Dear Santa Paws,

Dear Santa Paws,
I know I'm a bit late with my requests this year, but it's been tough trying to push The Mom aside to use the laptop. I know the school thing is important, but hey, it's important for me to keep track of all of my blogging friends too. And to let them know how I'm doing. So, the first thing on my Santa Paws list is
1. My very own laptop, complete with Internet access.
2. A bigger back yard.
3. Cheese.
4. More Cheese.

Wait, that's not right. I have some other things that I think I really want more. I love my The Mom, and it's really OK if she hogs the laptop, as long as she's here with me hogging the laptop. I'm fortunate to have a family and a warm place to sleep. Many dogs don't. Please help those dogs find their furever homes this Christmas.
While you are busy with that, make sure that you give all the Husky rescue groups, well, all the dog rescue groups, everything they need. They sort of act like elves for you in accomplishing the first thing, right?
For those pups who are spending the night locked up in the slammer, well, may they all have a full belly and a warm blanket. And then if you can find them furever homes too, that would be cool.
Some of my Husky friends have gone to the Bridge this year. Can you make sure they find the right part of the Bridge, and that they aren't scared or lonely waiting for their humans there?
And to all my blogging friends, my blogging family really, please make sure that they and their families have all their wishes come true.

Love,
Dakota

Very sad news.....

My friends at Five Happy Hounds lost one of their pack. Woo bye, Thrawn. You were a friend, a brother Husky, and you and the rest of the Brat Pack are one of my favorite blog friends. Special woos to your pack mates Dot, Samantha, Tucker and Bear. Kisses for your The Mom.
You will be missed.

Human Intervention

I just locked The Mom in her room and took over the computer. She's addicted, addicted to.......
SCHOOL.
Everypuppy, if your humans ever woo the words ' I think I'll go back to school', watch out!!! Warning, warning, warning!!!
What it means is that you will not see them for long periods of time while they hog the laptop and woo all those nasty, awful words that you are not supposed to woo. I don't really know what 'accounting' is, but if it's anywhere near as bad as The Mom is wooing right now, I don't understand why humans would subject themselves to it!
In addition to laptop hogging, you can also expect them to lay in bed at night with big, ugly books. Not the little paper ones you can chew on, but really big, really heavy unchewable books. Oh, I suppose they are chewable, but it's so big, I'm not sure it's worth the effort.
Forget about your daily walks. All that time that you and your human were spending together will now be a fond memory as your human spends more time with 'instructors and other students' instead of you. One nice trade off here is that there are lots of new smells. And she leaves half eaten food in her school bag. Yum..........

I have reason to believe that two naps from now will be the end of school for The Mom for a while. I sure hope so. I'll be glad to have her back!

Besides, I heard Santa Paws is coming soon, and we don't have any decorations out for him! How's he supposed to leave a new bone for me?

Starry, starry night

Wooing at the moon here. After many days of rain and mist and other such things that give you wet fur and muddy paws, the clouds have cleared. There's a quarter moon (my middle name is Moon because even as a young Husky girlpup, I would stare at the sky and search for the moon) and lots and lots of stars.
It's clear, windy and cold here.
It's Husky weather. Finally.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow - I woo to the Moon Goddess.

Or whomever is listening.

Fall cleaning or why I haven't been blogging

I haven't done much blogging lately, and I thought you would all like to know why........ and this time, it's not my fault!

About a month ago, The Mom decided that it was time for some fall cleaning. Now, I don't know if you all have this problem with your humans or not, but every now and then, The Mom decides that it's time to make everything smell 'clean' and picks up all of our fur and other hidden delights.

This time, she decided that she would clean the office and replace her desk.

Well, it's about time on that last one. The old desk? Just barely big enough to hold the laptop. And not even close to big enough for a Husky to curl up under. I had much difficulty with the last HULA assignment, because it's not like I could curl up under the desk and switch the wires so...... well, it was a covert assignment so I'd better stop woooing about it.

Where was I? Oh yes, it was piled, PILED, with stuff. All sorts of human stuff.

Here's a list of what she's found so far:

* The all important tag that identifies me as an up to date member in the anti-rabies club. It should have been part of my collar MONTHS ago.

* The Harnessed to Hope volunteer application. Complete with a human paper that's almost like money, except this one was too old to become money.

* A very nice piece of newspaper about a place near Deep Creek Lake called Husky Power Dogsledding. I read the article while she was still digging in to the mountain of stuff on her desk. It looks like a nice place to visit, particularly if you like SNOW! Sheesh.

* In the same newspaper, another nice article about winter in Ocean City. Hey - I am a Maryland dog, through and through!

* One of those plastic cards that is also like human money. Although this one was so old that it can't be used.

* Those really cool Star Wars stamp things from a few months ago.

* Old paper. LOTS of it. The thing that chews up the paper has been making noise non stop.

* Her address book, so we can send Christmas cards to all the people she knows.

* The payment booklet for the car.

* Lots of pictures of ME!

* A card she bought to give to someone, but couldn't find it, and then had to buy another one. Too bad it's not some place cool, like White Pine!

I could go on and on.........

At any rate, once this all came off the desk, we spent an entire afternoon putting together a new desk. The Mom used two things to put all that paper in, and put an old door on top of it. A better use for a door than locking me out of the room, as far as I'm concerned. Yes, the new desk is big enough for a Husky to fit under, but no, I don't have a picture.

Guess who lost the USB cord...............again!

I'll close with an old picture, one of Bandit and I snow playing, one to celebrate the SNOW from Friday! It ended up being just a few flurries, but it was cold and windy, so I was very, very happy!

Attention everyhusky!

OK, so it's been a while since I blogged. And, it's a really good story. But, I'll be posting it later.

