Puppies!

Kako's puppies started arriving at 3:30 pm today. So far she has had 5 of the expected 7 or 8. There are 4 boys & 1 girl. The boys have been weighing in at 1.3 pounds and the girl was 1.5 pounds. All seem to be healthy and mom is being a trooper. Better get back to watching for the next pup to arrive. Will try to post more pictures soon.

On the trail...

Temp: -5

Team:
Kia - Tuk
Gateway - Shammu
Patton - Panzer
Rufus - Tanner
Sherman - Shasta

Tom & Jen ran this 10 dog team with double sleds tonight. The second sled is for added control and for the second person to say warmer because they have the ability to move around rather than just sit the whole time.

They went 6 miles in 50 minutes. Not bad for a team with two yearlings - Tanner & Shasta turn 1 year old on December 27th!!! Not to mention that none of the dogs have run in the last couple of weeks!!

All in all, it was a good run with everyone doing their share of the work. The pups did a great job for their first run ever!! Tanner was off and running right at the start without looking back or worrying about what was happening... he was born to be a sled dog!! Shasta was a bit freaked out by all of it, but after the first mile or so she settled in and ran like she was suppose to be there!!

Tomorrow night the other 10 dog team will be run!!

Back in Alaska!!!

I made it back home right on time Thursday night and it sure felt good to be back! Don't get me wrong, I had a great time and learned alot, but I was glad to be home!

The plan was to up the teams to 8 mile runs this weekend. So, on Saturday, Jen came over with her dogs and her four wheeler to run two teams.

Jen's Team:
Polar Bear & Sami
Raven & Stubby
Shammu
Patton & Panzer

Cathy's Team:
Kia & Muktuk
Kako & Hannah
Rufus & Glacier
Gateway & Sherman

Tom took off after us with the sno-go to run the extra mile of trail before we made it that far with the dogs. He discovered that the trail was blocked at one spot so he found a way around it by going across an old gravel pond. I was leary at first, but he was sure it was solid enough to hold up for us to cross it over and back. So, we went for it. Since I am here to type this I can safely report that it was solid enough!! :o) All in all that trip was about 9 miles so it was a good run for them. The best part is that no one seems sore or anything afterwards. Well, except maybe Sami, but she was good again this morning as reported by Jen.

Tom ran his team tonight (Sunday):
Cheyanne & Fred
Sioux & Baleen
Butternut & Pepper
Kivek & Bolio

Tom said this team looked good, but the leaders left a bit to be desired on the directional part of leading. Fortunately, they are likely to be a follow team when we head to the mountains for Thanksgiving!

We need more snow for the trip to be worth making. Right now, the trails are marginal for running sleds and being able to control the teams. We will see what happens as the time gets closer for the trip. We might have to postpone the whole thing if there isn't enough snow to run safely.

Well, we need to feed. Will post more after the next training runs later this week.

Trip to Florida...

Well, I am on my last full day in Florida! It has been a good week and I have learned alot at the sessions but I am ready to head home to Alaska!! I arrived here last Saturday evening and feel like I have been on the go since then with time out to sleep! On Sunday we went to Sea World. The Shamu show, Believe, was incredible... unbelievable... fantastic!! We spent most of the day there and saw many things and several other "shows" the most memorable after Shamu was Clyde & Seamore the SeaLions that "Take Pirate Island" or something like that. It was an unintended comedy show with all of the mistakes, but the mistakes made the show even more fun!! Monday was the start of classes with three classes after the keynote address that was very inspiring. Tuesday was another full day of classes and then the "client event" last night that took us to Animal Kingdom. That was fun with good food and fun rides... I actually went on a HIGH speed roller coaster!!!!! Only once mind you, but that was plenty!! Today, Wednesday, was a half day of classes and I spent time getting many questions answered! This afternoon we are headed to Downtown Disney to shop and then go to the Cirque D'Solie (not sure I spelled that right) show this evening. I leave for home bright and early tomorrow morning and will be back in the state of Alaska at 6 pm tomorrow night!!

I have talked with Tom a few times while I have been here... alright, I have talked to him every night!! :o) I sure do miss him and the dogs! It is always hard for one of us to leave the other for a week. Leaving all of the work to one person really seems like an unfair thing to do... but, thankfully, Jen is there to come over and help now and then to provide some much needed relief from the chores when we are alone!

Better get moving and get the rest of my suit case packed up so I will know just how much room I have to buy stuff at Downtown Disney today!!

It's been awhile... lots to report...

Em Update:
Is doing good. No seizures that we have been aware of recently. He is still really, really itchy at times and other times he is not so itchy. He seems to be really sleepy the last few days, but maybe he is just going into hirbernation mode like the rest of us with the dwindling daylight and cold temps moving in.
Training:
We have been training the teams with the four wheeler - for the added control. We have about 8 inches of snow, but that isn't enough for the trails to be sled worthy just yet. Since we are training with the four wheeler we are able to run bigger teams... we are training 9 & 10 dog teams unless Jen comes over with her crew, then we break the teams down to 6 & 8 dogs each. We are working towards a...
Trip to the Mountains:
We have a cabin reserved in the White Mountains for Thanksgiving! We will be running 16 miles to Moose Creek Cabin on Thanksgiving Day and then back out the next day! Right now, it looks like we will be joined by Jen, Greg & Melissa. Tom, Jen, & I will run teams from our kennel. Melissa will run her own 9 dog team. Greg will provide sno-go support to all of us! It will be fun if there is enough snow to run on and the temps don't bottom out for that week!
Possible breeding:
We have had three to 5 of the girls in heat now for some time!! They seem to be having heat cycles so close that I am starting to get worried. I am thinking I will call the vet tomorrow to inquire about this strange thing that is happening in our kennel! Anyway, we have had the girls in a rather secure pen all together for some time now. Sherman is in with them, but he is neutered so it's no big deal! Well, we came home on Thursday night to find that Bolio had gotten out of his pen - still not sure how he got out as the bottom of the fence is now nicely frozen in and there were no holes in the fencing... we finally figured that he must have squeezed out the bottom of the door that flexes about 3 inches! He then proceeded to get into the girls pen the same way... thru the door that flexes about 3 inches at the bottom!! Thankfully, there were only two girls in that pen at the time - the other two were at Jen's house!! We are not sure if he breed with either or both of them at this point. He is now a permenant dog on a chain unless we are in the pens with him. Not the way we like to keep dogs, but he is a pill and has given us nothing but trouble since he grew up enough to want to be a stud!!! Anyway, I got the calendar out and figured up the days for when we should be able to have a vet feel for a pregnancy which falls right at Thanksgiving weekend. Then, the 60 day mark would be... Christmas Day!!! Just what we need... more christmas puppies!!! And possibly two litters of them!!! AGH!!! Just shoot me now!! :o)
Other thoughts:
I leave for a work trip to Florida next Friday night. I will be gone for almost a week. I really hate leaving this time of year, but I am...so there isn't much I can do about it. The temps in Orlanda are suppose to be in the 70's & 80's!! I will use this trip as a way to get some much needed sun that will up my Vitamin D! Not that it will last long once I get back to the darkness of Alaska, but the warmth of the sun sure will feel good for a week!!!
The living room remodel project isn't moving very fast. We seem to always find something else to do or we are too tired to work on it! I am thinking it was a bad idea to start it but now that we are into it we can't really go back and it will look much better when we are done!! I hope!

