The Fur Was Flying......

Well, with pretty much every dog in the yard in the midst of a big shed, today was a grooming day!!
First up on the table was the most excellent X...

It didn't take long until we (X and I)were getting swallowed up by all the fur coming out of the boy!!!

About 2 or 3 times this amount of fur eventually came out and in the end he looked like this....

In about a week he will probably need another session on the grooming table, but it won't be near as bad as this time.

X was followed by Fritz, Utin, Beauty and Wonder before I deemed I had swallowed enough dog hair for the day and called it quits!

I'm frequently asked about what grooming tools I prefer. So, here ya go..

• My number one favorite tool is my Metro Air Force dryer. This one is almost 20 years old and has been pretty abused during that time, so it is looking pretty rough! I do have a newer one that lives in the garage that I take to dog shows. :) It'll get more coat out of a shedding dog then anything else!
  
  
• The blue and white rake is another 'around since we got into this game' tool. A plain and simple rake, but it has survived thousands of groomings!
• A good comb is invaluable for getting out a shedding coat too.
• And then nail clippers and a pair of scissors for trimming up those 'out of control' toe hairs!!!
  

I know many mushers 'poo poo' the whole grooming thing, but I think it is a great way to really give the dog a good 'health check'. I also think that any time you are handling and introducing your dogs to new experiences, you are making it so they are easier to work with in harness and on races! And I know they feel great after they are all groomed up!

I will also say that I think there is a matter of pride involved in keeping your dogs looking their best. I have pride in my team and my kennel and I want people to know that. I remember being at a seminar in Montana once where Hans Gatt was speaking. Amoung many other things, he talked about the importance of taking a clean truck to the starting line of a race. It really stuck with me. I now believe that pride and attention to detail is one of the habits that creates success.

Not to say that you will never find a shedding dog in my yard or dirt on my dog truck - life does have limits - but I try!

Anyway, enough of that!!

I did take some more photos around the yard today, including shots of a very pregnant Kara and Sprite, Bait tormenting the boys, Barq, Meg, wildflowers, flowers in my yard and more dogs.

You can see them all at http://picasaweb.google.com/northwapiti/June142008
Enjoy!!!
Karen

Happy Birthday .... to me!

Thanks to all for the Birthday wishes and greetings on Wednesday. Yup, for all of you that didn't know Wednesday was my 44th birthday.
Things didn't go quite liked planned - but really, when do they go as planned around here??

Mark came home from work on Monday morning complaining of hurting a muscle in his chest while yarding on a wrench. By Tuesday afternoon he was in the doc's office and is now planted on the couch popping Tylenol 3s every 4 hours. Seems he has torn his pectoral muscle.
So, my special treat for my birthday was scurrying around getting chores done on my own and making sure hubby had everything he needed.
Kara thinks it is great, as it seems he can still give her scratches and now that he doesnt' move off the couch he is around to deliver them all the time. I'm glad she is happy.

Actually, the birthday gift that brought the biggest smile to my face this year was from Kara. Colleen sent a birthday box to me and in it (amoung other lovely gifts) was a nicely wrapped gift from Kara. On the card it spoke of how much Kara loved me and how she had thought long and hard and given me a gift straight from her heart - it was a package of Denta-stiks. Definately a gift from Kara's heart!!
Actually, they are handy to have around, as Kara demands a Denta Stik everytime I bring Utin in the house. It's some kind of 'fee' for allowing the boy into "HER' house. She takes one look at him and runs for the kitchen to stand in front of the fridge, staring up at the Denta Stik package. I'm not sure what would happen if we were out of them. Don't think I want to find out!

Utin's house visits are going to have to come to an end soon though, as Kara is due to have puppies next week. She is the size of a small hippo!!! She is also even more demanding and fussy then usual right now. I caught her outside digging a den under our deck the other day, but I'm pretty sure she has no real intention of having her babies outside. I'm betting money that 'the cloud' will be her place of choice. As is usual with Kara, I'll probably let her have her first one there and then move her to a whelping pool once she and the baby settle down. With Dasher and Dancer's litter she had the first one in a chair in the back room and on one of her other litters she had the first one in our bedroom. All the rest of our Moms are happy to use the whelping pool in the back room, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that Kara demands special treatment.

Well, I need to get on with my day. I'll be hustling around pretty good for the next 4 or 5 days, but then will be mostly at home on 'puppy watch', so should be able to get some more posting and catching up on emails done during that time!

