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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I know. Im devastated about it. This was my local race, literally 30 mins from my house. We lose the trails as well, which I liked training on for weekends and for variety. Im not altogether surprised (the golf course it was held on was sold a year back) but sad and upset all the same.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Ill sign up on the first day, dont worry 🤣

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

No, he was wagging 🤣 he has a normal size tail

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

I literally made a kugel a couple weeks ago because the puppies were giving me cravings 🤣

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

Its why you can't mix two different dog breeds together and expect an even mix, like so many designer breeds advertise - genetics doesnt work that way! More often than not, you'll get more influence from one parent or the other. Or throwbacks. To get a consistent litter, parents have to be similar!

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

8 week puppy stacks!!! I do stacks mostly for fun, I pick keepers based on temperament rather than what I see in these photos. But i love seeing how nicely they are developing. Funny to see the hound vs husky influence and how varied the puppies can be.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

To be fair, only 6 of 8 are in that cuddle puddle 🤣

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 03/10/2026

The Loaflings returned earlier this week!! I don't know how I am going to pick my keepers. They still have a month of growing to do before I do, thankfully. They've all done a great job settling in, and huge thanks to MIDOG and Laura as always for giving them such a wonderful start on life.

A black puppy with floppy brown latte ears lays down and chews a stick

6 puppies lay in a pile together, snoozing. The puppy in the bottom right is looking at the camera

6 puppies lay in a pile together, snoozing.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

Lol! No worries, it sounds like you'll have an amazing time regardless 🥰

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

This looks like just a beautiful, gorgeous place to spend a day! Btw, assuming you're still in the UP and not posting this after you get home...if you end up in the eastern UP near Newberry, you can visit and cuddle my 7 week old puppies at MI DOG!

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

He was a character, if nothing else ❤️❤️❤️

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I thought so too. He went from, "you caught this quickly, he should be ok by tomorrow or monday" to "deaths door" with one xray. It all happened so fast.

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Reposted by Melissa Mendelson

Roman Acleaf @romanacleaf.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

"How long do most dogs live?" - Not long enough. Peace & Blessings

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Thats the best description for it. He lived life to its fullest.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Oh no. Im so sorry for your loss, too 😭

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Also, i want to mention. Im too exhausted and overwhelmed to answer individual people right now. But Watkins' bill has been completely covered by you kind people. Thank you so much. Also fuck pet insurance.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I hope his story will convince people to test their dogs to avoid passing on such a horrible disease. I will be advocating for testing once the University makes the test available, and testing all my future breeding pairs.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Who is going to zoom across the yard, inviting the other dogs to chase? Who is going to play for hours with his best friend Lanayru? Who is going to be my cheerleader, snapping his jaws in excitement at the start of every run? My sweet, snotty, naughty Watty.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I took a minute long video and sent it to them, not realizing it would be the last time I would take a video or photo of him healthy.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Just last week, I got an email - they found the genetic mutation that was causing PCD. I was thrilled. They requested additional photos and videos of Watkins to see if they could identify subtle facial features that happen with other forms of canine PCD.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

They sequenced Watkins' entire genome over the course of several months, looking for the mutation that was causing PCD in Watkins, his sister Brulee, his aunt Snotty, and so many other Alaskan Huskies I had learned about through community outreach about this disease.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Last year, after almost a year of testing, we finally confirmed the Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia diagnosis on Watkins. The Canine Genetics Lab at the University of Minnesota picked up the research. (Video is his one brain cell working hard in the waiting room at U of M)

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

He was fine on the trail when we were moving, fine when we stopped for water or a snack, but he just needed to protest with his whole body at the beginning of every run. He did it less as he aged but at the end of last season, he would still get in a barrel roll at least every other hookup.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Every time we hooked up, Watkins would barrel roll. As a yearling he used to do it tons - I would hook up his neckline, then as soon as I grabbed the end of his harness to hook up his tugline, he would feel the tension and flop to the ground, roll over, get up, flop down, and do it again.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The one time I put Watkins in lead, at first I thought he got it immediately. He pulled and charged forward with all his usual joy. When we got to a T junction and had to turn left or right, Watkins said - What do you mean? I go straight! And tried to take us straight ahead into the woods.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

He picked up checkpoint racing faster than anyone else on my young, rookie team, and was always first to bed down and curl up into a warm donut in the straw. I remember he even did this after Copperdog this past year, no straw needed - he knew what to do, even if it wasn't a checkpoint race!