For now, wooing out on the Woomergency Husky Broadcasting Network:

IT'S SNOWING IN THE CATOCTIN MOUNTAINS!!!!!!

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!!

WOOOOOOO!!!!

It's that time of year again

It's Colorfest time.
Around here, that means that lots of people will be bringing lots of things for me and Bandit to eat and chew.
Nana brought us treats and toys. I got a stuffie bat, and Bandit got a stuffie ghost. Nana loves us. She wasn't mad at me about that, well, that incident with the other pup. I love my Nana. She makes us donuts!

The Mom is better, and we are spending lots of time together. She talked to me about my behavior, and we are going to spend some time visiting with some of our friends and trying to help out the nice people at Harnessed to Hope. Even if we couldn't adopt another Husky (and I'm still not sure why were doing that, I'm Husky enough for anyone!), we can help them find other homes.

I gotta run! The Mom is cleaning the kitchen and I heard something about leftover crabcakes!!!

The Mom is very sad

I probably did it this time.
The Mom is sitting around with the water coming out of her eyes. She took Xia in the car today, and didn't come back with her.
The Mom said she had to take her back to the cool foster family that Xia was staying with.
Because of me.
I guess Xia was ok, but I wasn't a very good big sister. In fact, I was pretty bad. See, Xia had some food, and I wanted it even though it wasn't mine. So we had a fight.
And she had a toy, and I wanted it even though it wasn't my toy. So I started another fight.
Worst of all, she was getting love and belly rubs from MY The Mom. So I had to fight again. Only this time one of us sort of bit The Mom. The Mom separated us, but I kept laying in front of Xia's crate.
I don't know why. The Mom says she just brought out the worst in me, making me all nasty and bad.
So, I'm going to go and see if I can lick The Mom's face and cheer her up. This may take some time, so I probably won't be back to blog for a while.
That is if The Mom ever lets me blog again.

Mystery solved! or............

Xia's gotcha day!!!!

So, this was the big surprise. Xia finally came to live with us. (Yup, that Xia)I now have a baby sister! She's sort of OK. Sort of wiggly and puppy like..............

The Mom didn't do a good job getting a picture of all three of us together. Apparently handling a pup and a camera are beyond her ability level.
But, that's ok.

Xia will be staying with us now, and I am planning on teaching her all sorts of things. She already learned how to get ham from The Mom, and she did go potty outside - The Mom and Bandit's Momma were happy about that.

For now, she has to stay in her crate a lot. She's doing something called rehab, which is just like being in your crate for a long, long time as near as I can tell. I guess her leg still hurts or something. Bandit didn't quite know either. She's napping now, so I thought I'd get in here and update everyone on my birthday gift - and our new little sister.

Hmm, we'll talk later...................

Post birthday fun.

I thought I'd have some post birthday fun!
I was reading Sitka and Tia's blog, and I saw this fun game! You answer the following questions using the first letter of your name (and you can't use your own name on the name questions). So..........

What is your name? Dakota
4 letter word: Door (oh, and this one d%$# that The Mom uses a lot)
Vehicle: Dodge Dakota
TV Show: Dick Van Dyke Show
City: Duluth
Boy Name: Dave
Girl Name: Della
Alcoholic Drink: Dry Martini (shaken, not stirred)
Occupation: Donut maker
Something you wear: Double breasted suit
Celebrity: Don Ho
Food: Desserts
Something found in a bathroom: Deodorant
Reason for being late: Deluge of rain
Cartoon Character: Deputy Dawg!

That was lots of fun!

Mystery on Dakota's Mountain

Just a few naps ago, I turned 8 years old. Yep, my birthday.
Now, I don't know about everypup, but around here, that's usually cause for lots and lots of gifts, belly rubs, and a little something known as cake and ice cream.
Usually.
But this year was different.
Oh, I got a few kisses. And belly rubs. And a few measely bites of something with pudding and cake.
But nothing else.
Nothing.
Nada, zippo, zilcho, bupkiss,absolutely NOTHING.
No gifts. No stuffies. No squeakies. No chew bones.
Now, that's bad enough. But I happen to know that The Mom and Bandit's Momma went to PetSmart before my birthday. And they brought stuff home. New bowls. A new place mat. A new Kong. Puppy biscuits. All I keep hearing is, "next week at this time.......". I don't care about next week, I just care that I didn't get anything for my birthday!
So here's the mystery. New stuff, not for me, and something is happening next week. What ever it is, The Mom even got my old crate out, and is making sure it's clean and ready (her words, not mine).
Ready for what?

Hike n Howl 2007 - Part two

I am sorry for the delay in posting. Every now and then The Mom gets on her high horse about 'needing the laptop for work' and leaves me internetless!!! I believe that I will ask Santa Clause for my own laptop this year.

So, after our last visit with Xia, we got back in the car. The Mom was very, very difficult to lead to the car, because she had some big old box she was carrying. We finally got there, I put on my seat belt and we began to move. I sort of suspected that this would be another LONG, LONG, LONG ride - and I was right. I was, however, treated to part of a very tasty Double R Bar Burger. I've blogged about my attachment to Roy Rogers before, and I must say - even though The Mom called it 'crappy turnpike food' (her words, not mine and I do apologize to my readers in the great state of Pennsylvania) - that I have not changed my opinion of that dining establishment. Four woos from me!

Bandit was very happy to see us when we got home. We went outside, he sniffed, I used the potty. When we came back in, The Mom had brought that big old box in the house and put it on the floor:

Some very kind and wonderful person put together a big box of goodies for me!!! (Oh, and I suppose there's enough for Bandit too..........sigh.) And I mean BIG. A very nicely crafted toy box. The biggest bag I've ever seen of YUMMY CHUMMIES!!! Duck jerky. Toys. Gourmet doggie water. Some delectable salmon oil for our food. A very warm wool blanket. And a brand new collar and leash.