An older - but really no wiser,
Karen

Are you ready??? Let's go...

Utin and I have a secret!!! On Monday evenings he and I have been sneaking out to obedience classes!!!

Many may not know it, but it was the sport of obedience that brought me into the world of purebred dogs. I know, it seems amazing that it was obedience that got me in and I ended up with one of the most notorious difficult breeds to train - but that's my story.

See my first dog was an amazing Sheltie type cross named Skeeter. Skeeter was a bonafided puppy mill dog, but really his only desire in life was to occupy the same piece of the planet as I was.

I don't think in the 17 + years that we spent together that I ever said "Where's Skeeter?", cause the fact was, wherever I was, that was where Skeeter was.

I took him through obedience classes while we were living in Calgary and he was so easy to train it was almost embarassing. I was devasted to find out that I couldn't compete in shows with him because he wasn't a purebred and vowed my next dog would be a purebred.

Of course, if my sole focus had been on obedience, I probably wouldn't have choosen Siberians, but the obedience still interested both Mark and I and over the years we put titles on a number of our early Siberians.

Still, it has been well over 10 years since I set foot in an obedience ring.

Then last summer Lisa Wright, a neighbour across the valley who used to be a dog trainer, got back into teaching obedience and agility classes - http://www.trainingwithouttrying.com/ .

Having Lisa so close made it harder to come up with excuses for not doing a bit of obedience again - and a budding friendship between us made the excuses sound even lamer.

Late last summer, Lisa took the time to come over and 'evalute' all my puppies to picked out the dog that she felt would be the best obedience prospect for me. The winner was handsome, young Utin.
Of course, fall came along and training the team took priority and Utin's obedience 'career' was sidelined before it even began.

This spring I slowly began puttering with some clicker training, guided patiently by Lisa. Progress was inconsistent, mostly because my training was too, but in the last few weeks, in no small part due to gentle prodding and egging on by Lisa, my dedication increased and it has begun to look like I might really have an obedience prospect on the end of my leash.

Now, of course, Utes has a different take on this. I caught him telling the yard that now that he has trained Mom not to step on him, to pay attention to what hand she's treating him with, to practice more, and how to walk in a straight line I'm showing some good potential.

You guys can decide which of us to believe. And Lisa, if you are reading this, you are not allowed any input on the subject, 'cause I know who you will side with.

Utin now drags me to the van and sits happily looking out the window with a huge grin on his face as we drive over to Lisa's . Last night, he was so happy at class, his fur could bearly contain him. Yet his brain stayed engaged throughout the whole time - not an easy task for a super happy, young Siberian.

Don't know whether we will even make it to the obedience ring, but I will say that that is the goal. I doubt we will be competing with Jackie and her amazing Siberians for High in Trials - but do know that Utin and I are having a BLAST together - and who knows where that will take us!

Karen (and Utin)

I'm a Blogger....

I've been called alot of things in my life...but never a 'blogger' - but times, they are a'changing! Welcome to the NorthWapiti News Blog!

Seeing that I'm kind of 'flying solo' on these entries, in other words - no grammar corrections and such - you are all about to find out what an awful speller I really am. And as Mark, Ann, Heather and others can tell you, I cannot tell the difference between the words 'spend' and 'spent' - so expect them to be used pretty much interchangably from this point forward. And no need to email me to explain the difference, many have tried, and it all makes sense at the time...but in about a week it is all out the window.

Regardless of it exposing one or two of my personal weaknesses, I think it will be an improvement to the site, allowing my entries to make it online faster and taking some pressure off of my hardworking webmasters, Kim and Kelly.

Plus now you can make comments on the blog - although, I will not hesistate to delete inappropriate or rude comments!

Anyway, we are going to give this a whirl for now. If any of you have concerns or problems with this new system, drop me an email and we will see what we can do!!

Karen

May 23, 2008 Jessie Arnold's Life

I might have magical powers, as it seems my prayers for rain were more then answered. Wednesday morning we woke up to overcast skies and a good steady rain falling. But by Thursday afternoon, the same overcast skies and steady rain was kinda getting old - although I really wasn't complaining!

I did just the minimal required chores in the dog yard, which was fine with the dogs who wanted to stay curled up in their houses anyway. I spent most of the day catching up with some inside work.