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

He journeyed with me across trails in Minnesota, the UP, and most importantly at home in Wisconsin, where we shared thousands of miles together in his 3 short years.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins loved running as much as any sleddog. He loved the pure joy of moving his body, and being active helped his PCD mucus clear and made him feel all the better. He was a serious sleddog and was a top pick for races, snotty nose and all.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins had a penchant for digging craters, not just holes. In his tether spot, you would find a depression 10 feet wide and 3 feet deep. He loved to sleep in his hole. It has been filled in twice, and he left me with one to fill in a final time.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

His favorite thing was to run at me from across the dog yard, and then do a flying leap body slam into me out of pure joy.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

As he grew, so did his personality. He liked to snap his jaws together and clack his teeth when he was especially excited. Watkins lived to play - he loved to be the chasee in the games of zoomies, and he would always be the one who would get the other dogs riled up during daily playtime in summers.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins was actually too much energy for me, and I tried to find him a home at first - though, as it became clear his snottiness was persistent, I decided to keep him to figure out what it was. He wormed his way into my heart and found his permanent home with me.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Despite this, nothing stopped his energy. He was first to bust out of the whelping box, and I remember every time after that, whenever I went into the whelping room after being away for at least an hour, Watkins would be back out of the whelping box, sound asleep next to the dog bed across the room.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins June 19, 2023 - September 27, 2026 Watkins was always defiantly full of life. As a baby puppy neonate, he showed his first signs of snottiness at merely 2 weeks old, though at the time I didn't know what it was.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Thank you to my friend TJ for setting this up 😭😭😭 he is fucking INSURED!!!!!!!! It makes me so mad!!!!

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Update: its really bad. Hoping he makes it through the night and if he does, he would need to be transferred to internal Medicine at University of Minnesota and it would be a 5 figure situation. Not sure what im gonna do. Pic saying goodnight, and possibly goodbye, in the O2 chamber. Im in pieces

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

SCAM ALERT: Do not respond to any dms or comments soliciting money. The ways to donate are listed at the top - the phone number, my PayPal, and my venmo. Anyone else asking for money, even if they use my profile pic and a similar name, are scams.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins is amazing. Despite the PCD he makes my race team time and time again. He is a checkpoint pro and is the first to lay down and tuck into a donut once we stop. I can't imagine not having his bright cheery self in my life.

Watkins sticking his tongue out at the camera during checkpoint training

My race team at northern pines 2025 - watkins is the black dog on viewer's right

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

(And of course, you guys for funding the research!)

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I was waiting until things were finalized to announce but....they found it!! They found the mutation causing PCD. The university is working on a website to spread awareness and make testing accessible. None of it would have been possible without my snotty sneezing coughing lil goofball.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins is a very special guy. He is the poster kid for the research into Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia in Alaskan Huskies. University of Minnesota sequenced his entire genome to find the mutation that was causing PCD.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

The estimate for him is $3189 on the low end, to $4531 on the high end. I have $1200 right now but need an additional $3.5k-ish to make sure he will be covered. Anything additional, and the reimbursement from insurance, is going to go in a savings account for Watkins in case he gets sick again.

Screenshot of price estimate for Watkins' hospital stay

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

But I didn't know what to look for. One text later to @beccaj.bsky.social and Watkins matched Snotty's pneumonia symptoms exactly. So off to the e-vet we go. My sweet, snotty Watkins. Poor guy is so tough! He makes it near impossible to tell when something is wrong.

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Melissa Mendelson @flightriskmushing.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Watkins started acting off a couple days ago. Yesterday he seemed more himself and I thought he was getting better. Unfortunately, today, he didn't touch his food and was breathing in short, labored breaths. Given his history of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia, I was concerned about pneumonia.

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