Drum Roll Please

Caya has probably recovered the best she will. Her kidneys have permanent damage, but it's something we can live with. Will it take time off her life? Probably. But, as we learned with Tika, it's not the time it's the quality and quality is really freaking awesome.

Because Caya has EPI, the kidney diet (Science Diet K/D) is not agreeing with her. We switched her back to her 'normal' food and she went back to normal. So, the Catch 22, eat the diet she can digest well, or eat the diet that will benefit her damaged kidneys. We are going with digested food is the best bet.

So...............now what. What do you give your spouse who never asks for anything? But however is lost with out his Monkey-mute? What do you do?

You search every rescue in the nation, have countless email conversations, denied opportunities, impossible situations, and sometimes insulting experiences.

Then....it all works out. You find the perfect situation, the perfect puppy, and you let spouse know....

The new little girl will never fill the hole in your heart, but she will create her own pawprints.

So, happy anniversary, honey, and everybody else.... Meet Sitka. This is a pic I got when she's four weeks old at this pic. Looks a little like a Guinea Pig, eh?

PS--I should mention that little miss doesn't come home until March. However, I love getting the baby pics!

Welcome to the Pack!

Almost 7 weeks after Caya came home, I was sitting like usual eating my breakfast and keeping an eye on the pups as they ate. I had to leave soon for a week long trip and I was so worried about Caya. (Tika was so low maintenance besides the normal puppy things it was almost a relief). Earlier in the week I had a less than satisfying exchange of emails with Caya’s breeder because of the dissociativeness and also the fact that she was SO tiny. The vet was convinced she was probably a few weeks younger than we were told. I was less than pleased and pretty much decided that despite all the accolades, the breeder was essentially running a puppy mill.

So, right before I was to leave for the airport, I went to say good bye to my girls. Tika, as usual, was her sloppy, happy self. But, then out of nowhere came the little furball and she plopped on my lap and flipped over and held my hand with her little front paws. “What’s this, little one? Huh?” I started rubbing her belly and scratching her ears and she gave me puppy kisses and love bites. I held her up close under my chin and just hugged her little body. No screams just love, love, love. “Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you.” I just cried for relief, while the two pups licked my face and looked at me like I was crazy. Welcome to the family little Cayudle Weasel, welcome to the family. 

Puppy #2 arrives

Well, it's been a hell of a day. We show up at airport to find no dog. After several calls to the breeder, the airlines, etc. We find out that she has been misplaced in Salt Lake City, however, she has been found again and some kind soul gave her water.

We drove the 1 hour home to wait for the next flight to arrive. Finally, it does. Puppy is here! Or was it? Out of a crate filled with ‘hamster’ shavings, tumbles this tiny black furball. My husband said, “Oh, my god, it’s a weasel.” To this day, Caya’s nickname is “Weasel”. We give her a chance to drink and stretch and we begin the hour drive home. She had a rough day, so she promptly fell asleep in my lap as I continued to pick cedar shavings out of her fur.

Who the hell ships a puppy in HAMSTER SHAVINGS?

We got home and introduced the girls to each other, Tika was utterly fascinated with this little mongrel. Caya…not so much. We got them settled down and gave them a chance to sleep. We planned on crate training them, a decision that I highly recommend to everybody. Getting your dog comfortable with their own special space is very valuable to have, especially when you have two large dogs.

Later, I took Caya out and noticed that she must have been eating the shavings in the crate, for she didn’t not have a healthy looking stool. (Note: Be prepared, you might find out more about doggie doodoo, than you planned for) The vet’s appointment was in the morning, so I took a sample and hunkered down for the night.

Party Animal

Pool party.

Tika isn't digging the pool at all, even sitting on momma's lap. But all these people to fawn over her, oh, yeah, that's TOTALLY cool.

Tika Arrives in Kansas

Tika arrived in a sunny September day on a flight from Canada.  After waiting for her to clear, we got to pick her up.

Oh, what a face. She just looked at us like. Hi Peoples!

We quickly got her out her crate to stretch her legs and go potty, I am totally in love. 

On our way home, she started squirming in my lap, we pull over to let her go potty again and she flips over on her back and promptly pees all over herself. All the time having the biggest goofiest puppy grin on her face.

Tim looks at me:  "Total rocket scientist this one...."

Pup #1 Incoming....

We got the news that I had been approved to receive a puppy from our breeder in Canada, I was so excited.  She came from a litter of nine, I was like an expectant mother.  Oh please, please, please.

We could expect her around September.  I chose the name Tikaani Spirit, partly to honor her mother (Kindred Spirit) and because Tikaani is a Athebascan word for 'wolf'.  She would be called Tika for short.

On the German Shepherd front, however, things are not going so smoothly.  In essentially what I am calling the 'bait and switch', we are told that the pup we were going to get is showing herself to be too domineering (as in schutzhund material, as in breeder can now get more money for her) and she won't let us have her.  We are now going to be getting one from the next litter.  She has a long haired (no undercoat) black and red.  We can get her by October.

Tim was a little disappointed and irritated. But we went with it, no matter what pup we get, it will be our baby.  We did originally want the long haired trait anyway. 

This will be the first of many irritations with the GSD breeder. (I'm not going to name names here)

The beginning of the madness

The date of this post is significant.  This was the day we lost our German Shepherd, Justice, to what we found out was cancer.  She showed now outward signs of problems until she fainted one day due to lack of oxygen.  She had lung mets, and 2 weeks after we found out, she passed away in her sleep.  She was 11 years old and Tim's best pal.

Tim missed Justice terribly and it didn't take long for him to decide that he couldn't live in such a quiet house. We started making plans to get another dog.  He wanted to get another German Shepherd, I said fine.

Then,  it a moment of insanity:  "Why don't we get two?"

Tim: "You sure?"

Kim: "Yes, same age, they can grow up together"

And so it began, I had been doing research of breeds and I just kept coming back to the Alaskan Malamute, such beauty, such intelligence....and as I was about to find out, a whole lotta independence!

As we excitedly shared our plans with people, everybody just looked at us as we were nuts.  Our vets and other animal handlers were saying, don't get two female dogs the same age, they'll kill each other.  You will have to take a lot of work with them.

I started getting a foreboding feeling that we just screwed up big time.

As it turns out, it wasn't always easy, it wasn't always fun, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

So here the adventure begins.......