Snow Week

    Well I got more than I bargained for, four snow days! This is especially great because I had more time to play with the dogs. Of course, I will have to make up these days later. I'm not too happy about that. There is another downside of a snow day, I had to shovel our long driveway. However, I had some company this time. Hoover felt it was his duty to watch me while I was out shoveling the snow by myself. Wherever I went, Hoover followed by the fence so he could keep an eye on me. Hoover was protective of me as well. When the neighbor's dogs came out, he would not stop barking. I tried to calm him down, but he still kept barking. Hoover even followed me around the house when mum was gone for a bit. 
     Hoover was rewarded for his companionship by going sledding. Lizzie, who didn't do much during the week, got to tag along. We went sledding on Saturday and Hoover got to have a once in a lifetime experience. He was able to run along with me down the hill. It was a such a blast going down with the giant fur ball. Lizzie preferred to explore everywhere but the sledding hill. Hoover found a fan club at the hill. There were about five other people at the hill and they adored Hoover. They were taking pictures of him non-stop and he loved it. He was even in a few selfies! Lizzie is more timid around people. She may not have absorbed the attention like Hoover did, but after awhile she warmed up a bit. After tromping up and down the hill over and over, the dogs and I were all tuckered out. 

      Nikita did not have the best Saturday night. Mum and dad tried to trim her nails. Nikita absolutely hates nail trimming. We gave her further reason for hating it. It takes at least two people to hold her down and trim her nails. Mum tries to keep Nikita calm while dad attempts to trim her nails. I usually hide because I don't like to hear Nikita moan. Lizzie and Hoover watch on in horror. My parents usually only get two paws trimmed at a time. This time they only got one paw trimmed, then came the blood bath. Nikita's one nail would not stop bleeding. They tried to contain her and in the process they got blood all over their pants. It took about half an hour for the bleeding to stop. We thought all was well. Oh how we were wrong. Before going to bed, mum let Nikita out. When Nikita came back in, her paw was bleeding again. Mum would have to cope with this by herself because dad and I were in bed. Mum had to contain the blood from getting all over the floors. So her quick thinking was to put her sock on Nikita's paw. It may not have been the best plan but it worked.  We don't take Nikita to the vet to get her nails trimmed because she freaks out at the vet office, although mum and dad may be rethinking that option. 

     The dogs were able to go on a snow walk Sunday. I did something different on this walk, I wore snowshoes. A part from my turns, I think I was successful. Hoover also had some fun exploring. He buried his head in the snow numerous times. He expanded on this by trying to make a snow cave.  
     I enjoyed going out in the snow with my dogs. I hope to go out a few more times with them before the snow is gone. It was an amazing snow week!
     

Snow Day!

     

    This first information is not dog related, I'll talk about the dogs and snow later. I was able to make it to phase 3 of ODP soccer. I'm proud to have made it to phase 3 because this means I was not cut. I can still practice with some of the best players in the state. The next thing to work towards is to be on the 18 person Indiana state team that goes to regionals. I try to set high goals. I like the high intensity at ODP and I get to play against older kids who are better than me. These practices make me work hard and I'm always learning new things about the game.

     The dogs and I were able to celebrate Valentine's Day. The dogs may not have gotten any of their own Valentine's, but they were content picking over mine. I dumped out my school Valentine's and Lizzie came over and examined all the stuff. She then proceeded to grab one of my chocolates and scramble away. Luckily, we caught her before she ate it. Mum said Lizzie had good taste. Lizzie took the Dove chocolate and not the Hershey Kiss. Hoover tried to eat my cereal heart. Mum was examining it when Hoover tried to chomp on it. Fortunately, mum was able to protect my cereal heart.   

