Happy Birthday Babies!!

                                                             My babies turned 1 today

                                                           Boy was that ever a fast year

Eleanor, or Elly as we call her, is a sweet little girl.  A naughty sweet little girl. 
Elly is tiny, her head is tiny, her feet are tiny... she seems so small and delicate, yet she isn't much smaller than Penny.  I call her my small dog in a big dogs body... even her growl when playing are a small dog sound. 
Sadly the puppies first season of training with a sled was a very short one but what we did do showed incredible leader potential in our little one here.   She was born a natural leader so it seems.
A tough little dog with a great future ahead of her.... I cannot wait to get on the skis with this one.

Rigby, my boy... and is he ever a boy.  You would not even think to ask, is it a girl or a boy?  He is a boy in every sense of the word....
Rough and tumble and never stops, is so full of energy... and into everything.
This kid however eats everything that can fit in his mouth which has almost killed the silly boy.  He pooped out an entire wool sock about a month ago.  I honestly didn't think he would make it to his first birthday.
Rigby loves to run.... LOVES to run... he would pull a sled all day if he was allowed.  When we stop for breaks for the other dogs he continues to jump and pull on the line and makes such a fuss until we can get going again... I also cannot wait to get him with the skis, he is my power house.

Penny, Rocky and Hubba Bubba have had incredible patience with the puppies... in fact they would be lost without them now.  Penny is the mother, she watches over them, disciplines when necessary and loves to have a good run around the yard with them.

Rocky loves to boss them around, it makes him feel special.... and Hubba, well Hubba is Elly's boyfriend.



Me?  I too would be lost without my furry kids... I cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like without them anymore.

Dog Sledding Anyone?????

Saturday was cool and perfect.
However  as our winter weather seems to have deserted us we have been very un-prepared to head out with the dogs.

So we spent the day organizing.

First the hubby and I head to the school grounds and trekked out a trail with our skis, it's not perfect but a hell of a lot better than what we have been using lately.... which has been nothing!
Our little circuit runs about a mile or so and loops around the ball diamonds and through a mini nature trail, lots of Haws and a few Gees. 
Most of the trail has some form of snow covering, not enough that I would skijour the route, but a perfect mini trail for training our puppies on.

I will admit that putting on skis and heading out without a dog(s) attached to the waist was a very foreign feeling and it took me a minute or two to figure out why I was not moving once the skis were attached to my feet... "oh right, I suppose I have to do all the work today"

Back at home.
Many chores await us.  From adding a section to our line for the extra dogs, to sorting our travel box, getting dog boxes on the truck and organizing the toboggan sled that we have not used even once this year (having borrowed our friends so far)

The puppies insisted on helping out with the sled.

"We're a big help, right mom?  See I'll make sure all the toys are out"

No Elly... you are suppose to be in FRONT of the sled, not on it.

"um, nope the view looks way better from here"

We ready everything and all of us, furry and not so furry creatures are very excited about our upcoming run.  However Saturday includes other normal household chores that needed to be carried out, so unfortunately the rest of the day was a complete right off when it came to dog sledding.

The plan then was to wake up early Sunday and head out while it is still cool in the morning.

This action did not work out too well for us.

7am and it was 5 degrees Celsius, and by 8 when the sun had finally lit up our world for the day it was almost 8 degrees.   Penny and Rocky do not do well in the above temps.

In fact I went outside with the dogs in my pj's, with no socks on my feet... and I was warm!

It just is not fair.  

"That's okay Mom and Dad, I still loves ya anyway!"

"Just don't let it happen again"





Dog Tired

 A great way to begin the new year!

My New Years wish for everyone is to be as satisfied with what ever it is you choose to do this year as my pups were after their first ever run in harness today.

Way to go Elly and Rigby!!

My Dog Ate My Homework!!

Puppies will be puppies.

They are naughty as they learn their ranking in the pack.

They teeth so they chew.... everything!  Including holes through the carpet into the floor boards, sigh.

Thing is I am thinking that at 8 months old the teething should be pretty much finished... no?

Perhaps it is, or perhaps it is not..... in any case Rigby chews a lot.   It is pretty much non-stop in our house.

 He chews while hanging on the couch.

           He chews outside in the yard.   

                                                                                                He chews anywhere!!!!

Problem though isn't so much with the chewing, as long as he is chewing things that are human approved, the trouble lies in that when he is finished chewing he will actually swallow the item!!

I am qute worried about our Rigby.  Having a constant watch on what he is pooping and how much.  This dog has swallowed small chew bones, socks, mittens, strips of material, sticks, pieces of stuffed animals, bottle caps..... well you name it is has been swallowed!

I do feed my dogs... really I do.

