Man's best friend is his dog, or in Kim Franklin's case five of them.

While snow may be in short supply in south Essex, Thundersley musher Kim and her band of trusty huskies will soon be heading to the snowy slopes of Aviemore in Scotland for a spot of dog-sled racing.

She will join more than 200 racing fanatics, including a handful from south Essex, for the country's biggest annual sled dog race.

When Kim, 32, is not pulling pints at the Cutley Lynch pub in Thundersley, she is pulling the reins of her Malamute Alaskan huskies as she practices along Leigh sea wall.

However, with rain and wind more likely to lash the country over coming days than snow, practising for the big event has proved problematic.

Kim said: "We have had to put wheels onto the rig and I have been cycling along with the dogs to build up their stamina."

The racing season lasts from October to April and the Beta Siberian Husky Club Rally is the only realistic chance for competitors to catch real snow.

However, last year's big event was ruined when the snows melted just days before the race and disappointed competitors were forced to roll out their wheels.

Kim has been racing for seven years and stumbled into the sport after a colleague suggested racing to quell her dogs' hyperactivity.

Now she is out with the rig two or three times a week training for weekly competitions. She said: "I just love being out in the woods, with the clear blue sky. It's just you and the dogs and nothing else."

Taking part for the first time is travel agent manager Lorraine Le Fevre, 29, who trains with Kim. Drawing strange looks from passers-by comes with the territory.

Lorraine, of Southend, said: "People thing you're mad when they see you, but they are also very interested."

Also going along is Basildon police officer Mark McQuade.

He will be hoping to improve on last year's performance when he clocked up the slowest ever time in the rally's history.

Training - Kim Franklin puts her huskies through their paces

Picture: ROBIN WOOSEY

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