June was a busy month for us here at Keahi! There were a lot of days on the road and long weekends of showing. Lets take a quick recap of how our summer season has been starting out! We picked up the show season in Blackfoot ID, where we met some good friends. Keegan was also awarded his first Grand Champion points! Back to back 4 point GCH Majors, going Best Opposite Sex 2 of the 4 days of showing in a nicely competitive ring. I must say we are very happy about that! From Blackfoot we made our way to Canby for the Lower Columbia Siberian Specialty, where Keegan made the cut the first day of showing. Though no points for the weekend we are still very pleased to see he was given some hard looks from the judges! He's still got a lot of maturing left to do! It was also a great trip to catch up with some good friends and forge new friendships. While in Canby we picked up a new addition to the family! Welcome Silver Falls Dancing With The Flames At Keahi "Gypsy". Gypsy will be the next generation of show dog and future working dog here at Keahi! She is a half-sister to our Keegan and our hopes are high for this little girl! She's already fitting right in with everyone and being a typical rambunctious puppy! We can't wait to start her in the show ring this fall!
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The Siberian Husky show dog. Depending on which side of the 'fence' you are standing on defines what that term means to you. It will instantly bring an image to your mind, and how your mind accentuates the extremes or ideals of the image. Undoubtedly there are a growing number concerns from breeders and fanciers on both sides of the spectrum. For the working dog fancier many questions of retention of function in some of the show lines cross the mind. For the show fancier the loss of breed type in some working lines is an equal cause for concern. Do we really need to sacrifice breed type to retain function? Are we doing right by the breed turning too far away from functional form? Is there middle ground we can embrace before we lose this breed to the extremes? Without a doubt in my mind, a dog who is structurally balanced and retaining breed type should be able to easily fit into either world. There are a number of Siberian breeders striving to, and remaining highly successful in, maintain a typie yet functional dog. So why does it seem the divide between working dogs and show dogs keeps growing? More importantly how do we work to 'fix' it? One of the ways I feel to 'fix' the growing divide is to get more of our breeders/fanciers involved in harness working their dogs. Let them see function in action and how some of the most rewarded faults are some of the least productive in the working dog. We need our working dog community to be more involved in judges education and start getting functional structure, moderate efficient movement, and correct gaiting back in the judges minds to reward and get our fanciers to breed away from flash. We need to work together as a WHOLE breed community and quit alienating one side or another. Spring is in the air, and so is Puppy Fever! Our Facebook feeds are overflowing with photos of new litters born, puppies ready to go home, and people welcoming new members into their families. All happy moments. While all of this is all fine and dandy, we need to take a moment and reflect upon why it is so important to choose where you are purchasing your puppy carefully. No one anticipates that new puppy that comes home could end up living in pain, having to have major issues managed medically, all in completely preventable, heritable, disorders. But it can, especially if your breeder isn't taking the proper precautions to screen their lines for the most common heritable disorders found in the breed. Below we'll discuss some of the most common issues found within our breed, how these disorders are screened for, and the unfortunate costs associated with treating a dog with such afflictions. Our information has been gathered through various veterinary sources, SHCA.org, OFFA.org, and the Siberian Husky Health Foundation. Canine Hip DisplasiaThankfully the Siberian Husky ranks fairly low in occurrence of canine hip dysplasia. Though it does still exist, especially in lines that are not properly screening. Dogs considered for breeding should be radiographed once they have reached 2 years of age to evaluate the formation and fit of the femoral head into the pelvic socket. The X-ray will then be sent, by the veterinarian, to the Orthopedic Foundation For Animals (OFA) for official certification. Cost will vary by veterinarian, typically $100-$300 for the x-ray, $32 for certification. This test only needs to be performed once. The cost of ignoring the hip health of your lines, lets take a look. Non-surgical treatment options for mild cases may only cost a few hundred dollars, based on medication and duration of treatment required. Physical Therapy for more moderate cases to help manage your pet's symptoms will range from $80-$300 per session. Surgical Treatment for more extreme cases will range from $1,000-$3,000 add in medications and physical therapies for the long term care of your pet you could easily be looking at $5,000- In extreme cases euthanasia may be the kindest options. Eye HealthUnlike hips, there are a plethora of eye issues that are prevalent within the breed. Eyes need to be screened annually by an ACVO licensed veterinarian. These exams can be certified through the OFA CAER program or SHCA's SHOR program. Juvenile Cataracts (Heritable Cataracts)Manifested by opacity in the lens of a young dog as early as 3 months of age, usually presented by 2 years of age. A cataract can cause a mild decrease in eyesight to complete blindness in severe cases. Cataracts can further be classified by location and stage of development. Surgery to remove the lens is typically suggested and has an 95% success rate. Cost range from $2,100.