I did find a bit of time for some not so productive, raining day things - namely some reading. Any of you that have visited the house know I love books and my reading tastes span a pretty wide spectrum. I also like to mix up more serious reads with some 'lighter' ones. So I was pretty happy when the new 'Jessie Arnold' book arrived in the mail. For those of you not familiar with Sue Henry's mushing heroin, Jessie was first introduced in "Murder On The Iditarod Trail" a slightly campy but enjoyable mystery set, you guessed it, on the Iditarod Trail.

Over the years I've read all of the series - quick, easy stories that are a nice break from more serious tales and heavier reads - and I've come to a conclusion - I want Jessie Arnold's life.

Not that I don't love my own life - I surely do, but Jessie seems to have all the 'perks' in my life - and none of the hard stuff. Yeah sure, the occasional dead body shows up on her dog trails and folks are occasionally shooting at her or trying to burn her to a crisp in cabin fires - but she never seems to be fretting over sponsorship, her dog yard chores take a mere line in a paragraph and training runs are put on hold without concern. In this most recent book, she and her handsome state trooper boyfriend are actually planning a 10 day trip 'Outside' over Christmas. I wish (for the trip, I mean - not the 'handsome, state trooper boyfriend'. I'm pretty happy with my handsome electrician husband).

Jessie was portrayed by Kate Jackson in the TV movie version of 'Murder on the Iditarod Trail'. I'm still looking for the checkpoint with the hot tub and drinks with little umbrellas in them that Jessie enjoys on her Iditarod. Eight years and I still haven't found it.

I also covet Jessie's team, well, maybe not her team, but as well trained a team as hers. I nearly choked on coffee when I read the paragraph that had her planting her snow hooks and walking back behind her team to check on something she had run over on the trail - especially since this was her first training run of the season on a sled!! 

Even with Kara, my version of Jessie's beloved leader, Tank, in lead I'd still be chasing that team through the woods of Alaska.

Jessie's evening also often includes dropping by the neighborhood bar for a drink and a game of pool with friends. Mine?? Well, they usually involve a TV show or two, while bustling around answering emails, doing laundry, or other such menial chores - and then collapsing into bed early so I'm ready for the next day's early morning.

Ah well, I must get on with my day. It may not involve a weekend helping friends fix up a light house or a riverboat cruise on the Yukon River, but I do have to run into Perryvale to pick up the mail!!!

And btw, this morning the sun is shining and the skies are blue. You just couldn't ask for a prettier morning, with mist and raindrops still hanging on the trees - straight out of a novel!

Karen

May 19, 2008 Spring Storm

As much as I adore winter, as most of you, I love the arrival of spring. Last week, seemingly overnight, the valley burst out green as the popular trees buds popped open.  The evenings are long and lovely, with it being light until almost 10 pm now.

Unfortunately, one thing spring has not brought with it this year is rain. Since our big dump of snow last month, we have been entirely moisture free! It may sound pleasant, but the county of Athabasca is already under a 'fire advisory' - and the last few mornings smoke from nearby (but thankfully not too nearby) fires has hung heavy in the valley. 

The last 3 or 4 years have been wet, with a low fire risk, and have lulled us into a false sense of security. This is a wake up.

The last couple days have been bitterly windy - further drying out the ground and hindering hardworking firefighters. As each new cloud bank blew in, I'd look to the sky and plead for rain, but no matter how dark and dreary looking, they all blew off without leaving a drop of moisture.

Last night, by the time we went to feed at 8pm, the wind had vanished and the skies were completely clear. The dogs spun around their chains, kicking up a blanket of dust over the dog yard.

Mark had to be up at 4:30 am to leave for work, so he headed to bed at 9:30, but I decided to stay up and let it cool down before trying to fall asleep. I've been stalling off on replacing the flannel sheets and the bed is really toasty with them on.

Around 10:30 my eye was caught by a flash off to the north. There are some kids camping in the valley this weekend, so at first I wasn't sure what the flash was caused by (thought maybe they had a ATV out late and I had seen a headlight in the woods) but one look at Fly, who had begun to shake like a leaf and drool, confirmed that our first thunderstorm of the season was upon us (Fly has a few 'issues' - thunderstorms are his biggest one)

Now, as a kid I LOVED thunderstorms. I have this childhood memory, don't know how accurate it is, but I remember sitting on the porch of our families' first house with my Dad watching storms blow in. I think because I associate thunderstorms with him, they always made me feel safe.

But then I grew up, fell in love with a pack of dogs and became responsible for their welfare. Now thunderstorms scare the heck out of me - especially during dry times when they are not accompanied by rain, as was the case last night.

