The Calling. . . Do You Hear It?

Steve Jobs.  If you didn't have an idea of who he was before his death, you must be living in a bunker to not know of him now.  Still not ringing a bell?  How about this. . ipod, ipad, itunes?  The founder of life as we know it today. 

The loss of this accomplished figure crystalized his brilliance and brought to light his powerful philosophies, and now many famous quotes, about living life to your highest purpose.   He often spoke about following your passions and being loyal to who you are without the influence of those who push you toward the well worn paths. 


Listen for your calling.  For me, I can picture my dogs as they hear a distant sound.  They don't sit around and discuss what it means.  They LISTEN.  Motionless and collectively. If they are not confined by fences and it is validated as something worth investigating,  they will instinctively move toward it.  There is no hesitation and there is no calling them back.  They go. 


Maybe, when they arrive to where the calling originated, they find nothing.  Do they care?  Do they sit around and talk about what a stupid mistake that was and how could they be so foolish to follow this calling and take that path?  No!  They celebrate their journey forward and wait for the next calling, ready to do whatever it is their instinct might tell them to do.  In the instance that there are fences to hold them in, they will fight and struggle and run the perimeter ~ looking for any chance to escape the barriers and move toward their calling.


The following Steve Jobs quote reminds me of the dogs, moving from calling to calling or perhaps sighting to sighting:


"You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something: your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. Because believing that the dots will connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart, even when it leads you off the well worn path."
    Steve Jobs, Stanford Commencement Adress, 2005


Steve Jobs lived with cancer for years and had many days to reflect and put together some of the greatest quotations on life and death of all time.  Incredibly inspirational quotes.  But, even before he recieved clarity of life through certainty of death, this person accomplished world changing things without a college degree.  How is it possible a seemingly ordinary person could go on to live such an extraordinary life?


“Some people can’t figure out what I’m doing. It’s not a walk-hop, it’s not a trot, it’s running, or as close as I can get to running, and it’s harder than doing it on two legs. It makes me mad when people call this a walk. If I was walking it wouldn’t be anything.”
   Terry Fox


So, why didn't Terry just walk?  He could have.  I think he still would have gained a lot of attention and raised a lot of money for cancer research.  I think Terry didn't walk for the same reason Lance Armstrong went on to win the Tour de France not once but 7 consecutive times after beating testicular cancer.  He ran for the same reason Dee Dee Jonrowe left the start line in Willow just 3 weeks after completing chemo for her struggle with breast cancer ~ finishing 18th after more than 1,000 miles before pulling her dogs into Nome.  And of course those familiar with the Iditarod will immediately think about Lance Mackey's struggles and tremendous outcomes.  What reason did they have to keep pushing their limits?


They all listened to the calling. 


We all have this drive to push through.  The ability to block out the noise, turmoil and even pain, filtering in just what we need, cocking our heads and listening closely to whatever it is the others around us can't hear.  We are all meant to be brave enough to step off the road and onto the path which leads to the first dot ~ some don't step off, they run!  The first few steps might be tentative for some, but you take each step moving forward, until the calling becomes your own voice.  Now, there is no mystery to it.  No doubt remains about what your life means or how you are to live it. 


Those brave enough to take the first step off the pavement and onto the small path are happy people.  You know them.   You've met them and wondered, "Man, what makes that guy tick!  I'll have whatever he's on!". We leave these people feeling better about ourselves and life in general.  Their energy is infectious!


What I find remarkable about the individuals I've chosen to quote: Steve Jobs, Lance Armstrong, Dee Dee Jonrowe and Terry Fox ~ is that they continued to follow the voice even as their bodies were screaming at  them to STOP!  The vessel did not hold their spirits captive.  Just like the dogs within the fence, when the calling began, their spirits fought, struggled and ran the perimeter until they found the spot where they could dig out and go! 


Maybe the sickness, the "dis-ease" within them made them stronger and brought clarity and magnificent quotes for us all to ponder.  But, I believe these people were great already.  I think we all posess the same greatness and hope many of us are able to jump the fences and run on our path.  That is where we'll achieve  life changing things ~ perhaps change the world.  We're all going to die completely ~ will we live the same way?


For me, living with and caring for over 30 dogs seems natural.  It's what makes sense to our family.  It's OUR calling.  When we spend time travelling with our dogs and meeting with friends on the trail, we can't help but notice how happy everyone seems to be.  No, let me rephrase.  We notice how happy everyone is.  We are all on our path.


What's yours?  Not sure?  Let me help you with that.