So, if I ever tell you I've lost something because my dog ate it... believe me, he probably did!!

The Very Long Day

1. Two puppies
2. Two puppies who are still being housebroken with about 3 accidents a day
3. Two puppies who have had surgery
4. Two puppies who have healed well, but their bellies are shaved clean and they have no protection against cold or wet
5. An older female who for some reason is angry at the female puppy since returning home
6. Same female who cried all night as her puppies slept in the house.
7. Two puppies who are intent on destroying my house
8. Female puppy who as decided to make another hole in my living room carpet.
9. Human who was kept awake all night, not by puppies but by Hubby who snored all night long
10. Human who is grumpy with lack of sleep and little to no patience for the day.

All these added up equals a very long day.

Oh Holey Hole

Again I ask.... Whose idea was it to get puppies again???

It may not be big, but either is Elly.... silently she chewed a hole through the carpet and into the flooring underneath.   She is lucky that this is the 'boot room/ laundry room' and not the living room.

Busy creatures they are, always on the go.. never sleeping anymore or so it feels like.

But I love 'em both and cannot wait to run them ... soon!!

"Look Hubba I'm like one of the big kids now!!"

The kids were fitted for harnesses today, *sniff* they are growing up!

Puppies!!

Life has changed this last 6 months.
All because of puppies.

Naughty puppies.

Nothing is mine anymore, it belongs to the puppies.
And if they have the opportunity they will make sure that no one can have what it is they claim as theirs by destroying it in record time.

Rigby the 'boy' is strong and fast.  Walking him has become a challenge, especially now that there is ice on the roads.  It is time to suit him up in a harness and run him.
If dogs are able I do believe that he has ADHD.  It is physically impossible for him to sit still, even to be hugged, petted and cuddled.  He loves attention and craves the contact between himself and whatever human is present, but can barely stand still to receive it.
But smart.  This furry kid is at the top of his class.
He knows his commands, and sits when told (especially if food is involved).  Knows how to opens doors, and I believe even unlocked the kennel the other day.
He also loves to play ball with us.  The only dog that has ever brought back a ball and dropped it at our feet so that we could throw it for him to chase, again and again and again.

Elly (Eleanor) a petite little girl who loves to cuddle and snuggle in your lap.   Her face is so small and delicate reminding me of a deer (my hubby says she reminds him of a rat, but he doesn't love her like I do).
She would play ball with her brother except for the fact that she was run into twice by the bigger dogs and has decided that it is no fun anymore.
The cry that came from her with the contact made you would have thought she was on deaths door.
Elly cries wolf often when play time gets too rough for her making me believe that she is in extreme pain and has been seriously wounded.
However it is okay for her to attack the others and inflict pain and suffering on them.  She's such a girl!

I love my puppies and cannot wait to get them out on the trails with their bigger buddies.

Oh the adventures we will have...... bring on the snow!

A Sunday Morning Scooter

Fall

My favorite time of year just got better with the addition of our new toy.
I love the scooter and so do the dogs.  For us town folk with no access to easy trails right out the back gate a scooter gives the opportunity to train and exercise dogs easily.

Easily?
Did I say easily?

Fun yes, but getting going is never easy.... and today we had an added adventure that I thought would be worth sharing on this wonderful crisp fall morning.

The dogs had already been out of their runs for about 30 minutes and were settling down to chew bones, dig or check out and mark the perimeter of their property. 
Mayhem ensued when I stepped outside with harnesses in hand.  They know what a harness means and excitement ripples between dogs and human.  With the puppies who have never run in harness they get caught up in the fever although I'm sure they have no clue as to why.

With only 5 dogs you would think it easy to harness up 1 dog at a time. 
Let us begin with Penny.  She is the calmest of the bunch and will stand nicely for me while I slip the harness over her head.  Easy? Yes if she was the only dog there. 
Rocky slides up to her side whining for his turn to be right now!  Hubba does a funny in and out bump of my hands as if to say "don't forget about me!"
If it was only those two it would still be pretty easy.... but don't forget we have 2 puppies who think this is all a game and end up climbing over top of the dogs to get a closer look.
"Look Elly a rope or something... wanna play?"
I spend most of my energy pushing puppies off.

I know, you don't have to tell me... "but wouldn't it be easier if you just put the puppies into their kennel??"
Ah, yes it would indeed, however you have to remember we run early mornings to avoid traffic with cars or other people walking their dogs and the last thing we need is the puppies howling and barking thinking they are missing out on something big, especially on a Sunday.
So instead we practice patience and eye hand coordination as we scoop puppies up and push them away while harnessing the bigger dogs.

