Old Dogs

Smart Dog

Old Dog, New Trick



Every evening after work I take my old dogs for a walk. Our routine goes something like this. They meet me at the door, tails wagging, overjoyed to see me, the source of all good things to eat. I give them each a dog treat while I put away things I'm carrying and glance at the mail. Then I go upstairs to my loft bedroom to change from work clothes to blue jeans. My malamute follows me upstairs talking to me constantly. The older dog, Kiska, stays downstairs in the kitchen, she doesn't do stairs anymore. After I change we return to the kitchen, I put on a hat and coat and out the kitchen door we excitedly explode to go for our walk.
Last night I was delayed in the kitchen by some mail that I took the time to read. The malamute, Shadow, was dancing around talking to me but I was ignoring him. Suddenly he stopped harrassing me and bolded for the stairs. He ran up the stairs and waited about 20 seconds. Then he ran back down the stairs, bounced into the kitchen talking excitedly and poking me with his nose. With his toenails clicking loudly on the laminate floor, he scrambled around and headed back up the stairs, waited a few seconds and then came looking for me again. The third time it finally sunk into my distracted brain what he was doing. So while praising him for being so smart and being a "good boy" the fourth time I let him lead me upstairs where I changed clothes as fast as humanly possible and raced him downstairs and out the kitchen door for thier walk.

iPhone Malamute

Close up.

Charlie

Howling Dogs and Coyote

One of the websites I visit every day is, http://www.dailycoyote.net/ The author, Shreve, posted an audio file of Charlie the Coyote and his buddy Chloe the Border Collie talking to thier friends a mile away. When I played the audio file, my Malamute, Shadow, was sleeping at my feet. He jumped to his feet with one loud bark and then immediately began howling back to Charlie and Chloe. I played the auto file three times in a row and he howled through all of them. When I stopped he ran downstair and out into the yard barking and howling for ten minutes trying to get them to talk back to him.

The Day of The Moose

Here a Moose, There a Moose...

S-I-L and I were talking in the living room this morning when he noticed a young moose in the front yard. It turned out to be a young bull, most likely the same one that I posted pictures of the day after Christmas. He's been hanging out with the cow and calf in the immediate neighborhood since then. Today, however he is without his antlers, apparently they finally shed in the last couple of weeks. While we were admiring him my sister called on the telephonic communication device. Her husband and son had returned from a successful winter moose hunt and they invited us to come by and help butcher and process the large frozen moose in their garage. S-I-L had a previous engagement helping a friend to get ready to slaughter a couple hogs tomorrow. I was getting ready to go when I heard dogs barking in the area. A medium sized black and brown dog was in my front yard herding the young bull moose into the woods. He wasn't one of the barking dogs however. I stepped out on the back porch because Shadow was in his pen barking, the neighbor dog off through the woods in the back was barking and two other dogs were barking in the area. I recognized one of the dogs by the bark. He had a frantic high pitched bark and I had run him off several months ago when he was harassing moose in about the same area. Sure enough it was him and his yellow lab partner yapping at a large cow moose just outside of my back fence. I shouted in my best command voice, "Hey, get the Hell out of here!" They both quit barking and took off at a fast run off to the west. The cow watched them go and then trotted off to the east disappearing into the woods.
I spent the afternoon helping family cut up a moose. It was a large old moose so they ground it all into moose burger.

Another Year

Maybe it'll get better in 2009

Kate and I always spent New Years Eve together. I don't recall that we ever went out to a party or celebration, neither of us were into loud parties or being around drunk people. That's why our social lives were family get togethers, quiet dinners for two at Evangelo's Restaurant or making dinner at home and watching movies from the couch. I spent New Years Eve alone except for a sleeping old husky next to the recliner and a frightened husky panting and pacing. Shadow is terrified of firecrackers. My neighbors loudly celebrate New Years and the 4th every year. I went to bed at 11 but at midnight was joined but a shaking 75 lb husky attempting to crawl under me in the bed. We were awake until the explosions stopped at 1 am. The -23 F temperatures must have driven them indoors early. Usually they stay up at least until 2 am frightening my dog.

Weather update: The Thermometers are still OFL and we are going to get a little wind for couple of days. Wind chill tonight of -38 F.

Dinner Time

Shadow keeping an eye on the chicken...

Responding to an Old Friend

Pictures of the Huskies

An old friend from my childhood in Juneau asked to see more picture of my dogs, so here you go...

This is Kiska. She was supposed to be a Samoyed but turned out to be a mix. I suspect her father was a golden retriever. But she does have the crazy blue eyes. She's almost 14 years old now and spends most of her time sleeping on an oversized dog pillow next to my recliner.

The Malemute is Shadow. He's 12 years old and still very active. Shadow has earned his name over the years. If I'm home he's always in the same room as me, watching my every move. If I sit down he comes over and sits or lays as close to me as possible. Lately, perhaps sensing my sadness, he's trying to be a lap dog. It's difficult to read a magazine or watch TV with an 75 pound malemute in your lap pressing his face into your face. The last goofy picture isn't actually Shadow but a photo of a look alike lifted from some website years ago.

Winter 2008, First Snow

It started snowing this morning...

It's starting to accumulate a little but it's only 33.6 degrees F. If it warms up a little it'll melt away.

A little over a month ago the fireweed was still blooming. The conventional wisdom is when the topmost buds bloom on the fireweed, winter is three weeks away.

A Touch of the Flu

I might have a touch of one of the many viruses currently in circulation. The usual Pepto Bismal symptoms and a low grade achy feeling. Left work mid-morning and came home. Thought I'd post the final pictures of the living room remodel. The final pictured until I change or add something. Home remodeling is now done until fall. Motor home repair to commence as soon as I feel better.


















I only posted the second picture because of Shadow looking up at me from under the table. I didn't notice him when I took the shot.

January 1, 2008

Like many dogs, Shadow, my black and white malamute, is frightened of fireworks. Last night's celebration of the New Year was the loudest I can recall. As I drove home last night there were rocket bursting above the trees everywhere. My dogs were in the garage. I found Shadow hiding inside the motor home. He had climbed in through the open driver's door window. After we went into the house he paced and panted until 1 a.m. before he settled down.
This morning I had a cow and calf moose in the front yard. Since it was daylight I spend an hour trying to get a decent shot or two of the cow. She was closer to the edge of the brush and lighter in color than the calf.

Dogs and Moose

After I fed the dogs last night I let them out the back door into the fenced yard. After the usual interval I let them back into the house. As Shadow went past me an aroma wafted off him. He had found a disgusting item to roll in in the back yard. He's never done this with deposits left by Kiska, himself or other dogs so it was some other animal that passed through the fenced back yard yesterday. It's been very cold this week and, trust me, the "material" was fresh, not frozen. Clamping down on my gag reflex, I gave the stupid dog a bath last night.
This evening as I drove into my drive way I had to stop a wait for a cow and calf moose to amble out of the way. At the house I let the dogs out of the garage. As usual they make a bee line for the nearest bunch of trees to pee. There was another cow and calf moose in those trees. Fortunately they choose to run away a few steps instead of stomping the dogs. I called the dogs back and took them in the house. After feeding them I let them out into the fenced yard. As I expected Shadow ran immediately to his little treasure. What he failed to notice was that I was right behind him. A little shouting, jerking on his collar and several "No"s later I hope to have discouraged him from rolling in the sh... stuff. He hates baths so I'm hoping he made that connection too. I know I explained it to him carefully.

Ok, I lied about the dog photos...