Dog Cam
Some of you may have heard that I had surgery recently and have been laid up around the house. Michael installed a couple of surveillance cameras downstairs (really cheap from Sam’s Club). So now, instead of racing up and down the stairs to see what the dogs are up to, I can monitor them on the TV when upstairs! Complete with sound! I’ve been able to save a lot of things (my desk, my computer, the cameras, plastic airline kennels) from getting chewed up by Clifford, since I can now catch him in the act. Here’s a shot of what my office looks like on-screen (clockwise, Snorri on HIS Kuranda bed, Forest entering the room, Blackie on the floor, BamBam under the desk).
Below, the second camera catches Forest, Glacier, Walker, Cliffie looking for trouble. Bootsie and Winter are on the Kuranda beds. PS: We had plenty of pretty dogbeds, the fluffy pillow-type with fancy fabrics — all of which were destroyed during the week I spent in the hospital. Guess they had some anxiety. They have not tried to destroy the Kuranda beds, yet.
Dusty Cliffie Junior
Puppy points!
Child’s play!
Pyrenees Power!!
Still not tired yet…
BRRR!
Here are Glacier and Cliffie.
Clifford The Big White Dog
I called that shelter, and the poor person on the phone was skeptical…someone coming from Alaska, please hold the dog for a few days. She put the manager on. He was skeptical too, but I convinced him to hold Clyde for 3 days so I could make flight arrangements.
My husband is a genius at organizing travel; he got a flight (had to transfer from Seattle), rental car, and dog friendly Motel 6. There was a PetSmart in the area where I could buy an airline kennel for the return trip. I called the shelter back and let them know I’d be there in 2 days.
The shelter was enormous, like a warehouse. There was 1 long row of dogs, all with chain link indoor/outdoor runs, 60 of them, and all full. I checked the row and no Bonnie or Clyde. I asked an animal tender, and he said wrong row, go out and take the next door. There was ANOTHER row of 60 dogs. Wow.
Bonnie and Clyde were kenneled together. She was definitely the dominant dog. She was more like a White German Shepherd in appearance and manner. And high-strung. Clyde was just the opposite: taller, longer coat, quiet, polite. He kept out of his sister’s way. Their owner surrendered them for killing chickens.
I was allowed to walk Clyde around outside. I called my husband on the cell phone right away and said we were leaving. I renamed him Clifford since Sherpa and I always watched the cartoon “Clifford The Big Red Dog” and changed the words to the song around.
Cliffie at the shelter
We were given a card for a free vet check, so we went to the vet indicated and got a health certificate for travel for the airline. Then we went to PetSmart and tried out an extra large crate. Note to self, forget “economy size” rental cars in the future.
After a lunch break, we pressed on to the motel. Cliffie was nervous but did whatever I asked, until he saw a housekeeper vacuuming in the hallway. He was completely terrified.
At 5am the following day, we were at the airport. The extra-large crate did not fit properly on the slanted luggage carts in the parking lot. So I had to walk Cliffie thru the airport. Fortunately the place was pretty empty.
A few hours later, we were stranded in Tacoma with a mechanical problem. Cliffie and another dog were pulled off the plane, and their crates left standing in the sun on the tarmac. I had to wait my turn in the irate crowd to speak to an airline person…could someone walk the dogs, give them some water, move the crates into shade. The person at the desk was surrounded by angry customers, but I pressed that the dog had been in the crate for almost 9 hours now. He radioed the crew.
The crew went out and walked, watered, and played with the dogs. The other owner and I weren’t allowed out onto the tarmac, but we could watch through the window. The pilot really liked Cliffie and walked him 4 times.
After a 4 hour delay, we were given a new plane and on to Fairbanks. This is why I would never let a dog fly alone, he needs to be accompanied!
Cliffie and GlacierBunny
Bunny is a real wildcard. She is crazy in the house, and is afraid of almost everything. Her previous owner said she is a Samoyed mix; I think she’s Samoyed and Husky. Like our other Samoyeds, if you put her on a leash, she will pull in a straight line and go into a trot, and can go forever. She’s never been in harness, but I figured she’d perform the same.
And she did! Her first impulse was to run, fast as possible. Glacier LOOKED at her, shrugged if a dog can shrug, and started running alongside her. After a few minutes, Glacier slowed her into an extended trot. Bunny was excellent! She is not the brains of the kennel, but what a performance. Glacier did the thinking, and Bunny pulled very well. She even broke into a run again on the way home and pulled Glacier past the driveway.
Here’s another shot of Glacier’s harness. I’m so pleased with it, I’ll buy some more.
First Mush of the Season
This afternoon I ran two different sets of dogs. Since we’re at the new house (more on that later), none of us know the trails or area very well. For the first set, I opted for power, not speed, and choose Glacier and BamBam, who are both very large 75 pound dogs.
This is Glacier, he is a Pyrenees and Lab mix. He is modeling an Alpine Outfitters Urban Trail Harness. It is fully padded with fleece and has reflective tape. I like that it has a center pull ring, and doesn’t put any weight on the dog’s hips.
Glacier was a perfect gentleman and did everything just right. He lined out, pulled well, took directions and stayed on the trail for the most part.
BamBam was a handful. He didn’t want to harness up, tried to chew everything, got tangled a lot, and frequently went off the trail to look at something or go pee. BamBam did have his moments though, and took the turns very well.
Our sled is a Laughing Husky 5-foot beginner. It has lived to fight another day…
