent and I said ‘Heads or Tails?’ and flipped it with my paw. Anyway, Blue won the coin toss and got to choose the flavour of our pizza. He chose roasted vegetable – I tried to get Blue to change his mind to Pepperoni but Blue’s mind was made up. He can be very stubborn at times you know!

Danielle came back with our pizza slices and we tucked in. Roasted vegetable or not, the pizza had an amazing flavour and was so deliciously crisp! I hope we go on holiday to Italy in the future!

Our next holiday – just need to ask Sonia!

That night, Blue had trouble sleeping – the rain was making a lot of noise on the roof of our tent. I can sleep through pretty much anything so it didn’t bother me at all. But Blue woke me up all the same to tell me he couldn’t sleep. I wish he’d let me have some peace and quiet! Danielle agreed to take him for a walk when the rain stopped, and Blue nagged me into coming along with him – I was enjoying that dream about Italy too! It must have been about midnight when we went for our walk and it was very exciting to be out so late. We paddled in the water’s edge and Blue thought he saw some fish leaping around. We looked out across the tiny boats towards Windermere and thought how lucky we were to live in the Lake District.

For the rest of the week, we took it in turns giving more carriage rides up at Wray Castle and also back at the campsite. We’d made lots of friends by now and people were giving us all kinds of treats. After the rides, Blue showed me how to pick blackberries without getting prickled and we collected a supply to take back home with us.

Great views from Wray Castle

On our last night, we met a little Jack Russell called Toby. We shared our campfire supper with him and told him we had some friends who were Jack Russells back at home. He was a very excitable little dog and seemed to have boundless energy.

He’d never met snowdogs like us before and was amazed at how much fur we had.

Him and Blue told jokes and stories but his never ending energy was making me feel a bit worn out so I popped into the tent and snacked on some blackberries for an energy boost – they’re a superfood you know. Toby told us that next time we come up, we’d have to hire canoes and get out on the lake – which did sound really fun. We told Toby not to miss out on pizza night tomorrow and like us, he hadn’t tasted pizza before so he thanked us for letting him know and ran off to his friends to tell them.

The fantastic view from Wray Castle

After enjoying our bacon sandwiches for breakfast, Sonia arrived, ready to take us back home. She was really pleased to see us and rewarded us with lots of cuddles. Back home, we were really pleased to see that our friend Luka had settled in nicely and was now best friends with Archie.

We pulled up in the van to see the two of them playing out together in the paddock. Blue rushed off, excited to join in while I crept off to the end of the paddock to have a quick snooze.