Every night Daddy prays...

Thank you for the blessing of the animals
Please protect them when they go outdoors
Please protect them from anything that can harm them
Please protect them from each other
Please keep them in the yard

                                    Amen

King Boxer has spoken...

Come here what the big mouth had to say!

36 Claws of Attitude

Come take a sled dog ride!

As promised we have video and we thought you might like to join us for a sled ride, so my wonderful husband mounted our camcorder on the sled to experience sledding from the musher's perspective.  The video is 10 minutes long and completes a training run.  We have Silver and Zappa who are both still learning, but are doing great.  It's a process for all of us.  They were both enthusiastic to go, but I found on the ride that I was doing more running than usual, hence the heavy breathing.  Today was more of a relaxed ride, than a driven one.  As I mentioned in my last post I wanted to work on Silver doing U-turns while in motion.  Each time I tried, the dogs stopped and got completely tangled.  But she did great for a first time and I know she will get it eventually.

We never did make it to the dog sled races.  After the frigid week we had and finally a chance to actually be outside hubby and I decided if we were going to freeze our butts off, we were going to spend it sledding our dogs.  And we did just that!  

So hop on the sled and let's go for a dog sled ride!

(also on YouTube)

Cool, isn't it??  :)

Dog sledding Weekend!!

I'm so excited I can barely sleep!  The roads are snow packed, the temps should be in the 20'sF and it is the weekend.  That can only mean one thing, dog sledding time again.  Not only am I going to try to run Silver and Zappa again, but now with Silver taking the lead dog position, I want to start working with her on that.  The first thing I want to try is turning around while moving.  It will mean me hopping off the sled and running along side her to make a smooth U-turn at the end of the road.  This is crucial where we sled, because I have no loop that I can take like they do in races.  And I think I've got it all figured out in my mind, now it's just a matter of doing it!!

And speaking of races, the dog sled races are here in town and we are hoping to catch some of the action.  If you ever get the chance to see a dog sled race, take it, you won't be let down.  These dogs are amazing athletes and people come from all over the country to race.  It is a great way to really learn and observe about this great sport.

So stay tuned. Monday I will have the sledding results with Silver and Zappa and hopefully some great video to show you.  And I will catch you up what we saw at the dog sled races, and hey, maybe I'll even remember to bring the camera to show you all the racing doggies!

Have a great weekend, wherever you are!

Br-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!!!

We've been hit with bitter Arctic air and frigid temperatures and snow for three days and nights.  While I don't mind the snow and cold, this is pushing it for our little dog family.  While I can bundle up for protection the dog's paws have been freezing up being out only a few minutes.  Chance seems to be the most sensitive of the bunch, he wants to go out but ends up on three paws to come in.  I've been keeping a close watch and don't let both sides out at the same time, that way I can keep an eye when they start to get cold.  We've been hovering around 0 (-17.7C) degrees or so with about a foot (30.48cm) of snow.  Which may not seem cold to some, but it is considered quite frigid for us.

We haven't been able to walk the dogs for almost a week due to the cold and while everyone is handling it just fine, I'm pretty sure they are heading for a slight case of cabin fever.  So we go out in short spurts and wait for a "warm up" that is coming this weekend.

I've had a hard time appreciating the beauty and I was going to go on a rant about the cold, until the wild birds came by my empty feeders looking for a chance of food that hasn't been there in months.  So I ran in the garage and dug through my husband's mess to find the birdseed I'd bought months ago but never put out.  The birds haven't come back by yet, but I hope the food will be found.  Then I began to rattle off a gratitude list:  6 healthy dogs, 2 feisty cats, one hardy duck.  A roof over our head, wood to warm our little home, and a husband who's in love with me as much I'm in love with him.  Really, can't ask for better than that.

So we'll play some indoor games and snuggle tight until we get through to the next season of our lives.

    

Canidae TidNips Review

When we were asked back in OCT????? to do a review for Canidae TidNips Dog Treats, we were thrilled.  Never one to turn down treat tasting the 24 Paws were excited for any opportunity that meant food!

Well we are long overdue with our review and the people at Canidae Treats and Chewy.com were so patient and forgiving when we lost our two puppies that same month, that in our grief coupled with the holidays I had forgotten about the review and have finally gotten to it.

From the moment I opened the bag, the dogs went nuts and just about forgot all of there manners.  Brut and Blaze had a hard time just sitting, they were that crazy for these treats.

There are three flavors to choose from:  Lamb & Rice, Chicken & Rice and the one we picked, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb and Salmon flavor which as one might suspect would drive any dog bananas.

I would show you the nutrition list but Brut chewed up the bag.

They were such high quality treats, that I saved them for special occasions, like ear cleanings or certain training exercises when I wanted all of their attention.

The treats were like little meat patties, they were soft and moist enough to break into smaller pieces, yet firm enough not to fall apart.

Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Salmon ingredients:
Ingredients:  Chicken, Turkey, Potato, Lamb, Brown Rice, Vegetable Glycerine, Oats, Salmon, Carrots, Peas, Molasses, Potato Starch, Cranberries, Salt, Natural Smoke Flavor, Garlic Powder, Sodium Bisulfate, Flax Seed, Sorbic Acid , Citric Acid, Mixed Tocopherols, Rosemary.  