Hike n Howl was a lot of fun!!!!! Here's how I spent the rest of the evening, once the excitement of all those YUMMY CHUMMIES wore off..........................

Hike n Howl 2007

I came, I saw, I hiked.

I always wanted to say that.

The Mom and I got up early, so early it was dark outside, to go bye-bye in the car. Now, this usually means that we're either going to that place that is totally obsessed with putting something up my butt, or to the store place where all the stuff is sold. This time though, we didn't go to either of these places. We were in the car for a LONG, LONG, LONG time. So long the sun came up and it got light out. We stopped at a place that was very noisy, and didn't have much grass to potty on. The Mom shared a small piece of her egg biscuit, then we got back in to the car. And were in the car for another LONG, LONG, LONG time. When we finally stopped, guess who I saw? Indy and his mom were there. And a husky I'd never met before, Max. Then I looked up, and there were HUSKIES EVERYWHERE!! We'd made it to Hike n Howl.

Our first stop was a small side trip to see Xia. Here we are at our first sniff n meet!

I must say that we were both on our best behavior, and that this meeting went quite well. Xia could not join us for the hike, her leg is still healing according to The Mom, so we went on without her to do the hike part:

This was our view on much of the hike. We were a little slower than most, but we did complete the hike! I'm happy to say that we raised $160 for the rescue groups. After the hike, there were lots of fun things to do - The Mom got a husky painted on her:

I met a very strange husky:
Then we spent more time with Xia.

Right before we got in the car again, something very, very nice happened. I'll blog about that tomorrow!

Again......

So, it's move the kid in and out time again. What that means is that everything - with the possible exception of routine feeding and putting outside to potty - gets put on hold while The Mom and the kid pack things in boxes (the same things they packed before!) and then move the boxes to the car and then go.

I heard they went to a different place this year. I haven't been there. I might get to go soon though, as I've been getting many more car rides as we prepare for Hike n Howl . Personally, I think The Mom should be hiking more and driving less.

There's been lots of questions about our application to adopt Xia. I know that The Mom has had lots of conversations with Xia's foster mom - I hear she's being a little stinker (which I think translates as HULA member in training). And I know that The Mom did the home visit and stuff. What I don't know is when she's moving in. I've never been an older sister before - I'm currently the youngest dog in the house - and I would like some time to prepare. I plan on discussing this with The Mom soon, perhaps while we're on one of those car rides?

I almost forgot!! My Blogathon prizes from Meeshka arrived the other day!

Here we are checking it out - everyone else was packing!

Here's what we won! A cool howling wolf and a t-shirt.

And here's what I did after The Mom realized that we had gotten in to the box. Yes, that's me, strategically positioned between two cool air vents, my place of choice. (Yes, Tubey, that was a stuffie on the cool air vent in my last post. We have many, many, many stuffies here - three wash loads full according to The Mom).

Indy's Visit

As part of the application to adopt Xia, The Mom and I had a home visit from the people at Harnessed to Hope.

Guess who did the home visit?

Indy! (oh, and his mom).

We had a good time showing them our house and the cat and the bird and our back yard!

Then, guess what we did?

Yup. It was a good day and we had a lot of fun!

Protest!!!! Strike!!!

That's it, I'm protesting. I'm on strike. No more kisses, no more tail wags.
The Mom has some explaining to do, and until she does, I'm on STRIKE!
She got up at the crack of dawn yesterday, insisted on putting us out, feeding us and we all knew she wasn't going to that work place.
She left with out us.
She was gone a LONG, LONG, LONG time.
Do you know where she was?
She met Meeshka's human woman - but didn't meet Meeshka. And she met Sasha's human too - but didn't meet Sasha. Now, what good is it to meet the humans, but not the Huskies?
She apparently also got to hear this lady talk about ALASKA and the Iditarod. (Just typing it makes it cooler in here, sigh.............)
Honestly, that's like my total dream trip, and I DIDN'T GO!!!!!
Now apparently some Huskies were invited. Like Thunder (quite handsome, I guess you needed to be a handsome guy to get an invite?)
AND SHE MET XIA!!!!!!!!!
Now, this little girl has been all over the Internet and email and apparently has her own publicity firm hired or something, because everyone is talking about her. So she was important enough to get an invite too.
But I wasn't. And I'm on strike until someone tells me why.

It's too darn hot!

The Mom tells me that 'It's too darn hot' is the name of a song. She would know. She's been listening to what the kids call the 'old fart' station here in town. I think the heat is getting to her.


Today we had to hear all about how nice it is to pick up poop because it practically dries up the moment it hits the ground. I wooed to her that we really didn't care, just pick it up!





Here's another picture (we have hundreds that were recently liberated). This one shows me doing something I truly love:

Sigh. Song or not, it's too darn hot for anypup!

Additional update

Notice anything new about my blog?

Guess what The Mom finally broke down and bought?????

Chip.

Bandit

And me wooing to the neighbors, guess what the idiot I live with finally did! She bought a USB cable to hook the digital camera to the computer.

And no, I had absolutely nothing to do with the first missing USB cord.

The dog days of July

Hello everypup, husky, girl-girl and loyal readers.

So much has gone on the past several days, I'm not sure where to begin.



I guess I'll start with Bandit. Many days ago, he wasn't feeling well. He was napping, I was leaving him alone, then I heard him in trouble - he was having a seizure. It was Bandit's first seizure, and I felt that as a sort of expert (I've had seizures my self), I needed to be with him. Bandit's momma didn't think that was a good idea, so I got locked in The Mom's bedroom and had to listen to everything. Bandit was OK - he bonked himself in the eye with an end table and had a swollen eye for a few days - but there were no other lingering affects with the seizure. Now they have to 'watch him'. He has not had any further seizures, and he has told me that he's feeling better. His eye is better too. Not that a black Lab can have a black eye.