Now that the dogs are harnessed it is time to get them out of the yard and hooked to the scooter.  Again not an easy task as now we have puppies hanging off of the bigger dogs by their harnesses.
For sure this is a two person job.... and would be so much easier if we either had another person there or an extra arm or two.
At this point it is not just the two puppies we are trying to keep inside but also a 'lone' older dog as I only scooter 2 at a time for the moment.
I'm not even sure how to explain the procedure for getting the gate open allowing 2 hyper harnessed dogs out without letting go of their line and keeping 3 others inside.... let's just say it is an adrenaline rushed brouhaha.

Dogs are finally hooked to the scooter and we can take off.

We run down a total of 4 to 5 blocks before we are out on country roads, and to date it has been rather un-eventful with a couple of squirrels, one cat and a dog in a yard making our exit a tad interesting.  I do know we need to practice our command, "on by" way more than we do.
The most frustrating part of being in town is the cars that slow down to 'watch' us run along. 
I wish people could understand how simple it would be for my furry baby to turn into their vehicle, not that they would as all my dogs are a bit nervous around cars, but accidents happen quickly and the faster their car gets out of our way the more relaxed I am.

We then head up a country road for another 2km's or so.  In another few weeks we will be ready to increase our distance, but I am hoping that we will be on 'real' trails by then and no more roads.

The biggest problem of running this particular country road is the fact that it is a straight line with no turns.
It is the hardest part of our entire run when it is time to head back home.  The dogs do not understand why I need to turn them completely around and it takes lots... LOTS of encouragement to get them to head in the opposite direction, and usually with a few tangles while doing so.

Today however the dogs and I stopped for a quick break at the 1/2 way mark at an opening to a field. 
This particular field had been harvested not too long ago and gave the appearance of a trail.  The dogs immediately began going down this direction.
Normally I do not allow the dogs to choose where we go, instead listening to my commands, however today this trail looked enticing to me too. 
A new trail that was not paved was exciting and it would take us to a road that would lead us home eventually.

I was thrilled and thought that my excitement had passed on to the dogs... but I was not to be the source of their frenzied run.
No, it was the large item that lay to the side of the 'trail', the item that I thought was a piece of garbage.  A large paper bag is what my brain registered.
The dogs knew long before we arrived what they were heading for.

We came upon a rather large piece of (thankfully frozen) deer hide that had been worked over by the coyotes the night before.
Rocky and Penny dove onto it each grabbing a section in their mouths.. I dropped the scooter and ran to the large item that was, once again thankfully, frozen into a large flat surface.  Ripping it from their mouths I flung it like a Frisbee away from the over excited dogs.
Luck was with me in that they were now too distracted with the scattered bones to worry about the disc like edible object flying away into the field like a toy that we play with in the yard.

Grabbing their harnesses I had to drag them with the scooter helplessly bouncing along behind them away from the carnage.  I would have taken them further up this 'trail' if it were not for the rest of the deer laying about 50 feet ahead, so instead we went back to the road.

The rest of our run was uneventful, and they sprinted home in a hurry eager to tell Hubba what lay ahead for him when it was his turn next.
I'm sure they will make a bee line for this very spot next time we head for our run next weekend.

Adventure... always.... with the sun coming up behind me bringing the snow capped mountains to life, the crisp fall air stinging my lungs, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Summers End

Sitting outside this morning with my furry kids I became aware of how cool the morning air has become.
There is a crispness to it and a smell that speaks of fall.

The dogs themselves have picked up on this as play time and walks have a feeling of urgency that means one thing... they are extra hyper.  You could say that the instinct to run, their blueprint of what they were bred to do is coming to the surface, with the colder temperatures comes the urge to run.

"You coming mom?  Lets go runnin'!!!"

And although I'm just as excited as these guys to get running again and to be standing on the back of a sled or on my skis once again I am also feeling rather sad this year.

Summers end also means my kids have both moved on and away.  My baby boy has already forged his path into the big city and is loving every moment (well, almost every moment) and my girl leaves tomorrow night to return to her 'home' on the east coast.

I am going to miss them so very much.  The house gets so lonely without them here, and so do my arms.

Summers end also means it is time to say goodbye to the warm days we have (finally) been having.  I've loved laying in my hammock drifting in and out of sleep while the dogs play or lay beneath me. 
Although we only got out once this year the end has come to the lazy day floats down the Bow River with my bestie and the sharing of secrets.

This summer also marks the end of tiny puppies.  I swear that with the colder mornings the pups have stretched their legs over night.  Teenagers is what they are quickly turning into and a new fun time with them begins, but I will miss that cuddly puppy time.  I know I've said this once before, but it is meant for real this time when I say... No more puppies for me!!

