Humvee, the Travelin' Man

It was a fun weekend for the Humvee. Thursday evening saw him being bundled up into a 500 crate (a virtual palace of a crate!) and loaded onto an Alaska Airlines jet for a quick hop up to Portland for the Lower Columbia Siberian Husky Club Specialty and the two days of shows following it.

While Humvee didn't do anything outstanding at the show, his sister, Roxie did get her Championship on Friday. That was pretty exciting since I got to take her into the Winners Bitch class and be handed the purple ribbon!

Humvee got to hang out with his sister and baby brother, Tazo, as well as get 100% of Mom's attention. It's not often that I only travel with one dog. He amazed everyone with his behavior in a soft crate (good) and was Mr. Mellow the entire weekend. We did discover that he does have protective tendencies; anyone knocking on my hotel room got a good growl from Humvee. And he's got a big boy growl!

Upon arrival at LAX and release from his crate, he informed me that he was DONE riding in the crate for a while and rode home on the floor of the van, where I could reach down and pet him. I rarely ever let the dogs ride loose, but he'd been such a good boy all weekend and didn't fuss about the whole flying thing that I bent the rules, just this once.

Now Tinks and Humvee have both successfully flown (Tinks moved to California from Texas, via American Airlines) and I'm ready to take them both to Rockford, IL for the SHCA National Specialty.

Speaking of adorable, here's the next little darling who may come live at Kaos. Dixie, as she's being called, was born 5/17/06 and we're eagerly waiting a few more weeks of growing to learn if she's going to be the newest Kaos resident.


We've got a long weekend at home, a weekend at the shows in Ventura and then I get to fly up to Sacramento to visit Dixie and her brothers, Toby & Trace. I can hardly wait!!!

Best Brace in Show

What a fun weekend! In the sweltering, humid heat of Chula Vista, Satinka and Katie played at being a trained brace and...pulled it off! Beating a brace of Golden Retrievers and a brace of Mini Schnauzers, the girls were awared Best Brace in Show on Saturday. What a rush!!! It made staying outside all day and the resultant sunburn more than worth it. And then, on Sunday, Satinka won Winners Bitch for her third point.

What a great weekend!!! This weekend it's off to Canby, Oregon with Humvee for the Lower Columbia Siberian Husky Club specialty. It's also Humvee's first plane flight. Should be entertaining!

Welcoming the newest member of the Kaos pack!!!

We all know and love him.....Humvee! Humvee is staying at Kaos. He'll be loved and shown by me, his Momma instead of heading out into the big bad world with his other Mom.

I'm so excited to have him and hope that we make both Tony & Adele and his breeders proud of us in the ring.

And I feel like a huge dark cloud has been lifted. My baby boy is staying home :-)

Welcome home, Dorkboy Jr.

Love, Momma

The Case of the Missing Pork Roast

It began like any other evening, getting home from work with a "to do" list longer than the remaining awake hours of the day allowed. But there was a difference; from the kitchen counter the smells of the pork roast in the crock pot wafted through the house, encouraging the residents to get some of the "to do" list deeds accomplished to sit down and eat.

One by one, the residents of the home grabbed some dinner and headed off for bed. The house guest, the first one to go, pronounced the roast "splended" and "perfect for my lunch sandwich tomorrow." Dad, heading to bed early, grabbed his dinner and went upstairs to watch some TV in peace (somehow he doesn't consider 17 Siberians conducive to "peace").
Mom and Grandma continued to toil, one by one crossing off the items on their lists and looking forward, with great delight, to consuming some of the roast that had been tantalizing their senses for hours.

Finally, the time had come. Mom and Grandma pronounced themselves "done for the day." Mom went upstairs to kiss Dad goodnight and Grandma let the canine crew in for some evening quality time.

The peace of the evening was shattered with Grandma's shriek of "RYYYYDDEERRR" echoing through the house. As Mom jumped up to run downstairs she analzyed the vocal qualities of the shreiking. After concluding that it wasn't a dog fight kind of yell, she slowed enough to take the stairs one at a time. By the time she arrived downstairs, all was quiet. There were no tell tail yellow stains indicating Ryder had lifted his leg inappropriately; there were no destroyed pieces of clothing or furniture....what was that shriek for?

Grandma recounted Ryder's offense: He ATE the remaining pork roast! Ryder, the Master Counter Surfer, waited until Grandma was distracted by the 12 other dogs in the house (including the three very accomplished distracting puppies) and snagged three pounds of pork roast off the counter with out making a single sound. His mad dash for the crates gave him away as the primary suspect in the case of the missing dinner.

Grandma and Mom settled down for their dinner of brussel sprouts, the scent of pork roast tantalizing them with their loss. Then Mom uttered those fateful words: "I hope that gives you the sh*ts, Ryder."

P.S. It didn't.

Saying Goodbye....

