Meeko's Cousin & The Polar Bear

                                                If you have not seen this, it's really quite amazing.

Polar Bear: I come in Peace

Norbert Rosing ' s striking images of a wild polar bear coming upon tethered sled dogs in the wilds of Canada ' s Hudson Bay.

The photographer was sure that he was going to see the end of his dogs when the polar bear wandered in.

It 's hard to believe that this polar bear only needed to hug someone!

The Polar Bear returned every night that week to play with the dogs.

AMAZING!!!!!!

The sniffles & a blood test!

So why I've not been on here for about a week or two isd that I have been busy, once again, nursing our puppy back to health!

Poor Meeko has yet another issue wrong with him. He was put on antibiotics last week for a canince cold. The sneezes and sniffles. Even with the medicine however he continued to go downhill. He sneezes 20 some times a day!!

So back to the vet he went yesterday. After a nasal passage inspection, a thorough exam of chest & lungs, a temperature check, and a howling (literally) struggle during a blood draw.....he seems to just have a very stubborn cold virus and possible sinus infection. The infection seems to be unilateral; meaning just in one nostril. They ruled out a blockage or an obstruction. Sometimes dogs sniff in all sorts of things while playing outdoors or inspecting things and those darn things can get lodged up there. Palpation of the sinus cavity showed no response and was negative.

So the treatment now is a much stronger form of antibiotic. We'll see! I am crossing my fingers!
We have had less than an ideal start with this poor pup!

He continues to plow through his discomfort still being a wonderful canine citizen. He reminds me to plow through in the face of adversity! Life is short....run with the dogs!

Just a Quote today.....but I LOVE it and wanted to share!

“We need another and a wiser and perhaps a more mystical concept of animals. We patronize them for their incompleteness, for their tragic fate of having taken form so far below ourselves. And therein we err, and greatly err.
"For the animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extensions of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear.
"They are not brethren, they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth."
                                                                                                                    Henry Beston

Meeko Graduated!

Yep! Meeko was moved up from small puppy playgroup to big puppy playgroup at Barkz in Kirkland.
 Even though he's still the very youngest in both classes!
He thought he was WAY too sophisticated to play with those immature rambunctious 3 mo. olds. They were jusy plain silly, wild, and had a bad case of the puppy crazies! Meeko would just look up and sniff at 'em, put his head up high and trot along; couldn't be bothered. Other times he'd simply hip check them! Yup! You read it right. He's perfected the canadian hockey hip check! Quite hilarious to observe actually!

So his "teacher/trainer" thought he might do better with the older puppies. They are all about 4-6 mos. old. (Meeko is only 11 weeks tomorrow) So quite a bit larger in size than his last peers. But he plays so much better with the big dogs! Go figure!
Although he still tries hard to hip-check them (he misses because he is so much shorter than them right now), he actually "ran with the big dogs" so to speak, today!

AND...the best PART...playtime was from 5-5:30...and he's been down for the count ever since, with a brief interlude for a quick bite of dinner!

I am also happy to report that Meeko's puppy sniffles are all gone!!

Meeko "The RockStar" in Leavenworth

                                                                        

Meeko had his first puppy travel trip this past week during our kids' mid-winter break. Our plan was to take him to play in the snow (seeing that he is a "snow" dog after all!). However when we arrived in Leavenworth, much to everyone's dismay (although Meeko was quite oblivious!), there was VERY little white stuff left. In town it was all but gone, and the little that was left was all grime covered and dirty! Meeko sniffed a huge black sooted pile and looked up at us with a very quizzical look that said..."This is it?.......What's all the fuss about?"