Well, better get going and keep my day moving... more laundry, dishes and training to be done today!!

More SNOW!!!

In the last two days we have gotten about 6 or 7 inches of snow!! It started snowing and just didn't seem to stop for a full day!!! It was so pretty coming down and now the ground & trees are covered! Once again, I have fallen for one of the oldest tricks in the book... While we were out cleaning pens last night Tom pointed to something, "What's that?" he said pointing to a brown thing sticking out of the snow. Turns out it was only a stick... but while I was bent over to look... he kicked the tree that I was under... you guessed it... I got covered with snow!!! It went down my collar and I stood up screaming!! Oh, Tom was getting quite a laugh out of it though!! I will pay him back one day! I have made a mental note to not fall for that one again this year!! However, that's not likely to happen and I am sure I will be covered again and again...

We have started training the teams with the four wheeler. Only going two miles, but with this snow we might be able to start going more!! Tom went out with the sno-go last night and dragged the trails so we can run the dogs this weekend and bump them up to 4 miles! Won't be long and we will be running the full 6 mile loop!! The dogs are so ready to get going! It is so fun to see how excited they get when we start getting the four wheeler ready and then even more excited when the harnesses are brought out of the house!!!

In other news, we have puchased a whole trailer load of straw to get us thru the next couple of years!! We got 130 bales!!! That should last us and a few of our friends for the next couple of winters. Today or tomorrow we have to unload it from the trailer and get it into a storage building. That will be lots of fun!!

We are still in the process of remodeling the living room... if you can call it that. We took the paneling off the walls to find some of the sheetrock in great shape and some of it textured!! So, we have sanded the texture off and will cover those areas with a light coat of mud before we prime the walls. Still have to get lots of it done before we can all this project complete!!

Not sure what we are going to do this afternoon, but we have lots of projects to work on! We were suppose to head to the property today and rent a backhoe/frontend loader for moving some dirt to make the driveway passable this winter. Well, it seems we are about a week late in doing this with all of the snow because the rental place cancelled all deliveries of heavy equipment today!! The good news is that we know we can rent equipment to do it outselves much cheaper and getting someone else to come in and do it for us!!!

Well, better get going and get something done before the day is gone!!

SNOW!!!!!

We woke up this morning to a covering of snow on the ground!!!! :o) It was a very welcome site! If the temperatures stay cold enough to keep the ground frozen enough for us to run the four wheeler out back, we will be able to start putting some miles on the teams! They are ready to run too!! Everyone is all keyed up and on a high that we see when we take the harnesses out to the pens!! It is just such a treat to know that they enjoy running so much! The yearlings really have no idea what they should be excited about, but they are excited anyway!

We went to the property today. Got the heater going in the bus when we first got there and then I cut up some logs that have been down since last year. Tom worked on getting some stumps cut down and the outhouse hole cleaned out (just dirt!) so we can get the actual outhouse on top... If wecan get it ready, we are going to take the dogs up this winter to run on the trails up there! It will be a new experience for many of the young dogs but it will do them good!! And there are a ton of new trails for us to explore up there. It will be lots of fun!!

I am in the middle of making rolls for our dinner tomorrow afternoon... have some friends coming over for a Prime Rib dinner!! Yummy!! I can't wait!

Well, better get moving and get some more housework done! Hope all is well...

Another seizure...

Well, I was woke up this morning by the dogs barking and I ran out to find Em in a seizure. :o( I was able to bring him out of it with a trick that Dr. O reminded me about but it was still a bummer to find... not surprised though... we decided last night to head to town for dinner and I completely spaced out giving Em his 7 pm meds! So he got them two hours late. Could that be what caused the seizure?? I will never know, but I do know I won't be late on his meds again. Especially since we were HERE at 7 pm and he could have had them on time. I was so focused on getting ready to go eat out that I just forgot.

I made some sugar cookies today. Just felt like it. I haven't felt this good in a long time! I am hoping that this is a new thing and I can keep feeling better and better... Long story... here's the short version... I decided to see a Natural Doctor and he has put me on a ton of supplements in the last week. I am feeling better already and I just hope it continues.

Well, I have to run and get some more done - like taking Em's collected pee to Dr. O so it can be sent off for testing!

Just another update...

Not much new happening here. We are working to get some more things done before the snow flies and covers it all for another year! I don't know if we will get all of the projects done before time is up, but we are working on them. We got the big covered trailer moved closer to the house today so Tom can work on the inside to get it ready to haul dogs to the mountains. I might be using it next week to go get some straw from Delta. We are thinking about getting between 50 - 100 bales so we have some for the next few years!! We always use several bales each month or so to keep the dogs houses full of straw and this year we will have the trailer to put some in before we take the dogs somewhere.

