Mad

I'm upset

We just got (well, are still getting) another foot of snow and what is Mommy doing? Sleeping and doing homework. She isn't taking me, her lovely husky, to play in the schnee, never mind taking me mushing! It would be perfect, even the roads are a bit covered, so our sled runners wouldn't get scrapped on the cement walking to the mushing trail, but no. Homework. Apparently she's tired because she stayed up until 3AM translating and redoing a powerpoint presentation about puppy mills. How dare she. She had the light on in our room until all hours and now this! She thinks that she's buying me off with this nice bone, but she's wrong! She will suffer my husky wrath.
Unhappy woos,
Louka

Skunks and Sniff

Well, it's that time of year again. We're starting to smell the skunks, the weather's being iffy again, with temperatures hovering around 0 degrees Celcius (32 Farenheit) and Mommy's starting to mourn the snow with me. And granny starts cackling and telling Mommy to get out her camping gear because "You know he's going to get skunked again. They don't learn". Her plan would be to exile me to the balcony in case of skunking. And if I get exiled, Mommy's volunteered to go sit out there with me and cuddle with me because I hate being alone for very long periods. Don't I have a good mommy?

I also want to send a final woo out to my virtual friend Sniff the German Shepherd who crossed the rainbow bridge yesterday. Sniff was a 100% working dog who was training in shutzhund with his beloved master. They were a team and Sniff was his master's perfect dog. He was one of those dogs who few people would really want to own, too crazy to really be a housepet, but with the perfect energy and drive for the work he had been bred to do. Sunday, he was limping and couldn't support his weight in one of his back legs. The verdict: ruptured ligament. He would never have been able to work again, the vet said, some light exercise, nothing more. A dog like that, who has been bred and trained his whole life to be a working dog, who has an insane amount of energy to spend would go crazy as an inside dog who's only allowed a slow walk after supper. So Sniff's beloved master, with a breaking heart, did what he thought was best for his sweet boy and let him cross the rainbow bridge where he can work and run as much as he wants forever. His master is heartbroken at the loss and I want to send him some good vibes. Here's to you, Sniff, and to your master.
Woos,
Louka

Working hard

We went out mushing 3 times last week! And since Mommy's on march break, we're going to be going out a lot this coming week, I sense. Mommy is very pleased with my progress. We've started doing the whole trail, all the way up to the cross on the top of the mountain, instead of just doubling back. I like this too, because I get to run more. She says we have to practice a few things like passing left and right, holding to one side of the trail and turning. I don't always agree with her sense of direction. Sometimes yes, but other times no. Apparently we're going to be doing leash practice, which is boring. We did a little bit at the dogrun, but I got bored and hyper fast, so Mommy let me play more. We got a half foot of snow, yesterday, so there's lots to zoomie in.

Apart from that, life's been pretty good. Mommy's been letting me sneak up to the top half of the bed for cuddles, Auntique has been petting me lots, granny's finally home... Granddaddy too, but he and I have a guy thing going on that keeps us from really admitting how much we like each other. I will totally cuddle-hog my girls, but with Granddaddy I have to stay a bit more reserved. But I totally adore him too. He gives me cheese. And all kinds of other stuff.

I have to go now, Auntique is trying to steal my rug again, I have to go make sure she knows it's mine. And that she pets me.

Woos,
Louka

Mommy's folly

So, it's Saturday, which means that the trail we usually take is probably full of people and dogs, so mommy doesn't want to go mushing there. But the snow was nice and she was going out in the evening, so she decided to take me mushing on the little trail. As she thought, it turned out to be too steep and turny and narrow for us to really mush properly going up and she had to keep a foot on the ground on the way down to slow the sled so it wouldn't run into me. But after that, what does Mommy decided to do? Mommy decides to take us on the little trail. The little trail that gradually disappears and suddenly has so steep an incline that SHE has to climb on her hands and knees. So the ride went a bit like this:

Beginning of the trail. Now the question is, where is the trail?

Some kind young men broke the trail for us. I'm very good at following trails. And Mommy's random waving when she's trying to point me in a specific direction. By this point she was behind the sled pushing (and clinging to get a lift up) while I was valiantly climbing on every time she said "Marche", which is my command for, well, Mush! Mommy says that it was very good for practicing my weight-pulling skills and I'll be better at pulling her, after this. She also says it was good cardio for her and she needs to get back in shape.

Then we ran into Jay the dogwalker and Mommy unhitched me so I could play with the other doggies., I was on leash, though, because she doesn't trust my recall, even when I'm in a pack and having fun. She was tempted, but she trusted that little voice, because she would be devastated to lose me. And she would have had to pull the sled herself.


Don't those unleashed doggies look like they're having fun? I like Jay the dogwalker, he's very good with his pack and he loves to pet me. And he always has lots of doggies for me to play with.

Then mommy abandoned me to go see a stupid boy (ok, he's not so stupid, I actually let him in the house and don't act like a brat around him even without Mommy making me be good), saw some of my harem members and petted a cat. Without me! I'm upset. But I got to take over her bed while she was gone, so some things are going moderately well, at least.