Key Benefits

• Contains Vitamin E and Omega-3 Fatty Acids
• Soft, tasty, real meat treats with wholesome Rice, Cranberries and Veggies
• Fun to feed and perfect as a reward
• Vitamin E and Omega-3 Fatty Acids for healthy coat and skin
• Healthy, natural and holistic
• No Corn, Wheat, or Soy
• Guaranteed your dog will love them

I was given one bag in return for our honest review and I would buy these treats based on my dog's taste buds and the fact they went crazy over them, plus they were made with wholesome ingredients.  

If you are interested in trying these for your dogs, just click on any of the links in red on this post and it will take you to the Canidae products through Chewy.com  

Now Brut is pretty good about getting his ears cleaned, but having a bag of these Canidae TidNips really helped in keeping his attention, better than the plain boring ones I usually have for him.  BOL!

*This review was 100% my own opinion of Canidae TidNips Treats.

Silver's Youngblood

Dog sledding is an interesting sport.  Probably more so for us because we do it as recreation and don't have pressure to compete and the serious training that is involved.  We just do it for fun down our road.

I've been learning for some time bit by bit and I've made some changes this season.  We are taking shorter routes and finding the dogs have more energy to make it home.  It is less stress on me and them physically and mentally and is making a world of different when we do sled.  It also saves on the possibilities of injuries, which nobody wants.

Now Silver has sledded over the last five years before with Fiona and a few times with Chance.  She was unsure whether she liked it and wouldn't pull for all the milkbones you could give her.  But pairing her with Zappa she somehow made a complete turnaround.  She was excited, she was pulling and she was enjoying herself.  She suddenly had more energy than she knew what to do with and wanted more.  So when I took her and Zappa out for a second time I noticed something different.  She was taking the lead.  With her maturity and listening to commands and I think her experience from sledding before, she took over the lead dog position (mentally) and let Zappa be the strength of their little two dog team.

Watch here or on YouTube

This was first time using new sled (instead of homemade chair and skis) and it rode great!

And there are brakes!! (that freaked Zappa out a bit) something our homemade version desperately needed.  

       

Silver and Zappa are pretty tight as mother and son and they are close to the same height, which makes a big difference running side by side.  Chance's leg were so much taller than Silver's she had a hard time keep up.  I keep learning!  :)  So the beauty of Silver and Zappa together is pretty amazing.  The first point I noticed that Silver was taking the lead was when we got close to the stop sign and Zappa started to shift to the left side of the road (like I taught him to) and Silver kept him going straight.  Light bulbs were going off.  When we came to a stop and needed to turn around, for a second I didn't know what to do, then, ding! ding! ding!  I asked Silver to turn around and she did.  I could feel the shift from when Zappa runs by himself to Silver stepping up to plate, it balanced the two dogs out and their running style.  Zappa who has always needed someone to run with but didn't have, had more than his brain could handle.  He just needed to be the muscle dog and have someone else take directions and that's where Silver comes in.  And she handled in beautifully.  She just took it upon herself to take the lead and it made all of the difference.  I didn't have to do a thing, they worked it out for themselves.  

I haven't seen Silver so happy in general with a youthful quality since she had her puppies.  Sledding has given her a place since she doesn't quite fit in with the rest of the gang sometimes. (except to be their mom)  She is more a regular dog, while the rest of the packs have a little more "bite" in them.  And I am so proud of her.  Zappa and her are much closer in personality and temperament as well and I think that also plays a big part that she gets to run with her buddy.  

I was just hoping for Zappa to have a running companion, I didn't realize Silver was going to give me so much more!

How I know when my world is alright.

I don't know about anyone else, but the winter blues having been getting me down.  When my world feels off  each dog shares something with me that makes it feel alright again.  With Silver it playing tag or fetch with her, just watching her play is a joy.  Special kisses from Zappa because Daddy's dog.  With Fiona it is her laying on my feet at night for that sense of security.  Blaze will plop down in front of me waiting for kisses on the forehead and Chance makes everything better by letting me snuggle and hold him when I'm feeling down.  And while everyone played their part today it was my walk with Brut that settled my soul and brought peace to my little world.  

We went around my favorite time, just before dusk.  I hooked Brut up to pull a small log (maybe 10 pounds) because in the winter this snow dog has too much energy for me to handle.  :)  And we headed off.  And I felt the weight of my sorrows and troubles begin to just melt away as we jogged along.  I let him decide most of the path and I just followed.  It will always blow my mind how deeply in sync we can be.  There have been more than enough walks that we push and pull against each other, even if it is in fun, it can be exhausting.  With Brut pulling he had to think about what he was doing, plus he was using different muscles and pulling weight was wearing himself out.  I felt like we were in our own little world.  It was so perfect.  And as my depression worked itself out with each footprint and the cold put a freeze on all of the bad and worthless thoughts, I felt the rippling between us of two being one.

And it was just that simple.  Just Brut and I and the perfect walk.  The need to be alone in our solitude together.  Understanding each other's need and the equality that this was our walk.  For both of us, hidden in our fortress of the waning sky where we can just be.  

What does your dog give you for that peace of mind when your world feels astray?