Em is snoozing behind my recliner. He and I are stuck at the hip today because he is in the middle of a 24 hour urine test for iodine excretion. He was given 50 mgs of iodine/iodide this morning and now I have to collect his urine for 24 hours to see how much he is excreting to know how much he should be taking daily to keep his level where it needs to be. Just one more facet of his care now that he is in the combined treatment with Dr. O. He is doing really good. He hasn't had a seizure since Sept 9th!!! I am so happy with this treatment that I am now hopeful that we might be able to have him with us for many more years. I was really starting to get worried that he wouldn't be with us much longer when he was having a few seizures each week and we were continually increasing his phenobarbitol dose.

All of the other dogs are doing good. Everyone is getting the itch to run now that there is a coolness in the air. Unfortunately, we can't really start running until the ground is frozen enough to hold the four wheelers weight. But, it won't be long and we will be running a team each night. I have so many people that want to go for a ride that I hope we get lots of snow early so we can take them!!

Better go get some more work done.

Em Check Up

Em had a follow up appointment tonight. He has been very itchy since he was put on the variety of suppliments and thyroid meds. Dr. O thinks the itcyiness is from his body detoxing and that it will eventually go away. Until then, we have to deal with him itching all the time. Hopefully, it will not get worse before it starts getting better. We are also going to drop his dose of phenobarb from 60 to 30 mgs. We will see how that goes, but I am hopeful that the seizures will stay away. He hasn't had one since Sept 9th!!!

Keep your fingers crossed for our Em!

Winter is coming!!

It was 15 degrees yesterday morning and 28 degrees this morning!! There is SNOW in the forcast for this week! Wow! Looks like winter is on it's way! On one hand this is a good thing... on the other, I'm not so sure I am ready for it yet!

Em is doing good. He hasn't had a seizure since he was put on the suppliments and thyroid meds. The phenobarb dose is a 60 mgs twice a day. The best thing is that he isn't stumbling around now. He is almost back to his old playful self.

All of the other dogs are doing good. They all got some straw in their houses tonight... boy, it is so fun to watch them frolick in it when we first put the straw in the houses. Some of them play in while others seem to go into the houses to rearrange the straw so it is just right for sleeping in...

We really need to start running the dogs even just on the 1/4 mile trail right here around the house. They need to be ready for a trip into the mountains over Thanksgiving weekend if there is enough snow.

Well, better go get some laundry done sowe have clothes to wear tomorrow.

There's hope...

Well, Em went to the vet last Wednesday and there is now some hope that he can have the seizures controlled with supplements & less harsh drugs than phenobarb and potassium bromide. We immediately stopped the potassium bromide. He was put on a liver supplement, an endocrine supplement, back on seloxine (thyroid T4) and the T3 thyroid meds (that are compounded at a local pharmacy). His groggy look and walk cleared up alot in the first few days on the different meds. The amount of phenobarb will slowly be reduced to see how low it can go before the seizures are running rampant. We are also going to try to get a 24 hour urine test on him to test how much iodine he is excreting to see if he needs to have iodine supplements also. I am hopeful that all of this will indeed put the seizures at bay for this little guy that means so much to me. He is just such a joy to have in our lives that I don't know what I will do when he is gone. With that said, I am realistic about the fact that he will likely not be with us as long as I would like and will take whatever time I do have with him and enjoy it!!

We have had YUKKY weather for the last two days. It started raining yesterday (Saturday) and it hasn't stopped since!! The pens are muddy and the dogs are covered. We put some sawdust in a few of the pens tonight, but that is alot of work so we didn't get them all done. We also have to repair or rebuild several dog houses before it gets cold this winter. There are several houses out there that need to be flat out replaced. And Tom needs to start building the kennels in the trailer so we can haul the dogs this winter... I am not completely comfortable with all of the dogs in a trailer, but it really is the only way we are going to be able to take all of the dogs with us when we head to the property or to the mountains.

I finally made some banana bread tonight. Yummy! That will be a good treat this week. I am thinking one of the four loafs will head to work with me tomorrow but the other three will probably be enjoyed by me!! :o)

Em is doing laps around the living room and I need to go get the dishes finished. Later.

Em Update

Today's blog is devoted to my dear little Em. He had another seizure this morning. In spite of being put on an additional medication last week to help control the seizures. We are now giving him both phenobarbitol and potassium bromide. He is also getting even itchier than ever. So, we are going to take him to see Dr. Olson - an alternative medicine vet in North Pole. I e-mailed her this morning with some background on Em and she said she has some ideas that might help and she will see him on Wednesday. I am suppose to stop by her clinic today to get a book she wants me to read. So, on our way to town, we will stop by to pick that up.

I am sometimes just furious about the whole deal we have gotten our kennel into by having Mackenzie River Huskies. Don't get me wrong, I think they are beautiful dogs with great temperaments, but the health problems we seem to deal with are less than inviting. Balou, our first ever MRH, has stricken by seizures at a year & a half old and died a year later. Shammu had horrible mastitis after having a huge litter of 14 puppies - and having three of them by c-section. One of the pups born by c-section died at two days old. The other two pups born by c-section were stricken with seizures at about 8 weeks old and we lost both of them within the next four months. Baleen is having heat cycles within 2 to 3 months of the last one. Same thing with Hannah. And, we can't forget the Em and all of his problems. It is all very disturbing.

Needless to say, I am always on edge about these guys developing seizures. Baleen and Em's mother, Talla was stricken by seizures 6 months after giving birth to a litter of 12 pups. What is this?? The breeder thinks it is all environmental. I have a hard time swallowing that. If that was the case, all of our MRH's would have seizures as we feed and water all of the dogs with the same things. All of them are outside in the same environment. And, that doens't explain the others in the breeding program that have seizures. So, is it genetic?? What can be done to stop the cycle??

