THE WORLD'S BEST

The first time I saw Nike she was standing on a broken down dog box in a muddy sled dog kennel surrounded by what must have been 30 other dogs. 

She looked forlorn and if she'd been able to speak, I think she may have said something like, "There's been a mistake here. I believe I was switched at birth and I really need to get out of here. Is there anything, anything at all you can do to help a girl out?"

I slogged through the spring kennel mud to her box and put my hand on her. She looked me in the eye and I knew at that moment she was not long for that kennel.

The musher sold her to me for $50, believing she would never amount to anything as a sled dog but had solid pet qualities abounding.

She came to live on Lake Annie Road with our family and was tightly bonded. She had no reason to leave and every reason to stay, we were in love.

She came with secrets we peeled away one at a time. She was afraid of birds and balloons, she hated riding in a car, she was as sharp as a tack and learned directly and intuitively. She wanted to please and obedience could have been her middle name.

When I bought my team, months after adopting Nike, she clearly loved having her pack. 

One fall day as I was running a team of 8, I decided to do the unthinkable. I put her into lead - my friend Kelly said it would never work, she just 

My girl Nike was my first sled dog. She weighed in at 43#, was the smallest dog on the team, the gentlest dog on the team, one of the smartest dogs on the team and she loved me more than I ever deserved to be loved.