How do you say goodbye to a puppy who's stolen a piece of your heart? Humvee, who I knew from the beginning wasn't a permanent Kaos resident, is going home next week. This little puppy has wrapped my heart around his little paw. We've done a LOT in our 6 months together. Humvee went to his first puppy match with me (he won Best of Opposite Sex!). Humvee won Winners Dog the first time with me (he beat Ryder). Humvee won his first Major Reserve Winners Dog with me handling him. And, last weekend, Humvee won Winners Dog for his very first point with me on the end of the leash. And, the milestone of all puppy boys, Humvee started lifting his leg and peeing like a big dog with me (not on my...at my house!) I've leash trained him, crate trained him, house trained him and given him, I hope, the best possible foundation for his career in the show ring I could. He's confident and happy, well socialized and yet, fairly well behaved. I know that I couldn't have loved him more if he'd been my own dog for more than just the last six months.

In my heart, he'll always be my baby boy. But now it's time for him to leave the nest, move in with his new parents and make his mark in the world. And, I expect, it'll be quite a big mark!

Take good care of my baby.

Katie takes back to back Best of Breeds

What a weekend it was for Kaos! Ryder took his third point, winning under Judge Lamar Mathis (ok, all the other entries were puppies, but there were some nice puppies and a point is a point!). But the real fun started when the girls went in. Katie was in a single dog class and Satinka won her Open class (of 2). So the girls went back in for Winners with Grandma taking Katie in. Imagine her surprise (and mine!) when the judge gave Katie Winners Bitch (her FIRST POINT) and Tinks Reserve. The fun continued when Katie was given Best of Breed and Best of Winners. Ryder had to settle for Best of Opposite . So, Saturday afternoon saw our first appearance in the Group rings....where we didn't figure we were going to do anything, so we just tried not to embarass ourselves.

Sunday was another day of the same....Katie opened up her can o' whup ass on Tinks and took WB for her SECOND point, Best of Winners AND Best of Breed...oh, and this was AFTER Humvee slammed Ryder and took off with his first Winners Dog (but, sadly, no points). And Humvee did deserve that win because he really is the better of the two.

Ok, it was a small show, with no specials (that's no dogs who already have their championship and are competing only for Best of Breed) but you know what? We'll take it!

Grandma not only handled Katie to her first two points, but also to her first two Best of Breed wins (the first of many in her life we hope!).

Needless to say, I'm going to crush the competition by simply leaving Katie at home!!! We've got Mission Circuit coming up with 4 days of majors, Pasadena a small show where Tinks and Elvira will get a chance to show in Brace again and then the Camino Real Siberian Husky Club Specialties. After that, I think we're going to need some rest...but no....more shows after that! It's a good thing we have fun doing this!!!

Satinka Remembers Mother's Day!!!

Well, I may have looked calm and composed, but inside I was jumping up and down with joy. Satinka won her second point on Mother's Day. She must have known that Momma was ready for another purple ribbon (and the trophy...a beautiful etched glass piece...bonus!).

I'm so proud of Satinka I could burst (and that'd be messy) but she's two years old and really getting ready to hit her stride. Of course, we don't have the picture yet. When it gets here, and if it's good, it'll be over at www.kaossiberians.com

The house projects continue.....to need work. I've got a tile guy coming in to give us an estimate to finish the floors, upstairs and down. A painting guy will come do all the painting (except any faux finishing treatments and the wall paper border I've chosen for the master bedroom). And Sean's task is to ask the neighbors for the number of the guy who did their framing/drywall work so we can get the library closed off. I can't WAIT until these projects are done. Done done done....finished, complete.....you get my drift :-)

Saying Goodbye before Hello ever really happened...

A couple of weeks ago, Mom told me about Kiska. Kiska is a 15 yr old Siberian Husky who, along with her owner, was trapped in an abusive relationship for a number of years. The woman's attempt to leave left Kiska at the mercy of the abuser who starved her for two weeks to manipulate the woman into returning. This happened 9 months ago.

The woman finally made it out, Kiska was relinquished to a private SPCA organization and lived at a veterinary clinic. She has heart, liver and kidney issues and probably won't be around for a lot longer. She's deaf, and her old eyes are cloudy with cataracts. She gets hand fed homecooked meals. They take great care of her at the clinic she lives at; she's become sort of the office mascot.

After an hour visit with Kiska, we had rearranged our lives and hearts to make a space for Kiska at Kaos, for as long as she lived. It was hard, after losing Nikki, Sasha, Tasha, Bo and Shana, to open my heart to the thought of another rescue, one that I knew I'd come to love and lose far too soon. But this girl deserves so much. She deserves a home, she deserves to know life in a pack of Siberians.....I couldn't even fathom that someone would think she was better off living at the veterinary clinic.

But they did. The Board of the private SPCA decided that Kiska was better off at the clinic, in case she needed immediate medical attention. They were worried that the stress of moving to our house would do her in. I couldn't believe it when I heard the decision. I still can't. I'm hurt and I'm angry. I'm still upset, two weeks later.

I've lost her and I never had a chance to tell her how important she'd become in my life. She deserved to be as special to us as Katie Kit Kat or mydarlingRyder or Frostlette or Princess Pointy Nose Aleska or Satinka the Diva, Bubblehead Cheyenne and Bobblehead Lacy, snugglebug Ice or the longsuffering King Max...she deserved a shot at the kind of spoiled life that all of my crew know.