I will get off my soapbox now. Don't get me wrong, I love each of our MRH's as much as any of our other dogs and will care for them as best we can no matter what happens to them!

All of the other dogs are doing good. We have an extra dog here for the next two weeks. We are doggy sitting for a friend for one of her younger dogs while she is out of town. He has integrated nicely with a few of our dogs and seems to be getting along just fine in the pen with Kivek, Stubby & Dude. He will live in there for now.

Our weather has turned to feeling like fall is here. It has been raining most of the day today. Won't be long and we will be running the teams again!! Well, it will be a while before we can start running them out back as we need to make sure the ground is frozen before we can run with the four wheeler out back. We will have to start with running them on the 1/4 mile trail around our property. That will give them a good enough start to then start running a mile or two once the ground is frozen! We are all hoping for an early winter and lots of snow right off the start!! I am perfecting my snow dance this year!!!

Well, better go get ready to head to town and do some shopping!

Happy Trails!

Happy Labor Day!

It is so nice to have a long weekend once in a while... Although, even a three day weekend isn't long enough to get our chores finished. We went to the property yesterday and got the "driveway" a bit more cleared. Just need to get the stumps out of the way and then we can drag it to level it. We might need a load or two of gravel to make the entrance easier for getting the big trailer into the driveway. We still need to get the dog yard cleaned up. Then we can start working on the bus to make it "livable" for us to stay in while we are there.

In kennel news... Baleen is in heat again. So isn't Hannah... so the boys are getting weird. Tom had a couple of spats while he had dogs out during cleaning tonight. But, that is to be expected when he lets so many dogs out at the same time... Em has had a few more seizures. We haven't seen all of them, but it is pretty easy to tell even after he has had one. I am thinking I will call the vet's office this week to see if we can get him some additional meds, usually potassium bromide to help control them.

Well, better get going and get some more laundry done so we have clothes to wear tomorrow.

Long overdue update...

Wow, I can't believe it is the last day of August already!! This month has been super busy for us yet it seems like we have gotten nothing done!! I am sad to report that a week ago we lost our belived Orca. He was 13 years old. He hasn't been well for a long time, but was eating and getting around okay for the last year so we just let him live his life out. In the last couple of days, it was really obvious that the end was near. We were with him when he left us for a much better life in doggy heaven. I know in my heart that he is now running with others that have touched our lives and I will see them all again one day... cuz I am going to doggy heaven when I go!! All of the other dogs are doing good. Thor & Sable are the "old" dogs now at 12 or 13 years old. The pups are still growing in fits and spurts causing them to be fat one day and skinny a few days later!! It is so interesting to watch them grow and go back and forth! The one year old pups are ready, willing and able to start running, but they don't really know what it means... they will soon learn! The older, veteran dogs are getting very, very excited to start running!! They can feel the chill in the air at night and are just watching for the harnesses to come out!! And on the six o'clock news, the weatherman said we might even get a frost tonight!!!

We had big plans for this weekend, but Tom picked up a nasty cold this week and now I'm not sure what we will get done. The list is so long of things to do, that we may not get thru it before the winter months set in and force us to wait until next year to get more done!!

Well, Tom is down in the bedroom snoozing and I need to get out to clean the pens. Will try to write again this weekend with updates of what gets done...

Kennel Update...

Well, there haven't been any more seizures to report which is good news. But, tonight, we found another "hot spot" on Em's back that needed to be shaved down. I am thinking I might take him to see someone but just need to figure out who... hmmmm.

In other news, Orca is not doing so well. He is only eating every other day or so and is getting weaker each week. Time will tell how much longer he is with us.

But, everyone else is doing good. Fred was grumpy tonight and snapped at Dude, but in Fred's defense... Dude was being a brat and playing licky face with Fred... obviously, Fred didn't see the need. But, no one was hurt so all is well there.

Hope all is well for you. Happy Trails.

Emenem Update

Just a quick post tonight with an Em update. He has had two more full seizures now. Which makes for a total of 4 that we know of. I didn't actually see the one yesterday, but I was with him during the one this morning. It isn't pretty, but something that we are just going to have to deal with. I talked to the vet this morning and she suggested that we increase the phenobarbitol if he has another one soon. My baby boy is just not healthy and that breaks my heart. I knew this was a possibility going in since his mom had seizures start about 6 months after the litter was born.

Otherwise, things seem to be going pretty good around here for now. I will try to keep this updated with Em news as things happen.

Kennel Update... but not much new...

Not much new to report, but seemed like it was time for me to write an update. As usual, the fair is in town and we are getting lots of rain!! Which is very typical for this time of year! The pens are holding up pretty good, but there are a few that need some gravel and sawdust.

The dogs are doing good. Everyone seems to sence that there is a change in the weather coming and that we should be starting training really, really soon. I am thinking about starting to run a couple of dogs on the 1/4 mile trail here and there. It won't just give them a place to expend some energy, but will help me too!!

As I said, not much to report from here. Hope all is well with everyone out there.

Happy Trails!

People update...

No news in the doggy world here, but lots happening in the human world... I had an interview yesterday for a job with the borough! I thought it went really well but time will tell if I get it. They said they would be either making a decision to do second interviews or the final decision today. I didn't get a call to schedule a second interview... so, I am left to wonder for the next week if I was the one chosen or not. I am positive I could do the job, I just hope I was able to convince them for the 45 minutes I had their attention. I am thinking I will get a Thank You letter to them on Monday... just need to decide if I want to mail it to them or drop it off personally at the office.

Well, we have a busy weekend planned with projects that need to be done. I am going to try to get the living room walls sanded and the floor painted so we can have visitors on Sunday and the room won't look too horrible. But, I am not sure I want to take on that project with visitors actually schedule to come over... I don't want to get it partially done and have it look even worse in here!! And, Sunday we are having a dinner to visit with a friend that is back from Iraq deployment on 2 weeks R&R. I have lots of cooking to do to...

Well, hope all is well with you. Will try to update this thru the weekend as time allows or as news happens.

Weekend update...

