Fleecy Cleans by Kyjen

My dogs loved this toy, a Fleecy Clean by Kyjen.


It took two months, but they finally pulled it apart!

Do you REALLY love agility?

If you are a real agility freak, you have agility equipment *inside* your house. :-)

Gracie gets ready to practice contacts in the living room. To perform a contact obstacle properly in agility, the dog must put one foot in the contact zone (the yellow area in this case). I recently purchased a contact board that I can take to different places for training, and for use at home. We used the two steps down from the dining room to the living room for Gracie's contact training tonight.

Off to a dog show

You know I hate to post without pictures, so my previous post was very difficult for me! Do go look at the pictures of Don's team, and Lance's victory! Some incredible dogs!

Pogo and I are leaving first thing in the morning for dog shows. We're hoping to get that second major and possibly finish her (that would require either some great luck, or two very knowledgeable and respectable judges ).

Here's a picture of my beautiful show dog when she was just a baby. Nice reach, huh?

Long Distance Samoyeds & An Iditarod Legend

First off, our heartfelt congratulations and admiration go to Don Duncan and his Seaview Samoyeds! Don and his team of purebred Samoyeds finished the Norm Vaughn '25 Serum Run. That's almost 800 miles of Alaskan wilderness in temps that got down to -50F! Don's team of Samoyeds were the only dogs who didn't need jackets to keep them warm. Don is the only person in recent history to attempt a sled dog journey like this with a team of Samoyeds.

Don and his team show us that these dogs still have it in them to not only perform, but to thrive in some of the harshest country on the planet. As keepers of the breed, breeders need to keep this in mind and make their selections accordingly. We need to retain the working ability of these ancient working dogs.

One of the handlers who met the team at the airport in Anchorage said that unlike many of the other dogs returning from the journey, the Sammies were still full of "energy, happiness. . .and barking!" She said they did not seem affected by the severe weather or huge workout from which they were returning. Another musher on the Serum Run said that Don's dogs just seemed to get stronger as the miles ticked by.

Well done, Don!! We are all so proud of you and your dogs!! I would love to post some pictures, but I don't have rights to them, so go check out Don's website and the Serum Run site.

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In other historic mushing news, have ya'll been following the Iditarod? (The Iditarod is an 1100 mile sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.) This is just a fairy tale story, in a couple of different ways.

• Lance Mackey won the 2007 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, wearing bib #13, in his sixth attempt at the race.
• Rick Mackey, Lance's half brother, won the 1983 Iditarod, wearing bib #13, in his sixth attempt at the race.
• Dick Mackey, Lance's father, won the 1978 Iditarod, wearing bib #13, in his sixth attempt at the race. Dick's victory came down to almost a photo finish, with he and Rick Swenson in a race down Front Street in Nome, after mushing 1100 miles across Alaska.

The Mackeys are the first family to accomplish anything like this. But, to make this story even more remarkable, Lance, a cancer survivor, went into the 2007 Iditarod on the heels of his third straight Yukon Quest victory. The Yukon Quest is a 1000 mile race from Fairbanks, Alaska to Whitehorse, Yukon Territory. So Lance, and eight or nine of his best dogs raced over 2000 miles in the span of about 40 days, and won both races!

Most people, including past champions of both races said that this could not be done. To win the Quest and the Iditarod in the same year, by the same team was impossible. Not any more! Lance and his outstanding team went beyond what most thought was possible. Way to go, Lance! Check out Lance's Comeback Kennel for some great pictures and a video clip of Lance shortly after arriving in Nome.

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Finally, my sincere condolences to Karen and Mark Ramstead on the loss of their lovely lead dog, Snickers. Snickers died during the race due to a bleeding ulcer. Heroic measures were taken to save Snickers. Karen withdrew from the race to grieve the loss of Mark's favorite dog. The Ramsteads are making a memorial donation to research on ulcers in working sled dogs. More info on their website.

North Wapiti Siberian Huskies

I think I forgot to link to Karen Ramstead's "pretty sled dogs" of North Wapiti. Karen is running one of two purebred Siberian Husky teams in the 2007 Iditarod Sled Dog Race. Karen and her Siberian team are doing very well. Click here for the current Iditarod standings.

Speaking of purebred dogs running long distances, Don Duncan's Seaview Samoyeds are on their way to Nome, Alaska. The Serum Run participants have encountered extreme weather all along the trail. Don's Samoyeds are the only dogs on the trail who don't need to wear coats. The Samoyeds are handling the weather and trail conditions like their ancestors did. These dogs were designed to thrive in this harsh environment.

