Dakota - How it all started

     Today I will talk about how we got a start in our foster career. And if we had never done it, we may never have had any sled dogs. It all started with Dakota. This was before I was born so I interviewed my mom. We got her when a guy that worked for dad told him he had a dog that needed a family because she was left alone all day tied up outside. We took the offer and got Dakota. She was one or two years old and was a malamute mix.
     She was loveable and sweet. One time there was trouble with the septic tank. Dad decided to dig until he found the tank. He was digging and Dakota was sitting by the hole with her paws over the edge watching. Suddenly, she jumped down and started digging as well. Though she soon got tired and dad gave up, too. She loved to go on hikes. My parents took her for many hikes. The one bad thing was she was not kind to cats. 

     But then she got sick. She got bone cancer. Our vet suggested we take her to Purdue. There the vets gave us the option to amputate her front right leg. They said it wouldn't save her life but it would give her more time to live. When she got home, the vets had told us that she shouldn't get on our sofa while recovering, she loved the sofa. One day when mom was cleaning, she piled a bunch of cushions on the sofa to keep Dakota off. But that didn't stop Dakota. She got on top of all the cushions and was laying on top when my mom walked in. She was surprised.

       Dakota earned a fan club at dad's office. Whenever his coworkers would see her, they would pile on the ground and pet her. Dakota soaked it all in. She also had a fan club at doggie daycare. While she was recovering, she went to doggie daycare and instead of keeping her in a kennel, the staff let her hang out in the lounge. She had lots of fans. Having only three legs didn't slow her down.

    

Right before her surgery

One of her many fan clubs

     About nine months after her surgery, Dakota started to slow down and the cancer had started to spread. My parents decided to put her to sleep. This happened in 2000. But that night a cat showed up and laid right in Dakota's old dog house and was still there the next day. My parents joked that this was the reincarnation of Dakota. They called the cat Dakota Cat or DC. It was about a month later, mom went to donate Dakota's dog food at the animal shelter. They told her that two husky puppies had arrived. Those two puppies were Nikita and her sister. Thus began the rescue of many sled dogs. 

She still played ball

     I didn't get to know Dakota but from the stories I've been told, she was a great dog. I wish I could have met her. 

She loved leaf piles

 

Still looking for cats

Lucien's Origins and Hot Pockets

     Today I shall blog about Lucien's origins. He was around seven years old. Lucien was a husky. He was a foster surrender because he was having trouble with another dog. In fact the dog almost ripped Lucien's ear off. He wasn't the best fighter I bet. Probably because he was very mellow. We got him sometime in August.
     Lucien liked walks. And sometimes he had a lot of energy so we would walk along our road (which was being repaired and was closed). We discovered a ditch and would run Lucien in it because it wore him down and he had to hop a bunch. Up, down, up, down, stumble. That's how he went. One time I was running in the ditch with Lucien. Now don't blame me. I tripped and Lucien kept running. I went after him. My parents are too slow. Luckily, I caught up with him but was exhausted. 

     Lucien and Hoover would watch our neighbor's donkeys (Lucy and Ethel). They would sit out there and watch them for a while and try to figure out what they were. Once Hoover touched noses with one and and licked their ears. I think he made a friend. Lucien, I think, was still thinking this out. I liked how Lucien would sleep with me and was always a good friend. He was adopted in October.

      Now I would like to talk about Hot Pockets. Do you know Jim Gaffigan? I heard a CD that had him criticizing Hot Pockets. It was funny! Here is one of the jokes(my favorite): "Have you heard of the chicken potpie Hot Pocket? Honestly, soon they will come up with stuff like the Hot Pocket Hot Pocket. Have you tried the Hot Pocket Hot Pocket? It's a Hot Pocket stuffed in a Hot Pocket. It's just like a Hot Pocket." Now, have you ever tried a Hot Pocket? I never have. I only learned about it yesterday. 

Alue's Origins

     Today as I blog about Alue, I must tell you I'm recovering from being sick. So please don't catch the fever on your computer. I infected my family. So please be wary.