It's Saturday evening and we have been busy all day! We started the day off by getting the rest of the paneling off the walls in the living room while it was raining. Once the rain stopped, we were able to get out and start mowing the lawn. It has probably been two weeks since we have mowed and it was in serious need of a trim. So, we spent a few hours today getting most of it done. Tom mowed the back end of the lawn that was the longest with his mower (a DR Trimmer/Mower) while I tackled the front part. Hopefully, it won't be rainy all week in the evenings again so we can mow again towards the end of the week.

Last night when we went out to feed we discovered that Shammu had a bloody eye. Upon examination, we thought we could see a cut on the outside of the upper lid. We flushed it out and gave her a pain pill. This morning, I called Dr. May and he recommended using the opthalmic ointment we have on hand and starting her on antibiotics. So, that is what we have done. The eye is goopy and looks puffy, but doesn't seem to be bothering her. As a matter of fact, she seems to think this is a pretty cool thing because it has given her rights to the house!!! She is on the couch with me now...chewing on a knuckle bone!

Well, we really need to get out to the pens to clean... check back for more later...

Happy Trails...

I just saw that the last post I added was on july 19th! Seems we have been busy reading the last Harry Potter book! For those of you that have not read it but plan to I won't give away the ending... I will just say that it was a great book and the ending is GREAT!! She did a great job with this last book and I am so glad I actually read the books even though I used to think they were just silly kids books! Oh how wrong I was! We got the books on Friday at midnight and had them read by Thursday!!

In doggy news... well, there isn't much to report. Everyone seems to be doing good. Orca is having a harder and harder time breathing with the weather being so hot but he is hanging in there. Sable is finding it harder to move after sleeping for many hours. Thor is now losing his hearing to match his loss in vision. Sami is wondering why she is in with the old dogs. Em had another seizure the other night so his meds have been increased to the dose the vet actually said to give him. Bolio is still a dope on a rope most of the time. Hannah & Stubby are enjoying their freedom from chains but would likely follow Bolio out if he found a spot - only to find themselves back on chains right along with Bolio. Shammu is back and living with Baleen, Kivek and Dude. Baleen has finally finished shedding and is gaining some weight. Kivek is like me and could stand to lose some weight. Dude is a growing boy and seems to be getting bigger every day. Rufus & Glacier are still trying to keep weight on their frames. At two and a half years old they are very active all the time and just seem to burn off any calories we put in them. Raven is living with them this weekend. She is a sweety and seems to be doing great at Jen's full time. Tanner & Shasta are growing like weeds right with thier brother Dude. Kia & Muktuk do not like living in the far pen, but Tuk is doing some "landscaping" with this manual earth moving tools (his paws) and I am sure they will settle in soon. Gateway's pad is pretty much healed and doesn't seem to bother him much anymore. Patton seems to think he can beat anyone up right now. He seems to get an attitude adjustment from Tom about once a week. Kako likes being in with them until Patton decides to beat her up!! Panzer is a wild woman now that she is healed from her surgery (she was spayed). She loves to run and run and run with anyone that will play! She also loves to spend time in the pool. Sherman is shedding and seems thin so he will be getting some extra in his dinner! Pepper is doing good, but I noticed the other day that he has hardly any teeth in the lower jaw anymore. If someone had told me that breaking his jaw at 9 weeks old would stop the lower jaw from producing the teeth that it should, I would have told them they were crazy. But, I can attest that this is what seems to have happened. Fred is looking so very good but really needs to shed. I am not sure how he is staying cool in any way shape or form right now because he has so much fur on him still!!! Cheyanne is doing good and seems to be getting along with Fred really well. Butternut and Sioux are living life the doggy way and seem to be enjoying their days. All of the dogs & humans in this kennel are ready for the hot weather to be over with! Then, we can start some small training sessions!!

Well, I had better get going and get something done tonight! Hopefully, I will find time to post again this weekend but might not happen until Monday night!

Happy Trails.

Is it over yet??

Wow, this has been a LONG week! For some reason, I keep thinking it is later in the week than it really is and then I get all mixed up and don't know what day it is at all!!!

Got news tonight from one of the owners of a Kako pup that he weighed in at 80 pounds today!!! I really need to get a scale that will weigh these big guys so I can announce real weights!! :o) Of the three we have here from that litter, Dude is the biggest - he is just solid and looking large! Shasta would be next on the weight as she is also a solid pup. Tanner is bringing up the rear on size, but makes up for it with personality!!

Em had a playmate today! Tanner spent the day with Em in the heated barn pen. I hope they played some so Em isn't so rambunctious tonight when he is in the house.

Orca is giving me a scare now and then... some nights he doesn't eat well or at all and that always gives us reason to be worried. He is going on 14 years old and not doing great, but seems to be holding his own.

Everyone else is doing good... Well, Muktuk has taken to bullying anyone that is in the pen with him.... usually Kia... if they get in his way when he is running in circles! Gateway is still hobbling around on his bum foot but it seems to be healing... it was just a really bad cut on one of the pads. It certainly has slowed him down some. Panzer has healed from her spay surgery with no problems at all. She is back to running around like a mad woman most of the time. Bolio is still tied on a chain when we are not outside to watch his every move... but the girls, Stubby & Hannah are no longer tied up too. They seem to stay in the pen if he isn't showing them ways to get out!! ;o)

It's time to head out and clean the pens and play with everyone!

Happy Trails!

Closing thoughts for the weekend...

It has been another busy Sunday. We got the rest of the carpet pulled up and even got some of the paneling off the wall in the dining room area. Will probably work on the rest of it this week after work. I am really thinking this project may be bigger than I had hoped. Seems we are finding some of the sheetrock under the paneling is finished with a texture and other is just bare drywall that has been taped. But, we are going to have to sand and retape most of it anyway because there are so many holes in the sheetrock! While I was at Home Depot getting some things last week I picked up some color cards for us to start picking out a paint color. Unbelievably, we both really like the same color!! I am thinking while we are painting anyway, I am going to paint right down the hallway too... but I am thinking that will be a different color form the same color palette. I am also thinking about trying to find a sponge or stamp in the shape of a paw print that I can use to do a boarder around the top 8 inches of the walls... I am really liking how clear things are with most of the "stuff" that has been packed into the living and dining room out of here. I am thinking about selling the computer to get a laptop so we don't even have computer desk in the room any more. Mayebe even get a dining room table to be able to sit down to meals... no, probably won't go that far. Just would like to keep things less cluttered in the room. Oh, the other projects I would like to tackle - but probably not until next summer - would be to refinish the kitchen cupboards and repaint the bathroom.