- $2,300 per eye. Maintenance eye drops for the duration of the dogs life $50/mo. Recent DNA research indicates that juvenile cataracts may be carried by a recessive gene. Genetic research is presently under way to develop a simple DNA test to identify dogs and bitches that carry the recessive gene for cataracts. Currently annual eye screening performed by an ACVO licensed veterinarian is the best form of preventative care within the breeding community. Cost $100-$300, CAER certification $32 initial $8 renewal (free if the exam finds failing eye health), SHOR $6 initial free renewal. Corneal DystrophyOnset occurs between five months to two years of age and is gray and oval. The cost of ophthalmologist assessment varies from $100 to $250. Treatment of a hard-to-treat ulcer can range from $300 for basic management to more than $3,000 if surgery is required to save the eye. Eye removal is typically a $500 to $1,500 procedure. Recent genetic tests are suggesting that a recessive gene with variant expression transmits this disorder. Currently annual eye screening performed by an ACVO licensed veterinarian is the best form of preventative care within the breeding community. Progressive Retinal Atrophy (PRA)Progressive retinal atrophy (PRA) affects the retina, the light-sensitive inner lining of the posterior part of the eyeball. The Siberian Husky has a unique type of PRA that is only found in Siberians and man. This type of PRA is called XLPRA (X Linked PRA) since it is transmitted through the "XX" chromosome of the female. It will cause a loss of night vision followed by a loss of day vision, eventually blindness. The recessive gene for XLPRA is situated on the "X" chromosome of the female. Females who inherit a defective gene on the "X" chromosome from one parent and a normal gene on the other "X" chromosome from the other parent, will not be seriously affected. They will be carriers with very subtle retinal defects and no loss of vision. The male puppy from a carrier dam will receive either a defective gene or a normal gene, depending on what chromosome was copied in the DNA replication. If he has the defective gene, the dog will be affected with PRA since males carry an "XY" chromosome. The disease in males can be devastating with loss of vision as early as 5 months of age. (courtesy SHCA.org) There is no treatment, there is only prevention. Testing cost $150 A genetic test available, through Optigen, to identify Siberians that carry this gene or genes, thus this test can help eliminate XLPRA from breeding programs. GlaucomaCharacterized by an elevation of intraocular pressure (IOP) which causes optic nerve and retinal degeneration and results in blindness. In Siberian Huskies glaucoma is usually due to narrow angle glaucoma in which the eye’s drainage channels do not allow the normal outflow of the eye’s fluid causing its buildup and the increased eye pressure. This is a very painful condition! Primary glaucoma most commonly afflicts dogs at 3–7 years of age but can occur at any age. On average, the cost of this surgery falls in the $3,000 – $4,000 range. Eye drops may be prescribed if caught early enough, prices range from $20-$150 per month and may be required for the life of the animal if the eye is not required to be removed. CryptorchidismCryptorchidism or retained testicles, is one of the most common congenital developmental defects in dogs. Either one or both testicles can be retained. Cryptorchidism affects approximately 14% of the males in our breed affected dogs should NOT be bred. Neutering a cryptorchid is more along the lines of a spay as your vet will have to open the abdomen and search for the retained testicle(s). Average expense $350. Recovery will also be longer. HypothyroidismThe majority of hypothyroidism is caused by auto-immune thyroiditis (ATD), a hereditary disease that causes an immune reaction against the thyroid gland. Diagnosis of hypothyroidism requires a full thyroid panel to be done (consisting of checking T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3, cTSH, and TgAA) and not just testing T4 The Siberian Husky had 13.5% of the blood samples tested positive for ATD which is higher than the all-breed average and the numbers are statistically significant. Based upon the results of this and other studies, a recommendation was made by MSU that all breeding Siberians be tested for thyroid disease. Dogs should be tested every 2 years since a normal test does not mean that hypothyroidism will not develop in the future. The medication to treat hypothyroidism itself is not terribly expensive. $8-$20 per month. The expense occurs in reoccurring blood work every 6-12 months to make sure the medication is doing it's job. $100-$300 depending on your vet. EpilepsyConsidered genetic, baring all other causes are ruled out. Heritable epilepsy may occur very early though most dogs are diagnosed before the age of 5. Seizures in dogs beyond 6 years old are typically asked to seek a neurological consult and are not typically associated with heritable epilepsy.
