Too Hot

I still have the remainder of the Cascade Peaks litter to showcase but with temps above to 106 degrees and my office never getting below 99 degrees, it is too hot to work up here.

BrownStone Cascade Mt Karuk - Alaka'i At Two

Happy Two Years to the Cascade Peaks litter from Nari!
Alaka'i's birthday was spent romping in the waves and running on the sandy beaches of California's Central Coast. He is such a wonderful companion, motivating us to run, jump, and play just for the sheer joy of it.

 

We are so grateful above all else that our Alaka'i has the most wonderful attitude; his positivity is beyond measure. Over the past year we have found ourselves in a whirlwind of unexpected repairs and renovations to our home and investment property. With all the changes going on in our lives, I was afraid how it would affect our velcro dog. He would have to endure loud noises, less space while we moved all our furniture into one room, and less time with me at home. For all my concerns I can only say, how did we get so lucky to have such a perfect dog? Thank you Kay Lee for your wonderful work socializing our pups. We are in awe of how Alaka'i has taken all the changes in stride. It is funny to take stock of all our belongings in a small space and realize our pup has more pieces if furniture than we do (2 beds, a cot, and 2 crates). Of all the construction sounds and noises, the only one that makes him nervous is the vacuum. Once it turns off though he is sure to nose poke that intrusive noisy sucker into submission.

Alaka'i is so indescribably gleeful to everyone he meets and about even the most mundane things. It is impossible to be around him without cracking a smile or laughing out loud. What a blessing for us as landlords w/ tenants and workers coming and going to have a dog who is so loving of everyone. He rarely barks and alerts us of people by the "thud-thud-thudding" of his tail as he waits in front of the door for this new visitor to come play. His best friend is the mailperson and/or whoever he's giving kisses to at the moment.

We are still working towards our CGC and are very happy with how far our ultra-social pup has come. Ka'i has made so much progress and had so much fun doing it that the CGC is a worthwhile goal for us to keep pursuing.

When the temperature cools down we'll resume working towards a pack certification. We're very proud of his drive and aptitude for maneuvering trails. He's the best friend a girl could have, and helps me in my work monitoring trail conditions for the Palos Verdes Land Conservancy. He's actually my secret weapon as he often sniffs out hidden illegal trail spurs that others may not have noticed. Our waggin adventurer has now hiked in four states and traversed nearly every type of terrain we have here in California, taking the time to sniff every rock and leaf along the way. We are hoping to take him backpacking near Moab, Utah later this year.

Ka'i fills our life with such joy. I can't believe there was a time when we lived without Ka'i's cuddles and kisses. Justin and I have always shared a love of adventure. With Ka'i, every day has been a wonderful journey made better by his goofy grin and perpetually wagging tail. Hugs to you Kay Lee, Marleen, Amanda, and the BrownStone Cascade Peaks family!

BrownStone Foster-pup Ms Silver Mouse Turns Two Today

Tiny day-old Moonsong Mouse joined the BrownStone Cascade Peaks litter as a foster-pup. She was only two days younger than Koyuk's pups.

There is always the concern that a mother will reject a pup that is not her own, but Koyuk immediately took to little Ms Silver.

A note and picture from Carie, her breeder and owner, about Mouse.
Two years already!!! Mouse came into the world a survivor- all her littermates were stillborn or died soon after birth. Rather than raise her as a singleton, I sent her down to Oregon, where she joined Brownstone's Cascade litter for 8 weeks. She returned to me a confident, but kind, whirlwind. Life with Mouse has been very exciting. Her dark steel markings draw a lot of attention and her presence at several breed education booths have brought many people to the the breed. Extra love to Mouse today!!

Tule Loowit Turns Two

Here are the highlights of BrownStone Cascade Mt. Loowit - Tule Loowit's life right now as told by her humans:                                  

She adores visits with her favorite Sibling and friend Trask, and cries when we leave. Her behavior is naughty when they are together.

She has enjoyed several trips to Seattle, Canada, Ashland, Bend and various parts of California. She loves it if her cousin Wyatt the smooth haired collie is in the car too 

Her favorite activity is hunting squirrels (she has caught several babies, and one adult, to our horror) 

Her second favorite activity is swimming. She has enjoyed swimming at Crater Lake, Ashland reservoir, Columbia River, all the rivers near Eugene, Crescent Lake and Waldo Lake.   