Well, we need to get ready to feed the dogs for tonight... Sable has started barking which indicates it is past 10 pm and she is hungry!!

Check back for more updates soon.

Rain...Sun...Clouds...more rain!!!!

It seems like the old saying about Alaska is holding true right now... if you don't like the weather just wait a few minutes... it will change!! We have had rain off and on over the last week or so that it is becoming annoying. Tom went out to mow some lawn today during what looked like clear, sunny skies... only to be chased back inside within a half hour or so by a rain storm! No big deal... we worked in the house getting the last of the carpet out. Now, we are going to paint the subfloor so it looks a bit better while we work on the walls. Then, we will be putting the laminant flooring in!! It is going to look so different in here!! I am thinking about repainting the bathroom too... Made that suggestion to Tom yesterday to see what color he thought would look good and without hesitation he said "slate blue". So, there you have it... that's what the bathroom will be...

Well, I have spent entirely too much time on the computer and have too much to do today before work starts again tomorrow. Sure would love to have another week or two off just to get some more stuff done!! Will try to post more of a kennel update soon! Just not much happening in the kennel right now...

I am my mothers daughter....

Had this thought today and thought I would share it here even though it really isn't related to the kennel at all....

While running the chainsaw at the property today, I couldn't help but think about my mom and the wonderful memories I have of her when I was still living at home. I was about 16 - 18 years old and I clearly remember all of the hard labor she put in for many years... and that was after they sold the "mom & pop" store they owned for 20+ years. She would rise early with Dad and see him off to work and then get me up bright and early to get the day started so I could get the required work done before heading off for the day with someone....usually with Tom if he had the day off and was around. We would cut up, split and stack wood for the coming winter of heating the garage/workshop. We could cut up the slab wood from the sawmill and get that put in the wood shed too. We would tail the sawmill to produce more lumber for whatever we were building at the time. That of course produced even more slab wood that would have to be cut up and put away. We would mow lawns... and just do general maintenance around the house. If I was going to be there for dinner we would play a game of badmitten or ping pong to determine who would make dinner... the loser had to make dinner!!

I remember that at times I really hated the work I had to do before I would be able to go play, but looking back on it... I learned alot from my mother. She wasn't afraid to do much of anything. It didn't matter if it was something everyone thought was a "man's job"... she would do it anyway.

I am so glad that Dad never squelched this in my mother... more often, he was a great teacher and showed me how to do many things too.

I have such fond memories of growing up and since I was really more of an only child being raised 9 years after the youngest of the older three siblings I was able to spend alot of quality time with my parents...

Thank you mom and dad for your love and support thru the years! You helped me become the woman I am today in more ways than I could ever write here or you will ever know!

Summer work continues...

It's shaping up to be another busy weekend. We went up to the property today and got some more clearing for the driveway done. It is starting to look like we could get the driveway in soon. We need to get a bulldozer up there to level the driveway some and move some of the dirt to where it is needed for making it possible to get into and out of the property with the truck and trailer so the dogs can all go with us next winter!!

We had rain most of the night last night so we probably won't get to mow lawn today, but hopefully, tomorrow will dawn with the bright sunlight we have had the last couple of weeks so we can get the lawn mowed.

Let's see, what else has happened recently to report on... Panzer is healing nicely and will need to get her staples out sometime this week. That means she can go back out to a regular pen soon. She has been living in the heated barn pen...with Gateway. Seems Gateway sliced open a pad when he was fence fighting with Butternut Thursday night. We got it cleaned up and put some homeopathic wound care stuff on it. Need to do that again today.

Emenem got a bath yesterday with the medicated soap for his itchiness. He seems more itchy than usual right now. I found a couple of hotspots on him, but not what I expected with how itchy he is. We got those areas cleaned up and we are using an antibiotic spray on them daily. He has been started on phenobarbetol in an attempt to control the small seizures he was starting to have frequently. He seems so have gotten itchier after going on the phenobarb. I am going to contact another vet that we occasionally take the dogs to just to see if she has any other suggestions on his itchiness. I also wonder if it is something in the house that is keeping him as itchy as he is. So, we are planning to take the carpet out of the living room soon.

That will start another project... that of laying the oak laminant flooring we bought a month or so ago! I am also going to pull the paneling off the walls when we get this project going. We are still trying to figure out what to do on the floor in the hallway. We have decided against putting the laminage flooring in the hallway because that is where we keep the many litter of pups with Momma Dogs while thye are young. I really don't want to ruin the laminate flooring that quickly so we are thinking of putting tile or just vinyl in the hallway and into the laundry room area... which, in this process will likely be moved to!! Boy, we have lots of work ahead of us and summer is half over!! We need to get to work!

Well, I had better get going and get something else done today!

Happy Trails!

Em News....

Just a quick note to report that Em had another small seizure last night. He has had several small ones over the last week or so. So, we decided to start him on phenobarbetol. We had some left over from Shiver's meds so I gave him some last night. And another dose this morning. Then, I called and talked to the vet and we made the decision to put him on a maintenance dose to try to keep them from getting worse for a while. Hopefully that will do the trick and he will be seizure free for a long time! Although, given his family history I am not convinced that he will have no more! I think it is just a matter of time before he has them more often and bigger ones... I am also watching his sister, Baleen really, really close for any signs of seizures.