Oh, and Chip has gone back to his people. We had a good time while he was here, although The Mom did not get as much time to work on his manners as she had hoped. We have pictures, but after a brief bit of hope where The Mom thought she had found the cord from the camera to the computer, they are still locked in the digital camera. Hey, as I have mentioned before, I had absolutely nothing to do with the disappearance of the cord.



Then, The Mom took out the box she uses when she goes away. I was not happy about this, but she mentioned taking one of the Kids and Jacki. Jacki is this nice lady that comes once a year or so and brings us LOTS of treats, so I decided that a visit would be a good time. I was not allowed to go - some place called a hotel did not allow pets. Why they would go to this place I have no idea. So, there's pictures of that too, but you won't see them either. Now, she did bring home some shells and rocks to sniff, and this really cool redhead Sibe stuffy that is not for me. Bandit and I stayed with his momma.



Then yesterday, The Mom left again! She wasn't gone long this time, but she went to spend time with one of the Kids on their birthday! Now, I know that birthday usually means we get cake and ice cream - but none, absolutely none of that was mentioned or seen. I was not happy. They apparently went to a movie and then had ice cream at some place.



The Mom is home now, curled up with a bit of a tummy issue. Serves her right for not saving me some of the cake and ice cream.



I know that I've been tagged to do some lists and stuff. I'll give those some thought and get them posted later this weekend. I plan on hogging the computer to follow Meeshka's Blogathon. Not only do I want to support our Husky Queen, but I have an additional interest in the outcome of this one..........



As many of you heard, in addition to all the whirlwind excitement I've detailed here, The Mom found time to contact some people at Harnessed to Hope to see if she could ADOPT little Xia. I hear that our adoption application has been approved, and that if Xia's foster family doesn't adopt this sweet little girl, she may be coming to live here. While I think I'll be an excellent older sister and a spectacular Husky role model, there will be another Husky in the house. I must admit some concern about her horning in on my belly rub time. But, as an added bonus, as part of the adoption process, I'll get to meet Indy!!!! I'm very excited about meeting this handsome traveling guy. Meeshka is blogging to raise money for Harnessed to Hope, and the money will be used to pay for Xia's (and other needy northern breeds) medical expenses. Thank you, Meeshka, for your philanthropy and efforts. The Mom thanks you too!

Wait until she finds out what I did!

OK, now, I didn't tell you all this, but I just signed myself and The Mom up for Hike n Howl! I expect there to be some real howling when she finds out!!! Here she comes, more later!!!!

If I Could Put Time In A Bottle

My good friend MayaMarie asked me to spend some time thinking about what five things I would put in something called a time capsule.

I will admit that I had no idea what a time capsule was, so I asked The Mom. She told me that it was a container that people usually bury and then dig up many years from now to look at the stuff that was buried. Well, I don't know about looking at the stuff, but I'm all about the burying, so here goes:

1. Some music by Jimmy Buffett. I know, but I'm very fond of Buffett. I've been known to calm down and ride quietly in the car with some Buffett tunes - 'Cheeseburger In Paradise' comes to mind.

2. A stuffie Husky. So the future can see just how spectacular we are. Oh, and it has to squeak.

3. Chicken yummies. These tasty little treats are dried chicken and they are the most delectable doggie treats you can imagine.

4. My blankie. My Nana made me a blankie with yarn and a crochet needle. Every pup should have their own personal blankie. Well, maybe my Nana could make another one to put in the time capsule, because I am not ready to part with mine.

5. A picture of me and The Mom. OK, sort of sappy, I know. But I would want the people in the future to see how much I love The Mom and The Mom loves me.

I'm going to add one more thing. I know MayaMarie only asked for five, but................


6. Copies of the blogs of all my wonderful friends (like MayaMarie) so that everyone knows just how much fun we're having as Dogs With Blogs.

Other blogs

I've been reading other blogs, checking out the 'Sloganizer'. Lots of fun. Here's what the movie quote did for me:

'May the Dakota be with you'.


Hehehe!

Catching up

What a week!

There's been a whirlwind of activity here, with lots of discussions and 'yes' and calls from 'rescue' places. I'm not quite sure what's going to come of it, but I think it has something to do with this group of folks!

You may remember Chip from last year. Well, he's back again. I can't say much for his manners, and I'm not going to be the one that tells The Mom that he is pooping in my room. Pooping in the house is something that is NOT ACCEPTABLE, according to The Mom. I don't want to get the little guy in trouble. I'm also not telling that Chip is the one who barks a lot. As a non-barking kind of dog - we Huskies woooooooo - I sort of find this, well, embarrassing. The neighbors will talk.

Bandit's skin is all funky again. I'm suggesting that he's allergic to Chip. I don't know how it will go over though. I think The Mom and Bandit's Mom are talking about not giving Bandit puppy biscuits. That would mean more for me, I think.

Oh, I was nominated by Amber and Stormy over at the Ao4 blog for a Rockin' Girl Blogger!

Thanks! You girls rock too! (Dave and Zim aren't so bad either.)

I play bow my acceptance and am surfing the blogs to find additional girls to bring on board! We girls must stick together.

And finally, the kid is home for a few days, and apparently she has some skill with the digital camera!!! I'm posing for pics as soon as I'm done here, and I'll see if I can get new ones of Bandit and maybe one of Chip. I am thinking of snitching the wire that goes from the camera to the computer too........ mine seems to be missing and I'm still not taking the blame for that one!

