They have left.
The houses, save a few, sit empty — their inhabitants now traveling northward in search of colder temperatures and longer trails. The dogs who were left behind, either too old or too young to travel, howl one at a time, never together, filling up the incredible black silence of night. It is a lonesome howl. It is a where-has-my-family-gone howl and a why-was-I-left-behind howl.
Fortunately, it won’t last long. In the morning I will tie up the younger dogs so that they are together. I’ll let them run loose for hours and tire them out. We’ll have fun. We’ll forget that the dog lot and house are empty. We’ll play games and go on walks and they will learn things they can’t learn when they are running with the team and they will think Life Is Good.
Life is good.
The puppies that were born this year are my future Iditarod team and school for them officially starts tomorrow.