The cost of medication to control seizure activities are relatively low cost, depending on medication and what works for your pet. Some of the more expensive medications may run the cost of treatment up substantially. The more expensive medications can cost between $500-$5000 annually. More commonly, however, expense occurs in frequent blood work, expect costs annually of $300-$400. There is no testing available to screen for epilepsy. The only prevention is for breeders to carefully select their breeding stock, eliminating dogs with or that have produced epilepsy from their breeding programs. Currently DNA mapping is underway to hopefully identify a marker to screen for in the future. Dakota was the start to this crazy life we lead. He came to us through less than reputable sources and was received extremely ill. He spent the first two weeks of his life with us hospitalized with an extremely bad case of kennel cough that had advanced to pneumonia. The vets weren't even sure if he was going to survive. This little man proved he was a fighter with a strong heart from early on. He made a full recovery and became one of the most loyal companions, an easy introduction to the breed. With no real guidance in our early years Dakota remained a companion animal. It was a perfect role for him, admittedly we babied him as our once sick boy. As our numbers grew we frequently got teased with the all too common "where's your sled" tag line...so one day we decided, why not? Dakota proved enthusiastic in harness and a proficient wheel dog. Despite his many physical faults he got us started down the trails. Unfortunately he could not carry us much further than 5 miles before his body started to rob him of functionality. He has the truest heart and drive of any Siberian, in a body that failed him beyond short distances at moderate pacing. He still wants to go when he sees the dog truck move into the loading area. We had to find him a new role. Then we discovered Weight Pulling. Harness work measured in feet rather than miles. It seemed to be a sport tailor made for Dakota! He sunk right into his new role, and his new harness and put himself to this new task. His first year alone he earned a Silver Medal and 3 of 4 qualifiers toward his working dog title. Also earning a novel place in people's hearts as a clown and constant chatterbox when he showed up to the area matches. Quite the 'typical' Siberian! Persistence finally paid off when he earned his final qualifier and was approved as a recognized Working Dog titled dog. There was just a teeny-tiny hiccup when the working chair person changed mid-process. But it was easily caught and made right! Our 10 year old Dakota became Dakota's Arctic Rush, WD February 2015. The final weight pull of the 2014/15 season was just last month. We had every intention of making this Dakota's retirement send off. He had accomplished more than we could have ever expected of him and were immensely proud of what he had been able to do. So naturally, he had to show us he was not ready to retire. Pulling his all time record on wheels of 920lbs and earning a qualifier toward his WDX title. Dakota likes to keep us active too by getting us out on the trails in the off season to work on his next achievement, Working Pack Dog! Thanks for 11 amazing years with many more to come! To say the 2015 mushing season was challenging would be an understatement to most. While we strove to make the best of what we were dealt, it has proven difficult to keep the motivation going at times! We know we are not alone! Between unseasonably warm temperatures, lack of snow, and countless race cancellations...it all takes its toll! Priest Lake Sled Dog RacesOne of the few races that we were able to attend, just barely, was our local club's Priest Lake Sled Dog Race. The weekend started out bleak, constant rain soaked everyone and everything. Saturday was just miserable. There was no such thing as dry. Dogs, mushers, spectators alike were pretty well drenched. Sunday couldn't have been any more different, better trails but reaching temperatures that eventually forced a cancellation of the final class of participants due to heat concerns. Overall, the event went off with limited difficulty. The club did an excellent job making the best of a bad season, difficult weather, and deteriorating trails. We had fun, the dogs got out to enjoy the trails, and we got to meet up with some old and some new friends! Great times, despite challenging beginnings! Montana's Race To The SkyWith our own challenges we headed out to be spectators and observe a race we're hoping to add to our participation list in the future! It was obvious we weren't the only one's feeling the challenges of the lacking snow. Montana's Race To The Sky, which normally leaves from Lincoln MT was forced to find an alternate trail system for their race. Snow was nowhere to be seen in Lincoln! Northward bound to Seeley Lake, the parking area was slushy and standing water, looking pretty similar to Priest Lake. The trail head wasn't as bad as the parking area, but we did hear there were some pretty awful sections of trail. To add to the 'cool factor' of our trip to MT RTTS we got the opportunity to meet a musher who has truly inspired our journey- Karen Ramstead, and of course the infamous Bet. She and her dogs were just amazing! Getting the opportunity to observe a musher at her level prepare for a race was great! Flathead ClassicOne last trip to find snow for the season took us to Olney MT. Much like