   For once this winter, we weren't cheated out of our snow. All the other times the weather people said snow was coming, it either missed us or we got rain. This time we got enough snow to have a snow day. I got to stay home and play with my doggies. Mum and I took all three dogs out for a small walk. By the time I got the leashes, Nikita was at the door. We took her for a short walk around the park. We wanted to make sure Nikita had enough energy to make it home. 
    We then took the other two to the woods by our house. We had to be cautious of the tree roots hidden under the snow because the dogs were dragging us along down the hill. They have four wheel drive. I had a good time rolling around in the snow with the dogs.  We ended up at Lower Cascades park. I started to exercise the dogs by jumping across a small ditch. Lizzie is very athletic so she could very gracefully glide across the ditch. Hoover is not so graceful, he lumbered across the ditch. He still had fun doing it, his tail was wagging. Going down was easier than going back up the hill. I wanted Hoover to pull me up the hill but he is not that strong. When we got back home, we were all tuckered out. I was also extremely hungry! I started off with half a bag of popcorn. I then commenced to eat an ice cream sandwich, carrots, and a slice of cheese. Mum didn't know this, I ate a few chips after all the other snacks. I was REALLY hungry. And tomorrow is another snow day! Wonder what adventures it will bring?

A Strange Night

    It may not have been a full moon, but at my house it sure seemed like there was a full moon. Mum witnessed me throw off my covers. Walk up to her, swing my arms open and say, "Hug!" Mum wasn't sure what was happening when I hugged her, but when I walked down the hall, she realized I was sleep walking. It's not the first time this has happened. One time my mum found me in the bath tub. I then walked into the living room and curled up on the sofa. When my mum started talking to me, I just gave her a big silly smile. She decided it would be okay for me to sleep on the sofa so she brought me some covers. Mum then let Hoover in. As soon as Hoover saw me on what he thinks is his sofa, he rushed over and started giving me big licks. I guess I got up and went back to my bedroom at that point. I remember none of this, but I do remember what Hoover did at 3:00 a.m. 
     At 3:00 a.m. Hoover walked into my room. He woke me up with his whines. I saw him crawl under my bed. Soon the only part of Hoover I saw was Hoover's rump. He started whining again, crawled out and tried to lick me. Then he went to the other side of my bed, Hoover crawled under there. He basically did the same thing again. After Hoover crawled under my bed three times, Hoover just left. I know my next inquiry project, "Do Dogs Sleepwalk?" While Hoover was crawling under my bed, Lizzie decided to leap onto mum and dad's bed and lick them. This is unusual for Lizzie. Lizzie ended up sleeping on their bed. Mum had to sacrifice some of her leg space. 

     Today at the animal shelter I started off reading "Old Yeller" to the cats. I soon diverted my attention to a two year old dog named Maybelle. She is a blue tick coonhound She is far more skinny than she should be. There are clear signs she has had a rough life. Mum was sitting with Maybelle while I was reading. When I met up with mum in a visitation room, I met Maybelle for the first time. She didn't come running to my like I would have hoped. If she would have come towards me, she would have been as fast as a turtle. Maybelle doesn't make sudden moves like most two year olds. Maybelle moves at a very slow pace. Maybelle is very shy. When mum saw her in her kennel, she was glumly staring at a wall. 
   

   A staff person asked us if we wanted to take Maybelle outside. They thought it would be good for her. I tried to read some of "Old Yeller" to Maybelle. Not sure that helped. When we took Maybelle to the enclosed yard, she stood next to the wall and wouldn't move. She did move when the dog in the yard next to us jumped up against the wall. It scared Maybelle so much, she actually trotted away. She slowly started to explore the yard. She made her way around the whole yard. We then discovered a ball. I rolled the ball to Maybelle but it rolled between her legs and she didn't do anything. I was glad we had time to be with Maybelle and maybe help her build her confidence. I hope Maybelle is adopted soon. She can be a good girl, any dog can. 