Goodbye, Kiska. I wish you could have been one of the Kaos Girls...even for a short time. Too bad we never really got a chance to say hello.

I so suck at blogging...

It's been pointed out to me that I SUCK at blogging...my last update was what, February? And now it's...almost May? I swear I have more life than this. I do! But sheesh, if an almost single again mom with a toddler can manage to update once a week, while creating beautiful jewelry in her "spare" time, certainly I shouldn't let little things like...oh, 10 dogs, 2 hours of commute to and from work stop me! No way, Jose!

Speaking of the aforementioned friend....I've managed to lose 14 lbs so far. It's not quite her 40, well and the other 180 some pounds of obnoxious fatthead (unlike her, I can't say a bad word in public, I'm a nice girl) I'm well on my way to slenderness. Well, Ok, I've taken one small step on a long road...but I like "well on my way" better. It sounds WAY more positive. And I joined a gym. Well, not a real, sweaty, testosterone and clanking weights or skinny, spandex aerobics class gym...but Curves. It's awesome. I can zip over there on my lunch hour, exercise, freshen up and zip back to work. All without disrupting the important schedule that is my life (ie...getting the dogs fed before they get hungry enough to start gnawing on my arm).

So, what's been going on at Kamp Kaos? Let's see....

Tile project: The "hey, let's tile the entire downstairs of a 3000 sq foot house by ourselves and, hey, let's do a pattern" project continues. I've got the kitchen, dining area and living room mostly done. The tiles around the edges still need to be cut and put in, but that's BORING and there's not much of a sense of accomplishment, so I moved on down into the entry way and "new" dog room, formerly the libary, formerly a dining room. Oh, wait, I did take a break to do the laundry room 'cause the dryer died, so we went and got a pair of those nifty, front loading Whirlpool Duets, and didn't want to have to move them to tile, so I tiled AND grouted the laundry room over a 4 day period. By the way, the Duets..ROCK. How sad is it that I'm excited that I only have to do 2 loads of laundry a week now? Anyway.....the tiling continues.

Dogs:

Humvee, you know, the visiting puppy who was staying through February? Well, he's 6 months old on Sunday and going to his first AKC show. I'm getting attached to the little bugger, despite the fact that he INSISTS on breakfast by 6:30 every morning, including weekends. Humvee went to a puppy match a few weeks ago, his first public appearance and won Best of Opposite..which means that the Best of Breed dog was actually a bitch, so he was the best dog entered...according to that judge who is, in my humble opinion, almost brilliant. So, Sunday he's going to a real AKC show. One thing that really sucks about showing a 6-9 month puppy dog is that you're the very first class of your breed...and the AKC doesn't work well on "Sparkle Time." (I'm trying to upload a picture of the young man, but having technical difficulties, so go check out his pictures on his "real" owner's website Maskarade Siberians)

Katie's also making her debut in the show ring this weekend. Well, she's shown before, but mostly just to enter to help build numbers to build points (it's a system, just trust me) but now she's starting to look good and we may actually win. Of course, there's still Satinka, who's also starting to look good again (with a new coat) so I've got two very competitive girls.

I was hoping to have my new puppy by now...because you know, I don't have enough to do. Latte the Loser, my official name for her, her new family calls her something much nicer, turned out to be the pet of the litter though. Never fear, like any good obsessive/compulsive, there are more puppies in the pipeline and by August, my puppy jones should be satisfied.

And I almost have my very own outdoor, point-of-use hot water heater for dog bathing...since the installation of the new washer and dryer took away my previous plumbing solution (a hose running out the dryer vent from the water spigots of the washer). Tearing the husband away from refurbishing an airplane to install these little luxuries is well worth the effort of thanking him....but we won't go THERE.

Let's see, what else is going on? Did I mention that I'm an Aunt again? My baby brother and his darling wife, Allison, after a few weeks of hospital residential living, brought home Colton. He came early, but he's doing great. I celebrated by buying out the Carter's outlet store on my way home from (imagine this) a dog show and shipping a box of clothes up that weighed more than the baby.

So, I've covered dieting, tiling, dogs, the new baby and the excitment of a new washer/dryer set...that's about all that's going on in the Land of Kaos.

Do they shed a lot?

Siberian Husky owners hear this question every time they take a dog out in public. Do they shed? Well, aside from the initial, smartypants answer that comes to mind (well, they're dogs, what do you think?) I do try to be polite and even offer some education about the breed so my reply usually goes something like this: "Yep, every day and then a HUGE coat dump 2 times a year or so." Give up on the fantasy of ever wearing black (or any dark, slimming color) again. Accept that when you open your car windows you'll create some weird weather anomoly...a dry white out...as the hair is sucked out of your vehicle. If you want clean, dog hair free sheets check into a hotel, preferably one that doesn't allow pets, as a Siberian Husky owner may have been there before you.

It's often opined that the coat dump is triggered by seasonal changes...in with the winter coat, out with the winter coat...which doesn't really explain why Siberian Huskies in Southern California still dump their coats, does it? My crew starts dumping their coats in October/November...that's pretty much winter in my book, way too late to be growing in the "keep me warm" hairs.

