Part One – the dogs
Hanging out with Dawn
OK a ton of stuff going on at Dew Claw right now! The building part has meant that we were without utilities for a bit, and are still living in the garage while building the house (part two of the progress blog) and I am way behind. Please excuse me, and understand, that when faced with a beautiful dog team to train and a house to build I find my priorities stray far from the laptop. But I have some great photos to share with y’all, and we will be starting (as always at Dew Claw) dogs first.
Thistle chillin in the sun
So how are things with the dogs, you ask. Other then the appalling lack of snow, and the fact that I am sick to death of driving the quad for hours on end as we condition the team for the adventures ahead, great! The team is happy and looking good. Winter coats are super soft, and for that we have to thank Dr. Carson’s All Natural Products. The dogs get supplemented year round for optimal health, and in winter when we are training we use the Complete product for dogs. Tons of frozen meat and fish are being stockpiled for the dogs winter dining enjoyment. Safe to say they will be eating good this winter.
We are super happy to have Victoria Forrester joining us from Colorado this winter. She is an experienced dog trainer who brings a wealth of experience with her as she throws herself into the mushing lifestyle. She is very kind and observant, and the dogs just adore her. Having the additional help makes everything run smoother and the dogs benefit from the additional attention. Thanks so much Victoria.
So along with training we try and do a major kennel project every fall, and this was the year we tackled dog houses. We wait until fall so that the ground is dry and frozen and we can make sure everything is correctly set up for the dogs to be comfortable as we go into winter. This summer in Fairbanks was exceptionally rainy! And I was glad to see cooler temps and frozen groud. Also very glad to replace our older dog houses with some nice new matching houses!
The remodeled dog yard.
MK napping in his new house on fresh straw.
Any of the old houses that were still in working order have been saved as spares, and ones that were less then perfect will become a glorious bonfire sometime this winter. We use stainless steel pails, so they are easy to clean and very sturdy. The new houses all got a pail mounted on them, were set up in the yard and filled with fresh straw, much to the dogs delight. Dogs love fresh straw day, the run around in and out of the house, rolling in it, just being silly, it is great fun to watch.
Topaz running in and out of her house.
As part of the fall building our old entryway got moved close to the dog yard and is now a straw barn where we can easily store a winters worth of straw for the dogs and some mushing gear.
Hans and Sputnik hanging out in the yard, with the handlers cabin in the background
And although not completely done Victoria has moved into the handlers cabin so her front door opens up practically into the dog yard. So things are moving along nicely and looking good.
Dogs playing while we pass out straw.
Titan modeling in front of his new house, with the handlers cabin in back.
The Dew Claw dog yard.
Progress…. to be continued
