NorthWapiti's Barq's Got Bite

NorthWapiti's Barq's Got Bite
July 01, 2001 - July 05, 2016

Everything about Barq was big - big dog, big stride, big work ethic, big personality........

He lived his entire life on his terms. Didn't make my main string till he was 5, never cared to lead and yet was still was a key team member. 

The last few months he refused to eat out of dog dish and shared his meals with a raven. That was so Barq. I fed him on the ground and gave him extra so he had some to share.

Today, Sven - one of the many kind and compassionate vets at the Westlock Vet Clinic, suggested we lie him down to make his passing easier. I told him that was unlikely to happen and sure enough, Barq took his last breath on his terms - on his feet.


Big dog, big stride, big work ethic, big personality........ big hole in the kennel and in my heart at his passing.

Modeling Tips From Cindy Lou Who

Good Afternoon all of you non-models.

Tip #1: Always pose for the camera, even if there are no cameras, there could be a camera somewhere, so just in case there's one hidden in a pocket... pose.

Tip #2:  Even while doing the most mundane thing, do it with style, pizazz, flair, gloriously.  You should never be seen doing something without making it look fluid and wonderful, but spontaneous.

Tip #3: If you are stretching, and doing it magnificently, and you happen to pass a little wind in the process...

... blame the big smelly guard dog

Wha?

Remembering Noah

I met the Buchs many years ago after a presentation I did in Calgary. I was instantly drawn to the whole family.
Talks led to them buying a dog off me that year.
A number of visits to the kennel followed and the one NW dog they owned became many.
The entire family has become very special to me over the years - especially their son Noah.

Noah was witty, charming, life loving and very adventurous. We bonded over dogs, cooking and a love for adventures.

A few years back I went down to Edmonton to visit with Noah and his parents as he was recovering from heart surgery.
Noah was born with heart issues and battled them his whole life. By the time I first met him he was pretty much a normal 10 year old, but when his parents discussed his options with him a few years later he OPTED to have another painful and, of course, risky surgery to allow him to become the best version of himself possible. That was Noah!
Sitting next to him, quietly cringing as I listened to him, without bitterness nor resentment, explain what the doctors had done I knew I was in the presence of true braveness.


When his Mom messaged me last Monday to tell me of his passing in a tragic dirt bike accident my heart broke.

I spent Monday and Tuesday of this week in Cranbrook attending his funeral and visiting with his family.

It was extremely obvious that I was not the only one that recognized Noah for the special young man he was. His funeral was packed and so many have rallied around Adam, Cassie, Freya and Lola.
Especially touching his the way his young friends have circled around his family and his memory.
On Tuesday his parents, younger sister and I walked down to one of his favourite spots along the creek near his home where his friends erected a cross bearing his name and a bench in his honour. Such a special place.

Noah always made me feel like he felt privileged to be able to call me a friend, but the truth of the matter was, it was I that was privileged to be able to call him my friend.

I will miss you Noah.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

My Birthday Party - Twig

OHMYGOODNESS everyone!

I had the most awesome time at my birthday party yesterday O.M.G.!!!

Yep, yesterday I turned one year old!

The Karen Musher asked me a while back what I wanted to do for my SPECIAL day, and I told her that I wanted a perfect princess party!!  I wanted hats and cake, and streamers, and music and fun and a bouncy castle, and I wanted my whole family to adore me in my finery!

First we all had to take baths.

I told the Karen Musher that I wanted her to french braid my furs!  All of the coolies at baa baa sheepy camp told me that for special occasions you had to have pretty french braids and a tiara, the tiara was a MUST and a tiara wouldn't look good if your furs weren't french braided, so I really really really wanted my furs french braided... and a bouncy castle.

So then it was time for all of the guests to arrive, so being the hostess with the mostess, I went out to greet them.

Hi Bear!  Love your hat, I'm so glad you could take time from your busy guarding schedule to make it!

ooh, your hat is slipping, let me fix it for you!

Cricket showed up and she had found some really snazzy glasses to wear!  She's like a movie star!!

BAIT!! HEY BAIT!  Get over here and get your hat!!

I hate you... just wait until you go to sleep... seriously

KD really wanted a hat too, but she's very shy and didn't want to bother us

You're not putting a stupid hat on me... no... never

You're touching me, stop touching me, take this hat off, I'll cut you

Bet was a bit upset because she had to get a bath and then wasn't allowed to wear any of her FABulous ensembles.

but Musher, this TOTALLY clashes with my furs and collar!!