My furry babies turn their backs on being puppies as not only their legs stretch but as they try so hard to be just like the big kids.

This ending also includes the leaving of a job while I search for and hope to get a new career re-started.
So many changes are happening that I try to hang on to the last days of summer, willing it to slow down even just a little.

However this fall does bring promise.
Promise of a great adventure with a best friend from the past as she comes to visit me from across the country for a week (oh the trouble we shall find!!)
Promise of a new job with new and old friends.
Promise of a successful and fun year sledding and skijouring my furry kids while we seek out new trails to explore.

A new season full of promise sounds like a good plan to me.

For now though, I think I shall enjoy the laid back days of summer.

Slow down Please

Almost a month since my last blog.

It's not like I haven't anything to say.
It's more like not wanting to say it.

I woke this morning well before the sun.
Much too hot in my room to sleep anyhow.

My mind being too active to drift off again I wander down into the coolness of the living room and watch the sun rise with thoughts that I try to avoid plaguing my mind.

Lately the puppies have filled my free time.

They grow so fast.  Which makes me realize just how quickly time itself passes us by.

My baby boy has his date set for when he is leaving.  Moving across the country to start a new life, and as the day fast approaches I find myself teetering on the edge of dispair.

I'm going to miss him very much.

Then only days after he is gone my baby girl will be back on her way home... again... across the country.

She has been working so much since being home leaving me feeling as if we have had hardly any time together.

I miss her all the time and do not look forward to the day she is back on her way.



Huge changes are also fast approaching in my life, changes that I myself set the wheels in motion for. 

Realizing just how quickly time passes I'm left wondering if I am ready for this big change in my life.

I do not look forward to the passage of time this summer is offering up to me.

If only it would slow down to a crawl.

But, like the sunrise, it is inevitable and I can only hope that it will also be as breathtaking as I watch my kids continue to grow into independant wonderful adults.

Play Time at Outback Kennels

The puppies are 8 1/2 weeks old and are sweet bundles of fur that are growing a little each day. 

 And even though they woke me up at 2:30 last night and ended up being kenneled in the backroom to ensure the entire neighbourhood didn't share in my sleepless night, they are growing on my heart.

An Afternoon of Puppy Play

Elly is so delicate and tiny but a tough little critter able to stand up to her brother.... she is wondering why I'm not getting in the kennel with her.

Rigby a tough little guy who is a lot bigger than his sister but the biggest suck of 'em all. He craves human connection and will 'scream' if you walk away from his kennel... "come on!! are you coming in already??"

Penny LOVES the puppies and has been in the kennel with them.  She treats them like they are her own babies and will lay right beside the fence.

Rocky... well I'm undecided about Rocky.  He is so curious about these little dudes, but seems a tad rough through the fence.  He is so funny, he will collect all the bones and chewies (raw hides) and bring them right up to the fence beside the puppies and pretend to ignore them while chewing away.

Hubba pretty much ignores the little guys, however he has had a good sniff and gave them his backside so they could 'try' and have a sniff too.  It is pretty exhausting keeping the little ones entertained... oh just you wait until they are free to roam the yard with you guys... you know nothing of exhaustion yet!!

It's a good thing they tucker out quickly, I'm not sure any of us would be able to keep up!



As for the kennel name, we are always asked "where do you keep your dogs?" and we always answer out back... hence the name.. Outback Kennels

Lack of Sleep

I've been very sleep deprived lately.... and here is the reason.... naughty little devil dogs these puppies are.... but they are soooo cute, how can one hate a little puppy?
Not me, which is why we have two!

Who Doesn't Love Puppies?

There may be those who will think we are nuts to add 2 more pups to our 'little' kennel.
And I must say there are moments when that thought crosses my mind also.

This last few days we have done some serious thinking, soul searching and hard shakes on that magic 8 ball to come up with the solution that is right for us.

Yes, it will cost a little more... but it is do able for us...
We are not rolling in the paper or coin 'stuff' and at times feel as though we scrape the bottom of the barrel more times than we should be at this stage in our lives. 
But in the scheme of things it seriously isn't that much extra to what we spend already.
The vet bills are spread out over the year which would be our biggest expense.

Time isn't a huge issue as I already spend the time with the existing pups.
Walkies in the morning will take on a new meaning when the pups are old enough to join the elders...

Elders?  Interesting, I have always thought of my dogs as pups, but now they are the mature older dogs... haha.. mature??

So, after a third, or was it the fourth, inquiry from Zoltan the fortune teller we chose to give the two little sweet hearts a home.

Eleanor (Elly) and Rigby will be coming home next Sunday for Fathers Day.

It's gonna take a year but just you wait.. we're gonna finally have ourselves a full team and we're gonna fly!