For years and years Tonya of Seppala was the poster girl for the Seppala Siberian Sleddog Project. She was Jeffrey’s main leader and constant personal companion. She’s spayed now, fourteen years and ten months old, hasn’t been in harness since 2006, is blind in one eye; and she won’t give up! Yesterday the vet found an enlarged lymph node beside her left foreleg, which could be the beginning of the end for Tonya. Her only comment is, “Boss, don’tcha think we’re gettin’ too friendly with the vetamarian these days?”

Today on an impulse I grabbed the long line. It was a bright, sunny, breezy morning. Tonya was in her tiny shaded pen under the Manitoba Maple tree near the back door. When she saw the long line she got excited. I snapped it onto her collar, and she blasted right past the truck as I fumbled with tangled loops of line. As soon as I got the line collected, Tonya headed right down the driveway for the grid road, right at the end of the long line, the same as ever. She stopped to empty her bowels, then took off for the end of the drive and turned left on the grid road. She knows now that a long-line walk has no urgency, so she took time to smell the smells and investigate wildlife scats. As soon as I could, I turned off the road and onto one of our alfalfa hayfields. The photo in the previous post was taken as *I* rested in the shade just after turning off.

She’s really happier on a clear trail these days, as her sight isn’t that great. She doesn’t think I know where I’m going, so it took some persuading to steer her through the hayfield. We did a big loop back to the farmyard with the yard dogs going crazy watching Tonya on the line. Back in her pen, she had a nice drink of cool water. I thought, “there, that’ll do you for the day, now you’ll crash hard.” Fifteen minutes later, she still hadn’t gone into her doghouse for a nap, but just stood by the gate.

Tonya is still tough as an old boot, I guess. If I wasn’t such a chicken, when it’s finally time for her to go I should just harness her up at lead in front of a Seppala team and let her run herself to the Rainbow Bridge. But I don’t have that kind of courage. I dread the day when she has to go, because I know she won’t go easily or voluntarily. Tonya, Tonya, Tonya…