During the summer I get a lot of time visiting with our guests as they come to the kennel to meet us and our dogs. One of the things I love about these visits is having the chance to drive with them back and forth from the hotels. It gives me a great chance to tell stories and talk about our lifestyle in rural Alaska. However, people are only with me some of the time, the rest I am driving alone to get them. We live in such a rural place that there is very limited radio reception. The only station that I can get is the Fairbanks NPR station KUAC. With no other options, I am left to the whim of the station as to what they choose to broadcast. In a world of almost constant choice, this is a different experience. Not everything they broadcast is what I would select but, by that very principle, I find myself exposed to things I would not
have had the chance to experience if I were in control. This is just another way that living in Alaska reminds me of living back in time. Sometimes I catch Morning Edition or All Things Considered. Often it is Marketplace and Alaska News Nightly. Riding home at night they have a variety of music shows showcasing blues, jazz, folk music and more. My favorite days have always been Saturday, when I get to hear Car Talk, Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me, and my personal favorite A Prairie Home Companion.
I have been fearing Garrison Keilor’s retirement since it was first rumored. I first heard the show growing up, but it has really been my life in Alaska where it has become a huge part of my heart. Living in a place with limited social life and limited media, I have started to think of the characters as friends. I have spent countless hours sewing dog harnesses with the old shows playing in the background. As the show ended I worried if I had made the most of every moment. How many times was it playing when I wasn’t really paying attention to what was being said? How many times did I tune in late or not at all because something was occupying me. I suppose this the way we approach all our relationships. And it is the way it has to be. I cannot spend all of my time thinking about the end of things. I cannot put everything on hold because I might miss a moment. I cannot make sure my attention never wanders. Having these people and these characters as part of my life enriches it whether it is a moment in the background or a moment of full attention. But boy, oh boy, I hope they have left the old shows on their website to revisit.
Mike finding a moment to fish
We are excited to welcome some new puppies into the kennel. Nova had a litter on July 15th. I had my first litter of puppies in 2003. Mike had his many years before that. I have always been excited for the birth of the puppies. I subject our poor momma dogs to my curiosity of when the pups will be born and how many will be in the litter through frequent belly examinations. Having grown up a worrier, I will worry in the time between puppy births, in the moments between when they are born and start to breathe. However, the mothers have always proven me wrong. They are experts even if it is their first time. This was not Nova’s first litter, she is mother to dogs you might remember such as Zazu, Wingman, Woodshed, and Whiplash. However, there was something that was different about this labor. I wasn’t sure when her labor really started. I never saw the strong contractions that mean a puppy is near. Finally I determined that there was a puppy misaligned who she simply could not whelp. Thomas quickly drove Nova to the After Hours Vet Clinic in Fairbanks, a three hour drive. I worried no one would make it. However, with a C- section, 6 healthy puppies were born and returned to the kennel the next morning.
Having had a C-section myself, I was completely impressed by how comfortable Nova seemed. She nursed and cared for her pups as well as any mom. I was equally impressed by the fact that this has been the only time we have had to have veterinary intervention in a birth. After mine I read that one third of babies are born by C-section, yet with our dogs this makes it only about 2 percent.
Summer is a chance to teach the dogs more than condition them. Mike and the crew are working hard at developing skills in the young dogs. Integrating the puppies from last summer in with the older dogs, they are teaching them turning skills giving all of them a chance to run in lead. Thomas and Savanna are working with dogs to develop confidence and attention. They walk them in, out, and through the kennel, have them cross bridges and learn to pay attention. Thomas has been walking the dogs, practically having them heel. The point being that anytime the dog’s attention wanders he changes direction, pulling their focus back to him.
Savanna has been asking all of the dogs to wait as she feeds them supper. This is a skill we work on with puppies to help them learn yes and no. With the adults not only is it reinforcing these skills, but it is again teaching attention and focus. When the wind is blowing on the trail, when the direction of travel becomes unclear and the conditions become challenging, it is vital that the dogs listen to you. And that they trust you. That they know you are confident and will keep them safe and cared for. These hours of work in the summer are paramount to achieving this goal.
Max is making the most of the summer weather. He is has learned to ride his bike (with training wheels), has built a fort and loves picking flowers. I am impressed with his desire are determination to go hiking in the Alaskan wilderness. He will hike miles along the trail and has stable footing on the uneven, squishy tussocks and hummocks that fill Denali. He will push his way through willows, while filling a hand with blueberries he insists on putting the freezer for winter, one handful at a time.
Max is still training the dogs with Mike. They were out a few weeks ago and Mike stopped the team to cool off. Mike was off the four-wheeler moving one dog to the front of the team. These breaks are short. If you do not make it obvious that you are camping the dogs have about 2 minutes of patience before they bark and lunge to go again. Despite the fact that the four wheeler weighs 600 pounds, it does not stop them from moving it if they work together. So you must be quick. In this case, the dogs beat Mike. They lunged before he had finished. The four-wheeler, with Max aboard and 7 dogs out front, started to make it way down the trail. You never go far from the team, due to this very possibility. As the four-wheeler rolled towards him, Mike grabbed it and the brake. “Good catch, Mike” said Max, as casual as can be. Mike thought this was amusing, particularly the “Mike” part. He has started to call me Caitlin too. Does that happen at 3? He usually says “I love you Caitlin” so it is very endearing. I am just always amazed by the new developments of his personality.
We have passed the solstice, so the days are getting shorter. I still don’t really ever see darkness. We are always busy. We give tours every night and many times in the day. Max has different people come and play with him during the tours. A few weeks ago I told him, “Fiona is coming to play with you tonight.” He then asked me a couple times if it was night. This happened over a series of days. I kept thinking he was waiting for something that was going to happen at night, like his friend Fiona coming. Much the same as a kid asking “Are we there yet?” It took a while for me to realize that he was really, truly trying to figure out if it was night. Without the change in daylight how do you determine when day turns into night?
Until next time, I hope you are having as much fun with your dogs as we are with ours.
Mike, Caitlin, and Max