Now the day is over

And the merciless sun has gone down. There is no breeze so it is still and hot and humid, still 91 degrees at 8 PM. The dogs keep their activity limited to stay cool and love to stand in their wading pools.
Today I added even more tarps... some on the sides of pens rather than tops as the sun comes at a side angle into some of them, I also hang tarps in between pens to cool the area around the pens.
Not much in the way of major events today. Skinny ripped the gate open and let Quattro out while I was gone, but they were panting in the driveway on my return. The thermometer did read 100 degrees again today.
Their pools are all clean, they've been watered multiple times; they seem peaceful, except when something shows up in the valley and they gather to watch...usually deer, sometimes a fox or rabbits. No more snakes lately, but many dead shrews. They kill them as soon as they see them. And one dead frog.
I did get a wonderful swim in to day. long and relaxing.

Filling the days of summer

It's still thunderstorm season... Sulatna spent last night's storm in the bathtub, hiding behind the shower curtain.

Every day I walk with different dogs and different dogs run free. In this photo, Timber (a rescued heeler/boxer cross) and Tanni, (a rescued Mal?husky cross) were on leashes and Sulatna, Evalina (other black dog), Chena and Sierra (rescued Norwegian Elkhound) ran free. They all (6) had a great time, even though it was a bit too warm.

Tanni , Timber and Sierra came here as rescues about 8 years ago. Evalina is a Liller/Skinny pup who almost died the day she was born... we recusitated (sp?) her and hand fed her for several days... she lives with Tanni and Sierra now, as her littermates don't tolerate her hyperactivity too well. Chena, the lab, is also a rescue and my best friend. Sulatna, the black dog on the right is now 13 and is quietly dominant in this group... they all defer to her .

Kiddo's Cool Cave

Kiddo has been working on this 'cave' for awhile, so today I thought I'd crawl down into it to see just how deep it is. I didn't get far, but just far enough to see that I could have been totally hidden in it. These huskies are amazing when it comes to excavating.

There are several other 'caves' too, but so far I don't have photos.

In this photo Sherpa and Zoom are hoping for biscuits.

My shirt says: "Got snow?" It has cooled just a bit, but not enough for their comfort (or mine) yet.

In Memoriam, dear Pedro, magnificent leader of Aliy's

If you'll look back to the March archives, March 30, there is a closeup photo of Pedro, Aliy Zirkle's outstanding leader. When I there in March while Aliy was racing, Pedro was my constant companion, sleeping next to me, padding around with me, in and out of the house.
He was having some health problems then . I hope he is now running races in that beautiful place to where these magnificent best friends go when they leave us. "Dear, dear Pedro" is what I keep saying to myself. I feel so lucky to have had some special time with him.

(My photos are lost in my computer, or I would post a new one.)

Farmer's Friend, Burts Bees for Flies

For years I've had very good luck with Burt's Bees Hand Salve ("a farmer's friend") for many dog 'issues'. My son would give me six cans as a Christmas gift and I was thrilled.

It's most popular use these days (proven many times over) is for the tips of the dogs' ears to prevent and heal fly bites. Ingredients listed are: sweet almond oil, olive oil, beeswax. tocopheraols, comfry, rosemary oil ,lavandin oil, flower extract and eucalyptus. I usually put a few dabs down their backs too.

One year (ten years ago) a small dog had a very deep laceration just under her eye. I necklined her to the fence, stitched her up and treated her with this hand salve. In three days she was healed. Tomorrow I will put it on a leg laceration on Tsunami. I've soaked his leg numerous times , used various topical ointments and didn't think to use the hand salve. I'm quite sure if anything topical will help, it will be this.

Bewildered Alaskan dogs, ice cream, swims and tree climbing

More of the same heat again... more pools, more tarps, more ice cream and for a few dogs, swims. Yo calmed down with a new jolly ball to entertain him in the heat.

It reached 100 degrees again yesterday and the dogs are coping as best they can. We hosed down the pens, roofs, fencing and sprayed over the dogs several times during the day. Most love their pools, but we had two separate thunder storms that riled them up, and of course, made them warmer, in their excitement. But they love their end of the day ice cream.

Skinny, again, dug out and dove out under his new pen, fearful of the lightning/thunder. I'll have to do something this morning to fill in the new hole. We have a new supply of boulders from the field just for that purpose. If you're going to have dogs in pens it's good to have a ready supply of boulders for holes and digging out. It does help to dig the fences into the ground, but they do dig out anyway.

Three dogs went not only for a swim but a boat ride and they seemed to calm down considerably. Sulatna climbed her favorite tree over the lake. Skinny combed the shoreline.

It looks as though today will be slightly cooler (89-90) but also another thunder storm.

We were able to finally get Balto's pen covered with three layers of mesh to stop her from
trying to climb out in a storm. She vaulted up the 12 foot outer fence yesterday, bloodied her feet, but she's now back in her own recovered pen , seemingly at peace for awhile.

