Check out the new pictures of Shelby – one of our 9 year old puppies in an awesome home – she is photogenic!  I can’t believe they are 9 either.  Her sister Holly is still going strong.  She’s a little gray and now has this HUGE coat she never had before. She is still pretty spry – she hunted and got NINE bunnies in the past 2 weeks (1 a day almost) and ate most of them so now she is getting fat on bunnies.  I wish she wouldn’t as they get tapeworms from them and the little snot – after the first 6 I gave her some tapeworm meds thinking she was done with her annihilation spree but nooooooo, she got 3 more.  She leaves the legs and head then for Riggs & Moola & Jazzy.  Mo got one of her leftovers and proceeded to throw it up all over the back room, Jazz the other which she didn’t throw up, so I’m watching them for tapeworms too now…such fun~….Most of all Holly misses having a pack (Hoover was her pack) since he moved to the other room due to his infirmities.  

Right now we have Hoover is hanging in there longer than anyone.   He’s too heavy to take outside now (front legs are starting to get weaker) so I’ve made up all this equipment (a stretcher to take him to the vet, a donut to help the bedsores he got from lying soo much, a soft pad, etc. and he’s doing ok.  I couldn’t do it if I didn’t work from home but since I’m here and he is SO cooperative why not.  He’s so accepting of everything which is why I think he’s still here.  He’s cool about lying around, squeaks his toys if they are available, yells at Riggs & Jazz when they “look” at him, and his only request is his water.  When he needs to shift position it’s “lets rotate Hoovie” and he helps as much as he can to lift.  I’m making him his own website – dogswithdisabilities.com (there are some pictures there).  But I really doubt he’ll make it till spring – though I thought that was the case two times already, and he’s always sprung back unexpectedly – but he’s getting so thin with NO muscle on his rear at all and his front is getting weaker too. A little gray is showing in his face and he’s on the pain meds constantly now – but he seems to be doing fine as long as he gets his pill.

Holly wants a pack so bad she is trying to make friends with Chevy & Pod (who could care less). But she wants it on HER terms – in other words, to be their alpha – but Gracie (her arch enemy) is their alpha so that’s not likely to happen.  They’ve been tolerating her lying in the room with them while they are in their pens, and she’s not picking fights like she used to.  I’m hoping to breed Moola or Jazzy soon – but having trouble finding a stud dog that I like.  A couple of friends have been disappointing in that regard.

Well that’s all from Malamute Manor…have to go let Riggs & the girls out for their “run arounds” which means they go outside and run around the yard in circles 50 times first thing in the morning losing all that pent up energy.  

We just got back after a wonderful week in Marquette, Michigan for our first dog show in a long time.

Gracie cleaned up – THREE Group 4’s – one each day – at least you can say she’s consistent!  And best of all Hoover had a blast.  I wasn’t sure how hard it would be to travel with a handicapped dog – but it turned out fantastic.  He had an enjoyable time just hanging out at the dog show and by the end of the trip we coudn’t stop without him rotating himself around wanting to get out.  The excuse was to pee, but I think he was just enjoying the scenery like we were.  I coudn’t pack his wheelchair due to lack of space, but that didn’t stop him.  I served as back legs and he was able to get into and out of the van just fine and even insisted on checking out the sand dunes and going down to the water.  He wanted to do everything the others did. 

We also took evil Holly (to spare our petsitter her brattiness)  and Moola who I showed (she is becoming the reserve queen like Grandma Penny – I always said they were alike!).  Anwyay, it was very enjoyable and we just love the area.  Everything went well for our wonderful petsitter back home – Pam Gibbings who did an awesome job.  I really think the guys at home thought THEY went on the vacation themselves. 

We ate out a lot and stayed at a really nice hotel that allowed dogs in the rooms.  We put a plastic shower curtain down, with Hoover’s rug on it, and Hoover did just fine.  Midway I made a laundromat stop to wash his rugs which was the only real concession to an incontinent, paralyzed dog. The only thing he wasn’t too crazy about (and neither was I) was camping in the tent on Saturday.  We both could have done without that!  The wind was really whipping and scary and I HATE tent camping so that was totally miserable for both Hoover and I.  Other than that though, the week was fabulous.