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Blackwaters Osage, SDX - "Osage" 5/28/94-8/05/06 | |||||
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Osage came to us as a three year old and is forever in our mind, only the age of 5. At the time, we still lived in Massachusetts and trained mainly with mountain bikes. He was not a leader when he came to us, but quickly learned the skills. The majority of our leaders were co-trained by Osage. Osage's breeder did not like his feet, so he was altered as a yearling.
The 2004 fall training season, Osage and other members of our team spent quite a bit of time working to assist Osage's niece Aurora in lead. January 27, 2005 marks the 80th anniversary of when Leonard Seppala left Nenanna driving a dog team to bring life-saving diphtheria serum to Nome. It's a odd coinincidence that Osage at the age of 10 1/2, should be leading on this date, a driverless team around our local trail system, sled upright, and dogs unharmed.... back into the arms of the team's distraught and speechless owner. Osage has earned the Most Valuable Player award and regained a whole new appreciation in our eyes. During Spring/early Summer 2006, it became clearly apparent that our beloved Osage had aged. Walking up and down stairs became a chore. To make life easier, we built him a ramp (see photo below). During the month of July, Osage's health went through varying stages. We gained so much as dog owners having the opportunity to share this phase of his life. Like Falcon, he demonstrated strength right up until The End. Many thanks to Pete and Donna Johnson for letting Osage enter our world. We could not imagine a better start to our mushing career. He will forever be in our hearts. |
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