She pretty much pouted for the whole party.

This is so not worth a bath

Wait... did you say bath?  I have to wear a hat and get a bath?  Nobody mentioned baths

Nobody better put me in water, there will be heck to pay

Since everyone was so moody, I asked the Karen Musher where the bouncy castle was.  She told me that all of the bouncy castles had flown south for the summer.

THAT'S JUST RIDICULOUS!  I'm never going to have a bouncy castle birthday because of the bouncy castle migration schedule!!!

MY BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS RUINED!!!  RUINED I TELL YOU!!!

Poor you!  I have to wear some flowered thing on my head for you, the least you can do is be happy

I think the elastic thing is cutting off the flow of blood to my brain

Well, it's not like a lot of blood flows up there anyway you big lug

BEAR!  Don't eat KD, you'll ruin my party even more!

Bah, she probably tastes horrible anyway

The Karen Musher then announced that it was time for my birthday cake, so I ran inside and got all princessed up

I'm ready for my cake and gift!

So, the Karen Musher gave me my cake first

Om nom, cupcake!!!

Except it wasn't a cupcake... it was a squeeky toy that LOOKED like a cupcake.

Wait... what the....

Seriously?  That's my cake AND gift?  Fake bakery products?

You gonna eat that?  I'll eat that, I could use some fiber

Why is Cricket wearing a Princess tiara???  I'm the only princess here!  I'M THE ONLY PRINCESS!!

hehehehehehe

Next year we're having my party in the south so we can have a bouncy castle

Pssst, tell her she's the prettiest princess of them all so she doesn't throw a tantrum

Then the Karen Musher told me that I was the most beautiful princess ever and that we were having my favorite dinner of veggibles and we'd have a slumber party and paint our nails

THIS IS THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!!!

Unfortunately Zac ruined the whole Coolie girly party because he didn't want his nails painted, so none of us are talking to each other now, but that's ok, I was a very pretty princess!

You suck.  I'm not having my nails painted. You could have asked for shrimp and pasta, now I have brocoolie gas.

Happy Birthday Musher - Everyone at North Wapiti

"How DARE you call me old!"

When Dasher left us last week it left Crunchie without a roommate. He was rather unhappy with that and asked for another dog to live with.

"A hot, young thing", he asked

Regardless of the species I think all men are pretty much the same.

I went through the list of suitable girls in kennel and suggested See.

"She's OLD".

She is not. She is 5 years younger than you are.

And she is still a main string dog.



Plus she won't push you around and make you give her your breakfast.


"But is she hot?"

CRUNCHIE!!!! Be a Gentleman!!

"Okay. She can move in on a trial basis"

I think See was a little less than impressed with the discussion.

She says HE is going to have to live up to HER standards. And they are high, very high.

Good Luck Crunch.

You're going to need it.

(For the record, they are getting along great)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Coolie Identification Lesson - Bet

Howdy Ho Everybodies!

It has come to my attention that peoples are having problems figuring out which Coolie is which in the pictures and stuffs (and things).

Um... really?  We're all VERY different looking!

Okey Dokey, here's how to tell all of us apart.

I am adorable.

I also have a mask, and don't have the big white line that goes up my snooter.  I am tiny like a little peanut and super-model thin.

I am very photogenic and I don't eat veggibles.

Twig is a big ol lumberjack with a lopsided white stripey thing down her nose.

She has soft brown eyes that show her constant confusion about pretty much everything, such as: I'm standing in this dirty stream and I'm wet and dirty, how did this happen?

Here she is excited over something... she doesn't quite know what she's excited about, but something must be happening that's exciting.  She eats veggibles and spends too much time worrying about what other Coolies think of her, but makes no effort to wear ensembles.

This is Zac.

Note the crazy eyes.  He's larger, has a more symmetrical white stripe, and is very focused and serious.

Um... yeah... serious... he's very, very serious.

Photo courtesy of Alta Pete Stockdogs and Ms. Jenny

Ok, there!  See... very serious!  The Musher is also trying to feed him veggibles, and he seems to like them... sigh.

Ok, so that's it, very simple.  We're all COMPLETELY different and you shouldn't have any problems telling us apart any more... right?

-Bet