The final five days of dog walking for the Electrolyte Research Project required a daily 9-hour stint on the trails – 6 hours of walking and 3 hours of rest at forest campsites. This schedule simulates a typical work day for a military bomb sniffing canine.
Our SP Kennel dogs walked between 20 and 24 miles each day, very reasonable for long distance racers. Of course, each group of dogs required a human to keep control and man the GPS trackers. These humans walked a minimum of 18 miles each of those days.
Kudos to the 5 human walkers who stuck to the research schedule during rain and wind, significant mud, close to freezing temps, unwelcome wildlife sign and very occasional sunshine. These tough, fit and personable Alaskan women were key to the project’s successful completion. SP Kennel salutes Ryne, Kristy, Sarah, Aliy and Wendy.
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| Kristy and Ryne enjoy hot soup at the Jenny M Camp |
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| Sarah navigates around mud and puddles on the trail |
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| Simple pleasures for Sarah and Aliy – bananas and a little sun! |
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| Wendy and Scout enjoying their trek together |
The walking protocol is now over. Final canine blood and urine samples are on their way to the lab. We will post information about Electrolyte Research results when it gets to us. Thanks for all your interest and comments about this project.
Can't wait to read about the results of the research.
Thanks you so, Kennel Mom, so very much for keeping us updated, from the very beginning (Allen's construction of the research condo)to descriptions of the protocols, and reports as the study progressed!
The next time people ask me what summer hiking in Alaska is like, I'm going to send them the picture of "Jenny M Camp"… That ought to keep the tourists away!… Even having the company of all those great dogs can't make that a fun time!
Can't wait to see the results!