I remember when we were going thru this with Balou - our first official Mackenzie River Husky - and it was heartbreaking. He started having them at 1 and a half years old and was only with us another year. Em is going on two years old in August... And, Em's mother, Talla started having grand mal seizures 6 months after she whelped Em & Baleen's litter.

Now for a Panzer update... She is doing really good... she has a major razor burn on her belly, but the incision looks good and seems to be healing nicely. She is spending some time in the house, but seems to like to pick on the cats while she is in now that she is feeling better so she is outside some again.

In other pet news... We got home tonight to find Mascot (the older cat) not putting much weight on his back leg. I gave him a baby aspirin in hopes that will help... will have to see how he does and maybe take him to the vet later in the week!!!

Well, we need to get the fuzzy ones fed.... more later! Hope everyone has a very Happy 4th of July!!!!

No rest...

Well, Sunday, July 1st is almost over. We got alot done again today. Tom worked outside clearing some of the brush at the top of the driveway so we can see things coming down the road. I worked all day in the house getting things done. After many, many, many loads of laundry done I think I actually have a handle on it all again. Just need to get a basket of undies & socks put away and get the last load of blankets out of the dryer!! I think we are almost at a point where we can put half of the stuff that is in the living/dining room area in the covered trailer and start pulling up the carpet. It will be really, really nice to have a decent looking floor in here. I have decided that I don't want the laminate flooring in the hallway. That is where the puppies are kept and I don't want to have to replace the flooring after the next batch of puppies... So, we are thinking about going with tile in the hallway. Will have to see how it works out. I also need to figure out what color I want to paint the walls... cuz the paneling IS coming off this year!!!

Cleaning went well tonight. We are back to where we can let three pens out at a time and get the chore done in "4 waves" making it much more fun for the dogs because they get to play with each other. Kako is finally out of season so she can be out with anyone now. At the end, I had Butternut, Sioux, Fred, Cheyanne, the three pups (Tanner, Shasta & Dude) and Em out running around. I sat down to pet the pups on the a-frame roof that is out in the open area... well, Em walked up to me just as Butternut was coming over the top to get some loving. Well, B-nut slipped and slid down the roof right into Em. Em growled just a bit and B-nut decided to go after Em!! Em hadn't even done anything wrong!! And that is unusual, Em is usually a snot to everyone... Well, I got Butternut off of Em -while beating off Chey & Sioux. I saw Fred coming toward us and yelled to Tom to stop Fred. If there is any kind of squabble, the other of those two boys has to be in the middle of it. Tom yelled at Fred and he backed off, but there was no way in hell I was going to let go of Butternut. He was now sporting the attitude of the century! I lead him back to his pen. While walking with him, Em decided to give Butternut a piece of his mind for attacking him... Em was snapping and yapping at Butternut... B-nut was not impressed. All were put back in their pens and all was well again. However, I am not going to trust Butternut with Em for a long time!! At least it wasn't a knock down drag out fight just because of the little squabble!

Panzer is doing okay. She seems to feel much better now and is moving around without looking like it hurts. She is sleeping in the house at night, but will probably spend the day outside tomorrow. She loves to pick on Pal when she is in the house... Pal gets fed up with it and just swats her! It was pretty funny tonight when she sniffed him and he planted his claws in her head! She wasn't very impressed. But, she was good about it and didn't go back after him.

Tomorrow is another day at work. Our weather forcast is for HOT days all this week... temps are suppose to be in the 80's!! YUCK!! I want snow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-)

Happy Trails!

Another Busy Saturday

Got moving this morning around 10 am and mowed some more of the lawn for about an hour. Took a break and ended up inside watching a show about Alaska of all things until 1:00 and then went back out to finish the lawn mowing... won't be long before we need to start over again though. We took a quick nap from 3:00 - about 4:30 and decided to go to town and get some dinner and head to the range to shoot the rifle Tom's dad gave him last week. Didn't get home until just about 9 pm and still had the pens to clean... Went out to clean at 9:00 and discovered that the thunderstorm that has been on the horizon all day was finally right over our house. Yup, we got soaked. But, pens were cleaned and the dogs all got to run around some. We came in the back door and striped! The clothes were soaked and I just put them all right in the washer... We are now in for a bit hoping the storm will blow over before we head out to feed in an hour or so.

Panzer did indeed get spayed yesterday. So, she is a house dog for a while. She isn't complaining. In fact, I think she is enjoying herself!! ;o) She was really groggy when we got her home last night and spent most of the evening whining like she was in pain. I gave her some pain pills and after a while she settled down and just slept. She stayed in the house all night and slept in the bedroom on the floor. She is suppose to stay quiet for two weeks so she will be in the house most of the time for at least that long.

Well, that's what's happening here. Will post again soon. Happy Trails.

Happenings...

Well, I have been remiss in my duties of updating this blog... we have been super busy lately and I just haven't taken the time to get updates posted... sorry! Although, I am not sure many people (I know there are a few of you!) that are following this...

So, what has been keeping us so busy???

Mostly, work... and the dogs... as usual. We have had way to HOT of weather for us to enjoy doing much of anything outside. But, there were things that needed to be done outside, so we got the lawm mowed in a long day of mowing (as mentioned in last post). That Sunday, I went for a walk with friends at Creamer's Field while Tom spent time at work getting things in order before the new guy started the next week.

Then, we spend last Saturday at the property. It is really starting to look like a driveway is going in. We dropped many more trees and got a brush pile cleaned up so the driveway can be dozered sometime in the near future. If we get a dozer up there, we will try to get some gravel delivered at the same time so it can be spread with the dozer.

Last Sunday we replaced some of the old (original) page wire fencing that we had put up about 10 years ago!! it was pretty beat up and the new fence is chain link and should hold up even longer!

This week has been work, work and more work. It has been a long week, but tomorrow is the end...Thank God! Tomorrow we take Panzer in to the Vet to be spayed!! One more girl that won't mess up the harmoney in the kennel with heat cycles!! Yippy!!!

Em is doing good and has only had a few small seizures after spending a day in the puppy pen playing all day... No more grand mal seizures that we have seen.

