March 2, 2005
Musher leads doggone interesting life
Competitive sled dog racer Ruthie Bailey discusses sport during library program
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
If you know the difference between a gang line and a tow line, a tug line and a neck line, you were in the right place at the right time Saturday at the Traverse Area District Library.
The Youth Services Department welcomed Ruthie Bailey, a competitive sled dog racer from Empire, during last week's Saturday Sampler program.
For 90 minutes, Bailey discussed the sport of mushing, the Iditarod race and her travels and participation in the sport. She talked about the equipment, outdoor clothing, training and mindset needed for recreational and competitive mushing, both facets of the sport she has participated in.
"Recreational mushing pretty much means you start from your home and go to a designated area of your choice: state land, country roads," said Bailey, who at 49 said she had never owned a dog until she was 30. "You are not pressured by any regulations or expectations, it is a lot of fun and a very relaxed time with your dogs."
The talk absorbed Laurie D'Aquilla and her daughter, Louise, a fifth-grade student at Courtade Elementary School. The pair listened avidly to Bailey and later checked out the harnesses and sled she brought along.
D'Aquilla said her daughter has a seven-month-old Siberian Husky, 'Skye,' and is very interested in mushing.
"We knew very little coming here so this was good and now Louise is even more excited," D'Aquilla said.
Bailey, who has been mushing since 1989, takes a basic survival pack with her when she is out with her dogs. Recreational runs can go anywhere from one hour to a full day, so her pack includes snacks, safety equipment such as a flashlight, matches and kindling, and a first aid kit. She always has snowshoes on her sled, too, in case she is separated from her sled and team.
"You also need to have big mittens, too, that are fast on and off when you need to get down to business," she added while describing her typical, layered outdoor get up.
After outlining the history of the Iditarod race, which began in 1925 as an emergency medicine run from Anchorage to Nome, Bailey described her trip there in 2002. She hopes one day to participate as a racer and another year as a volunteer with the air support team for the racers.
Bailey's mixed breed dog, 'Trooper,' accompanied her to the presentation. A devoted companion who showered her with doggie kisses throughout the program, Trooper is one of more than 32 dogs Bailey trains and cares for on her 18-acre spread. She also has three horses, a sheep, two rabbits, cats and eight dogs she is baby-sitting.
Bailey lives in a log cabin that family and friends helped her build and her dogs live in a series of 'condos,' a typical kennel arrangement for sled dogs. Every day, she feeds, cleans, trains and cares for her brood, who she said enjoys the close canine community.
Having the dogs live in close quarters helps get them used to each other for later work on teams. It also allows her to identify personality conflicts that can arise between two dogs, marking them as not compatible for a team.
"My life is full of fur and fun and tons of hard work and devotion 365 days a year," she said. "Every musher sacrifices a lot to be in this lifestyle."
Bailey encouraged attendees to think about mushing and outlined the many breeds that can participate: Irish setters, Shepherds, Poodles and large mixed breeds in addition to more widely known Huskies and Malamutes.
"If you have a dog and he's sitting on the couch eating Twinkies with you, you might want to think about investing in a harness," she said.