Time to sing the praises of the one that is known as “Superbrat”, his other "pet" name cannot be published without fear of me losing my reputation....
Publically known as Kroi (pronounced Kree), which if spelled with a C, is the Irish word for heart. A name chosen when I was in Ireland participating in the World Ultra Trail Championships, before I fell off the mountain!! He was given this name as our decision to choose him instead of his litter brother was based entirely on my heart. All around us the evidence was that his brother would be the better addition to our pack. This evidence came from comparing their personalities and confidence when interacting with litter mates and humans. My heart and gut feeling told me to choose Kroi....
Since Kai passed away, there has been no pack leader. No genuine Alpha Male of the dog variety. There is no question who is ultimately “pack leader” in the pack, but I am a human and my cross species communication is limited.
As well as looking for a dog that could ultimately become Alpha Male, with the correct guidance and nurturing, we were also looking for a dog to be a training partner for Kez and myself. This role is relatively easy to fill, any well bred Siberian Husky will do, preferably one of Wildenfree breeding.
From the start, we have trained Kroi differently than any other dog we have had. I have had Siberian Huskies for nearly two decades and other dogs before them. We have expanded his “acceptable behaviour” boundaries and allowed him to get away with more than a puppy should. We have done this through choice. I would not recommend most of what we do to the novice dog owner, but I am confident that by the time this dog reaches maturity, he will have proven himself to be a very special dog indeed. He has already exceeded all my hopes, dreams and aspirations for him, and he is still only 11 months old!
He is the first Sibe that I have ever trained to pull at all times when I am running with him attached to me. All the others have been trained to run in front of me, but only to offer assistance when I specifically ask. With Kroi my approach is different....
The first time he raced a 5k with his brother Kez, we ran just over 18 minutes, the next race we ran 17:38, and then we ran 16:58 (overtaking 173 runners in the process). We have run sub 5 minute miles together, run hundreds of miles together and he still is way off his full potential. We have yet to run a race where we have not stopped, slowed down or been distracted in some way or another (don't ask about his attitude to multiple lap courses....). And, like his brother and me he is a front runner, he runs best when there is no one else in front.
But the race results/ run performances do not come easily or without consequences. This puppy is hard work, he believes that he is invincible, and he believes that he should rule the world. He is impatient, he whines when he does not get his own way, and he frequently makes demands on both Ian and I! But, and a big but, he has the most endearing personality, a phenomenal working attitude, and him and I already have an amazing connection. Plus he makes me run down hills at a speed I would never previously have been confident about - I have no choice, I just follow him and hope that legs can move quickly enough and that I do not lose my footing!!
He has yet to run a solo race, this will not happen for a while as he needs to learn control. He will learn this from running with Kez. Every race we do Kroi sets the pace, Kez ensures that we safely manoeuvre ourselves around the course. We avoid other dogs, take the correct turns and don't chase cows or geese....
He will be ready to run solo by October, for one special event,which is only 5k – a mere sprint for a husky. After this he will join his brother in the ultra running world.
He most definitely is a Superbrat, our very own superbrat, and the most amazing one I have ever known.
