It is usually right around 8 weeks old that the mother dogs decide they are done nursing their puppies. The sharp teeth and demanding appetites, convince them that their duty is done. Hopper is a single puppy. His mother, Nora, is ten years old, making the singleton puppy more likely. She returned to the kennel when Hopper was two months old. For a couple of weeks, Hopper played happily with the other puppies. But recently, every night when we were feeding the puppies, Nora would begin to howl. Finally Mike decided to put her and Hopper back together. Their reunion was joyous.
I do not wish to put human emotions on the dogs and claim that she had missed him, but more I want to marvel at the way she behaved as if she too were three months old. Playing and chasing each other around the pen. I do not know what the evolutionary difference is that allows dogs to remain youthful throughout their lives. Like a canine Peter Pan, their perpetual desire and ability to run and play stands in contrast to our human belief in seriousness and responsibility.
I know that Mike and Max are enjoying their dog runs together. Max often makes me hike up the hill where the dogs run, so he can practice running around the turn the dogs take. They have also been fishing, talking about mouse hunting, and of course building with trucks. Max commented the other day that he and his dad are real mountain boys. And he has been checking the handshake of everyone he meets to see if they have the firm grip of a real mountain boy.
Max is continuing to work hard on giving tours. He holds the puppies, waves as he takes off with the dog team, and is getting more and more comfortable answering questions. His personality shines through. One guest told to him that he was awfully cute, to which he replied “I am even cuter when I am holding a puppy.”
I often think about the things that Max has and has not been exposed to. One hot day this summer we Mike said something about shorts. At which I asked Max, “You do know what shorts are, right?” Like the kids who grow up in Alaska and are never exposed to the night being both warm and dark at the same time, there are every day items and ideas that I may have never exposed my son to. It struck me one day that Max did not know what the word stranger means. In our small village, we refer to everyone by their name.
Like the lack of exposure to shorts, Alaskan summers are full of long sleeve shirts. Here Max shows off the ultimate farmer's tan Alaska style.
Stairway to heaven, a little closer all the time.
Mike is working hard on their stairs, every chance he gets. It is slow going as he has to fit it in between the tours. But it is remarkable to see them emerge. It feels like little by little the curtain is being drawn back allowing me to see what he has been seeing from the get go. During the tours he is working hard on developing the young dogs. Many times he returns to the kennel with one of the yearlings in lead. Today I was proud to see Ivy and Kingpin occupying both of the lead positions. Their mentors Zazu and Jigsaw following them in the team.
I have always thought that it was weird that we would say summer officially starts on June 21st, the summer solstice. It always seems much too late. The summer solstice in Alaska marks the end of our lengthening days. And instead of feeling like the beginning of summer, it feels like the beginning of the end of summer. Already the newborn mouse calves are changing from the red brown shaggy fur they are born with, to the mahogany coats of their elders.
A mama and baby moose, just outside the bus window.
Last night was the first night that I really felt like I could see my orange running lights glowing. It was overcast, making it darker than a clear night, but you can anticipate the darkness quickly approaching.
The saying is that when the fireweed gets to the top of the stalk, summer is over. Already the leaves are changing.
The blueberries are beginning to ripen. Out hiking the other day, Max and I stumbled upon the first ones we had seen that were the dark, chalky blue that shows their ripeness. We had not planned to look for berries, so we did not bring a pail with us. “Let’s go blueberry eating, “ Max exclaimed, never allowing equipment to or lack there of to stop his progress.
The pups are growing quickly. I could spend all day watching them romp and play. Their goofy personalities growing and developing as quickly as their bodies.
Until next time, I hope you are having as much fun with your dogs as we are with ours. Mike, Caitlin, and Max