How I have become a musher
It´s been a long time but I still remeber the time at the basic school when everyone was collecting something either stamps, horses, pictures of actors,… and I was interested in something totally different – hoarding the pictures of dogs and wolves. I was a big „evil-doer“ at the local library but the enthusiasm for collecting excused me. My most favourite writer was Jack London and I had read the White Fang about ten times.

I remember my first picture of the malamut dog in a magazine about dogs „Pes přítel člověka“ with an article about the first dogs of that type in our country. It was sometimes in 1994 and I was almost 13.

The time went by. I was living in the Jizera Mountains therefore as nearly everyone there I was doing the sports – cross country skiing, orienteering, triathlon, rock-climbing,…, as well as studying and preparing for the great career and future of the scientist. All this had been happening till 1997 when I bought my first husky miss dog Jovanka. The illusions of my fantastic scientific career dissapeared with her.

The beginnins of me being the dog´s mum were probably the same as everyone´s. My doggie was being spoilt and I was able to do all the unbelievable crazy tricks to please my honey. The result of it was the dog that has never wanted to run.

From my boss at work I got another two huskies – Růžena and Korča that stayed alone with very uncertain future after a death in a family. So they found their new home by me. I bought my first sled too. Only I kept wonderring how come that I have to always push so much by myself, and that´s why Heda came to us.

1999/2000/2007

I was the beginner, self-learner, the soloist. I had no one to tell me do this or that or to share his knowledge and experiences. I found everything out by the well-known method of „try and fall“ that brought smashed and knocked knees, torn clothes but also the explorer´s feeling of delight .

Nowadays in 2007 I own 21 lovely dogs. One can say that my breed rises in a geometric row. First Jovka then Róza and Korča and Heduš followed by the first puppies Anička and Eliška and then Tessy, Ajka, Pepina, Ajma. Then puppies B from Heda – Bára, Běta, Becky, Buster and C – Karel from Bára, and Drac, Kača from Gert Sandweg, then puppies D – Dustin, Darryl, Deny and Fifa and last the puppy F – František.

Races and sledding

It is easy to manage more than twenty dogs but it becomes hard to manage the other things. I even ended up not having the time to go to work and was staying at home with the dogs. I can´t say that it made me stay calm at that time even if I only had twelve dogs. For a moment I was really worried what will happen with us because it was all very unclear. At the same time there grew a pressure at the place where I was living. My neighbours were not much excited about the presence of me and my dogs and I was forced to leave. Fortunately me and my dogs were given the opportunity to entertain the company´s parties and to film the commercials. That happened to be the beginning of my uncertain career as an owner of the sled dogs living in a campervan on a rented meadow by the forest with absolutely nothing around us. Just the space where no one cared about the howling and barking of the dogs. When I think back today the time was really rough and could not have been worse.

Kennel 2004/2007

In these days I run a school for mushers and a small guest house. I have fantastic dog kennels and fabulous conditions for training. I cooperate with a German travel agency that has been sending me clients for winter time. In my opinion there must exist some kind of natural selection because when someone decides to spend a holiday with the husky dogs it is for sure a special type of people who are always just great.

From time to time I take my doggies to film a commercial or to a company party and everything works out fine. I have the feeling that people enjoy it at my place, are very content and keep coming back.

Horní Maxov

 

4.3.2007 ČT 24- Czech TV- Windows Media fast conection , slow conection , start on 9:00 min

From husky school

In these days not all the children have a pet at home, not even the dog. They sort of miss this kind of contact with nature. One girl was showing me her PC where she could setup a dog which she liked and then she was taking care about it, feeding and petting it by the PC mouse abd the dog was happily shaking its tail. I started having goosebumps from it.

Since I have become a „prof“ I don´t really have much time to go to the competitions. It´s a kind of Catch 22. When I compete I can´t earn money for me and my dogs and vice versa.

This year I had some days off and went to Italy for ten days to take a part in FISTC World Championship in Auronzo ( The result list) and then I went to Pian Cansiglio for a Europian Championship at longtrail ( The result list). It was fantastic weather, the sun was shinning, still some snow left, just a great holiday. I won the longtrail at the Europian Championship in the cathegory of pure breed dogs and I came to the end that here in the South of Europe I don´t have anyone to compete with unless I compete with Juraj Potocek from Slovakia, who chased me pretty much but has never overtaken me!!!

Italy February 2007

 

There came an idea. It´s time for challenge and big deeds!!!

I decided that next year I´ll finally take a part in real big dog-sledding competition. This kind of competition only takes place in Alaska or in Scandinavia. I don´t have as much money to be able to go to Alaska, so the next place left is Scandinavia. I have been watching the competitors racing at 500km and 1000km trails in the Norweigan competition Finnmarkslopet ( www.finnmarkslopet.no) . on internet for many years and this year I got an idea. Why aren´t I taking a part in it? It can´t be that unreachable!!

So I´ve decided that I´d like to start at 500km trail in Norweigan Alta on 10th March 2008. My goal will be to finish the race. To win it – it will have to be some other time. :-)

I´m sure I can´t win in Norway but it´s a nice feeling to have and live for such a target. Then I´ll know that I´m doing something meaningful. So for the end I remembered an inspired and heartful saying: „The reason of the journey is not its end but the journey itself“ Or something like that…

If I think about that everage age of competitors in this race is 40 years and the oldest participant was 65, then I can say I have enough to do in next years...

About the race

The preparation for the race