Life in the Dog Yard

Miriam and Thani sharing a quiet moment

Life in the dog yard remains much the same as it has all summer except that our snow has come and made everything wonderfully white!!

Saying it has come early seems silly since technically its not early but rather, on time. Its only been in the past few years that our snow has come late and been so limited. At times I feel like an old sourdough reminiscing on past normal winter seasons, wondering where our snow has gone. This year and the one before might be good signs that our weather is getting back to normal. Only time will tell... meanwhile mother nature reminds us to live in the moment and enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!!

And normally with this much snow on the ground (a total a few inches since our last snow fall) we would be out on sleds already but responsibilities and summer construction has held us back all year. Now, with things wrapping up we are chomping at the bit to get out there and have some FUN!!

Just a few more things are left to do now... wrapping up two more dog houses to make sure everyone is comfortable and warm this winter and a few more bolts to put into the dog truck to secure it to the new Ford. I am very excited to be driving a gas rig this year and to have so much room for storage of our personal gear. It seems the dogs always had enough room (since we often think of their needs first) while we put ourselves on the back burner. It is no major discomfort but it is nice to see everything catch up to levels where we are all comfortable and content.

If all goes well we will be heading out on the runners Wednesday with new pups in tow. I am anxious, not for the adults, but for these youngsters who will get their first taste of this sport. It is always exciting and a bit nerve wracking for me as the 'mom'.

They wont be running in harness just yet but will be learning the all important skill of following. With James L there helping as always this should be a piece of cake but the butterflies are still very active in my stomach. They will be fine, just fine... but I don't think I will be relaxed until I can see for myself that broad grin and lolling tongue of their happy faces as they follow their peers and discover the great big world around them.

And they thought the dog yard was a big place to run and play!

The passing of an era...

Enjoying a blending moment with the water buckets

When the kennel started so many years ago we had a few main dogs who helped get us started. In reality all the dogs are 'main' dogs to us but for those who helped us get started, well, there is a very special place in our heart.

Spock was one of the first, then came Mercury, then Aquila, then Buddy... and today all but one has passed on. Mercury is still alive and well and we love every moment we have with him, each moment precious as the signs of age pass over his body. We know he will pass when it is his time, but today was not his... today Buddy took his last breath. We knew the day was coming as cancer took over his body but the heartbreak of his passing, even though we knew it was coming, is still hard to bear.

Buddy helped us through many miles on the trail and even though he was not a sled dog type breed his labrador genes refused to be expressed and remained a lab who hated water but loved to pull. If there was any husky in his blood we dont know but we do know that he worked so hard up until the day of his retirement many years ago.

Trying on a new pair of goggles on Christmas

Buddy originally found us 11 years ago, and considering that he must have been at least a few years old when we found him, we know that he lived a good long life. He ate everything you could imagine he could get his teeth into with the exception of furniture. If its smelled like food Buddy would eat it.

Every time we found he had eaten something terrible we would wait for that fateful day when we would have to take him to the vet to have his stomach pumped or prepped for surgery. That day never came and Buddy quickly earned the 'indestructible' nickname. If he couldnt digest it it would come out one end or the other, as his body's defenses took care of him when his mind had no control of common sense.

At times he was so hard to care for, would wander off if he was not watched, would eat anything within reach and had gas like you would not believe! But in all the times we had to clean up after him, and how frustrated his behaviors often were, there was a big part of us that always loved him dearly.


We still consider him 'one of the first' and that is a very high honor indeed... we will miss you Buddy dog... say hello to Spock and Aquila for us... until we meet all of you again...

Wow, whats next!?

Watching the train roll by

Each time I come here to post updates its no secret that I'm floored, simply floored by the speed and grace of the development of the 'project'.

If you are unfamiliar with this, here it is in a nut shell. We are planning on moving family (dogs and humans) to 40 acres of virgin forest to start all over with a new home, new kennel and to expand the Sled Dog Sanctuary to be available to visits from thousands of tourists all over the globe all summer long. Just a little project, no?

Some times I sit and am frankly overwhelmed, my knees get weak, my mind wanders and questions after questions run through my mind... how can we do this, is it possible, how did that happen, where did that come from, and how, how, how is all of this possible!?!?

I have been told I am living proof of a dream realized but I can only speak from my experience, my husband and our ever hard working handler (who has become so much like family) James Langston. All our dreams are coming true and I would like to say it is for the dogs as well but you would have to ask them yourself, they arent talking much at the moment since they literally have no idea where we are headed and how grand the journey will be! Do I dare tell them? Nah, I would rather they find out little by little as we break ground this summer and they get their first chance to visit the new place...

Yes, I did say THIS summer... it is already here, the plans are in place and incredibly the heavy equipment has materialized...

I know, I know... heavy equipment? I said the same thing... but James pulled out all the stops yet again and wheeled and dealed in the only way he knows how to secure us two big pieces of dirt moving equipment that will be delivered here shortly. Rental fee? Nah... Payments? Nah... that is how James works. He is a walking miracle as a friend of a friend found deals and offers he couldn't refuse to take hold of and make our dream possible.

A lot of it will be hard work, something we are actually looking forward to, but it will be our hard work, all ours!! There are a few very good friends who will be stepping up from time to time to help but mostly it will us working away and carving out a little, no a BIG, slice of heaven for ourselves and for those visitors we have yet to meet down the road who will be drawn to our little Sanctuary.

I could say that this winter is going to be hard to wait through but I think it will only be hard for James who doesn't thrive on winter like James L and I do. We will literally be flying through it on the back of our dog sleds, silently keeping the secret from our loving dogs but all the while giggling to ourselves with anticipation knowing what freedom awaits in their new home.

Just last week we took a day trip down to the property for a visit and to give James L his first look within the magic. He was more than excited as we ventured deep, deep within the property. It was wonderful to see another person connect to our vision with the exact same enthusiasm.

And on each visit I find new things that I hadn't seen before. This time I found a patch of spruce trees so rare in our parcel since most of the land is covered with beautiful straight birch. This patch was so special to me, smelled exactly the same and looked the same as our old dog yard we will soon leave behind. It will be nice to keep that connection to 'old ways' as we forge ahead to start new ones.

This new space may be home to a spirit cabin, a tiny retreat away from the main house for meditation and peace... time will tell...

While we were exploring the back of the property and walking along the railroad tracks that run right through the back of our parcel the train actually came by! This is pretty amazing since it only runs about twice a day and in all our brief visits we have never been there when it passed, much less having already hiked to the back of our forty acres to be right there as it went by. It was a pretty monumental event for us and even more special that James L was there to experience it too.

With a little more searching we noticed that our little stream was still running and looking healthy, found two of the front property markers and realized that our parcel intersects more of the land than we previously realized! There is more to be found as we set up a day and time for the official survey crew to come in and cut our property lines. This is not required by law but it will be nice to know what is legally ours as we start pushing a road in and felling trees.

So much more to say but so little time to write at the moment. Ive been up to my ears with work all in good ways and am carried on the winds of all this excitement like never before. It is incredible, just incredible...

And don't forget to stop by the new Sled Dog Sanctuary site at www.SledDogSanctuary.com to see our updated pages and new layout. That was just one of the many projects that was wrapped up last month as we move on to many more things! :)

The Alaska Railroad caboose passing by

James L standing by one of the many old birches on the property

Myself and James standing by one of the property markers. It looked pretty ancient, may be from he old homestead days when the land was parceled off to residents for next to nothing. 

My small parcel of spiritual spruce forest. What memories, inspirations and dreams will be discovered here in the years to come?