I have a theory; coat dumps are triggered by dog show entries. The more expensive the entry, the more important the show (to the owner of course) the better one's chances of having a "naked" dog are. Take Satinka, for example. She's been rolling her coat out (a gentle shed, where every bath removes a little bit of dead hair, but she's still got a lovely, full coat) all year long. I don't mind, I'm happy she's not a coat dumper. I'm proud she's not a coat dumper and I loudly praise her non-coat dumping qualities to all of my show friends, especially when they have naked dogs. Pride goeth before a fall should be the thought coming to mind about now.

So, we're coming up on the beginning of the spring/summer show season; lots of shows coming up. No major shows, but lots of small, close to home, relatively inexpensive shows. Guess what I did last night? I combed a grocery sack full of hair off of Satinka. Not your little plastic bag...the big, paper bag kind of grocery bag. How does she know show time is starting up? Is there some sort of canine telegraph that we mere humans can't hear?

The Joys of Home Ownership

Kaos is in...well...chaos. Somewhere along the line, the lovely light "builder beige" carpet that was installed in our lovely, new home turned "backyard brown." Now, as anyone who's seen dirt knows, it's not the most attractive color on a carpet...nor is it consistently shaded (or I might have just lived with it). So, in a spurt of "we've got to do something" the adults of Kaos (as opposed to the dogs of Kaos) decided to pull up all of the carpet in the living areas and lay down tile. Not hire someone to lay tile...to lay the tile...ourselves. Did I mention that our house is roughly 2800 sq. feet? And that we're laying tile in at least 2/3 of it?

Over the weekend we did most of the dining area (that space between the family room and the kitchen that defies naming), most of the kitchen (including pulling out the appliances to tile underneath them as needed) and most of the family room. Grandma's room and new walk in closet are about 1/2 done...we'll go back upstairs later, after the downstairs projects are complete. Did I mention that I'm not a svelte, fitness freak and that tiling is a lot of work? I found muscles I didn't know existed...and I liked them that way.

So, back to that backyard beige carpet. Some areas will get new carpet; the living room, formerly known as the dog room, is going to be the library, with french doors opening into it. That room will be dog free and carpeted. The stairs, upstairs hallway and Sean's den/guestroom will also get new carpet. Sean and I picked a gorgeous "black cherry" carpet. Yes, it'll show dog hair...but everything does. However, the black cherry carpet does NOT work with the merlot walls downstairs...which means the dark merlot walls need to be primed and repainted. "No, Sean, we cannot leave the walls primer gray."

And where were the dogs during all of this weekend fun? Well, they spent parts of the weekend outside...when it wasn't pouring rain or when they weren't opening the new slider (did I mention the 8' slider that took the installers two trips to install according to code? and they still didn't do the interior drywall work? Sean HATES drywall) and tromping through the tile adhesive on the floor. The rest of the weekend they spent hanging out in their crates, sleeping. Even the puppy...he's such a good boy. And getting BIG...but I digress.

So, we're about 1/2 way done with the tile; the entry way and the "new" dog room (which was our library and to normal people is a dining room) both need tiled and there are a few more rows in the family room to do, as well as all of the edge pieces that need cut. Then Sean has to put up the wall and the french door into the libary. All of the new wall needs to be textured, then we need to paint everything that needs painted. When all that messy stuff is done, we go back upstairs. Finish Grandma's suite (tile the other 1/2 of the floor and her bathroom and install her new vanity), paint and tile the master bedroom & bath and then, finally...have the black cherry carpet installed.

Then, I guess, we move outside...to do some landscaping in the front. But don't hold your breath for that one...I may hire it done.

The spring dog show season is coming up. I can tell, because Satinka is blowing her coat. One of our new favorite games is "pull the hair off the dog." Ok, maybe it's not her favorite game, but I sure enjoy it. The spring blowing of the coat means I'll have more time at home for fun house projects and less money spent at dog shows. Guess where I'd rather be?

The SUV at Kaos

Ok, so he's a puppy. His name is Humvee and he's Katie's new favorite toy. He's hanging out, during the day in the puppy palace (a 6x9 enclosure in the house) and when we're home he hangs out with the rest of the crew...especially Katie, although Frosty is very excited that there's someone smaller than her in the family. I don't think she remembers that both Katie and Satinka were smaller than her at one point.

Hummie, or stinky puppy boy as Grandma calls him, belongs to our friends Tony & Adele. They're in the middle of the "move from hell" (my words) from sunny, southern California to Eastern Washington, a place where they have something called WINTER. They started this move in early November...when WINTER happens. So, while they're living in their motorhome while their house is being built and the rest of the Maskarade crew is living in temporary quarters, Hummie is hanging out at Kamp Kaos, living the life of luxury.

Having a puppy around certainly keeps us all on our toes. It's hard to get out of the house in the morning on time...he's distracting! And, like Dakar, Elvira and Stevee...it's going to be hard to let him go back to his folks when the time comes. Until then, however, we'll continue spoiling him rotten.