RTTS, The FC ended up having to find alternate trails to run their race. The trails were icy, fast, and somewhat challenging. We were also pleased to add Keegan to the Official Team Roster at this race! He certainly exceeded our expectations for a 15 month old rookie! Overall the event was a fun one! We had a great time! It was a great race with a bright future! We are certainly looking forward to running out there next year! Looking ForwardOur training days are certainly becoming numbered. Temperatures are quickly rising. BUT we are still taking every opportunity we can to hit the trails and keep the team performing well! We're hoping to have the temperatures and conditioning to participate in a social fun run in Cle Elum this April. We're obviously headed toward switching gears from running the team to getting back into Working Pack Dog hiking and continuing Keegan's show career! Stay tuned as Spring kicks into full gear! There's a calmness in the kennels as the day breaks. Bait water has been prepped. The door slides open and the calmness brakes into chaos. They know what this means. They are ready. They are eager. With the pre run treat consumed, the truck moves into the loading position. Dog come flying to the main gait eagerly waiting to load up and head to the trail. It doesn't take much to see how much these dogs love their jobs! For the dogs its fulfillment. It's a sense of purpose. Its tapping into the most primal sense of what they were bred to do. For me it's absolute serenity. My "zen". Letting go of whatever has been eating at my soul gets swept away in the subtle swish of the runners on the snow, the patter of the paws as they trek down the trails. Clinking of the brass snaps. It really is the most connected we'll be, without even having to say much at all. In my chaotic daily life I have found it's the silence of the trails that I revere the most. To be in tune with my team instead of a screaming banshee (we all know 'that' musher) is the heightening of the senses. Watching their movement, the tightness of the tug lines, the lengths of the tongues, the rate and depth of the breathing of each dog. I study quietly from the runners, a constant evaluation. We stop for a trail break. They know the expectation. Calm with eager anticipation. Wait too long and the anticipation turns into harness bumps to make sure I haven't forgotten we are out here to work. Break free the hooks from the snow, ease off the brake, and resume our flight down the trails. Returning to the trail head. The body language from the team is calm, satisfied. The pride I feel in my heart as they make those final turns back toward the truck. The sense of accomplishment emanates from me its felt through the team, and returned from them. We have accomplished so much more than just mileage, we've become stronger as a whole team. Back at the truck, waters are dropped, cookies are given. We start with the wheel dogs and work our way back up the line to the leaders. Back to their drops on the truck. Harnesses are removed, feet are checked, and massages begin. Each dog gets a full rub down. Not only were they earned, its also a good time to check for any improper harness wear, knots, heat, or any other issues. Its also just a joy to show a mutual respect and appreciation for what they gave me out on the trail. They share a glimpse of their world with us when they answer the request to run for us. Always remember and respect that. Enjoy the ride, enjoy the Zen. Another amazing year in the record books for Keahi Siberians! 2014 was a year filled with amazing highs and more than we could have ever imagined or hoped for. Come with us as we reflect back on another great year! Training for the 2013-2014 season wrapped up in West Yellowstone MT. After a slow season of snow in WA a group of mushers, including us, found snow and a week long vacation of sledding fun. We welcomed a new member to the pack! Silver Falls Summer Lookout At Keahi *Keegan* joins the family with a bright future in the show ring and on the trail in store for him. We just didn't realize how bright this star would end up shining! Keegan's first trip into the show ring earned him his first point in the Spring of 2014. Tumnatki's Dream Weaver landed a guest roll on the SyFy series Z-Nation. Shown here with actor DJ Qualls. Weaver's footage appears in Episode 8 of the series. What an amazing experience! The cast and crew all loved him and were amazing to work along side through the week of filming we participated in. We added a new sled to our training/racing arsenal! A much needed addition as our starter sled had more than earned its retirement! The learning curve on this new sled proved to be interesting and challenging. But oh so fun when things started falling into place! Enya passed her OFA Hip certification with flying colors! We are so thrilled to be one step closer with our future plans with her. Enya has proven herself quite an asset on our team and are hoping she will be able to add to that with a future generation of hard workers and balanced dogs. Our trip to the National Specialty was a huge highlight of our year. Keegan's quality was recognized by our Sweepstakes Judge Mr George Cook, awarding him first place in his Sweepstakes class. Our last show of the year Keegan finished his AKC Championship, at just 12 months of age. Keegan has been a shining star in our lives and in the kennel. We cannot wait to see what the future has in store for him! He may join the team for some slower