The day was quite gorgeous! 50+degrees, sunny, and beautiful with snow capped mountains all around us.
We toured the town shops, however VERY s-l-o-w-l-y!! WHY do you ask? Because Meeko is such a ROCKSTAR.... that we got stopped about every 10 feet for petting requests, "OH MY GOSH!" exclamations, "What kinda dog is that?" questions, (one guy even said...hey, that's a pomeranian huh?"; Darrell wanted to slap him silly), and picture takings! YEP! Pictures! Of our DOG!!!!!!! Like 7 or 8 times! I swear .......not a lie!! Ask our kids!! If the dog could sign autographs I swear people would have been asking! We could have been chargingfor these exchanges this whole entire time! We may even make enough to pay for his puppy chow for the next year!! CRAZY!!
And then......there are the people that stop us and ask, "What kind of dog is that?", and we politely answer, (as if it's not so entirely obvious!) a Siberian Husky. And guess what they do then? They actually have the gall to argue with us! "No it's not", they say. "That's a Malamute!"    SERIOUSLY?????????????
Like we don't know what kind of dog we purchased to spend the next 15 years sharing our lives with us????????  So I just politely and patiently reply, "Nope...it's a Siberian Husky; but more of a "wooly" coat variety which is why he looks so unique". And they say, "Well...he can't be a purebred!" And I just smile, "YUP...he is!" and say, "C'mon Meeko...let's go", all the while thinking........dumb @$$, I know what kind of dog I got!! Anyway.....it was fun for the most part! It definitely allows for meeting some, (how should I put this nicely?), unique people.  He definitely is quite the traffic stopper! Literally! One guy was even all buckled up in the passenger seat of his car, and his wife was backing out of a spot, when he noticed us. Well...he noticed Meeko. He lowered his window; almost freakishly frantic-like, and said.....in a really loud obnoxious and annoying voice not suited for a 50 some year old man, "Can I pet your dog?"  OK....so take a moment to picture this....... this guy's wife was pulling their car out of the lot, he was still buckled and he was trying so hard to unbuckle himself so quickly...it was a little......????  WEIRDO!!!!!   So he finally gets himself all unbuckled (his big puffy coat was somehow stuck on his seatbelt) and he opens his car door and his wife is trying to get the car pulled back into the spot, but he is already flying out of the car, so she was stopping; starting; stopping; going, the car lurching forward & then braking....the whole scenario was very awkard. I'm now thinkin' to myself......REALLY?? A DOG is doing this? OUR dog?? So he finally manages to get to where we are and he all but grabs Meeko out of my hands, and he's fumbling in his pocket for his cell phone so he can take a picture. And he's all ruffling Meeko's fur up and then........brace yourself......he goes and KISSES OUR dog!!! All over his head and between his ears.  WOULD you EVER kiss a stranger's dog?? NO!! For so MANY reasons....no... you would not!!! OMG!!!!!  (And no....the man was not missing a few marbles as I'm sure many of you are wondering right now)
I assure you .....I rubbed his kissed fur parts really really clean with baby wipes!! Poor dog!! UGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

Meeko creates quite the scene...let me tell you! I never in a million years imagined that when we picked him out at 3 weeks old, that he would posess such star power!! But he is creating so many terrific memories for us all. And all we do is laugh!!

We had such a blast for our quick two day trip! We stayed the night at the SLEEPING LADY Lodge in a 'Canine Companion' room. Complete with dog bowls, a doggy bed, treats, and biodegradable poop bags! The canine cabins were located at the edge of the property so we had plenty of privacy and lots of forest for doggies to romp in. There were several other dogs staying in the cabins near us. We would often run into a few on our daily walks, much to Meeko's delight! In the cabin, the older kids shared a bunk bed, while Zoe slept with us in the queen bed! The property was breathtakingly gorgeous!! There was still quite a bit of snow on the ground there, however it was hard frozen icy snow. We did still manage to get the sleds out and pull the kids around a bit. Meeko did his part in "mushing" and even pulled Zoe for about 15 feet! Not bad for a little 10 week old guy!
The next morning we headed up to the KingFisher Dining Hall for a delicious buffet breakfast made from all organic meats and produce; all from local farms and purveyors. ooooohhhhh...it was SOOOOOOO good!
Homemade scones, muffins and cinnamon rolls, 4 different kinds of sausages, raspberry pancakes (their specialty!), freshly squeezed grapefruit juice (which you do yourself...Quinn was there all morning!), oh my gosh....so much more!
It was a super fun place and we will definitely go back!

Meeko ended up with a doggy cold however! HA! YUP! Dogs can and do apparently get colds! Once again......I have had 4 dogs since being married, and grew up with two at least, and I have NEVER experienced a dog with a cold. Meeko had a cough, sounded a bit like a pig snorting....and the sneezies...and a runny gungky nose. He also managed to throw up 4 times just to make me worry some more. WOW! Does this pup have the lowest immune system EVER! Give that poor dog an adjustment Darrell! And maybe some vitamin D!! Anyway...I called the vet ( our new vet....long story for another post!), and she said not to worry...that he just has a mild canine flu and that 98% of the time it passes on it's own without the need for treatment or antibiotics, but to call Monday morning if it takes a turn for the worse or has not improved. HMMM...who knew?? (She also said that it cannot be transfered to humans in the way our colds & flus can.) I am glad to report that his cough is gone, he has stopped sneezing, and I no longer need to wipe the crud from his nose! Good Job Meeko!!
(However...I do want to add that somehow he wasn't sick enough to not share and enjoy an ice cream cone with Zoe or his own "White Chocolate" milkbone form the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory"

All in all...the trip was very fun & Meeko made it very memorable as well as more exciting and interesting. We did feel badly that we weren't able to take our other two pooches.....however we really weren't planning on taking any of the dogs except for the fact that Meeko is still so young and still needs to go out so frequently that we didn't want to put that huge responsibility & burden on our neighbors who so graciously watched Fudge & Boomer for us. But worry not; those two left behind were treated like kings with extra attention, walks & treats!! I also think that they secretly enjoyed a two day reprieve from the little monster otherwisse known as their new little brother!!