Shhhhhhhh. 


listen. . . . .good!    now go!


Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma - which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of other's opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.
_________________
Steve Jobs


Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever.
________________
Lance Armstrong


Whatever God gave you as a passion (the thing you would do if you won the lottery) try to allow yourself as much time in that area. Mine is my dogs and being outside. I sometimes felt like a burden to my family and friends but my dogs did not care, they love me however I look or feel. God used them to comfort me and keep me company when everyone else was busy. There are no easy roads in this journey. The one thing I remember is that the storm always clears up. It is still life-threatening all the same.”
_________________
Dee Dee Jonrowe

Dedicated to Dixie & Bear

Dixie 1996 - 2011

Mr. Bear 1996 - still listening. . . .

Kennel Creep and Swimming Puppies

The last few seasons our creeping kennel has been the center of some serious discussions.

What is kennel creep? 

Basically it's the absolute certainty that your dogs are aging while you are not paying close enough attention ~ yes, even the best ones.  As we don't breed often and try to keep a small kennel, we have become prime targets for kennel creep.  The dogs slowly but surely getting older each year. Committing to each one for it's natural life ~ not trading or selling to bring in young dogs ~ we've set ourselves up for a kennel which has aged and therefore slowed down tremendously.  Not to mention the numbers which have officially retired themselves from even getting on the truck to race with the kids!  Then there's our two oldest companions and life partners to each other, Bear and Dixie, each turning 15 this Fall ~ well. .  possibly.  Some might find that dark humor, but they're obviously very old and I'm sure most would agree that it's the worst part of a creeping kennel. 

So, our first litter in 6 years just turned 2 years old and will begin their second season of racing this Fall.  We had 6 puppies and brought in 2 others the same age and physical ability.  Last season, we tried to keep our old Veterans as leaders on the young teams, but as the season progressed, these yearlings became stronger and faster and our 8 year old Vets were just not making the A Teams. . . .  this is bittersweet.  Bitter because suddenly the BEST dog you've ever run up to this point can no longer keep up ~  and their eyes suddenly take on old traits.  Sweet because your BEST dog can't keep up with the yearlings!  Just what will these yearlings have in store for us this season!  How exciting!

The fact that our racing dogs are 8 years old and up ~ besides our 2 year olds ~ is a stark reality.  So, we've added some youth to the group and our new puppies are just 11 days old!

Java had 5 puppies and she definitely did it her own way, just as she does everything else.  She is a quirky little girl for sure.  A week early, we went to check on her in the whelping pen (which is an indoor whelping box inside our cement floor barn with an outdoor yard attached).  We panicked when we couldn't find her in either place!  Then. . . we saw the hole outside beside the barn and she was about 6 ft. deep ~ underneath the barn in the most perfect Den with 3 puppies! 

We coaxed her out and my brave girls slid themselves down the tunnel (approx. 18" wide) until they could feel the puppies with their feet and then ~ with just their little hands poking out of the tunnel above their heads ~ I pulled them out, puppy and all!  And, just as we pulled the third puppy out, my son showed up with the video camera!  Nuts!

We stayed with her all day, making sure all was well ~ taking her for walks in case she needed to be prodded into labour.  I felt her tummy and was convinced she had one more ready to come out, but she betrayed us until well into the middle of the night.  And, when Rob left for work the next morning, we had 2 more little boys to add to the litter.  Java dog!  Such a quirky girl but a very good little mama, indeed :o)

So, as the days have gone by, we've been getting to know them and have finally given names to each one.  We have not gone with a theme or letter for the litter this time, but decided to just give them individual names ~ so far..... that could change about 10 times again!

Today, we have:
Bernard. . . . he was born on Day 1 and looks exactly like a minature St. Bernard (funnier yet ~ Java came from Ken Bernard. .Ha!)
Dice (aka Dicey). . .she was born on Day 1 and looks like a white Dice with black spots. 
Siren . . . she was born on Day 1. . she is pure black with a couple of white spots, but seems to lure everyone to her, just like the mermaid sirens.  .  . she also likes to scream like one!
Bean . . .  he was born on day 2 and was the runt.  Brown with black around his mouth and ears like a German Shepherd. .  . a look-a-like to his mama Java. . . so he's Java Bean :o) (we haven't sold Rob on this name yet, but it seems to have already stuck with the rest of us)
Stanley. . . . 

Let me tell you more about Stanley.

He was born on Day 2.  We were expecting some complications with the Day 2 puppies because they were put off so long.  At least 12 hours after the others! 