All about The Mom

In response to a request from my friend MayaMarie , today's post will be an interview with The Mom. Not to be confused with that funky book The Mom tried to read once 'Interview With A Vampire' - she gave it two paws down.

Dakota - Welcome. Thanks for agreeing to answer a few questions for my blogging friends.
The Mom - Your welcome. Was that you that slopped water all over the kitchen?

D - This is my time to interview you, I won't be answering any questions.
TM - Like you would admit it if it was you.

D - OK, question number one. What did you do with the kids and why? I miss them.
TM - (sighs) Honestly Dakota. We've been through this before. But, once again, when human children get to be human adults, they are expected to leave home and make their own way in the world.

D - So you kicked them out, and if I even make a move to the front door, I get yelled at.
TM - That's correct. They are out working, making money, living in their own homes. It's every parents dream. You are a dog. You may not wander free, you need to be in a contained, safe place.

D - But it's my dream to get out, and you are suppressing it!!!
TM - That's different. It's not like you would leave the house and get a job, feed yourself and put a roof over your head. You wouldn't know what to do if you had to work for a living. Such a shame too, you are a member of a 'working breed'.

D - I shouldn't have to work, people would take care of me. I'm a HUSKY.
TM - Not everyone loves Huskies, Miss Moon. Perhaps we should find another interview topic before we get too much further.......

D - Ok, next question. Something more sedate. How old are you?
TM - Old enough to know that I'm not answering that question

D - Is it because you have to tell your age in three digits?
TM - I DO NOT!!!

D - Yes, I did the math and you are over three hundred years old.
TM - WHAT???!!! I think you may need a refresher course dog. Or perhaps an opposable thumb.

D - That was below the belt, don't you think? The opposable thumb thing.
TM - Hey, not my fault you were born a dog.

D - Lets see if we can find something more neutral to discuss. When are we moving to Alaska?
TM - Now wait a minute. A question or two ago, you were moaning about how you miss the kids, and now you want to pick up and move to Alaska? Not that it's a bad idea or anything.........

D - So there's hope?
TM - I'm not ruling anything out for us at this time.

D - Where do you go every day?
TM - Work. Someone has to pay for the dog food and the mortgage.

D- Why can't I go with you?
TM - Because they don't let dogs in to the place I work.

D - Why?
TM - Because. I don't make the rules there, I just follow them and hope the paychecks keep coming.

D - But why?
TM - (sighs again) Because someone has to pay the bills. And it's time you know that I'm looking at ................... getting you a sibling.

D - A what?
TM - Sibling. Brother or sister. Another pack mate. ANOTHER DOG?

D -
TM - Hmmmmmmmmmm. That shut you up.

D - Will you at least do me the favor of getting another Husky?
TM - Probably. For some dumb reason, I'm quite fond of picking up fur by the pound, getting up in the middle of the night to look at snow and picking up the remains of birds.

D - There you have it folks, this is what I live with. Perhaps she'll agree to sit for another interview when she's in a better mood and has gotten the idea of another Husky out of her mind.

The dream of a lifetime

If you've read my profile, you know that I'm, well, in to that tropical vibe. Seems like I'm not the only sled dog that feels that way........
I'm (well, The Mom) is a HUGE fan of Jimmy Buffett. Check this out - the Official Jamaican Sled Dog Team!!!


'Wasted away again in Dogaritaville'!!!!!

Don't forget to check out Dogs Aye View

Good morning. I love lazy mornings surfing the blogs, seeing what the rest of my virtual pack has been up to.



Check out this LINK from the good pups over at Dogs Aye View, Gomer and Opie. What a cool idea they gave their human mom. Check it out and click the links!!!!

All about me

Look what I found while surfing the blogs.......

1. Age? 7 years, 9 months.
2. My age when I came to live with my people? 6 weeks. The Mom says the place I came from was run by an 'idiot'. Not sure what that is, but I suspect it's not good.
3. What color collar am I wearing right now? Black, with paw prints that reflect light.
4. My favorite person other than my people I live with? My kids. Well, The Mom's kids. They don't live with us anymore.
5. How much do I weight? 49 pounds.
6. Most expensive thing I ever chewed up? Probably the carpet. I chewed up a sofa good too, but since it was going with that man that used to live with us, The Mom assures me it doesn't count. And I got a yummy for doing it!
7. Do I like other dogs? Yes, I am a pack animal.
8. Who is my best non-human friend? Bandit. And maybe Chip.
9. Squeaky toys or tennis balls? Squeeky toys. Absolutely. I own the squeeky toy of all squeeky toys. It has 12, count 'em 12 different squeekers in it.
10. Do I like to be brushed? NO! That's my fur.
11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? The sweetest words to my ears......... "Mom's got cheese!!"
12. Do my people cut my toenails? Yup, but The Mom has to engage in a full body press to do it, and it's no fun unless I 'claw' blood!!
13. Any formal education? No. Just the school of hard knocks.
14. Couch Potato or Energizer Bunny? Depends on the time and place.
15. Five nicknames people call me? Koda Bear, KB, Miss Husky, Sweets and Sh**head. The last one is usually the loudest.
16. What is my best trick? At night after last call, when it's time to go to sleep, 'Time to go ni-night'. I trot down the hall, make a right turn and get in bed. It seems to entertain The Mom.
17. Do I like kitties? Only for breakfast or lunch.......ha ha ha......... I live with a cat. I tolerate said cat.
18. What did I have for breakfast? Iams Lamb and Rice dry food. Oh, and Honey Nut Cheerios.
19. Can I hunt and have I ever killed anything? Yes, I am an accomplished hunter. My trophies include bunnies, birds (including a Mallard Duck and duckling) and a groundhog.
20. When was the last time I went to the vet? About a year ago, and I can see my name on the big food box........
21. Where do I sleep at night? With The Mom in our bedroom. No crate for me.
22. Do I like to swim? That's the big water bowl in the back yard. I'm not getting in it.
23. Can I make puppies? Nope. Thank doG. There's too many unparented pups in the world it is.
24. My favorite place to visit? Hmmm. That would be either the back yard, or PetSmart.
25. Do I give kisses? Yup, whether they need them or not.
26. Can I potty on command? What? Why would I pee when they want me too? I pee when I want to.
27. Do I cuz? Only if Bandit is cuzzing. Then I cuz. Otherwise, who cares?
28. Do I behave when we go for a walk? I'm pretty good about it now that I've matured some. When I was a wee pup, I was a master yanker.