This week we have a very full kennel of 31 dog... Jen and Greg are in Anchorage and we have all of their dogs... Two will definately go back to their house on Saturday.... don't know if any others will be going also...

Not sure what this weekend will bring... it will all depend on how Panzer takes the surgery and how much after care she needs. Will probably have time to post again soon...

Happy Trails!

Very productive weekend...

Wow... we got alot done this weekend. We got up Saturday to clear, sunny skies and decided to mow the lawn. We both started on it at 10 am and worked until noon. Then, I went to get our dog food for the month. After that we ate lunch and then started mowing again. We mowed until 3:30 or so... but we got it DONE! Well, mostly done. Enough that we don't feel like it is behind now. Just some trimming to do now. Although, with all of the rain we have been getting it will need to be cut again soon. We were going to head to dinner Saturday night on the deck at Pike's but never made it. Tom hurt his back while we were cleaning the pens so he really didn't feel like going out after that. That was okay with me... I was tired and just made us some dinner here. This morning dawned sunny also but we went to town around 10:30 for Tom to go to work and for me to go walk with Jen & Melissa. After our walk and lunch I went back to the shop and helped Tom until about 3:30. After we got home we worked on cleaning the house some before eating dinner and then heading out to clean the pens. We are headed out to feed now because there is a thunderstorm moving in...

Not much different...

Not all that much to write about right now. We are getting 24 hours of daylight so the dogs seem to think it's okay to play and bark most of the night! They usually get tired somewhere around 3:00 am and then we have quiet for a few hours before we have to get up to go to work... I am sure they sleep all day too!! Brats!! :-) Bolio is still a "dope on a rope"... I have decided there are two reason I don't like having dogs on chains... First because I hate the sound of the chain as they run in cirlces... just keeps reminding me of the fact that they are on a chain and not free. Second, when they poop in their circle, they smash it to smitherines and then it is really, really hard to clean up!! But, I also know that we have to have them on chains now and then for different reasons. So, I will just have to live with it for now. Everyone else is doing good. We do have two extra dogs here tonight and for the weekend. We are boarding my bosses dogs because he will be out of town for the weekend. He has a pup from Shammu's litter and one from Kako's litter. They are in the heated barn (no the light for heat is not on!!) pen for now, but I really think they will be able to be in with others by tomorrow night so they can play and play and play... then they will be tired out and sleep for days when they go back home. Well, that is all I can think of for now. Happy Trails!!

Lots to do...

Wow, we have so much to do this summer in the kennels... There are lots of fence repairs and replacements that need to be done. We need to make some new or fix old dog houses. We need to bring gravel & sawdust into the pens to help with the water next year. We need to get pens put up at the property. We need to get the kennels built in the trailer for hauling the dogs to the property. We need to get the driveway in at the property so we can drive the truck and trailer in to drop dogs and be able to get back out!! Not to mention the weekly mowing and upkeep of the "lawn". And the daily cleaning and feeding!! We also have new flooring for the house and I want to take the old paneling off the living room walls and get them painted. Wow! We do have alot to do... tonight we were going to mow lawn, but it was raining when we got home. So, that is put off until another day. The weather report said it is likely to be raining most every night this week... guess that will be a weekend project. So, tonight, I am going to get laundry caught up and the spare room cleaned out so we can take things off the walls. I am thinking about packing up the desktop computer until we are finished with the living room so we won't have to work around it. That means I might not be online as much so don't be surprised if there are fewer updates for a month or so... but, we have the laptops so I should be able to keep the progress updated on her. In other kennel news, Sherman has been given a second chance at being a real dog without being tied. Bolio on the other hand, has been told he is tied for the duration until all of the girls are out of season and he is less wild to get at them. However, we have at least two girls in heat and one more to go... could be awhile I am afraid!

Rain, rain, rain...

We have had rain of and on for a few days now. It really sucks because the pens are really, really muddy and the dogs are soaked to the bones and dirty! If it keeps up we are going to have to spend some time hauling some saw dust into the pens.

Everyone is doing good otherwise. Well, Sherman & Bolio have become "dopes on ropes" because they can't seem to get the idea that they are suppose to stay in their pens and not dig under or go over the top of the fences... So, they are now chained when we are not home.

It has been a bit more sane around here since the girls that are in heat went to Jen's for a few weeks. This keeps the boys here in a bit less frantic state!! :-)

Well, we need to feed so we can get to bed early... it's gonna be an early day tomorrow at work...

Happy Trails!

Summer time in Alaska!

Hello! Just a quick blog to get this going! I am going to try really, really hard to keep this updated with the happenings in the kennel. This way, if anyone wants to know what is going on they can check anytime and I won't have to send out e-mails to everyone in our inbox.

So, to get this started... here is what is happening:

On December 22nd, 2006 we discovered that Kako (one of our Mackenzie River Huskies) was VERY pregnant! So, off to the vet's office we went to get an x-ray. The x-ray showed no less then 7 puppies in there! And Dr. May said they would likely be born in the next few days. Kako and mother nature conspired against us and the pups were actually born 5 days later on Decebmer 27th! There were 8 healthy puppies born. Since we didn't even know she was prego we certainly didn't have any idea who the father of these beautiful pups happened to be! DNA testing was conducted (thanks to the help of the local MRH breeder) and it was determined that the pups were not fathered by Gateway (the other MRH that might have been the dad). So, that mean that Patton (a freight husky mix) was the dad! We found homes for 5 of them and today we only have Tanner, Shasta and Dude still in the kennel!

More recently, the news of the kennel was that our little MRH house dog, Emenem, had a grand mal seizure on Friday, May 18th. Thankfully, I was home at the time and able to get him out of the pen and into the house. He was out of it for a good 45 minutes after the 30 second seizure. It was scary, but having gone thru this many times in the past not to upsetting for me. We are watching him closely in hopes that this is an isolated seizure.

It's time to head out to the pens and get the cleaning done so I will sign off for now. Please check back regularly if you would like updates on the kennel.

Happy Trails!