Old Dogs

     Old dogs can be very exciting or very boring. Lizzie (12) is an exciting type of old dog. She'll run around and play with you or talk to you. Nikita (14) is one of the less active old dogs. She pretty much sleeps all day but she does enjoy short walks and her dinner. Sometimes we try and sneak out with Hoover and Lizzie but somehow Nikita always finds out. Then we take her on a short walk before we go for a longer walk with the other two. 
     Old dogs can surprise you sometimes. Sometimes we find Nikita play bowing to no one. We think she has an imaginary friend. Her friend must be pretty playful. Nikita will spin around as best she can, she'll woof and then she bows to her friend. 
     Nikita has really slowed down over the years. Sometimes she gets stuck in a corner or she wants to change direction. Because she can't turn around very well, she backs up like a truck. We should get her a beeper. Nikita also can't go up steps very well. We've learned that to get her up two steps, we have to give her a standing ovation or she waits for us to come outside and help her up. Except, she doesn't really want our help. As soon as we try to help her, she hops up the steps on her own. She snickers at us on her way up.
     Nikita seems to have lost a lot of her hearing. Now when we call her name, she doesn't respond. However, she could just be ignoring us. After all, she is a husky. Her smelling hasn't diminished at all. Nikita will haul herself to the kitchen when she smells something delicious. 

     All the hardwood floors in our house can be hazardous to Nikita. She slips and slides on the surfaces because her legs are not as strong as they use to be. One night Nikita would not go to the water bowl because it was on the kitchen floor, which is also slick to Nikita. So mum had to put down a small rug to get Nikita moving. Nikita walked to the end of the rug and stopped. Mum had to get another rug, Nikita walked across that rug and stopped again. Mum decided to get what remained of the rugs. Nikita finally reached the water. 
     Even though Nikita may not be as fast or as cognitive as she used to be, she still is a good girl with lots of love to give. Hoover looks up to Nikita as a mother and shows concern when she falls down. Even though some of the time he causes her to fall down. 
     Many people don't adopt old dogs or they give them up because they think they are too hard to take care of. Old dogs can be a wonderful treat. Old dogs are nice and mellow. They can still snuggle up to you and warm your heart.   

  We decided to do a New Year's day hike. We thought about sneaking off but Nikita was there by the door. We didn't want to disappoint Nikita so we took her for a short walk. After we took her back to the house, we explored a path in the woods by our house. The path lead to a small waterfall and creek. The creek led to Cascades Park. The waterfall was partially frozen so I climbed the hill beside it. Hoover tried to follow me up the incline. The hill was slippery from the ice. Hoover got stuck trying to climb up it. He was having a good time trying to climb at first, then he realized he wasn't the best climber. It is all fun and games until your dog gets stuck. Fortunately, mum had his leash and talked him down. I'm glad we found that nice spot in the woods. I look forward to going back to explore. 
     

Dogs are Our Best Friends

   

     Happy holidays! I hope everyone has had a great winter season so far. I've had a busy season. Last Tuesday I went ice skating. I had so much fun even though I left covered in bruises. As you can infer, I'm not a very good ice skater. I'm glad I can endure pain, especially after that beating.       
    I had an amazing Christmas. I also got the perfect gift. The Lego Arctic Base camp. One of my favorite parts of the set were the huskies. The set had huskies! I enjoyed playing with my family and protecting the Lego huskies from the real ones. I also liked playing King of Tokyo, the monster game where you destroy Tokyo!

     The dogs also received some presents.  Hoover took his present out  from under the tree. It wasn't long before he was ripping the wrapping paper off. In a few minutes, Hoover had a plush red gingerbread man in his jaws. Nikita and Lizzie were also keen to open their gifts. Lizzie accidentally opened Nikita's present and vice verse. They all loved their bones.    
     In my entire life I've only met two dogs I knew personally that have passed away. Now I know three. I would like to pay tribute to Lucy. The director of Northern Lights Sled Dogs had a dog named Lucy. I never knew Lucy very well, but I knew she was a great girl. I did meet her once, she gave me a high five. She had the best high five. She was a big fluffy malamute who was friendly to all. Lucy was a rescue dog. Mum couldn't find the picture she took of Lucy so here is a picture from the Northern Lights Facebook page. Maybe Lucy has met Wiley and Pulaski and they are chasing small animals together. 
      Owen and Haatchi are superstars. Owen was born with a rare disability. Haatchi was a five month old stray when he was hit by a train. Haatchi had to lose his tail and one of his hind legs. To make Owen less lonely, his parents adopted Haatchi, who was about to be euthanized. The two were instant friends. Since their first meeting, Haatchi and Owen have won many dog show awards. They show the true meaning of friendship. 