Brown Bear on Anchorage running trail

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/wildlife/bears/story/7967766p-7860876c.html

It is salmon time in Alaska and the creeks and rivers are attracting, of course, bears.
This runner met the brown bear in the area near the spot where Iditarod teams drop their Iditariders and end the ceremonial start. The trail is a very popular recreational trail for runners, bikers, etc in the summer, and for mushers in the winter.

Tsunami's Hot Weather Hideout

Tsunami has been crafting this hole under the dead tree for quite some time. He loves to hide there in all types of weather. Tsunami was named long before the major tsunami storm. He had a swirl of color in his fur as a pup. He lives with his brother, Yeti.

The dead tree is chained to the fence so it won't fall over on him. We will have to take it out one of these days but for now it works for him.

We fill in all of the holes before the snow comes.

Sulatna and Chena cool off

Both of these dogs are 13 years old. Their favorite 'treat' is to go to the lake in the afternoon and today was especially a reward for them (although they are now old enough to live in 24 hour air conditioning, they still love the lake best).

100 Degrees

While this kennel thermometer says about 99 , the town thermometers showed 100 degrees today and my truck thermometer read 106 . I'm not sure of the official temp, but it was officially too hot for huskies.

We started the day with the usual, feeding, watering, cleaning. Then it was on to baths , cleaning and refilling all of the pools, filling the water buckets with ice cold water, adding four new tarps in needed places and then applying Flys Off to all of the dogs' ears.

Sulatna and Chena found the 'pot of gold' at the lake and they were able to cool off. After their swim, all of the dogs shared ice cream (1 1/2 gallons) . Tomorrow it will be more of the same. They are all so appreciative of every thing we do to make them feel better in this very hot weather.

Keeping them cool,days in the high 90's

Yo is the dog who eats his tarp each day. Today I added a larger than usual tarp and overlapped it, keeping it as taut as possible. So far so good.

Skinny had a 'play date' today with his daughter, Quattro, and son,
Medio. They had a great time in the shady pen.

Skinny had a big of a staggering incident , possibly overheating so he's inside in the airconditioning. Even in the shade of his pen, it was stagger type heat... high 90's.

Dogs in Summer

It has been extremely hot and the days are long for sled dogs. We built this new pen for Skinny , our retiring gee haw command leader, father of our pups. It still needs a few support posts but he was able to relax in the heat yesterday with his big tree for shade. He entertained a few other dogs at different times. They all love the grassy shade. Skinny retires to my house in the evenings for air conditioned comfort.

Most of them are digging deep holes for a cool spot. All pens have tarp coverings and small wading pools. Changing the water in their water dishes and pools is a big job, many times a day in the 90 degree temperatures. Yo eats every tarp I put on his pen, so I'm trying to invent a new scheme, umbrella style, to keep it out of his reach, as it is too hot without one.

Yesterday I gave 11 dog baths. It cools them down and keeps the flies away from them. It cools me down too as I was as wet as they were after bathing them. Two dogs went swimming with me. Chena swims right next to me as my lifeguard.

Buddy found a pine snake yesterday and before I could do anything he did dispose of it from their pen. Dogs do not like snakes. Liller saw it and sidestepped it, which drew Buddy's attention to it. I also saw a small grass snake yesterday. They do their share to control bugs and mice so I don't mind them. The dogs don't like their surprise moves.

Barrow, Alaska

This is a link to the Barrow , Alaska webcam and data on sea ice project. http://www.gi.alaska.edu/BRWICE/

It is the Northernmost edge of Alaska. Since Alaskan mushers are becoming aware of the effects of global warming on dog training, it might be interesting to read the data from the Barrow project. Where they once could start training in August in Fairbanks, they're now having to wait until cooler temperatures. We'll see how this year fares.

The 90's are predicted, again, here this week. The dogs all have tarped pens, clean wading pools and water refills often, but they are restless. Their hole diggings are getting deeper.

And the rocket's red glare!

Beautiful fireworks over the lake. The dogs made it through multiple nights of community celebration and one to go.

Susan Butcher

Susan Butcher is struggling valiantly but with serious problems following her bone marrow transplant . As I walk with her dogs every day, I think of their traits as a reflection of her and her training. They are strong, smart, courageous, funny, sweet and extremely good leaders. Our kennel began with Scuba, a dog who had raced with Susan in the Iditarod. Scuba came to us bred and we still have one of those pups alive, Amaroq. She described Scuba as a motivator. The same is true of Susan, of course.

We visited Susan again last September at which time she gave Lillen to us. Lillen is a wonderful girl (sister to Jeff King's Uksie)and we feel very grateful to have her in our kennel along with Sulatna (Emmitt Peters breeding) and Liller ( 2001, Iditarod, mother of our A and B racing pups).

We hope Susan will overcome this battle and be back with her dear family and able to raise dogs again.