Okay y’all we have a new mystery.

You may remember that Refried likes to sing while she runs. https://twitter.com/blairbraverman/status/1185025045493702657?s=21

She sings the most when things are tough. In a blizzard, breaking trail, climbing up a mountain... that’s when she starts her happy mid-run howls, and it always gives the whole team a boost when they need it most.

This is unusual; most sled dogs are silent while they run. For a while, when we were racing around the midwest, we had quite a little reputation as the Team with the Singing Dog.

You can hear her singing in this video...

Even as Refried got older, she still found ways to sing for the team. https://twitter.com/blairbraverman/status/962426426178883585?s=21

But now that she’s retired from serious running, and living in the garden with her brother Hari, things have been awfully quiet on training runs.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still great. The dogs are happy, especially now that we’ve cleared more of the trails, and the woods are silent and bright.

But every now and then, as we’re climbing a hill and the dogs are panting, I think: Refried would have been singing right now.

Or the moon rises above the trees, and I know she would have howled to it.

But no.

The dogs are quiet.

Until yesterday.

We were climbing a big hill, and

SOMEBODY

STARTED

SINGING

But here’s the thing. I can’t tell which dog it was coming from!!!

Was it Willow, carrying on her auntie’s tradition?

Was it Boo, with a new way to express his feelings?

Was it Zagat, thrilled by the open road?

Or one of the other yearlings, still figuring out this running thing, startled by the beautiful sounds coming out of their own throat?

I CAN’T TELL.

But I’ve heard the music twice now.

I’ll try to narrow down the possible singers on the next few runs, and I’ll keep you posted.

But one thing’s for sure.

The music isn’t over.

The end.