And the winner is.... the husky

13 is a lucky number for dogs if they are pulling a Mackey in their sled. First Rick, then Dick and now Lance have won the legendary Iditarod, the Alaskan marathon for huskies. The family winners all took bib number 13 and won the event on their sixth race. As far as dog races go (and this one is 1,770km) the Iditarod takes the dog biscuit, lasting anything from nine to fifteen days. This year's sled contest took Lance Mackey nine days, five hours and eight minutes. And not content with simply one win this year, he's also the first musher to win both the Iditarod and the Yukon Quest in the same year.

More mud!

Out in the countryside this morning for an hour-long mud fest through woods, up hills, and over fields with an impossibly small dog. Cyril needs the exercise. He doesn't get many outings, and as a consequence his belly has grown to meet the ground - his fur dragging on the ground, picking up small twigs and debris as he travels. He badly needs this walk and almost gagged with glee at the prospect of the open path after just a few metres of freedom. Far more exciting than the garden!

Dog Blog – Adventures of a dog walker in Cardiff

Okay, I’ve got it. I think. Little one on the left and the big one on the right, otherwise they both get confused and wind round my legs until I'm a human maypole.

In this wind Maple the stout black Labrador is quite handy, she’s my portable wind guard, at least for my legs, which I shelter behind her as we pad along the side of the road towards the park. The park! Even a whisper of the word sends Maple streaking ahead. She is straining at the lead to get cross the road once a glimpse of green is within doggy distance. But let’s not forget her bosom buddy and fellow pack member Poppy, a small and compact terrier, whose mournful eyes are made to break your heart - the more casual half of this double act. Where Maple leaps, Poppy saunters, and where Maple dashes, Poppy meanders. Not put off by Maple’s pulse-racing pace, Poppy walks along oblivious, a few paw lengths behind.