          

SHOUTING FROM THE ROOFTOPS!!!!!!!

YAHOOOOOOOO!!!!! I am ecstatic!!! Joyful!!!! So relieved!!!!! So elated!!!!!!!!!

Meeko just spent an entire HOUR in his crate!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YEP! You read it right!!! An entire HOUR!! QUIETLY!!!! NO WINING! NO SCRATCHING! NO CHEWING AT THE DOOR!!!!!

Just utter compliance and relaxation! He chewed on a KONG stuffed with cream cheese and sausage, ate a few nibbles of his kibbles, (HA!) , and then circled his bed a few times and went to sleep.

I switched out the small crate for the larger one, now that he is a proficient outdoor potty-er, so I figured there might be less chance of him using it as a bathroom, and it seemed to be the right timing for everything!! I set the crate in the middle of our family room, while we all still mingled about, TV on, kids playing and talking.......and he just relented and offered acceptance!!!!  I am so happy!!

I KNOW!!I know!  It's a SMALL thing in the grand scheme of life and every day living. BUT really....it's HUGE! It's been a GINORMOUS (my own word?) project of mine the last two weeks,..... every single day...to get him to like his crate. It has been pure torture! But I cannot have a 80 pound juvenile Siberian Husky roaming free in my house in 7 months. I also can't continue to keep him tethered to my furniture. And seeing as he can already scale the 26" SuperYard in our kitchen at 9 weeks(actually he did it at 8 1/2 weeks), I do not have high hopes for that containment idea for long!!
 So it is a big deal! A Huge deal! Quite an accomplishment!
And one that lends a huge sigh of relief! (~sigh~) (hear that.....? aaahhhhhhh)

Thank you Meeko! You have reminded me that nothing worth it's while is ever quick or easy.
What a great application for life. See.....our dogs never cease to teach me lessons or offer me reminders. And THAT is why I love them so!

"If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere." ~Frank A. Clark

Success!!!! & Patience!!

Success at Last! Even if it was very short lived!

Meeko got in his crate; lured & temporarily distracted by a yummy peanut butter & steak filled KONG!

It lasted all of 3 minutes! But it was definite progess!!

"Patience is the greatest of all virtues." - Cato the Elder

"Patience makes a woman beautiful in middle age." - Elliot Paul

(ohhhh...am I going to be gorgeous!!)

Phew! What a week! (and a half!)

OK! I'm baaaaacckkkkkk!

Ummmmm....I think.....hold on a sec........

Ok....not quite......more pukeyness happening as I write........be right back!


OK! Now I'm back! I hope!
First of all........Sending HUGE apologies!! I know a few of you; my beloved followers, have been checking in with me to see if everything is alright. Thank you for your thoughts and your support!
I promised myself this would be a daily blog but I just couldn't summon ANY energy..... let alone positive energy, to write. So until I am back completely....this will have to be a "when i feel like it and have a moment" blog. Thanks for understanding!!

PHEW!!! It has been quite a week! Here is a brief synapsis. (Well maybe not brief as detailed here, but believe me when I say....this is definitely the shortened version!!!!!!!!!!)

Brought Meeko home...all was well....except for 3 very sleepless nights with lots of whining, wimpering, and squealing like a stuck pig. He Hated/HATES the crate!! So I tethered him to one of the bed legs (sounds bad, but is really just to keep him from wondering loose around the house and messing everywhere), made him a comfy bed on the floor right next to me, added a heartbeat toy, purchased a "calming" spray for dogs made with dog pheromones(yeah...really!), several special chewies, and a soft pink stuffed piggy(which he sleeps on top of every night). Finally night 4 was much better after laying with him while he fell asleep gently stroking his head, ears and tummy (just like a baby). He slept a whole 4 hours!!!! Woohoo!
He was an angel puppy during the day! Very sweet, licky, playful, eating and sleeping well.

I thought...OK...this is great! Things are going quite well! A few more nights and I will not feel so dead tired and will catch up on my sleep deprived brain!