shorter runs later this season. He's still a growing boy, so we shall see! The biggest undertaking here at Keahi Siberians would be our dog box build. It was quite the task for a couple of non-carpenters. But the end result has been amazing! Making its maiden voyage to West Yellowstone carrying some of the dogs of Dashing Siberians to run in the West Yellowstone Dog Sled Races. We ran the 4-dog class with a borrowed team and laid down some excellent times! We were thrilled for the opportunity offered by Jill Wilson and team since our own training schedule had been taken off course with this project. Our own team hit the trails to start off the new year! Happy New Year to all of our friends and supporters! Looking forward to sharing 2015 with you all- Our first attempt at building a dog box to transport our team has finally wrapped up, for the most part. Its hard to believe just how far this project has taken us! Yes it has eaten into our early season training, our bad for not starting the project sooner. The finished product was well worth the wait though! Now we have a great new box with room for our team to grow a little! We can't be more excited to put this box to good use! Thank you to my Husband Brian and good friend Mike for all your hard work in making this crazy dream a reality! We are still tacking on some trim work, finishing the electrical run for lighting, but functionality wise it's ready to take us to the trails! As with our dog houses we chose Fiberglass Reinforced Plywood to build the box. We feel the sturdiness and weather resistance of the material was best suited to protect our dogs while we travel. Step one was taking the random cut board and bringing it to shape. The first set of divider walls went together easy enough, just some screws through the divider floor into the individual walls. First two sets of boxes took shape quickly! Its still hard to put to imagination what this will eventually end up like at this point. The next step slowed us down quite a bit. Setting the upper divider walls had to be done one at a time with at least 12 hours to set. The walls were put in place with dowels and wood glue. They had to be held in place with large clamps until the glue set. It was a daunting task to say the least! Its still unclear if we are actually making any progress to building a dog box, or a chicken coop right now. Finally with all the walls in place on both sets, we can see we have something. What still not sure. I know at this point Mike was concerned if this was going to be stout enough to safely transport dogs. With no additional support the divider walls seemed really flexible and unsteady. We had to take a step back and make sure we were building it as correctly as possible, precious cargo was intended to be on board! The walls firmed up with the rear wall put into place and a bead of silicone around each of the joints. Another waiting period while the silicone set in both boxes. Things are finally starting to take shape! At least they look a little like dog compartments now. Now that the walls were set it was time to square up the outer wall and get ready for the part we had all been dreading. Planning the door cuts. None of us were really excited about this step. So much could go wrong. Costing us a door, or worse the whole outer wall. Off to the store for a fresh router bit! The doors were mapped out in marker- the other nice thing about this material, its like a dry erase board. We could make multiple marker attempts before committing to cutting. Here you can see the special notch we had to do in our lower front doors to accommodate the bulkhead flange of the flatbed. It took a little ingenuity to create the flange in the square jig we made for the router to follow to make the door delete cuts and main door cuts. Thankfully the cuts went smoothly. It only took 3 different router bits to cut through the tough fiber board. All in all it went much easier than we had expected. Once we got the math figured out on the jig. The finished walls look surprisingly awesome! With the outer wall squared and fit to the compartments it was time for framing. We wanted to ensure the roof and the floor had something good and solid to bite into. Choosing treated 2x2 boards to accomplish this would offer a good hold and add additional structural support to the overall box. We have two individual banks of dog boxes now! You can really see it taking shape at this point! With the front wall and floor on and framed in all of a sudden we have a dog box! Here you can see the two banks of dog compartments plus the rear storage and center storage tunnel we had wanted. Having a slightly smaller bed on the truck had limited the amount of storage capability we had on both aspects of the build. But I think we found a nice compromising middle ground to work with. I for one was very pleased at this stage of the process. Here we see the box getting ready for the roof application. This is how it will sit on the truck once it's mounted. Still figuring out the sled rack for the roof at this stage. With an ample bead of silicone it was ready to be squared into place and tacked down. We wanted to limit the amount of screw holes going through the roof to keep it as weather tight as possible. Our last box proved to have some leaks through the roof which made for some pretty miserable dogs on the rainy days. With the opening grids in place and the outer edge of the doors trimmed in aluminum we were ready to start the trim process on