Connor and the Kennel

Connor. Crazy Connor. He's a Labra-dork who pretends to be a Labra-dummy. But, c'mon now...he's my most favorite boy in the world. He knows the difference between a frisbee and a tennis ball, a tennis ball and a soccer ball. Plus, he's a pretty solid leader. He is one pain in the ass, but that boyo can run. He learned how to be a sled doggie way back in the old days. I taught him out of necessity- I simply had to look that good exercising him at the park. We'd run a lap (me on a bike) and then I'd turn him loose for some fetch/swimming. People stared and we both loved it. He's now 5 and has never looked back. I've never raced him, but last year until October, he had more miles than my entire team. And it showed. The first run of the season last year...actually for the majority of that weekend...I used Connor as a leader because he kept the speed better than any other dog in my kennel. He sure is a monster. For right now, I don't train him that hard. He's got some joint problems and my current team would smoke the heck out of him if he ran with us. But, he still gets time in harness. If he didn't, he'd flip. He goes nuts when he sees me with the equipment just like the rest of the kennel. That picture was taken tonight. From my back door, we have a 1.5 mile trail that's good light running or for a semi- day off/leader training, etc. It's got Connor's name written all over it. He can hit 15mph, and could keep that up not too long ago, but I don't like him to pull over 10mph. He's never been the greatest at lining out unless we're in motion, but even some of the best dogs need touch-ups on that (ahem- Keytone!). He'll follow me halfway back to the rig/sled/atv and then spin and hit the line. The boy knows his business.