Hurricane The Mom

The Mom spent much time last night tearing up my office - well, her office - looking for the little cord that connects the camera to the computer. Honestly, I had nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the disappearance. It's not my fault she hasn't mastered the basic skills of filing and putting things where they belong.

So, I still have no pictures to put on my blog.



We got a really cool package from SOS-SRF. The Mom is a sucker for anything with a Sibe on it, and I like helping other Sibes not as fortunate as me. Now, if I could just get her to adopt a disciple for me. I keep telling her that we could hook to the front of Big Red, and save on gas.

Ao4, I need some camouflage tips!

I'm out from hiding while The Mom has gone to work. Let me tell you, I'm not that fond of this time of the year for the obvious reason - where the heck is the snow? - but there's something that the late spring, summer brings out that's even more hideous than the missing snow........

It's bath and grooming time!

The first bath of the season was about two weeks ago. The Mom lured me out of hiding with some tasty ham (Oh, Queen Meeshka, how does one perfect the mind over ham technique?), looped the bath collar on me and started lathering me up.

Then, it's nail clipping. Now, there's not a whole lot in this world that I absolutely hate, but getting my nails done - well, that's it. Once again, I was ambushed while napping! Next thing I knew, The Mom was on top of me, smothering me with her big ol' butt while she trimmed my nails. I got one or two really good claws in - including one that drew blood - but each and every nail was trimmed.

After that, it's the fur between my sensitive little toes. Now, I won't go in to too many unlady like details, but I have to have a bit of fur trimmed off my tootsies every now and then to keep from getting painful mats. But, as I said and as The Mom knows, those little toes are sensitive. That doesn't stop her from getting out the scissors and trimming away though.

Finally, when I have practically no dignity left, out comes the rake. No I don't want to be brushed. And it's not even a brush, it's a funky looking thing with teeth that digs in to my fur and takes it away. I'll be naked before long. One saving grace here - so far, it's only my left side that's been subjected to the torture. The right side is mine, and I'm protecting it at all costs!!!

Ao4, do you have any camouflage tips for your loyal trooper? How can I hide from the grooming, while coming out for the good stuff - food, water, belly rubs?

Oh! I hear the front door!

Dakota signing off.

Totally pathetic

I just think everydog should know how pathetic things are around here. The Mom got home from work - LATE AGAIN -and put us out. The next thing I knew, she was outside, with ice water - no friggin' snacks - with her nose in a book. A book! Now, after being in an office all day, you would think that she should want to come home, stretch out a bit and maybe play???? Nope, she was on her lazy butt all evening!

Didn't even make dinner.

Do you know what Kix are?

That's what Miss Lazy - formerly known as The Mom - had for dinner!

She's not on the computer!

Finally, after months of not even being able to get in to the office - darn those humans for making sure the doors are closed - The Mom is done school. The computer is free, The Mom is petting and loving me more and all is well with my world.
Well, it was until the kid came home.
I was told that the kid lived at school ( I'm thinking it was not the same school that The Mom was going to), but now she is home. Well, let me tell you, I don't know where the kid was, but she brought a LOT of stuff home with her. Food. Clothes. New tasty looking shoes. And many, many piles of J-U-N-K. I can barely move around in my room! But, it is nice to have the kid home because it means that The Mom will no longer leave me and go visit her. So, I'm happy.
It's terribly hot here - already I have seen the 90 on the thermometer. I am thankful that the air conditioner is up and working again. I'm confining my outside time to early morning and night time - besides, it's easier to guard the perimeter of the yard when it's dark.
As you can see, I am taking regular rest and water breaks.

I just heard The Mom mention that she's off for a few more days. That's good news. I was just thinking of a belly rub and a nap.

Mother's Day

While The Mom pours over text books and yanks out part of her fur while screaming something about final exams, I thought I'd sneak in and blog to catch everyone up.

The Mom has still not mastered how to hook the digital camera up to the computer. She should.

There's lots and lots of young tasty snacks in my yard. Birds. Bunnies. Nothing yet, although apparently there was a dearly departed baby bird on Bandit's side of the yard. Hmmmm.

Um, if you hear something that sounds like bzzzzzzz - do not, I repeat, do not confuse it as a young and tasty snack. Oh, it was tasty I guess, but then my snoot swelled up and I didn't feel all that well for a few hours. They bite back! I did get some ice in the water bowl from The Mom though.

One of the kids came home last weekend! I was in bed, asleep with The Mom, and I heard someone come in the house!! I picked my head up to listen to see if they were headed toward the cheese drawer, and all of the sudden the bedroom door opened and it was the kid! I was pretty happy to see her - I leaped from the bed to the door and in to her arms. Sure enough, she had brought some tasty leftovers home and we shared a midnight snack.

I've been trying to decide what to get The Mom for Mother's Day. Seems that chewing up a text book could be a possible gift, but I think I'll just let her pet my belly after I get brushed. Maybe I'll behave during my brushing too. That would be a real treat for her.