Although both puppies seemed fine for the first week, and Bean showed he was the runt in size only as he is probably the strongest and most coordinated thus far.  Possibly because the others, Bernard, Dicey and Siren are so FAT.  But, Stanley (who only just received this name today) was just a little odd.  He seemed to be lagging just a bit and always crying and really grumpy all the time.  As the days progressed, certain physical traits have begun to reveal themselves.  For instance, his front arms are always splayed out to the sides.  He is always laying face down and was beginning to look very flat ~ like a little throw rug as all his littermates like to pile on him the best!  As they all began to try to lift themselves up to squirm to mama, he continued to swim. 

We've concluded that he is suffering from Swimming Puppy Syndrome:
(you can read more at the link below)
http://swimmerpuppies.blogspot.com/

So, initially we named him Phelps (as in Michael). .  but today Rob commented on how flat he is and we've decided his name will be "flat" Stanley :o)  Stan the Man!

We've begun physical therapy of sorts.  Bringing him into the house and keeping him with us to be sure he lays on his side, as laying continually on his chest is causing it to flatten and compromise his organs, breathing and digestion. . well you can imagine.  So, I had the perfect sized tupperware container and we've lined it with something soft and lie him in it as he blissfully sleeps ~ taking in looooong deeeep breaths!  He's already doing better!  Learning to nurse on his side and also tolerating being turned onto his side in the whelping box and not fighting to turn back to his stomach. 

Stanley is a bit weaker that the other pups, and we hope that our love and care and therapy will help him as there are not guarantees for survival. 

We will keep you posted!

Shelley

Big Fat Bernard ;o)



Gracie with Dice, Bernard and Siren



Off Season Boot Camp

We've had great weather this week which is such a relief for us and the animals.  The only downfall has been the damn sandflies. . . they are relentless and plentiful.  But, as the standing water dries up I think they'll disappear and the funny thing is they don't seem to bother the dogs!  The mosquitos have begun to rear their ugly, sinister, blood-sucking heads. . . . and I've resorted to fogging our living area at least.  We'll probably start building smoke fires in our metal barrels for the dogs and horse.  It's a great way to use up all the old straw bedding from the houses and also the grass clippings.

Well, Lucy and Belle are still in heat and we're not sure who will be going in next.  Jupiter is our heat radar, as he usually tells us who is ripe about 2 weeks before any of the other guys start to notice!  Good Boy!

So, while Rob is letting the rest of the yard have their free / social time, I take the "too hot for you" girls out for some one on one training and let them run out some of their stress.  Tonight was some Bikejoring! 

Belle was not very energetic, as it's very hot today.  So, she just settled into a nice run beside me and that was OK, I didn't want to push her in the heat. 

Lucy, on the other hand, was a delightful surprise and we had one of those times together which made me very excited for the Fall.  Lucy is one of six puppies we had 2 years ago this July.  Although she was one of the sweetest from the start, as we started training she proved to be our weakest pup.  She was more interested in playing and diving into the snow than running straight in the team.  Also, whenever the pace picked up she would shake herself out every couple of minutes ~ this of course disrupts her whole stride and annoys the rest of the team. 

I began to Skijor with her as often as I could, which ended up to be only a few times as we had foul weather all winter and lost our trail every second day to high winds and drifting snow.  We took her out of our main teams and she ran with the slower, older dogs and she seemed to like that, but still shook herself a lot.

Lucy also proved to have a different metabolism than her siblings.  If she were a young lady you might say she got the "birthing hips" so to speak.  She "held her weight", was the "full figure" girl, was "big-boned" however you might want to put it. . . she probably doesn't understand anyway so I'll just say, she was "fat" for most of the season.  Rob's been able to trim her down and she's also had a nice growth spurt, so her energy has gone through the roof!

This last week I've been using our time together to put her in our Shorty Harness and let her pull out front in a Classic Canicross slow jog.  The other day I hooked up her and Belle together, and let's just say I don't know what I was thinking!  I couldn't move the next day ~ 2 year old sleddogs hyped up on heat is not a great idea to try to maintain via Canicross!  Can you say, "shin-splints" from too much whoa!

Anyways, tonight when I hooked her up to the bike, there was no question of where I wanted her to be because we'd been working on "out-front" and "on-by" all week!  She was amazing!  Running straight and true up the middle of the road.  She went "On By" many distractions including several beer cans and a huge Back Hoe operating in the ditch!  And, she only shook herself once! 