And, yes, Hummie is eating raw, like the rest of the crew. His breeder and owners think I'm a little weird that way (ok, so do lots of other people) but when I said it was a condition of him staying at Kamp Kaos, there was a graceful surrender. He *loves* his meal time...to the point of waking the the house on weekends "can we get some service here?" when the staff (that would be me) is trying to sleep in.

Ryder goes Winners Dog at the Prescott Arizona Kennel Club

Imagine, if you can, the high you get, going into the show ring knowing that you're taking your darling, favorite, spoiled dog who is the BEST DOG IN THE WORLD to show the judge what a great dog he is. Now, imagine coming out with the third place ribbon, out of three dogs...time after time after time...for the first 2 years of his life.

Now, fast forward past all of those memories; you've learned that you go into the ring with different priorities...to learn to handle, to work on a specific skill or training item....and it starts to pay off.

A few weekends ago, when Ryder went Winners Dog at the South Bay Kennel Club show, I cried. Not hard, not loud...not even spectacularly enough to get a red nose (we had photos later, a woman's got to have priorities), but I cried.

Sunday, at the Prescott Valley Kennel Club in beautiful Chino Valley, Arizona, Ryder went Winners Dog for his second point (only 13 to go!!!). I didn't cry this time, but thanked him for not losing faith in me when I was ready to give up on him.

My baby boy has grown into a wonderful dog. He's not perfect, he's got his faults...but he loves me unconditionally. He's no Lassie, to go get help when Mommy wakes up at 2am whimpering with a migraine, but he will curl up beside me to try and comfort me. And, whether or not we win that elusive CH in front of his name, he will always be my first place Winner. If he could read, I'd say here "Love ya, Ry" but he can't. But he knows it...oh boy does he know it.

Stevee's 12/13/04 letter home

Hi Momma! I was just telling Aunt Laura that I needed to get to the computer to write to you! I've been verrrrry verrrrry good. Aunt Laura says if I'm good, Santa Paws brings treats for Christmas. I don't know what Christmas is, but I know what treats are! So I'm being verrrry verrrry good. I come inside the house by myself now, especially at dinner time. When Aunt Laura says to come in for dinner, if I don't, she just closes the door! She doesn't come out and play chase anymore....that's no fun. So when she opens the door to see if I'm ready to come inside, I come right in and wait for her to put me in a crate for dinner.

I'm being good, but my brother is kinda wound up right now. Frosty is in season too so he's a basket case. He's spending today inside the house in a crate because Grandma Sharon said he wouldn't shut up and was making everyone crazy. Tomorrow he's going to go to work with Aunt Laura...he'll like that, he's kinda spoiled.

Aunt Laura says she's counting the days until I'm out of season (so am I, it's fun to play in the yard with everyone) and then I'm going to be a social butterfly. I'm not sure about that being fun....but I'll give it a try.

I jumped up on Aunt Laura for belly scratches and kisses...it made her so very happy...and she gives good belly scratches!

Rikki's gonna be a Momma! That's very exciting. And Mysti's gonna have fun at Grandma Sheila's and be a Momma too? That Sarra is noisy, it's about time you and Daddy made her quiet. I'm being very good and Aunt Laura hasn't even once had to tell me to be quiet, unlike Ryder.

Kisses to you and Daddy. I'm being a good girl so you and Daddy can be very proud of me.

Love, Stevee

Stevee's Adventures at Kaos - her 1/3/05 letter home

January 3, 2005

Hey Mom! Aunt Laura told me you hurt your arm, I hope it starts feeling better soon.

I'm having a great time here. I bark loudly every time that man (Uncle Sean) comes in the house, but I've decided that I'm not afraid of him and I don't run outside anymore. My favorite spot is on Grandma Sharon's lap, Aunt Laura said she sent you a picture of me on Grandma's lap.

If it's not raining on Wednesday, I'm going to "handling class" with Grandma and Aunt Laura and Satinka. Mostly, they say, I get to sit with Grandma and meet strangers. I'm not too sure about that idea, but maybe there will be some good treats for me. I might manage it for good treats; maybe Grandma will let me sit in her lap.

Frosty, Ice, Max and the puppies went sledding last weekend. They left me home with Ryder, Aleska, Lacy & Cheyenne...and of course the old man, Bo. Aunt Laura said maybe next time I'd get to go, that might be fun. Frosty said the snow is cold on her butt...I wonder if I can get Aunt Laura to bring Grandma along for me to sit on. I'll bet I can.

It's raining here; we've been practicing making mud pies all day long! I can't wait until Grandma, Aunt Laura and Uncle Sean get home to see us! It's way more fun to play in the mud than to stay in the kennels and dog houses, don't you think?

Stevee's First Letter Home

When Stevee came to visit we were all worried. She was painfully shy and talking Jeni & Tim into letting us take a stab at bringing her out of her shell was a LOOONNNG process. Stevee, however, in the spirit of Kaos, quickly learned how to send little updates home to let Mom and Dad know how she was doing.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
November 22, 2004

Hey Mom and Dad, this is a weird place! I rode for a LONG time in the van with a dog named Frosty in the next crate (she's nice, but really spoiled) and we stopped a few times to go potty. Then I went to this house where there are LOTS of dogs. I had dinner inside with Uncle Sean, he held my bowl and I had to be close to him to eat. It was kinda weird, but he just talked to me while I ate and scratched my belly. Then I got to go outside and play.

