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kids and loony sleddogs. Over an hour later my oldest boy and I were trying to start the snowmobiles. A 3 mile run should have taken less than 30 minutes at the speed Jilly could do. It was well below zero though, and the snowmobiles wouldn't start, frustrated and worried I started pulling out dogs and barking orders to all the kids to hurry and get the team assembled, I had to get out there and find Jilly. We nearly had all the dogs ready when my oldest cried out "Look! The team!"

They were just coming in through the gate at the back corner of the property, I could barely make them out but I could see nobody was standing on the sled, it confused me for a moment, if Jilly had fallen off those dogs should have come in like their tails were on fire, then I started seeing more. One of the dogs was dragging, limp and unmoving, and Granite wasn't moving right, Jason and I ran out and met them, as I was coming closer I screamed at what I saw. Gunther was dead, there was a trail of blood behind the sled, and Granite was torn to ribbons, as I approached I couldn't even tell where to start to help him, at that moment the sledbag flew open and Jilly came screaming out of it. Shaking, terrified, unable to speak, she looked unhurt, I handed her to Jason, "Hold her." I told him as I fell to my knees in front of Granite, who stood shaking and swaying unsteadily, blood pouring out of his body from dozens of horrific slashes. Whirly was in slightly better condition, but collapsed onto his side shaking and whining. Granite looked up at me, eyes clouding, I put my hands on his face "Oh Granite" I breathed, and he died, right then, in that moment, he convulsed once in my hands and was gone.

Jilly still wouldn't speak, but I got "Lion" out of her, looking at my oldest I left Jilly with the neighbor and we went out to find out what had happened. The trail of blood led us past the 3 mile loop, Jilly had decided to take a tougher trail to prove she could handle it, and 5 miles from home, the tracks of a Mountain Lion crossed hers. The scene was chaotic and a mess, later that night Jilly told us the Mountain Lion had attacked the team, they had turned around hard to run from it and she had fallen off the sled. The cat had turned and started toward her and she had screamed and that was when Granite stopped and ran back to defend her, dragging the other dogs with him. While the dogs fought the cat she had crawled into the sledbag and zipped it shut to hide and hadn't come out until she heard my voice.

Granite had fought, chased the cat off and drug Jilly, the dead Gunther and the crippled Whirly while mortally wounded himself, all 5 miles back to me. That dog saved Jilly, had given his life to do so. The next week a cat was shot while attacking a farmers sheep 12 miles from where Jilly and the dogs were attacked, it had bite marks on it that looked like dog bites we were told. Years later, Jilly is now in college, she didn't run sleddogs again, afraid of running into another Mountain Lion; she says she still has nightmares about it. The children of Granite live on, I had bred him 4 times, and the heart and drive he had lives on in them. Thank You Granite, I hope there are smooth clear trails and sweet little girls with treats for you where you are.

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