This one on one training is priceless and timeless.  Unless you have a stellar lead dog beside a quick learner in team,  you won't train a "Gee/Haw" leader as well as you will through single leader Dog Powered Sports ~ It's also a great way to reinforce "On By" because you have easy access to the dog at all times.

So, mark my words, I believe Lucy will be running on one of our main teams this winter.  You'll be reading great things about this dog!  And, I'll be spending some great time with her this summer :o)

Great Weather and Mr. Mole

Rob was out in Cranbrook, BC on Wednesday golfing on the Bootleg Golfcourse!  This was surreal for him because we are usually racing the dogs here during the month of February.  One of our favorite races!  He was pleasantly surprised by the lack of bugs and is convinced we need to relocate :o)

Last night, while he was free running/dropping the dogs for their daily socialization and exercise it got a little more exciting than he's bargained for ~ Charlie dug out and grabbed an extremely large MOLE!  Well, THAT was pretty intriguing for 30 other dogs!

The older ones took a look and read Rob's determination to get him to "DROP IT" and for all the other dogs to "BACK OFF" and decided they wanted none of that action and went along their own merry business of digging up roots and trotting around sniffing the news of the day.  But, the younger dogs figured this was the best thing that had happened in a looooong while and were not as willing to give up the chase. 

Charlie, in the meantime, really didn't want this bitter tasting rodent (not that I know, but can just imagine) but wasn't letting it go for nothin'.  Great thing this Howie Dog bloodline don't have an aggression gene and it all ended on a sweet note. . . . well not for Mr. Mole though.

While Rob was having his fun and games in the yard, my mom and I took Belle and Java for a walk as they are in heat and THAT would be waaaaay to exciting for the yard.  It gave me a chance to introduce my mom to our awesome Canicross Products.  She's out visiting for a couple of days with my Dad.  Earlier in the day she'd been on the trampoline with the kids, went bike riding and then decided to Canicross (jogging) behind a 2 year old sleddog. . .OH!  BTW she just turned 70 on May 2nd !

So, today, the same routine without Mr. Mole and Java was done her heat so stayed in the yard ~ But now we had Belle and Lucy.  Lucy is such a brat.  Complete ADD and at the worst of her heat cycle.  So, strap her to the canicross belt, let her pull  out her stress and we had the best walk.  Then, mom decided to give Lucy a go and had her pull all the way home.(pictures attached!)  Really. . . she puts me to shame. . LOL. 

So great to have this weather, but the tiny black flies are in our eyes, up our nose and burrowing in our ears and hair!  We may have to relocate afterall.

Enjoy your dogs everybody!!

MORE Rain!

It's been a terrible Spring for rain and mud.  Our dogyard is raised nicely, however with this much precipitation, it's impossible to keep it from getting muddy.  Troublesome for us, as our Golf cart which we use to carry the coolers of feed and water has a hard time getting through the sinkholes. 

Rob recently added a small unit to the back of the quad, like a shelf, which is awesome!  Fits the cooler nicely and the quad can make it through the mud AND all the potholes which the dogs like to dig.

Which brings us to the dogs.  They patiently wait out the rain inside their insulated houses.  Once it's over, they are very happy to dig, play and roll in the mud.  If there's a dry spot in the yard when Rob lets them loose, they don't care, because the soppy ground seems so much more interesting, and now it's easier to dig for roots!  So, although the rain is troublesome for us, they don't seem to mind it at all ~ which is good because if they were as depressed as we are with this Spring weather, we'd be a real pathetic crew :)

There are a couple of things we like to keep up on in this wet weather.  One is checking necks for rub from wet collars.  It's good to change out damp collars with a spare, dry one.  The other is checking for skin problems like hot spots due to the dogs bathing in the mud and also running through every puddle they can find.  We use a product called "NU~Stock".  A great product, once again, from the equine industry.  This product is like a magical yellow paste which cures almost any skin irritation, infection and good for clearing up wounds.  We are looking at distributing this useful product.

It's a heavy, cloudy sky which looks like it's not going to let up all day, but if it does, I'll snap some photos of the golf cart and the quad with shelf piece.

Hope you're all having sunny days and happy dogs!

Getting Started!

Welcome!  Thanks for dropping by our Blog and we hope to make it worth your while! 

This is a blog about our own training, our dogs and just the everyday things which go on inside and outside the dogyard.

If you're dropping in often, you're probably a  fan of Dog Powered Sports or a friend of CanaDog Supply.  So, probably, you will eat up anything relating to either dogs or Dog Powered Sports like the dogs eat their own. . . . . . well you get the idea :)

More to come soon!

Shelley