Did you know my brother, Ryder is here? We played for a little while and he introduced me to all the other dogs. I was so happy to see Ryder.

I slept outside for a little while, Aunt Laura put a bed out for me, but Bo had a bigger bed and I wanted that one, so I was telling him so about midnight and Uncle Sean came outside and brought me in to sleep in a crate for the rest of the night. Bo didn't want me to have his big bed, that's kinda rude since I'm the new girl.

Aunt Laura came outside with a handful of cookies and everyone crowded around her, except me....but she called my name and I went over to her and I got cookies too!

This might not be so bad, but I miss you and Dad. But I'm being good and having lots of fun.

Love,
Stevee

Satinka's First Letter Home

Last fall, September 2004, Satinka came to be one of the Kaos girls. In cleaning out old files on my computer, I see that she sent a note home soon after her arrival.

==============================================
Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Bruce,

I have had the MOST exciting few days since you let that lady be my new Momma and take me home with her. I rode in her car to a place where BIG birds flew. It was a little scary, but Momma talked to me and told me I was a big girl and kept me close and I did good. Then we sat for a while, something about a ticket mix up, and then Momma took me to a sleeping place that smelled GOOD. She tried to make me sleep in the crate but I fussed enough that she finally let me up on the bed with her, where I slept like a good girl. Then we got up REALLY early and went back to the place where the big birds where. This time we got to RIDE in a bird! It was a little scary, because I didn't get to sit by Momma, but she had lots of fun toys for me in my crate, and everyone that I saw was really nice and talked to me, so I wasn't very scared and I slept a lot.

Finally Momma found me again (I was afraid the bird had eaten her, it was BIG) and she had a nice man with her. He helped me out of my crate and told me how beautiful I am. (Silly man, I KNOW that). They found me some grass to potty (I had to use the potty pad in my crate, but then I buried it under my blanket so I didn't get wet from it) and then I got to ride in their van to a house with LOTS of new dogs to play with! First Katie came to play with me. She's black, like me, so I didn't feel lonely and she's SMALLER than me! She's a LOT of fun to play with. She's kinda bossy, but we have fun. Then I got to meet a bunch of other girls and they're all really nice.

Frosty is a little bigger than me, but she plays like a puppy, so we're going to have fun together. I do what Aunt Lacy, Aunt Cheyenne and Aunt Aleska tell me to do, because they're bigger than me and Frosty and Katie said they think they're the bosses of us. Oh well.

And then I got to meet the boys! Uncle Max and Uncle Ice are a lot of fun and play with me some of the time. But my new big brother, Ryder, is WAY COOL. He runs around like he's a puppy and plays with Katie, Frosty and I. Sometimes he even gets Aunt Aleska to play too...and Aunts Lacy and Aunt Cheyenne.

There's an old man here named Bo. He's kinda grumpy, but he snaps at me and when I kiss his face he lets me lay next to him. I like that because sometimes every one plays really hard and I just want to lay down somewhere safe and watch...and they all leave Bo alone. I think he's getting used to me. I hope so.

I sleep in my crate like a big girl, but the first night I fussed and almost got Grandma Sharon to come get me out. She said that Momma would be upset if she spoiled my crate training the first night...so we're waiting. And I learned how to use the doggie door...it's kinda noisy and I have to push at it with my head, but it lets me go in and out whenever I want! And Momma and Daddy and Grandma are SOOOO happy when I go outside to potty that I've gone potty outside every time! Sometimes Momma has to remind me, because we're having so much fun playing that I start to forget to go outside...but when she reminds me, I run for the door.

Momma says we're taking a road trip this weekend and I have to have a bath on Friday because we're going to a match. I'll be a good girl for my bath...and I'll tell you all about the match when I get home from it. I can't wait for the car ride, because Momma and Grandma always have such yummy things to eat and fun things to play with in the car. Momma says I'm gonna kick some California butt.

I miss you and Abey and the boys and Mom and Dad, but it's really fun here! And there's a swimming pool that is in the backyard just for us! It's kinda small, only a couple of us fit in it at time, but it's great fun to run through and then go make mud pies with Katie. Momma just shakes her head at us. Katie sleeps up with Grandma Sharon on her bed, so she has to get a bath EVERY night to get the mud off of her...YUCK! Maybe Grandma will let Katie sleep with me and we can play all night. I'll have to ask her.

Momma says she'll send pictures of me soon with my new brother and sisters and Aunts and Uncles.

Miss you,
Satinka, your California Girl

While I Was Sleeping

Ok, Sandra Bullock I'm not.

First, Last night I got home from handing class, fed the dogs and went to bed, taking Tinks, Ry & Max up to my room. Cheyenne, Aleska, Katie and Lacy went in Mom's room, Dakar in the puppy pen, Ice and Frosty in crates.

This morning, Satinka is gone. No big deal, Sean had a WAY early wakeup time, flying up to SFO out of LAX, so he must have let her out, pottied her and then crated her. Except.....

