FL-1000: Heavy natural forces in the mountain

When dogs fight about about bitches in heat you should be carefull when involving. Sigmund Alhaug has painfully experienced that.

When dogs fight about bitches in heat you should be careful when involving. The experienced musher Sigmund Alhaug knows that but you are not always rational during a race in the middle of the night in the mountains. Dogs have instincts and they are not always easy to control and accidents happen and a dog can bite you.

Two dogs in his dog team started to fight about a bitch. Alhaug tried to separate the dogs and noticed that he got bitten. He looked on his hand and saw a small scratch and felt it was OK.

-Then I saw it was blood in the track and disc overed a rift on the other side and thought: Ups. The rift was only 15 millimeter but was bleeding a lot. The hand swelled very quickly and was useless and painful. It was difficult to rund downhill towards Levajok. Finally there, I were examined by the health service from the Red Cross and now I`m on the way to the doctor in Kirkenes. They suspect it`s a breach, says a sorrowful Alhaug from the car on his way to Kirkenes with his handler Arild.

The Chief veterinarian Hanne Fredriksen says this about fights between dogs in general: -Independent of race, the policy is that when two dogs fight about bitches in heat, this is a situation that no one should get involved in. The instincts dominate completely, and the dogs do not focuses on people nearby.

We can determine that this is not dangerous dogs, but animals that react natural in this kind of situations.

While Alhaug is in Kirkenes to clarify the medical situation and treatment, his son and handler Simen take care of the dogs in Levajok. They are now resting on straw and sleep.  

 Alhaug in the car on his way to Kirkenes with is injured hand - tired...