Dog Butts

Couldn't resist putting this out for viewing. We call it dog butts as that's all you can see and they poo and pee while pulling as well. Elwood on the right has a funny gait - his right leg kicks out. Romeo on the right, screams when you touch his harness for some reason. When you pet him, he's good and all lovey, but doesn't like his harness pulled. The guide would yell back at us "You're killing him" as a joke whenever we had to untangle him or grab his harness. The 2 dogs in the back are called "wheel dogs", but they're all pretty tough and they reek. No spas for them! Turn up the sound as it's funny!

What a Mess

Left alone for 5 minutes, this look of innocence does not match the path of destruction left behind. . . .

6 months old and King of the World

Sailor turned 6 months old on March 24th. He also weighs 72 lbs! He posed very sweetly for these photos with his birthday hat on (it has dog paws on it).

I think he's already liking the camera and is a big ham. He also looks somewhat alien here - he got muddy at day care. They sent him home without brushing or cleaning him off, so his fur in the front looks a bit rough.

White Coat

It was a lovely day in MN and after meeting our friend Anita for breakfast we talked her into going with us to take Sailor to the Dog Park. Well, with all the melting recently, it was pretty muddy. We were just waiting for some over-enthusiastic dog to come bounding up to Anita and put their paws on her lovely pure white coat.
Sailor chased around an 8 week Sheltie pup named Memphis and they both almost went into a muddy pond. Whew!
So, this picture looks so nice and "clean". Anita's coat remained intact!

Back from Dog Sledding

So What an amazing adventure! It's worth posting a few pics here (after all this blog is about a dog, so why not post some dog sledding photos from Ely, MN (close to Canada).

Pics from left to right, top to bottom:

- Snarf the lead dog

- After a long day
-Todd with our team: Lead dogs Snarf and Juno, then Ricky and Suma, Elwood and Romeo

-Todd with our cool guide Steve

-Todd and Team

-Ren with the team

It was harder than we thought and Todd and I are both sore and have some bruises. It's not all about cruising along on a wide, flat trail. Most of it's in the woods on a very narrow trail with hills up and down (where you either have to push up or hang on for dear life on the way down so the sled doesn't tip or hit a tree and throw you off ) and lots of trees to hit and whip you in the face.

Also, the dogs fight a lot, so if the sled stops for any reason, one of you has to run to the front of the sled and make sure the lead dog doesn't turn around and fight with the team.

We had a nice family (Loren-Mom, Gardner-Dad, Sage-teen daughter and Gardner-teen son) from Charleston, WVA in our cabin and on the trails. They were easy to get along with and nice, fun people.

It was pretty physical, so don't let the smiling, peaceful photos attached fool you. Would I recommend it - absolutely yes!

Next time, back to Sailor. . . thanks for indulging me!

Dog Sledding

Hello everyone. Thanks to all of you who read and enjoy my blog. Todd and I are going to be on a 4 day, "lodge to lodge" dog sledding adventure at Wintergreen Lodge in Ely, MN, so there won't be any new blogs until we return (they don't have any TV's, so doubt there is wireless!).

Sailor is heading to his favorite kennel/day care for the duration and Osa and Mia will be taken care of at home. I hope some of the new videos and photos (it's also fun to go back over some of my older posts) keep you busy until I get back. Also, feel free to check out http://www.dogsledding.com/ for a cool look at what we are in for this weekend. The Lodge's owner was a polar explorer and featured in a National Geographic video (which you can view on their website). PS - the attached photo is not Todd or I ;) - well not yet anyway. . .

Don't forget to sign up for this blog too as a follower. It's easy and promise you won't be inundated with emails - just click on the "Follow" button on the left side under my photo. ENJOY!

Guarding the Deck

Here is Sailor on our deck. He likes "guarding" it and also likes watching the neighbor's two Yorkies, Brandi and Bandit who are out on their deck next door. You may just be able to see them if you look close . . .

Friends and Dogs

A friend named Heidi and her Bernese Mountain Dog, Buckley played with Sailor at the dog park. Look how good they are waiting for their treats. Heidi also brought her darling 12 week-old Bernese, Penelope - how sweet!

Our other friend, Britt accompanied us to the dog park as well. Britt's hat could well be Sailor's sister (didn't want to ask :).

Good times!

Sunny Day at the Dog Park

Like I said, Sailor looooovvvees playing with the dog pack at the dog park. Looks like fun. I wonder why people don't just break out in spontaneous rough-housing and play?
Click on the short video below and watch the puppies play!

Sailor's Giant Stick at the Dog Park

We took Sailor to the off-leash dog park on Sunday. He LOOOOVVVVES playing with the dog pack. I think from taking him to doggy daycare, he's getting well-socialized. He played with a bunch of dogs including a Bernese Mountain Dog, Buckley his buddy. He also likes to play with sticks, but hasn't figured out that a bunch of them are small trees that are attached to the ground. This is a funny video, late in the day after he was fairly spent from playing, where he tackled a giant stick and started an chewfest. Click on the short video to see how big the stick is