The Fan Hitch Volume 9, Number 1, December 2006

Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog

In This Issue....

From the Editor: Looking back, looking ahead

Featured Inuit Dog Owner: Sandy Hagan

Defining the Inuit Sled Dog

The Great Arctic Hunter Game

In the News

Fan Mail

A Time to Remember the Dogs

Book Review: The Doggy Men

Inuit Dog Thesis 15th Anniversary Edition

Tip:  Seeing and Not Hearing

Product Review: Delivering the Goods

IMHO: A Few Thoughts about the Final Report on the Dog Slaughters


Navigating This Site

Index of articles by subject

Index of back issues by volume number

Search The Fan Hitch


Articles to download and print

Ordering Ken MacRury's Thesis

Our comprehensive list of resources

Talk to The Fan Hitch

The Fan Hitch home page

ISDI home page


Editor's/Publisher's Statement
Editor: Sue Hamilton
Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog, is published four times a year. It is available at no cost online at: https://thefanhitch.org.

The Fan Hitch
welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.

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This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.

Tip for the Trail....


                                                      Photo: Senter

Seeing and Not Hearing

by John Senter

A couple of years ago, I bought some tinted safety glasses to wear when bicycling in the summer. I attached one of those little cycling rearview mirrors to the left temple, so I wouldn't get blind-sided by an overtaking motor vehicle. Because most of my carting is done on public roads and shared with cars, buses and trucks, I started using these glasses for mushing as well, and for the same reason. When I had the dogs out today, I spotted a minivan when it was still a good quarter-mile behind us. The glasses also are also good for protection against bright sunlight reflected off snow.

I also have a set of earplugs I use when harnessing up. They are the rubber-padded plugs on a padded, spring steel yoke. I keep my earplugs in the truck and wear them around my neck from the time I back the truck out of the garage until the dogs are safely kenneled at the end of the day. When hitching up, the dogs kick up quite a din. The earplugs ease the misery of having a dog bellowing in my ear while I'm trying to harness him up or hook him into the gang line. My hearing is pretty bad already for various reasons and, as much as I enjoy mushing my dogs, I'd just as soon not have my hearing damaged any further by all that racket.

Got a tip you'd like to share? Email it to mail@thefanhitch.org or snail-mail it to Mark Hamilton, 55 Town Line Road, Harwinton, CT 06791, USA.

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