 |
| Murray Friedrich and Gabi arrive at Berwick Forest on July 1 for her first race. |
Semadar Gabriella, or Gabi for short, lives with her owners at the Strathbriar Boarding Kennels in Dunedin. She has a pond to swim in and when not swimming she retrieves rocks and sticks. She loves to play in the snow, but equally loves to run inside and push her way into a prime position beside the fire.
But she has a new sport now and is loving every moment of it. Gabi might be a Labrador but she has more than proved herself after only her first race against traditional sledding dogs - huskies, malamutes and samoyeds at Berwick Forest near Dunedin.
"She's as good as any. She's just as fast as a husky. She can run 5km and still not be panting; she's very fit," owner Murray Friedrich said.
Without a furry coat like traditional sled dogs the Labrador would not last long pulling a sled in Alaska, but in New Zealand there is no reason why non-traditional dogs can not compete said Nigel Voice, vice-president of the Southern Regions Sled Dog Club.
A few months ago Mr Friedrich and Mr Voice were accompanied by Gabi on a sled training outing and they decided to try her out. She loved it!
 |
| Gabi in training a fortnight before her race |
"When she has her harness on she jumps up and down and barks, and when she hears the words let's go racing she's just carried away," Mr Voice said.
Although Mr Friedrich usually runs her alone, sometimes Mr Voice runs her in tandem with his malamute, Finn.
"Malamutes are designed to run but sometimes Gabi would prefer to chase a duck. It's not in a Lab's instinct to just run, but she still does very well," Mr Voice said.
Between two and six dogs are used to pull a three-wheeled rig, while single dogs pull a scooter or bicycle, all with a `musher' riding or running behind controlling the dogs.
Many breeds of dogs are strong enough to pull sleds and Mr Voice said he has seen Dalmatians, boxers and German shepherds compete extremely well against more traditional sled dogs. Suitable dogs needed only to be able to follow commands and love to run, and owners of such dogs should try them out, he said.
All Mr Friedrich was hoping for from Gabi's first race was that she would have fun! Asked how he would know if she was enjoying herself, he said "If she's still wagging her tail at the end of the race!"
But as he had hoped, Gabi performed better than expected on her first racing weekend. About 100 people went to Berwick Forest for the racing. Sledders from Christchurch to Invercargill came to St Bathans to race 58 dogs, mostly malamutes and huskies but also samoyeds, sibords (husky-border collie cross) and of course Gabi, and they raced singly and in two-dog to six-dog rigs.
The 8km course for the rig race was a hard one with undulating ground and a big hill, and was first raced at night. The organising committee was braced for complaints but the competitors all enjoyed the challenge.
"It was just exhilarating. It was so much fun and such a challenge to try to make it to the end without the dogs going off-course or fighting," he said.
 |
| Gabi in the junior race, passing a husky that started a minute ahead of her |
"It was so amazing at quarter to eight this morning, riding up and down the ridge looking out over Dunedin and all out to sea. The sky was orange and there wasn't a breath of wind. The only sound was the dogs breathing and their feet on the ice. It was one of those things you never forget.
"It was incredible, just amazing. It was magic."
Gabi was the fastest junior dog and came fourth over-all in the single dog race from a field of 16.
Gabi is three years old and now a member of the Southern Region Sled Dog Club. She lives with Tara, a golden retriever, at the boarding kennel facility run by her owners. Murray and Robyn are not sure if there are any other Labs racing in New Zealand, but Gabi is the only one in her club. The dogs and `mushers' train twice a week leading up to races. This training takes place either first thing in the morning or in the evening so the traditional breeds of sled dogs do not get too hot.
Gabi doesn't mind what time of day it is, although at a recent weekend in Naesby (Central Otago) when there was lots of snow Gabi's owners kept an eye on her to be sure she didn't get too cold. Even though Gabi is enjoying sledding, her true Labrador characteristics show through if there is water nearby or a stick being thrown.
|
