The Joy of Six

Tags

Gealach Mor Siberians, love, puppies, seppala siberian puppies, seppala siberian sled dogs, snow

10 May 2013   5.00 PM   62 F  Cloudy

Still raw from the loss of Vader, our emotions and feelings are at the stage of being under control and looking as if everything is ok, until we are asked how we are doing or people pass comment on his passing and then it all comes to the surface again. Fortunately, most of our friends are similarly minded and we grieve with close friends of ours who lost one of their dogs at the same time we lost Vader. Around here, no-one says “oh, it’s just a dog”.

However, no matter how sad we are, the truth is we have the responsibility to take care of all of our other dogs and to ensure that they know how much they are loved and cared for. In return, they seem to know that perhaps a gentle nuzzle or simple nudge is all that is required on days like those. However, that’s not the case with the puppies. At only 11 weeks old, they have no concept of much other than exploring, having fun, eating and destroying anything they can reach. When eventually they tire, you will be rewarded with puppy snuggles. No matter how sad we are, those 6 puppies have been able to lift our spirits and bring a smile. Knowing our interactions with these little guys shape their characters, it’s always important to be the kind of “boss/leader/head honcho” that you want them to respect and be willing to listen to and work for.

They are now 13 weeks old and are still an amazing bunch of little dogs that think they are big dogs, right up to the moment they discover something they haven’t yet encountered. Our daily walks go a little further, the explorations of the woods beside the trail goes just a little deeper and the play wrestling gets a little bit wilder. But the sight of a loose adult dog in the driveway still brings them scuttling back to the safety of the 2 legged giant, a trip to the dogyard fence comes to an abrupt end when the inhabitants roar their excitement at seeing small fluffy meals wandering around. Their first road trip was accompanied by an hour of screaming and wailing, and a lot of bemused looks from passersby. Their first visit to the vets was great fun right up to the moment that the vet actually appeared. Then we had a game of statues !  I guess being frozen in place is preferable to running around screaming and peeing everywhere.

Generally, they’re a very happy crew, mostly content with their lot and really only loud and objectionable if they decide that they’ve been in their pen too long and want to go and have an outside play session. Break up season is in full swing here and the trails that we used to be able to nicely walk along are now something akin to walking a tightrope. If you’re lucky, you can stay on the surface and if you’re not, you can be thigh deep in snow, face first into a tree or knee deep in water. If you’re really,really unlucky, all 3 at the same time. The puppies don’t seem to care, they just tear along and if the snow gives way under them , they just slide along on their chins until they come to a stop, pick themselves up and charge off again. They are having a wonderful time finding necklines, dog booties, gloves, pine cones and assorted branches to carry, chew or fight over.

Queen and her pups examine the power pole tension cables. They look like a great chew toy.

The pups are all fantastic little characters in their own right as well as a great mob. The 2 girls, Tanera and Tiree, are both bright sparks, vibrant and very mischievous. They are at the forefront of any nonsense and nearly always at the front of any race back home too. Taran is a bit of a loner, happy off wandering on his own, and much less invested in group activities. He’s also the smallest male but the most dominant at the food bowl. Raasay the rascal – a lovebug, a livewire and a dog that brings a smile to your face as he tears around, ears flapping, tongue lolling and tail swishing. Col, the big guy, the serious one who has a curious streak in him a mile wide. And that leaves Eris, happy-go-lucky, kind, sharing, handsome, strong and willing but as we jokingly say – possibly not the sharpest knife in the block.

Raasay, a rare calm moment.

Tiree leads her brother Raasay home

Taran and Col decide that out of million available sticks, they have to share this one.

Highs and Lows

Tags

Gealach Mor Siberians, love, mud, puppies, sled dog races, sled dogs, training

6 May 2013    2.00 PM     51 F       Sunny

Dogs bring so many wonderful things into our lives and all they ever seem to want in return is that you willingly share your space with them. Companionship is an added bonus and if you throw in a consistent approach to managing them and deign to then feed them too, it appears that they seem to feel they are in heaven.

As mushers, we are both doubly fortunate and unfortunate. To add to the relationship depths with our dogs, we get to spend countless hours training with them, on both atvs and sleds. Add in the extra time caring for paws, massaging tender limbs or joints, and just generally hanging out with them, and the number of hours spent away from our dogs is far less than those spent with them. The bonds and ties we have with our dogs are only deepened and strengthened with the passing of time and miles.

As sure as night follows day, the passing of those times and miles means, naturally enough, that we all age and start to slow down, to feel the effects of our exertions a little more the next day. For some, this time of year marks the end of a racing career.  I look at my team from the winter just finished and wonder who will feel that come September, they maybe don’t really “have to” go for a run that day, that maybe they could just skip this, just this once.  Rather than dancing around screaming, “take me, take me”,  I wonder if some of those 10 and 11 year olds will be quite happy just to watch us depart in the mud and rain, from the warmth and safety of their nice, dry, doghouse.

It is a hard thing to contemplate, that perhaps the mind, heart and desire are all still willing and capable, but that the body will inevitably betray them all. To look at a trusted team-mate of many years and have to say, not this time, my friend – it’s for your own good. I know we will still have short fun runs with most of our “oldies”, but I can already feel a tug at the heartstrings, knowing that a couple of my most consistent team-mates over the past 8 years are likely to miss the exploits yet to come.