     We got Alue in February 2012. He was found wondering and taken to a shelter. He was VERY close to being put to sleep when Northern Lights rescued him. When we got Alue he just settled down as if he'd been here forever. Alue was easy going. On  walks he would go slowly, never got into fights or anything. He slept a lot, just like Nikita. But then one night he was out with Hoover. Rabbits were in the yard. It was very late.The dogs had wanted out. My parents didn't know why. But they soon did. Alue and Hoover had each caught a rabbit. They lay with their victims....till Dad cleaned the mess up.

     Alue was a quick eater. He always finished first and when the dogs were done he would lick their bowls out. He was our longest foster dog, about 6 months in our care. But he found a home and has a sister that looks almost like him. He is now called Perseus.

     If you want know what may have happened to me this weekend, read on. First I had a soccer game, which we won. Next I went to a friend's farewell party. He is moving to a different country. It was at Laser Lite. Then I went to a friend's birthday party and played soccer and ran around. Finally, I went to a restaurant and then we watched the Butler game. I think all the activities lead to my fall. Despite getting sick, it was a fun weekend!

Mimi and Mitzi's origins

    Today I shall talk about Mimi and Mitzi. They both have short stories so I decided to combine them. They had short stays with us. It all starts with Mimi who was our third foster dog. Her owner was sick so she went to Northern Lights. She came from Ohio. We were selected to foster her. She was a bit sad at first and sat alone in a corner on a dog bed. We tried to comfort her but she wasn't very interested. Though one night when I was in bed, Mimi tried to play with Hoover by hopping up and down. Hoover was like,'what's going on?' We pulled a trick on Grandma too. Mimi looked a lot like Nikita. We brought Mimi to her place and Grandma thought she was Nikita at first. But that's about it for Mimi's story. She wasn't the most interesting.

Slumber party

Adoption day

Little Mitzi

     Now I will talk about Mitzi. She was black and white. Mitzi had very soft fur that was like silk. She came from a shelter but how she got there we don't know. Anyway, one day when we were eating we had mashed potatoes on the counter. She jumped up and nudged them to the ground. She got her fair share of potatoes that night. Ever since then, Dad called her "Pistol" and Mom called her "Sassy". I just called her Mitzi. She was a lot of fun and affectionate. She enjoyed going places. When they were adopted, Mimi went to Ohio and Mitzi went to Illinois. We have received some great pictures of Mitzi in her new home.

Hiking with Hoover

She loved hugs

Mitzi's big day!

Spelling bee plus other stuff

    Today is one of those days I want to blog about something else besides sled dogs. I want to blog about a school wide spelling bee. It was Friday at 1:15. I went down at 1:00 to learn the rules. After that we sat down in our seat numbers. Then our classes came in the cafeteria, which is what we were in. Everyone spelled their word right in the first round. Then came the second round. I got the word "clever". I said,"Clever. C-l-e-v-. Then I said 'e' really quickly and then '-r'. Clever." I got the word wrong. I felt confused and sad. I guess they didn't hear the "e". But it was a good experience to get into the spelling bee. I learned something from it too, to slow down when spelling.
    Even though I lost, it was one of the best days of my life. I got a certificate for being class spelling bee champion. And I'm champ of the house. I've beaten Dad. Mom's too scared to try. Her excuse is she's the judge.

Hoover entertaining himself

    We've lost all of our snow and it's turned into mud so when Hoover comes in we have to wipe his paws. He is also depressed with no snow to play in. He spends more time in the house. It doesn't make a difference to Nikita.

   I saved a crayfish from certain death tonight. My dad put it in a puddle and I watched him for about 5 minutes. I got bored and lost him. 

     I'm working on a book. Once I read "The Hobbit" I got inspired to write my own fantasy. The working title is "Five Dwarves". It's about five dwarves who are trying to help save their land by looking for a lost army. They must save their land from the dark lord who has made alliances with unearthly creatures (like a dragon) to take over their world. I have a question, does anyone know a publisher or how to publish a book?

