Budget Chicago

Hitchin’ Up the Huskies at Morton Arboretum Sunday!

Dog sledding at Morton Arboretum. Photo by Laurie Borman
Dog sledding at Morton Arboretum. Photo by Laurie Borman

 

Lisle, IL–Little kids, big kids, and adults who wished they were kids turned out to see the dog sledding demonstrations at the Morton Arboretum today.  (The dogs will also be there tomorrow, Jan. 31,  from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.)  Adopt A Husky brought out several Siberian huskies that are available for adoption, and the Adopt A Husky folks let kids of all ages pet the dogs.  They also deomonstrated skijoring (being pulled by a dog while on cross-country skis) and dog sledding.  Since the snow barely covered the ground, the teams moved from sleds early in the day to tri-cycle-like contraptions called rigs for the later demos. 

 The Husky Days event at the Morton Aboretum has been going on for five years, with a Winterfest event before that.  It’s a great way to get people out among the trees and enjoy the winter, according to Gina Tedesco of the Morton Arboretum.

The dogs were remarkably calm, and seemed to enjoy all the attention of the children.  Huskies are very pack oriented and the more people, the more dogs, the happier they are, says  Noel Dagley, the treasurer of Adopt A Husky, and an organizer for the event.  She and her husband Mike got their first husky, Maverick, 13 years ago.  He still races with them.  Noting the quiet behavior, she said, “This all goes out the window once they see the first dog get hooked up.  Then they will erupt.”  And sure enough, when the handlers start hitching up the sleds, the dogs howl on cue.

Visitors also enjoyed a movie, “Iditerod, the Last Great Race”, and a talk by Carol Preble, who came with her Siberian husky, Arrow, that ran in the Iditerod.  The race commemorates a 674-mile relay race from Anchorage to Nome that brought diptheria serum in -50F weather in 1925.  Preble talked about Arrow’s role in the race, and showed a series of photos detailing the race, even the “dog parking lots” where the teams rest at checkpoints.  (The 2010 Iditerod begins March 13.)

If you come out, steel yourself, because you’ll want to adopt your own husky once you see the startling blue-eyed creatures in action.Morton Arboretum 097

Husky. Photo by Laurie Borman
Husky. Photo by Laurie Borman
Harnessed up. Photo by Laurie Borman
Harnessed up. Photo by Laurie Borman

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