Bacon Heaven

The Mom is frying bacon, so I thought I'd sneak in and see how everyone was.

So, how are you? I haven't been able to blog much lately - if your human, owner, Mom, Dad, biped or whatever mentions the words 'on-line course', you can expect to only find the computer free when they are in that small room where they potty (They spend hours sniffing in there, have you noticed that?). Which means you will not be able to read blogs, or blog yourself. How else am I supposed to keep up with my friends? Really.

And - to add insult to injury - The Mom packed up that bag thing and LEFT for three moons. Three. Oh, she let the kid come here and make sure that Bandit and I had food and we went outside and we had someone to cater to our whims, but she LEFT me. I am not happy. I have also discovered her packing up that bag thing again today. I don't know where she's going this time. My question - why can't I go? I have a crate, and I don't need one of those bags. I can just go. I travel light. My blankie, a crate and some water.

We've been having bacon on everything and in everything. I wonder if the folks at Dogs With Blogs would mind if we had a Wine, Cheese and Bacon Pawty here?

Easter Snow-day

No sun today! It's been overcast and snowing here in the Catoctin Mountains. Well, no snow on the ground snow, but lots of snow in the sky snow. I think the Easter Bunnies under the building in the backyard are huddled up - it's might chilly here for them. Even The Mom is a bit cold these days.
I'm loving it!
Let's see. Bandit's birthday was last week, and we got cake and ice cream (well, doggie ice cream, but........). Then it was Bandit's Momma's birthday, and we got MORE cake and doggie ice cream. Quite the coupe, having those days in a row like that. I wish I had pictures but a) The Mom has the camera 'hidden' somewhere (she lost it!) and b) she really needs to buy the cable so we can actually upload the pictures from the camera to the blog. I think this is just a conspiracy to keep me off the computer.
Good thing I have no intention to buy in to the conspiracy!
Oh, and she didn't win one thing on the eBay auctions for Harnessed To Hope . I'm sure that she needed something....... maybe her wallet would have been a little fuller if she'd stop going to all those ham and turkey nights. Not that I'm complaining about 10 pounds of bacon.

Sunday Musings

Good afternoon to everyone.
Things continue to be quite hectic here, as The Mom recovers from her fall and spring has arrived. I've spent much of my time helping The Mom, and making sure she is safe. I am happy to report that meals and yummies are back on the pre-injury schedule. I did get somewhat of a break yesterday, as The Mom got up very, very early in the morning and did not get home until very, very late. I'm not quite sure what a one armed bandit is, but it apparently got some of The Mom's money stuff.
The Mom found a cool place called Jake's Dog House (www.jakesdoghouse.com if you happen to have that plastic thing the humans use). They had homemade dog treats, and The Mom brought us some! We also each got a new squeaky toy - mine is a squeaky mat with 16, count 'em, 16 squeakers in it. Bandit got a squeaky duck. It was nice to be rewarded for all of my hard work of late.
The Mom is now doing more school stuff. Stress Management. Stupid humans, if you have a Husky, there is NO stress. You just have to live on dog time and understand that the Husky way is the only way.

And finally, I'm sad to report that my namesake and friend Dakota over at The Brat Pack has gone to the Rainbow Bridge. If you haven't had the opportunity to visit Thrawn, Samantha, Tucker and Dot, head over and read their blog. Dakota my friend, I will miss you and I am sending soft Husky woos to the rest of your pack.

Stupid human tricks, or how the biped landed on her ..........

Phew. It's been an eventful few weeks for me, not the least of which was playing nursemaid to The Mom, while she recovers from a sprained wrist.
She fell, and I almost had to jump the fence to come to her rescue!
It was many nights ago, that day where we had a nice fluffy snow here in the Catoctin Mountains. The Mom came home from that work place, put me and the Bandit outside, had a cup of that hot stuff she drinks and put her outside boots on. Well, I stayed outside to enjoy the snow, and Bandit came inside (he's, well, snow challenged), and The Mom went out front to move all the snow from one place to another. (Humans - what's up with that? Why do you move the snow? It's all over everything, and who cares if one spot is bigger than another? There's usually enough to share.) I was watching her do that, and all of the sudden, wham, she's laying on the ground! I started to whine, to make sure she was OK, then I figured that I needed to get over the fence and offer a quick diagnosis (where's Dr. Meepenstein when you need him?). Well, about that time, The Mom started to talk to me and let me know she was OK (embarrassed and wet) and that I should stay where I was.
Those humans.
She finally came in the house and let me in the back door. I rushed to her side, and made sure she was safe, then I pushed her down on to the bed and laid beside her to keep her warm. It must have worked, because outside of some bruises, all that happened is she had to wear a goofy looking thing on her hand and arm. Mind you, it's the hand and arm that do all the cooking and feeding, so this was cause for great concern.
She's better now, still wearing the goofy thing though.
I think the school thing has stopped. At least part of it did. I don't know what accounting is, but it sure causes the people in this house to use those word we're not supposed to use.
She's heading in to the kitchen now, I'd better go. Who knows what will happen if I don't keep an eye on her?

Winter Wonderland

Another 4 inches of snow (that's about a quarter of a Husky leg) fell in the Catoctin Mountains today. Snow. Not the ice stuff we had a couple of weeks ago. Snow. Where you could make yourself a little bed and lay in. Snow. Where you could dig and find the ground and track the rabbit under the shed or the squirrel that has taken up residence in the Leland Cyprus trees in the back yard. Snow. Where, once you came in because SOMEONE promised you cheese, you could lay at the door of your room (I don't think I ever blogged about my room. I'll have to do that.) and watch lots and lots of birds at the feeder. Red birds. Really red birds. Big gray birds that coo instead of woo. Little brown birds that seem happy. Snow.
Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow. Snow.
I don't know how else to say it.