the box side of the door openings. These were some of the longest steps of the build- it was a lot of watching silicone set. Once the silicone was set came the task of cleaning the doors from the extra drippings from the silicone beads. It's really starting to come together nicely though! The doors work is a nice touch to the overall project! Just like that we have 12 doors framed, door holes framed in, and hinged ready for locking mechanisms! As of this moment it is clear we officially have a 12-dog dog box almost ready to be installed on the back of the truck! The excitement is definitely building through the shop as we get closer to putting this project to an end and hitting the trails! Coming down to the final touches! All door latches are in place, the start of the edge trimming has begun, just a bit more edge trim and the rear storage access door is all that is left to go at this point! All of a sudden we have what appears to be a fully functional dog box awaiting its final fitting onto the truck bed! With the rear storage doors installed we can finally say this project is coming to a close! It has been a long journey, a lot of lessons learned, some frustrations, and a whole lot of fun to bring this dream to life! Now we are ready to put it on the truck for the late start of the 2014 Season for Team Keahi! I would sincerely like to thank my husband Brian, for his patience and unwavering dedication to quality, and Mike Hinkle for his knowledge and use of his shop (not to mention the laughs!) It's been great and I'm looking forward to the next project with you guys! What a whirlwind trip to the National Specialty in San Diego! Finally home, photos all uploaded, and mostly recovered from the trip....so let's recap! The drive to San Diego is really a blur, as is the first day there. We were slightly disappointed to have missed the performance dogs of the Agility, Obedience, and Rally trials but when things finally settled we finally explored the resort complex. And it was HUGE! Found this cutie pie in the main show area- quite the host for the event. Our first day of showing was a blast! Though he might not have been so thrilled about the bath the day before and the grooming routine one the morning of...Keegan could not have made us any more proud! Winning his Sweepstakes class (9-12 puppy dog) and working so hard for his momma! It was a long day of showing for puppies and overall we can't have asked for any more than how he did! The support from our friends, new and old, was just amazing and have become part of the awesome memories that came back with this trip! Soni Jager handled Keegan for the regular class showing the next day. Though he wasn't the judge's particular style I can't say he didn't look and work fabulously for Soni! It is always good to be able to see from the outside of the ring :) Could this be a preview of the future for this awesome team? We shall see! It certainly seemed like a perfect match watching them work together! Keegan's final trip into the ring was with his sister Miley and momma Ruby for the Brood Bitch Class. It was a great showing for the trio! Ruby was awarded 3rd place in Brood Bitch and we couldn't have been more proud to be a part of the experience! Overall the trip was amazing. Great memories. New friends, old friends, and some of the most beautiful Siberians the nation has to offer! Thanks for all the memories California! Already planning our trip to next year's National Specialty in Kansas! We'll see you there! The weather has been steadily shifting from summer into fall over the past month. Jackets are coming out of the closets, warmer clothes readied to go, and trail equipment checks complete! Thoughts of that first team run and fall training well on the brain. You can feel the excitement in the dog yard as the temperatures start to drop, they know it's coming too. The shade tarps will soon come down and go into storage, the pool drained, and the houses prepped for winter. However, before we hit the trails this season we need to build our new dog box! Follow us through this transition! Our first two seasons we ran out of a box built to fit on top of the existing bed of my truck. It certainly did its job! The only down side I found, being vertically challenged, was lifting dogs over my head! Made for a unique upper body workout! Phase one is becoming a past chapter in our team's history. Phase two started this past summer by adding a flat bed to the truck, dumping the standard bed. This will give us the platform to build our double decker dog box! The plans are drawn out for a 12 dog capable box, materials are prepped, now we just have to put it all together! Pending the approval of the IWPA Working Dog Chairperson, Dakota has completed all of his qualifying pulls toward his Working Dog Title! A special congrats to our 'senior' of the family! Being without a dog box has put the team at a standstill for the early part of the season. But it hasn't stopped us entirely! Dakota and Denali have taken their first official miles toward their Working Pack Dog titles! |
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August 2023
CategoriesAuthorMy passion for the Siberian Husky began early in my Montana childhood. The journey has been enlightening so far, with much learned and even more to discover. I hold the conviction that one is never too old, too seasoned, or too self-assured to learn something new. Moreover, I consider knowledge to be of no value unless it is shared with others. |