Sebastian's Origins

Me and fluffy Sebastian

     Sebastian was our second foster dog. He was 11 when we got him. His fur had been all matted up when Northern Lights got Sebastian so they had to shave his fur. He also had heart worms. So he needed someone to foster him while he got better. We got Sebastian in 2011. At first when I saw him he looked like a lion. He had to have a coat on so he could be warm. 

Sebastian with his coat

      He had some quirks. We discovered a few things about Sebastian: 1. He walked with his head down. Thus earning him the nickname Eeyore. Plus he had a tail like Eeyore. 2. With his body shaved and big head, he looked like an Ewok from Star Wars, earning him the nickname Ewok. 3. My mom called him slipper feet because he had huge furry feet. 

 

Ewok Sebastian

    At first he wasn't part of the pack. But he soon joined in. Sebastian liked to lay next to Nikita. He'd always be right by her side. Though she was like "Please get him away from me!" She likes her space. He would also twirl when it was time to eat or get excited to play with Hoover. 

    Sebastian's first adoption lasted about 48 hours. It wasn't a good fit and we were glad to have him back. After having him back for awhile, we had decided we would tell Northern Lights we wanted to keep him when we got a message that a family wanted to adopt him. 

He liked to wear my soccer medal!

     

    So on a Sunday, we went to a Petsmart in Indy. Right when we got in Sebastian flopped on the ground. He didn't like the tile at all. We had to scoot  him out of the away so people could get in and out. But he was a riot. People would ask, "Is he okay?" and we would  say "Yeah, he's okay." People wanted to pet him and he had people all over him when his new family came in.

 

I'm not moving!

     Sebastian now lives in his new home and has grown his fur back. He looks like a hippie. And I bet he acts like one. I'm glad he got a good home. One more thing, I'm glad and thankful for the comments. Don't be shy. You can comment all you want.

Hippie Sebastian. Thanks to owners for the picture.

Sebastian's adoption day.

His fur felt like a lamb.

Fur growing back

Pulaski's new home and Christmas tree disaster

       Yesterday we took Pulaski to a dog wash so he could be clean for his new owners to see him. So we got him in the building and guided him up the ramp. First we shampooed him. Then dad set the wash to rinse. Mom had the nozzle. SSS! She sprayed me in the chest! I was soaked to the brim. I say it was on purpose. She says it was an accident. I had to take my shirt off and wear Mom's sweater. Last we dried Pulaski. He howled, but over all, it was good. 
     Mom took Pulaski for a burger. I went home with Dad. We went in our driveway and entered the house. Hoover and Nikita went out. Dad did some stuff in the entry area. I went to put my shoes in my bedroom. I stepped in the living room. The christmas tree had fallen over! Ornaments lay scattered across the floor. "Dad!" I called. "Come look at this." Dad came in. "Well, at least we can't blame Pulaski." That's what he said. "Boy do we have a surprise for your mother." Dad went back in the family room while I picked up ornaments. Then Mom came back with Pulaski. I went outside to greet her.
     "Mom, we have a suprise for you." So we got in and saw the mess. This is what she said: "Well at least we can't blame Pulaski." That's twice in a row! Dad and mom lifted the tree up and we picked up the rest of the ornaments. Thank goodness the IU gnome survived! We found a piece of evidence under the tree, one of Hoover's dog toys. It was laying under the tree. We think it might have been Hoover, he sort of had a guilty look. 

     Now back to the Pulaski story. Today is Saturday and Pulaski was adopted. We met Pulaski's new parents at Petsmart. Pulaski was excited, though he was a bit of a loud mouth. Pulaski was woo-whooing at everyone. Even someone in the checkout took his picture. His owner's will pamper him and they are getting him a sister. His new name will be Montana. We then went out to lunch to celebrate Pulaski's adoption.

      I'll miss Pulaski, even though he wasn't the most affectionate, he was always a good dog. If you might want to foster or adopt a husky or malamute, you can check out Northern Lights Sled dog Rescue at http://northernlightsrescue.com/.