Now, lets talk about that squirrel. According to The Mom, who has lived here for 13 and a half years (however long that is), this is the first time she's seen a squirrel in the neighborhood. All I know is that it smells different, and it can jump from tree to tree! It doesn't fly - it jumps! I can't climb trees, something that I learned the hard way over the past couple of days, but if I could that squirrel would be history (um, well, probably breakfast, lunch, dinner or a snack).

It's been a good day and I am sort of sleepy. I believe that I'll nap, then get The Mom up so we can check out the snow sometime tonight.

This one's for Opy

For all of my blog friends who are snowless:

Check this out!

Welcome from the Yukoctin Mountains

We hit the weather jackpot here! About six inches of snow. At the moment, it's quite solid though, almost icy. Well, lets be honest, it's about six inches of ice at the moment. It's very odd, you can walk on top of it and not sink your paws in. Bandit is having some difficult time with his footing. As a spry and delicate Husky, I'm doing just fine. I had a nice snooze out in the sun today, and keep making sure that The Mom lets me out for my weather reporting duties.
The only real problem at this point is that we can't go down the steps from the kitchen - everyone has to go downstairs to go outside.
Apparently, The Mom is not that thrilled with having to get up at 4:30 and walk down the steps. She should be a bit more careful and perhaps turn on the light next time. Oh, she's OK, but I suspect that if I have to go out tonight I'll probably be discouraged............... good thing I don't listen to her.

Snow, beautiful snow

While The Mom walks around the house quoting from 'The Owl and the Pussycat' - I don't know, some stuff about a pea green boat - I'm doing my best to stare out the window at the spectacular snow. There's about three inches - that's up past the paws for those of you who need a visual reference - of snow in my corner of the Catoctin Mountain range.
Supposedly more to come.
I think it's time to trip the old girl up, get her attention and see if I can go outside and play!

If I smell it, it will come

Dakota here, and I'm all about snow!

I've had my head in the wind and my ears to the Weather Channel. Snow is on the way! Tomorrow, I think, not Tuesday like they keep saying. I'm hoping for at least six good inches, enough to dig in, romp in and pretty much just do what I want in.

Of course, it's been such an odd winter that we're liable to not get any snow at all.

I must admit that there's just nothing going on here. I did see The Mom smuggle in a bag of something for the Valentine thing. I'm hoping that there's more in there than stuff for those kids she has.

Like chicken yummies. Now those would be an acceptable Valentine's present.

I've added my card for The Mom, what do you think?

Back to School

Dakota here. I'm happy to announce that there's absolutely nothing going on in my little corner of the world. The Mom is working, and she's back in school. Which means that I'm left to my own devices for far, far too long while she's got her nose stuck in a book.
We had a dear little bit of snow a few days ago......but no pictures, she was too busy.
I did the best dogball I've ever done...... but no pictures, she still can't figure out how to hook the camera to the laptop.
I had a good time chasing the cat.... but no pictures, because I'm smart enough to know that I shouldn't chase the cat and tell her!

There's also been a ton of complaining about the 'cold' weather. Cold weather?? This isn't cold. It's barely cool. Just a bit of snow and wind, and you should hear them go on and on about it. This is the time of the year that The Mom starts looking at warm places to live. I'm going to have to get those websites blocked or something. Well, maybe not blocked. I must admit to a yearning to walk a warm moonlit beach every now and then.

I was reading blogs, and I see where Mary Margaret is moving to Pennsylvania. I live just a few minutes away from Pennsylvania, and I'm hoping she will be close to me. Maybe we can visit and play? It's so boring having no girldogfriends near by.

I've decided to be more politically active this season, what with Hillary Clinton running and all. But, I think I'm voting for a man I have come to admire. A true patriot. A bachelor who won't back down from his opinions. Yep.................. I'm voting for TURBO!

The Weekend

Dakota here.
After a long stretch of time where it seems everyone was sick, things seem to be calmer tonight. I'm blogging, and everyone else is watching that stupid box with the pictures on it.
The Mom did make it to that work place last week, and she worked too much, even after I took that thing on her wrist. I'm going to have to continue to help her learn doggie time. Humans can be quite difficult to train.
They can also be quite fun to watch.
The Mom got this tiny little thing that blasts music in her ears a few months ago. Since then, I've been subjected to some of the strangest things...... she walks down the halls and wiggles her rear end, she claps her hands and she smiles and sings. (She does not have to worry about joining the local Husky choir, let me tell you.) I laughed so hard at her wiggling up and down the hall today that I peed myself. Really. If she only knew.

It's practically summer here in the Catoctin Mountains. The only thing making is bearable is the lovely mud in my back yard........

Moon, sun and tears

Dakota here. Catching up on the blogs with The Mom. We've read about Tara and Peanut and The Mom has been doing that thing with her eyes. It usually means she's sad. I told her that the pups are at the Rainbow Bridge, having a good time with all the other pups while waiting for their moms and dads to come.
I guess it could also be she's crying because of all the Kleenex she's been using. The Mom is just laying around, doing much of nothing, including playing with us. I think she's just looking to get away from that place for the day.
I can't blame her.
Meeshka's blog talks about dog time today. And I think that it's time The Mom began using dog time. I'm hiding the thing she wears on her wrist. All she does is look at it and say those naughty words anyway. If it makes her that unhappy, then I'm going to do something about it.
I'm going to put that music she likes on. That Buffett guy. And then I'm going to make the ultimate Husky sacrifice and lay with her while she sniffles and uses up every Kleenex in the house.

Dakota (respectfully writing to Mr. Buffett to change 'It's Five o'clock Somewhere' to 'It's Doggietime Somewhere)