Their places will be taken, but never replaced, by the up and coming youngsters, by those puppies we had, by young dogs who have patiently, and generally not so patiently, waited for their time in the “big team”. Dogs with whom new bonds will be forged, with whom trust and faith will develop and with whom new tales will be written,  new adventures undertaken and new horizons explored. And equally doubtless, I shall sit somewhere, writing, with a heaviness in my heart remembering the passing of a beloved companion, countered only by the many hours of joy and pleasure we shared and hopefully brought each other.

What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us

 

Goodbye Vader

Tags

Gealach Mor Siberians, Vader

28 April 2013         4.00 PM         44F             Sunny

Riverdance’s Vader of Sepp-Alta,        15 Sept 1999 – 26 April 2013

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we said goodbye to our dear, beloved boy, Vader on Friday.

He came into our life when we bought him from Bob & Tammy Davis’ Tay-Marr Kennel in March 2002. He was already a well travelled dog, with long distance racing experience and a lot of miles logged under his paws and also inside a dog truck. From then on, he has only flown across the Atlantic 4 times, run dryland in the United Kingdom, and lived with us in New Hampshire, Scotland and Alaska.

He was our first Seppala line Siberian and he sired our first litter, as well as being an excellent father, he passed on a wonderful work ethic. In addition to his sparkling character, he had a happy, smiley face and that instantly recognisable missing ear tip.

When he made the move into the house after our first winter in Alaska, he became a firm favourite with all our visitors and he made the transition to “meeter and greeter” with aplomb.

In the summer of 2011, Vader suddenly started having seizures and had been bravely battling those, increasingly dependent on quite debilitating medication and slowly losing mobility. Throughout it all, his temperament never altered and he coped with all his disabilities – most generally by seemingly ignoring them as best he could. His famed stubbornness was being put to full use. To the end, he remained a steadfast and loyal friend, who despite increasing frailty, still commanded your attention and the obvious respect of the rest of the house dogs.

Run free “mad dog”, our dear, sweet, slightly crazy boy.

Vader in the Highlands of Scotland

 

 

Big Bump = Little Bundles

Tags

Gealach Mor Siberians, puppies, puppy breath, seppala siberian puppies, seppala siberian sled dogs

21 February 2013   4.00 PM      27 F     Lightly snowing

We are delighted to be able to share the news (albeit a little after the event ) that we have once again been blessed with a litter of pups.

Queen and her bump

Early in December, we took Arkady of Seppala to visit with Queen of Seppala and on the 6th February, Queen whelped 6 puppies, 4 boys and 2 girls. As a first time mother, Queen seemed a little bemused at the procession of little bodies cascading from her, however, she produced the 6 puppies without fuss inside 3 hours.  And very conveniently, she did so in the middle of the afternoon.

Wanting to ensure that everything would go smoothly, as her due date approached, we took her out of the girls’ yard and settled her into her own little kingdom ( or Queendom, if you prefer). She took to the transition very calmly although I have the feeling that me staying in there with her may have helped. Having wifi and my laptop certainly made living in the garage seem less like I had been kicked out and more like finally having my very own “man cave”.

Where Queen should be

Where Queen liked to be

Now, just over 2 weeks old, the pups have finally left behind the “hamster” stage and are looking more like little dogs every day. Our daily treat is that most delightful and evocative scent, known as puppy breath.

Our new born puppies

Our gang of 6 consist of 4 boys and 2 girls, and are equally divided into the colour groups. We have 2 brown males and a brown female, and 2 white males with a white female.  How very balanced. Over the last couple of days, their eyes have started to open and the pups are now up and about on rather wobbly legs, squeaking at each other and chasing the milk bar.

2 weeks later

Baby, It’s Cold Outside

Tags

Alaska, cold, Gealach Mor Siberians, snow, Willow

27 January 2013     08.00 AM    -36 F    Clear

The weather is a constant source of discussion, frustration and entreaty. We have had a rough winter this year so far. A very wet Fall, followed by a harshly cold November and a distinctly snow-lacking winter, has lead to the cancellations of many of the sled dog races and exceedingly unhappy mushers.

January saw strangely warm temperatures, we bumped along with most days barely managing to stay below freezing until the disaster (disaster is of course relative) of a couple of days where it was warm enough to rain – which it did, copiously, and the subsequent melt which occurred. the fact I have now blogged about this twice gives you some indication of just how distressing it was.

Since then, we have been blessed with a fairly decent snowfall one night and a couple of minor dustings. The temperatures have stayed a little cooler and the trails have generally survived remarkably well, with the exception of a couple of the sloughs we use to access our crossing to get under the Parks Highway and a few other chunks of overflow out on the swamps. That was until yesterday, when it seemed that in the blink of an eye it got,cold and then colder still.

We’ve gone from 25 F yesterday to – 37 F this morning. The dogs have a few weeks of that relative mildness and quite a few of them were starting to blow their coats – a decision I’m sure they are regretting tonight !

The house dogs always seem to be the most affected – I guess they are so used to the warmth indoors, that when it gets cold like this, none of them have any desire to spend any time outside. Ruya, however, wins the prize for most pathetic overreaction to the cold.