There are two towels on the living room floor - that's a Satinka trademark. There's a chewed up wooden spoon. The pan on the stove from my stirfry last night is licked clean, but still on the stove...that's a Ryder trademark. There's a magazine on the floor, but it's not shredded. Lacy would have shredded it. And there's a blue ball point pen in pieces...so I figure find the dog with blue ink all over him/her and I've found the culprit...right? No one has so much as a speck of blue ink on their feet, faces or tongues.

I can't get ahold of Sean, he's in a meeting up there, maybe he'll call at lunch, to find out what happened while I was sleeping.

So I come to work. I walk in and half the lights are out downstairs. No problem...except that the half that's out includes the elevator power. There was a transformer fire and half the building's power is out...so I hike up the stairs in totally inappropriate for stair climbing shoes (thank GOD I wasn't one of the people stuck in the elevator, power won't be back on until after 12) and get into the
office to find that we have no phones or, even worse, INTERNET/NETWORK power. Apparently our suite is powered from both sides of the building!!! Well, the phone room anyway. So I run an extension cord to power up the router and phone box...now I have phones and internet.

It's been an ODD, ODD morning.

Eight is Enough...Memories

Wow, I wrote this over 2 years ago...and the memories it brings back.

Date: Wed, 16 Apr 2003 10:45:19 -0700

Some of you may remember that last July I BEGGED for a foster home for this amazing Siberian I'd found in the LA pound...and Lori came through with a foster home for him (and I think moved so I couldn't find her so she could keep him...heaven knows even WITH directions I've never been able to drive straight to her place!) and he stayed with Aunt Lori for a few months...long enough to learn his new name, learn to play with the other Sibes and be crate trained...what a bargain! When Max came home, Ice (who had sneaked into my heart on a weekend visit to Max) came home with him. Ice was a hyperactive, loving boy who'd been placed in a pet home but just didn't quite work out there, so he was hanging out back at Lori's waiting for the
perfect home to come along....lucky for ME...because Ice is my darling boy. I can't imagine waking up in the morning without him...he's so much more effective than ANY alarm clock! :-)

In the meantime, 12 Siberians in Northern California needed to be rehomed and again I begged for a foster home for Lacy and my friend (who has boxers) came through for me. Cheyenne had been placed in a foster home that could have been a long term home. Over the intervening months, Cheyenne's foster mom allowed as how Cheyenne would probably be happier with her sister and Lacy and Cheyenne became members of the family. Now, that same day I read about Lacy & Cheyene, Mom saw Sasha's picture online, a pathetic "take me home and love me" look that is, as we all know, irresistible. Ok, that's five...that's plenty. Right? Oh, no...the Siberian Fates have more in store for us! On a trip to Illinois for a rubberstamp convention, a woman wearing a Siberian shirt was at a booth across from us and our 'friend' at that
booth sent her over to talk to Mom (knowing, of course, that I was going to be a harder sell). So, after we tear down the booth, we find ourselves driving out PAST nowhere to her kennels. Tasha was a sweet darling girl, with a leg (and life) saved by Karen's intervention and surgery...but no one wanted the dog with the bum leg....well, except us. Ok, SIX is ENOUGH!!! No more...that's it!

Well, then some friends had some financial setbacks, had to sell their house and needed to find long-term, but temporary homes for their pets. Well, how could I say no to them? Bengal is a shepherd/boxer or great dane type mutt...sweet as can be and HYPER! He'll be with us as long as he needs a home. So, that's enough...that's SEVEN.

Then the rescue transports started. Jenna, a little gal who needed a home, was here for a couple hours after a transport. No CHANCE that she was staying. None. Phew...one rescue complete and Jenna, now Topanga, has been adopted and is in her new home. Then comes Wolf, now Duke. Now, aside from peeing on my seat the minute I put him in the car, he had potential...he seemed a quite, reserved boy who wasn't overly affectionate, but sweet. I didn't even let him come home...:-) I met his foster people and turned him over (I know my limits). Duke is now in a great home where he's got a family all to himself. Then came the 10-yr old Sibe turned in by owner at the Lancaster shelter. Now, Lancaster isn't quite the trek for me that it
is for Scott and Robbi (I never have those kinds of adventures-thank GOD!) but it's still an hour away. Nicole, from Mal rescue, pulled Athena (now Jojo) and we brought her home. 82lbs of the sweetest dog ever...AND we had a potential forever home for her...and a long-term foster if that didn't work. Well, family health problems crossed the potential forever home off the list, BUT her foster home? They've fallen in love with her and they're keeping her. Phew...Jojo was a sweetheart but EIGHT was TOO many! Do you hear me? Too many!!!