Everyone at SunTrip is very proud of Don and the Seaview Samoyeds!

QQ(Q) x 2

Gracie and I had a great weekend at the Mt. Diablo Dog Training Club agility trial last weekend. We qualified in all six of our runs for the weekend, adding two double-Qs (or QQs) to our pursuit of the MACH. We also qualified in both of our FAST runs, the first time we ran in that class. It was a really fun weekend. I wish we could do agility every weekend!

Thanks much to Reg Shaffer at Dog Gone Digital. These photos are great. I love the picture of Gracie coming out of the chute, and the one of her over the jump looking right into the camera. I have a few pictures of Gracie doing agility, where it looks like she is totally mugging for the camera. This is just the way these photos turn out; they aren't set up. Like most Samoyeds, Gracie is just a photogenic dog!

This teeter shot shows a potential issue that we'll have our chiropractor address. . .you can see Gracie's left rear foot is half off the board. If she hit it very hard like that, she may have messed up some of the bones in that foot.

Iditarod Fever

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race started this weekend. 83 mushers and 1328 dogs started the race on Saturday. Teams of Alaskan huskies, Siberian huskies, and probably Eurohounds and others will run from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska.

Check out some of these sites for up-to-date info on the race:

The Iditarod
Anchorage Daily News
Alaska Public Radio
Cabela's Iditarod Coverage

On Saturday morning, Gracie and I left Reno at 4am to drive over to Dixon, CA for an agility trial. We woke up early and were on the road just after 4am. The full moon combined with the snowy mountains and pine trees to give me just a glimpse into the world of a long distance sled dog driver. As I drove, I thought about the drivers who were starting their Iditarod later that day. I felt I had a tiny glimpse of the beauty and solitude they experience with their teams on the trail. I could definitely appreciate the allure of the trail.

Rufus Is In The House!

We welcome Rufus to our family! My parents adopted him earlier this week, after learning about him on PetFinder.com. Rufus is a young, miniature Poodle. He is settling in and enjoying his new family.

I'm so happy for my dad! He needed another dog in his life and I think Rufus will be a great addition to the family. And, I'm grateful to my mom. And, she knows why! :)


Rufus' name was inspired by Rufus Sage. When I first heard that they were calling him Rufus, I immediately thought of Rufus Thomas, but if you know my dad, you'll know that Rufus Sage makes much more sense!

Aren't they cute?

Aren't they cute, snuggling up together on the bed. Pogo whispering in Webster's ear.

Niece and Uncle. Biscuit ears.


Or, maybe Pogo just wanted to steal Webster's fish? (Yes, it is a white fish with black polka dots and blue, magenta and orange fins. So?)

Pile of Hair

Gracie and I are going to an agility trial this weekend, so I thought I ought to clean her up a little bit. She isn't dirty, but is starting to blow coat, so we sat down to watch the Dixie Chicks documentary, Shut Up And Sing, (which is actually pretty good. . .I was never a fan, but have their new record and really like it) and do a little grooming.

When I'm getting hair out of one of the dogs' coats, I use a good quality grooming spray/leave-in conditioner or water, an undercoat rake, a pin brush and a greyhound comb.


Brushing or combing a dry coat can damage or break the coat, so it's best to at least spritz with water, or a grooming spray. I don't have a favorite, and rotate Pet Silk Show Ring Mist, Pure Pet Pure Touch Finishing Spray, and Chris Christiensen Ice on Ice.

You can see I got quite a bit of hair out of Gracie's coat. You can really see the difference in her white and biscuit coat. There is still more to go and I'll try to get all the old, dead hair out before I bathe her again.

I love the Chris Christiensen pin brushes; I've always used an oblong pin brush because I like to "line-brush" like I line-comb a coat, and this shape makes that easier. I couldn't be without an Original Greyhound Comb from Belgium. I tried a Resco #80 Comb because I thought I would like the big handle. I don't.

One more thing about the Dixie Chicks, and also about hair. WHOEVER they PAID to do their hair in the early 2000s needs to be fired! It was incredibly bad hair. Unbelievably bad hair. It was like bad '80s hair, only worse and then even worse because it wasn't during the '80s. The costumes weren't all that great either, but I could overlook those. . .can't get past the hair, though.

Have a great weekend! I hope to report back that we got a couple QQs and had fun with AKC's new FAST class (this will be our first time running it).