Boris Update and Other News

Lots going on! Boris, our foster dog from the shelter, was neutered last week and he's doing well. I'd like to give him a little more time to heal up (and get those testosterone levels down!), and then will try him in harness again. It's been a little cold here (between -10 and zero), but not too bad, and a few inches of fresh snow have fallen. Wish I had some dogs who know how to shovel!

We've had moose in the yard for the past two days. The dogs get really fired up. At least the moose are coming by at a decent hour.

Our latest adoption is a little fellow from the shelter who was called Kody. I changed his name to Bucky after seeing a guy on TV who had a herd of deer who were regular visitors to his yard -- and he had names for all the deer! Bucky is quite shy but is a good boy. I tried putting him out in the yard, and he freaked out -- even knocked over his doghouse. I brought him indoors so the neighborhood could get some sleep, and he has been great! No problems. Cries when he needs to go out. Bucky kept hiding his tail between his legs and would walk behind me...but now his tail is wagging and he walks pretty well on leash. He has a lot of neck rubs from his collar, he had these before he arrived at the shelter. We cut the collar off and gave him a nice new one.

The Wonders of Vet Wrap

Vet Wrap is something you should have in your doggie first aid kit. It's a flexible bandage that sticks to itself, but isn't sticky. You can rip it without scissors. It comes in all colors (and even prints). You can buy it through most pet supply catalogs. And it's great for wrapping the handlebar of your sled...nice and spongy! If you ever want to change it, just unwrap.

Boris!

Boris is a foster dog from Fairbanks Animal Control, and is available for adoption through the shelter. He was given up by a musher who wanted to reduce his kennel size. Boris is a young fellow, probably just over a year old. He is lightly built and probably weighs about 43 pounds; he has room to gain a few more. He has no dewclaws and is short coated, and would likely need a fully-padded harness. He runs a lot on his chain, so it's best for him to wear a padded collar.

Boris is bold-as-brass in the dogyard, and barks and howls quite a bit. I put him in harness today. He is easy to harness and handle, but is not leash trained. I tried a size small ManMat distance harness first, and it was too short under the chest; so we went with a medium Nordkyn (pictured).

Boris was afraid to leave the yard and kept laying down in the snow. I led him farther away and he would start going, but then kept turning around, looking at the sled, and then coming back to me, and would sit down and lean on me. He needs lots of attention and is clingy most of the time. Boris is ok with some of my male dogs but has been growly with others; he is not neutered yet. I will try him with a confident female next time and see if that helps.

We turned around to go home, and Boris ran all the way back, pulling hard. He paced, trotted, loped, and trotted again. He did a sharp Gee when told, but I'm not sure if he knew the command or just retraced his steps. Boris is a small package but was strong when he wanted to be.

Boris hasn't been here long, so I'm hoping he will be more confident next time. He has a lot of potential, but he is still quite young; I think he'll improve with maturity and experience.

Stoney!

Stoney is a rescue dog who we fostered from Fairbanks Animal Control. He was at the shelter for a month and a half with no takers, and time was up. His owner said he comes from sprint bloodlines. Stoney is very active out in the yard, but is much calmer indoors. He is a fast dog and runs great in harness. Stoney was just neutered and is recovering here, and he is going to Crazy Dog Kennel and Canine Rescue near Denali this week. We'll miss him, he's a cool guy!