Just to show you that huskies really are a working breed!
Woos,
Louka

Louka, CHAMPION mush-dog

Mommy FINALLY took pictures of me working! I was a lot happier, this time. I didn't want to stop at all. Mommy's mushing Mentor, the amazing Julie, made mommy a new tug-line, with a bungee under the sled that acts as a shock absorber. You have no idea how much easier this is to pull. Of course mommy helped me out a tiny bit by kicking for the sled to go forward while we were going uphill, especially during the last bit, but she didn't have to hop off and run at all (damn, that was kind of amusing) and I pulled her all the way back down no problem! I even got CHEESE when I got home for being such a good boy! Mommy usually doesn't give me cheese because she says it turns me into a biological weapon and I do sleep in her room. I have no idea what she means

Well, here are the pictures. They aren't very good, but at least you'll get an idea of how fun this is.

Before the ride, just to see the whole getup

Let's go, already!

Hard at work

Stop chatting and get back on the sled, already

Ok, break time. Remember, this is Hard Work.

Do we REALLY have to stop now?

Relaxing while Mommy takes pictures and puts the sled away

Hmm, are there any skunks under here?

You can really see my flipped back ear well, here. See how the right ear curls back a bit? Well mommy WON'T STOP BITING IT because she thinks it's cute.

And finally, my just reward. It's her fault she didn't pick up the futon.

Well I'm really tired now, but I had a LOT of fun. Mommy only has a class in the morning tomorrow and they're announcing more snow on the radio, so we might go again TOMORROW!!! What a great life. And if ever mommy follows through on her plan and we move to Nunavik, I might get to do this every day! Of course, it'll be a lot more fun when I have a sister (or brother, but I'd prefer a sister) to do this with, but it's nice mommy-time, too.

Well, it's supper time, so I have to leave you at that
Hope you had as good a valentine's day as I did!
Woos,
Louka

Vet and other news

Ok, I know I don't post regularly, but it's not my fault that not much happens around here. Apart from the melting of the snow, which was sad and made mommy depressed in January and her attempts to make me mush, which are working more or less well. She's decided that I need someone to pull with me since I probably don't have the muscle tone yet or the will to be a good lead dog. I like having someone with me up front. She's promised me that one day I'll have a sister to mush with, but right now she can't have two huskies, so she's ALL MINE! She says we're getting a new piece of equipment that'll make it easier for me, a better tugline with a bungee to absorb the shock of when we start. I'm still skeptical.

Anyway, I went to the vet last week! It was a new vet, since my last one retired. It was kinda nerve wracking, with all these new smells, new people, new dogs... I cried a bit. But I also proved to mommy that I like cats! I have lived with cats before, but Mommy's always been a bit worried, because I like to hunt things and I killed a bunny once. At the vet's office, there was this pretty kitty who was loose and who came to say hello and I was wagging my tail and happy and not at all in 'hunt mode', as mommy puts it. She still thinks that I'd try and play with the cat, though, which is not good, because I play very rough and I don't really care about size. Speak of size... I got weighed at the vet's. I've put on 15 pounds! I now weigh a healthy 75 pounds, which the vet says is good and is my healthy weight. Mommy is now 99% sure I have a malamute ancestor not too far up my family tree. Huskies are supposed to not weigh more than 60 lbs and are usually quite a bit under that, not have tails that are all curly like mine, not be as tall... But she says it doesn't really matter, I'm 100% Good Boy. Mommy also liked my new vet a lot because this vet follows the 3-year vaccination protocol, which is what Mommy wanted for me and she doesn't try and push all kinds of products and stuff on Mommy all the time. The old vet did.

We've been getting lots of snow, ice and hail around here. It hasn't gotten particularly cold, which is ok, just hovering around the -10 C mark, which is nice and comfortable. Mommy was very impressed with the hail, because we got about a foot of it and it was like sand. She thought the texture was really neat. We got more snow yesterday and this morning, too, which was nice.

Before I go, I'd like to send a little thought out to my friend Kumu qho just lost his mommy, Carmen. Kumu is a beagle friend of mine and his mommy was a very nice artist-lady who loved me and loved my howling. She was delighted when Kumu and I, along with two of my husky friends, started a quartet, one day. She and Mommy loved to chat while we played, although I wasn't really allowed to play with Kumu because I've been known to toss beagles before, and she was very interesting. She died in the end of last month. We only found out yesterday and Mommy's been very sad about it. It's a pity we didn't get to know her better in the short time we knew her. Rest in peace, Carmen, and watch over Kumu until he comes to join you.

Woos to you all,
Louka

Huskies are working dogs

And Mommy has decided that I should do what I was bred for. So I've been learning to be a good musing dog. It's pretty fun, when we're not going uphill and when the snow is nice, but Mommy doesn't let me sniff around! I don't get that. I actually lay down in protest, the other day. Mommy should lose some weight. Or at least keep running behind the sled. I don't get the big idea of her jumping onto the runners. It's annoying. She was wondering why I was flattening a bit, but she figured I was just trying to pull the sled better and she was happy with me, but then I just lay down and started eating snow. She laughed and came to pet me a bit. Haroo roo roo! I have her well trained. Anyway, on the way back the trail is slightly slanted downhill, so it's easier and I love it. Lots of trotting, without that stupid leash.

Besides not being allowed to sniff around, I'm not allowed to play with other doggies when I'm in harness. I don't get that either. Aren't sniffing and playing my jobs? Mommy is strange, sometimes.

We're still working on getting Auntique to come with us to take pictures and help Mommy out (Mommy thinks she's so clever, planning to have Auntique on the runners and her beside me so that I run with her, but she doesn't see that I've just gotten her to do what I want). when we do have pictures, we'll post them.

Until then,
Harroo and enjoy the snow most of you just got!
Louka the Champion Mushing Husky (Granny says so)