      The next blog post will not come until 2015! I hope Hoover doesn't give me another shower of kisses New Year's Eve like last year. Happy New Year to everyone!

Clean up in the Living Room

   

    A lot of things happened this week. I turned 12 on December 17. We celebrated my birthday on Wednesday. Hoover and Nikita were excited to join the party. Lizzie wasn't quite as ecstatic, in fact she stayed upstairs and looked down as we partied. She did come downstairs when we had ice cream. 

     The geography bee didn't go too well. I choked. I've decided to never wear a soccer jersey to a spelling bee or geography bee because each time I compete in a school bee, I always choke. This bee I got out on my first two questions. The time I got third place in the geography bee, I don't think I wore a soccer jersey. I learned a lesson from this, you should burn your soccer jerseys or at least never wear them to a major competition. 
     The birthday celebration continued onto Friday. My indoor league soccer team has four players with birthdays in December. So after our game on Friday, we would celebrate the four birthdays. I enjoyed playing in the game, even though we had to play against 14 year olds again. We were beat 6-1. I got bashed against the wall a couple of times. I had one play, I tried to cross the ball in, but the ball actually went in between the keepers legs and I scored. A little after I scored, when I was driving up the field I got bashed into the corner of the wall. I still feel that one today. I had a bit of a handicap during the game. While I was practicing, I blew out my cleat. Sometimes while I was running, my sole was flip flopping. Guess I will have to go shopping soon. I had fun at the party. When the cake was passed out, I didn't eat much. My stomach still hurt from getting slammed against the wall.       

   We decorated our Christmas tree on Saturday. Our tree was looking good, although it was leaning a bit. After we decorated the tree, we all went to do our own things. The greatest enemy to our Christmas tree was not dogs. It was gravity. I heard a big crash and saw the tree had fallen down. Nikita was a bit slow to react to the falling of the tree. Once she had seen the tree had fallen down, she tried to make a hasty retreat and that is when things got worse. In her attempt to get up quickly, the tree had scared the poop out of her. So we had two clean ups. 
       I hope everyone has a happy holidays. The dogs and I are looking forward to having some snow for Christmas. I'll have to see if the dogs have been naughty or nice this year. 

Holiday Madness

    The dogs have been quiet so I've decided to feature other dogs. Before I start off, if you want to show support to any rescues or shelters try donating food, blankets, toys, or money. If your local shelter makes a novelty, you can show support by buying it. We buy calendars from Northern Lights Sled Dog Rescue. The cool thing is some of the dogs we fostered are in the calendar. Lizzie might be in the calendar again. If you want a calendar full of northern dogs, you should check this link out: Northern Lights calendar
     Celia is a nice girl eagerly awaiting a home. She is a senior northern breed mix. She is underweight and her tail isn't in the best shape but she has a lot of personality and is so lovable. She takes treats well. Her ears are so adorable. She seems young at heart. I wanted to foster her as my birthday present, but mum and dad don't agree with that idea right now. Even my puppy dog eyes didn't work. My last foster birthday dog, Lumen, came about two weeks before my birthday and was adopted on the eve of my birthday. She couldn't wait a couple more days? But this is CeeCee's story.

    I'll be competing in the Geography Bee again. It's my second time in the school wide bee, I thought I was going to be a one and done. I missed my first question but I came back and narrowly escaped to the final. My after school Spanish class helped me get to the finals. One of my questions was "Buenos Aires is in what South American country?" My Spanish teacher taught me the capitals and countries of South America. When I got my question right I said, "Thank you Spanish class!"
     The dogs better watch themselves, mum got a new phone. She has been playing with the camera on it. That means she has been taking pictures of dogs. They are not safe now, especially with mum's new camera. It's holiday card season. The dogs love snow but not holiday cards. Each year mum tries to get the perfect picture. Our dogs and maybe me have little patience. So, mum doesn't get the greatest pictures. She settles for a picture where everyone is mostly still. In an upcoming post, you may see the holiday card.