Not so fast!!  So suddenly our little Boomer.....starts to have the runs and is puking all over the place. Then he has a fever. Hs ears are bright red. Then there is blood in his poop. (Now those of you who know & have seen Boomer....he has alot of hair around his rear end. Lots of LONG hair. So what happens when a dog like that has diarrhea? YUP! Lots of butt washing!unless you want it scooted on your bedding and carpet, and couch!)

A little panic alarm goes off in my head and I jump on the computer to google his symptoms. Sure enough.....all signs point to the deadly canine parvo-virus. EXACTLY what I was afraid of. This was on a Sunday. So of course we have to wait till Monday to take him in to the vet so as to avoid astronomical emergency fees. On Monday, he goes in for all sorts of testing; fecal, physical exam, blood tests, giardia testing, etc. They also wanted to take xrays. I knew in my heart that this wasn't any type of blockage! Boomer is not a chewer! He never ingests anything foreign. Ever! He barely eats his own dinner; he's that picky! Anyway....all those tests ( and $400.00 later Thank you very much!) came back negative! Thank God! BUT SERIOUSLY????!!!!!!!!  So we figure he had the dreaded, " I hate you for bringing that crappy puppy into my house when I was top dog, so I am going to SH%$#@, and puke all over your house to make you pay" disease!!!!
He's on antibiotics, just in case, and anti-diarrheal medication to coat his tummy,  and a special "sensitive" tummy diet. HA! What a joke! WHY oh WHY...do I love these dogs so??

In the meantime and during all of this......Meeko also starts vomiting, and squealing and jumping up from a deep sleep. What in the world is going on??  So I call the breeder and relay all his symptoms, ( while bawling; remember I am running on 3 hours sleep a night and you know what  that can do to emotions and rational thinking) but she didn't seem too concerned as long as he was eating and drinking fine and his poop was normal. Which it and he was! He also wasn't listless. So.....aong with watching Boomer closely and butt washing I am now watching Meeko closely. Of course all the while I still have my normal life of taking care and chaufeuring my 3 children around.

Then.........I think Fudge was feeling left out....because the next morning he starts puking on the carpet. At least Boomer and Meeko had the courtesy to do it on the hardwood floor. OMG! Now I'm really reeling!! ENOUGH!!!! (I'm screaming in my head!) Thankfully his was very short lived.....the outcome of chewing and eating an entire bully stick in one sitting.

Ok....so now we have Boomer under control (although I think his poor snow white butt hair is permanently discolored!) , and Fudge is good, and Meeko is....well.......he's the one who puked earlier when I started to sit down to start this blog post. He now apparently has worms and will need another de-worming asap! (Thank goodness for the new puppy wellness program at the vet which covers all deworming necessary!) Poor little guy...this is why he was so uncomfortable and couldn't keep any of his food down. Those damn worms! All puppies are born with worms and require several dewormings to get things under control. He's apparently already had 3 or 4 deworming sessions but the poor little guy needs some more. Sooooooooooooooooo....I'm hoping that,.... after that is taken care of we will be in the clear and can begin to enjoy our new little addition.
Boomer's energy has turned around and he was even being a bit more playful with his new little brother today.
Ah yes....there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Lastly.....Meeko even slept for a full SEVEN , (yes, 7!) hours last night! Mind you.....this could in part be because he was so exhausted from puppy playground at the Humane Society last night. He had a blast, but was zonked! Yeah for me!!

He also had his first puppy class today, and he is a star student! He very quickly learned his sit, stand, keep off , and leave it commands. He even learned a trick, "spin". What a Good Boy!!

I am also glad and proud to report that he is a very compliant "potty-er". He whines when he has to go out, runs to the back door, and promptly gets down to business. He is also a very polite pooper....and EVERY SINGLE TIME, does it behind our set of trees right near the fence on top of a pile of leaves and bark. he has never once yet gone on the grass. So courteous! It saves our grass and my pooper scooping duties! LOVE that pup!!

AND(the last thing I promise!)...he even spent a few minutes in his closed crate today without whining!! (while bribed with a KONG full of peanut butter and cheese; but whatever works!)
We will slowly start to build on that time daily until he's up to an hour or two at a time without whimpering.
YUP! Things are definitely looking up!
But I have to say....I felt like I was in the 'Twilight Zone' for awhile there. I have never, ever, had this tumultuous of an experience bringing a new puppy home before. It was either all very bad luck & timing, or......well I do not know really. I am just thanking my lucky stars it's almost over and everyone is well!

Till.....soon.

                                  ( A sweet picture of some of our better times this week)