I stood out on our deck and watched the first wave of the storm move further off to the north. Behind me far off flashes were scattered through out the skies to the west, heading our way.

Fly, my 'fearless' guard dog was plastered against the back wall of his dog house and the 'Candies', having never experienced a thunderstorm before, barked defiantly at the night sky.

It was about 11:30 that I decided I needed to quit worrying and just get to bed, but once there, I just stared at the ceiling as the flashes lit up the house every minute or so.

Then the temperature display on my ceiling began to drop. From 13, to 12, to 11 and down to 10 in a matter of moments. Suddenly, the sound of rain hit the roof - hard. The fussing in the dog yard stopped instantly, as I'm sure the dogs all ran for the protection of their houses.

I snuggled down into my flannel sheets and fell asleep with a smile on my face.

I don't think a huge amount of rain fell overnight, but everything this morning seems cleaner and fresher - well, except for Fly, he looks like he has a bad hangover! We certainly need more rain, a lot more rain, but even that little bit last night was a welcome thing.

Karen

May 14, 2008 Spring, Puppies & Work

Well, I have been so negligent in writing diary entries, that I've left myself with a huge number of things to talk about. Where to start..where to start...
 
Well, first off I think most of you have heard that I made a venture back into the work force a few weeks back.

The pulp mill that Mark works for was looking for 'tank watchers' for their annual 'shutdown'. The job involves sitting and watching contractors work in vessels, ensuring their safety. It isn't a complicated job, so since I have a pulse and I'm in fairly desperate need of money to pay off lingering Iditarod bills, it seemed like a perfect match. 

A day of training, steel toed boots on, safety glasses, hard hat and visy vest in tow and I was ready to start earning a paycheck.

I'd be lying if I said the job was mentally stimulating, and the work environment is about as opposite from my 'normal' work environment as one can get. It was dim, stinky and dirty (okay - maybe the 'dirty' was no different then normal for me!) but it really made me appreciate even more the fresh air and blue sky I work until most of the time!
 
The toughest part of the job was the long hours - it was just over a week of 12 hour days. My shift was 6:30 to 6:30 and in order to save gas, I commuted with Mark, who was working 6 to 6, so basically, we were away from the house from 5am - 7:30 each day.

Now even that would have been okay, had not the temperatures plummeted and water buckets in the kennel froze, forcing us to go back to watering dogs at each feeding. Thank goodness for Markus Husch, who was waiting for us at the house each night to help with feeding. Even with his help, we wouldn't finish chores till around 9pm - then it was time to cook, eat our dinner and collapse into bed - only to get up at 4:15 to do it all over again!
 
I wasn't sad to see my stint end - but I was happy to get the paycheck!
 
Right after that ended, Colleen Hovind showed up for a visit. Having Colleen around always boosts my spirits and the two of us spend two weeks buzzing about cleaning up the kennel, catching up on house chores, working on the gardens, playing with puppies, and even running a few teams! I was definitely sad to see her head back to Saskatchewan last Sunday.
 
Spring is sure making its presence noticed. There is a lot of bird activity around the valley, the Pasque flowers are poking up out of the brown forest bottom, and the Siberians are shedding! I even heard rumor that the hummingbirds are back. Time to dig out the new feeder I bought last fall - after Bait wrecked the old one in a bold move to try and catch one of the little aerial acrobats. No, he was not successful. Doubt he ever will be, but he is an optimist.
 
We have a couple litters of puppies on the way. First up with be Kara with a litter of Moses kids. She is due June 19th and already has a bit of a 'baby bump'. The other litter is Watt x Sprite - due at the end of June. I tried to breed Nahanni too, but for some reason the timing was just never right with her and she never really stood for Nik.

Moses & Kara

Watt & Sprite

As was already mentioned on the NorthWapitiNews list, Batdog has moved to a new home. He is living with Mark and Pat Ellinger in Minnesota. Ellinger's already have 2 dogs from us - Mork (14) and Spider (9) (no, that is not the Spider that was on my team this year). I just knew that Batdog would be the perfect match with this family and as much as I would have liked him to hang around here awhile longer; I just couldn't deny him such a great opportunity. Pat flew up to pick him up mid April and reports he has settled in fabulously!
 

Batdog

A few other dogs will be moving on to homes in Sweden, Illinois, Arizona and elsewhere in the next few weeks. I will be sure to keep everyone updates on who is leaving and where they are going!
 
Well, I'm sure there is more to report - but lunch is calling - so I'm off to the kitchen!
 
Happy Spring!
 
Karen