I confidently say "I'm ONLY going to get adult dogs through rescue, their temperaments are (sorta) known and they have learned (hopefully) some manners." (stop laughing)

Then Laura gets a wild hair...sometime next year, she tells Lori, she's thinking she might like to start showing. (Notice the NEXT in there?) Well, a few weeks later, meeting Lori in a parking lot to transfer some dog food (ok, it was some goat) that Lori had picked up for her, Lori mentions that one of DJ & Gypsy's littermates was coming to live with her, a little show prospect....3 months old...well, hook, line AND sinker there goes Laura. Ryder came home a couple of weeks ago.... a little (ok, 30 lbs now) energetic bundle of puppy breath and fuzz. He's amazing, beautiful, smart (house trained in about 3 days!), crate and leash trained (thank you Aunt Lori!) sweet, loving, energetic, rambunctious, curious and well, a PUPPY. But he's OUR puppy (well, ok, ours and Aunt Lori's and Grandma Jeni's...he's co-owned).

Now I'm convinced, eight is enough. Ice is in obedience class (he's amusing, if not reliably obedient) and Ryder starts handling classes and hits the 6 month old mark on May 8, so he'll start in the ring on the 10th of May. My life, my house AND my bed are filled to the brim. Not everyone gets along perfectly ALL the time, but they do for the most part.

Max is top dog, Gandhi and settler of minor squabbles. He's the most amazing boy, Uncle to the puppies and trainer of pack behavior. He supervises whoever is playing with Ryder and lets them know when to back off some. Without him, I don't know that ANY of this would have worked as well (well, him AND mom being home full time for the first 6 months of this melding of mutts).

Tasha is getting better about resource guarding, although if Cheyenne or Lacy look at her cross-eyed, she gets the hairy eyeball out and invites 'em to rumble. She's Mom's sweetheart though...but if she thinks I'm good for some earscratches or a treat, she'll come see me too.

Lacy is the master of manipulation....somehow pushing Tasha JUST far enough to earn Tasha a correction without ever appearing to be anything but the victim of big, mean Tasha (who's one of the sweetest dogs on the planet). But she's also Mom's Princess and she knows it!

Cheyenne is our sweet, bouncy, airheaded blonde, except when the puppies get too close when they're playing...she doesn't care to have her space disturbed.

Sasha still likes to stay outside, despite the fact she's got a warm bed all ready for her inside. She's not the most social girl, but she seems to be happy so we let her do whatever she wants.

Bengal, after a couple of days of "he's not OUR dog, he won't be here forever" is now one of OUR dogs...even though he won't be here forever. He gets all the love and attention that the permanent residents get and it's going to be a sad day (and, in a way, a happy day!) when he goes back home. Bengal (aka Damn Puppy) is a delight...most of the time. He's a bouncy, loving non-Sibe personality in a house of Sibes. He's learning though...when he finally goes home, a rescue Sibe is going to have to go with him or he'll drive his family NUTS.

Ice, well, he's my darling boy. Totally insecure, each new addition has him regressing to the "love me love me I'm your baby" stage. It's hard to compete against a cute, 5 month old puppy...but Ice KNOWS that Mom always has time and love for him....not to mention a spot on the bed. He's my sweet snuggle boy and I can always count on him to want to hang out with me.

Ryder? Well, aside from being unbearably cute, he's Daddy's boy. I may be the one showing him, but Daddy adores him..and has from the minute Ryder wrapped Daddy around his little Sibe muzzle....or is that wrapped his little Sibe muzzle around Daddy? It's been amazing watching how each of the dogs react to and interact with Ryder. We bought a 6x10 run to keep him separated from the big kids, worrying that they'd play too hard or rough with him (especially Ice who's not the best with small dogs). Well, after the first 3 or 4 days, we haven't had a worry. Uncle Ice lets the puppy crawl all over him. Bengal LOVES having a puppy who can keep up with his
energy. Max would like a vacation from training two puppies. Cheyenne says "leave me alone until you've grown up." Lacy plays with the puppy like we've never seen her play before...a real joy to us since she and Cheyenne are both very shy and undersocialized. Tasha lets the puppy crawl on her and talks to him but lets him keep climbing. Sasha just stays outside :-) or inside if he's out. But he's brought a new level of activity to the house, that's for DARN sure...and, oddly enough, the house is MUCH tidier!

Anyway, for some reason I just felt like telling y'all a little more about our pack :-)

Laura A

My Purple Ribbon Boy

Once upon a time....

Ok, skip to the good part. Ryder, my darling baby boy, my first show dog, my 2.5 yr old Momma's Boy, took his first point yesterday, under Judge Clay Coady. Going into the ring with a dog who had both majors (including a great win at a regional specialty) I wasn't expecting much...but there's always this little kernel of hope...so we go in and we show and have fun (as we always do). After we won our class, we went back in for Winners and Ry decided it was time for a big stretch...the big dork!

About 8 months ago, in the frustration of not having gotten a single point on him, watching his litter mates point and dogs that I don't think are any better than he is point (and finish) I almost neutered him...but I just didn't get around to it.

Now, at almost 3 years old my baby has grown up, he looks GORGEOUS. Yes, he still has faults, and I'm the first to start picking him apart but Saturday he won his first point! I'm still over the moon delirously happy and he doesn't understand why Mom keeps grabbing him close for a big hug.... we worked hard together to develop as a team and waited and waited...and Saturday it paid off.

I love my baby boy, not one smidge more than I did before he won that purple ribbon...but I'm just so darn proud of him and how far we've come together as a team that I could burst!