She loves sleeping, especially if it is warm and cozy like a bed. She won't sleep on the bed if we are both in it, though, even if we invite her. 

 

She likes to eat slowly and while lying down, even if the bowl is raised   

She has been to the top of Maiden Peak 

 

She loves walks, but averages about 2 miles per hour. She is the laziest dog ever and will never pull a sled.    

She is the official Mt. Host Ski Patrol dog and likes to help with training   

She loves toys   

She extrapolated the "touch" command and now uses "touch" to ask for treats. She starts by lightly touching your thigh with her nose and then stepping back and looking at your eyes, but if you ignore her, the "touch" gets harder and harder until she is practically ramming you with her nose. She will stop doing it the instant you give her a certain hand signal, but if you fail to give her that signal, she will be relentless in her efforts to get you to give her a treat. 

 

She is extremely polite. She has never tried to escape, even if the gate is open. She knows she is not supposed to be out of the gate without a leash and so she just stands there waiting. 

 

She likes lying out in front of house and watching the world go by.  

 

Because Greg, Riley and Nick all have skateboards and motorcycles, she LOVES all skateboards and motorcycles and always looks up and wags when she hears one go by.  

 

People-food is safe around her, which is a blessed relief from our last dog who ate an entire pizza and a ham, not to mention part of a turkey.

  

She is the love of our lives and we feel so thankful to be her family. She lives a blessed life and makes ours more blessed in return. 

A Day in the Life of Birthday-Boy Trask

Today is Trask's 2nd Birthday. After what seems like forever hot weather, the day started cool enough for a run around the property. Even with overcast skies, the hot dogs were more than happy to cool off in the back pond...

 and take a break to explore new interesting smells.

 After a few more dips in the pond...

 the muddy dogs were ready for the the long run back over the ridge to home.

Cedar hitched a ride back to the top of the ridge.

Once home, even after swimming in the house pond to cool and rinse off, the dogs were still matted with sticky grey pond muck, grass and wildflower seeds and sticker-burrs. 

They spent the remainder of the morning getting baths and brushed out when all they wanted to do was crash on our bed.
After noon, Trask had his first agility lesson. While I ran back and forth giving commands and treats, Grandma Cedar repeatedly showed him how to do jump the hurdle until his goofy brain caught-on that the goal was not only to get to the other side of the jump, he had to go over instead of through the bar.
Every BrownStone Chinook pup gets an individualized, stuffed toy representing the theme of the litter. The BrownStone Cascade Peaks litter received animals found in the Cascade mountains. Trask's animal, an elk, dwarfed him the day he was born.

The now clean but rather-be doing-anything-other-than-getting-pictures-taken pack endured inexorable posing with Trask's elk.

Trask alone.

Trask with mom Koyuk.

"I'm taking elk and ending this torture."

"So there!"

"Me too"

"yea - enough all ready"

"We are out of here. After all it is time for the birthday dinner!"

This and That From the Past Two Weeks

I spent eight, miserably frustrating, very hot (high 90's to 101) days - sunup to sundown- trying desperately to find the brake in the small invisible fence wire. The line surrounds several acres and was buried 15 years ago, 20+" deep.  Much of it was overgrown with blackberries, thistles, nettles and dense field grass. Until the professional came out to put in a new one, the dogs were stuck inside and little else was done around here.
I opened the Caboose mailbox to a very unwelcome surprise during my line search.

With the dogs sequestered, Vixen brazenly checked out Ferrari. I'm sure if I could get a harness on her, Team Nookies would fly. 

Early morning wake-up rumble. With the high fire danger, the loggers have to start around 4:30 a.m.  We awoke to the house shaking as three of these big machines and a huge bulldozer rolled past the house on the way to another section of woods.

 Morning light.

 Koyuk followed me about as I tried to capture the sharp morning light.

 I did not retouch this (or any of these) picture. The sky was actually that blue.

 The porch baskets.

Besides finally getting another invisible fence in and working, the highlight of the past week was winning the EYC Women's Cup. I have won this regatta several times in the past but this win was especially sweet. I was by far the oldest sailor on the 12 competing boats. Using knowledge in place of more youthful agility, I was able to take advantage of the stiff, shifting wind to pass everyone as I recovered from my horrible starts.

Of course I had to take pictures of the fur kids checking out the new treat bowl.