Happy First Birthday Luca

"PR" BrownStone Cascade Mt. Klah

Klah (Three Sisters, Ms. Purple) was whelped a 12oz stunning beauty.

By 4 weeks old she weighed 4lb 8oz and...

 had won everyone's hearts.

At 8 weeks old there was no question that she was "first pick" female. She had beauty, movement and personality that really impressed the evaluating judges.

Klah, now Luca moved to Colorado and took first place in her first AKC show at 3 1/2 months. (Sorry, I did manage to import the picture but could not make any of my programs turn it upright then export it to blogspot.)

Luca at 4 months with one up ear experiencing her first snow.

Luca with up ears testing her backpack at 5 months.

 At 6 months showing off her helicopter ears and fast, agile self...

and learning to pull.

Luca's ears decided to go up at 6 1/2 months.

Luca went to her first dogsled race at 7 months.

Hanging with her normal pose at 8 months. 

Poor girl shared the indignity of her first season with her favorite Barred Plymouth Rock chick at 9 months old.

 Guarding the hen house at 10 months.

Luca an 11 month old lap dog with a Nook tongue.

Blue and Purple ribbons from her second dog show at 12 months. Her ears seem to have settled into a helicopter set.

 For this blog, Luca's family wrote: 

Specific behaviors:  Luca howls in her sleep often and we have yet to be quick enough to capture it on video.  We thought we had a serious digger on our hands for awhile, although once her digging companion moved out of state, the digging stopped.  She can be a little shy with strangers and children, especially if not properly introduced, and she is very sensitive to body language and tone of voice.  We call her “the kissing bandit”, as her tongue is always at-the-ready for anyone within reach of it.  We hear that all of these behaviors are common in the Chinook breed.

Titles: None.  Luca has participated in two UKC shows.  She had a practice run in Castle Rock, CO last November as a Novice Puppy, and again in Longmont, CO on July 20 in the Puppy Class.  She shared the ring with Moonshadow from Laughing Mountain and three of the Schillers’ Mountain Thunder Chinooks:  Scarlet, Terra and Bear.  It became immediately apparent that we have a lot to learn about showing.  Luca did well enough, however, and more importantly seemed to enjoy the whole experience despite her inexperienced handler.  So, next is some conformation training to help us with our handling skills and to help her get more comfortable.  We are also entertaining the idea of getting her into agility training as she seems to enjoy navigating the makeshift obstacles we set up in the yard.  We’ll see.

Sweet and Affectionate:  She is such a joyful pup and she brings so much joy to our lives.  Her name means “bringer of light” and morning is her best time of day, which is fitting.  She is a cuddly, snuggly, huggable bundle of love.  We wake up every morning to find her asleep on our bed, lying on her back, nestled against one of us.  When either of us emerges from the bathroom after showering, she celebrates by picking up one of her toys and bringing it to us to look at, but not take.  She wiggles the entire time, her hips swinging to the left and right, and that tail never stops wagging.  We don’t know if she is simply happy to see us again or is trying to say, “thank goodness you made it out of there alive!”  She celebrates similarly whenever either of us returns home from being gone for any length of time.

People- and Dog-friendly:  Luca likes people and LOVES dogs.  She also likes her five chickens and one rooster, and helps us herd them back to their coop after their daily forays into the yard.  “Barr” is her best chicken friend (a Barred Plymouth Rock) and Mojo is NOT her best rooster friend, although she has recently begun trying to engage him in play.  He doesn’t play and he doesn’t find her nearly as adorable as we do…

Active/Playful:  During her first few months with us, we let her spend supervised time with Otter and then we had to put him away for safe-keeping.  As that was her first toy, we wanted to preserve it and she was on track to love Otter to death.  She now has many favorite indoor toys, most of which are stuffed animals: Fox, Squirrel, and Elephant.  She enjoys walking on our treadmill and often sits on it and whines until someone gets it going for her.  Her favorite outdoor toy: a yellow, 5-foot nylon rope that is her special reward after training sessions and off-leash walks, as well as on low-activity days when a little fun between naps is in order.  We swing the rope around and she chases it until she catches it – then it’s a game of tug-o-war.  She loves water and as we don’t have a natural body of water on our property, we keep a baby pool filled for her to play in.  She puts her face all the way in to get treats off the bottom of it and sometimes just dunks her entire face for the heck of it.  In the winter, we attach a rider-less sledding saucer to her harness so she can satisfy her need to pull.  If there is no snow, she pulls it across the grass.  Whether she will ever pull a big sled like her brother Trask and other littermates remains to be seen due to her size.  If she doesn’t get to do that, she will still get to pull her sledding saucer and perhaps we’ll give bikejoring a try.

Great Traveler - Luca is a dog we can take just about anywhere, and we do.  Since her September 2013 plane ride to Colorado from her first home in Eugene, Oregon - during which she never made a peep and no one knew there was a puppy in the cabin - she has been on one multi-state road trip from Colorado to Washington, the national parks of southwestern Utah, and the Grand Canyon.  Everyone she meets comments on how sweet and well-behaved she is.  She is the perfect dog for us and we love her dearly.  Thank you for entrusting her life to us and know that we are committed to her, for life.

Otter sharing a 1 year post birthday celebration with 43 lb Luca .

Happy First Birthday Alaka'i

"PR" BrownStone Cascade Mt. Karuk

Karuk (Mt. Shasta, Mr. Green) is now Alaka'i - which means something fitting in Hawaiian - was whelped quite dramatically between the front and back seat of the van on the way home from the vet. Fortunately Karmin was in the back seat and able to catch him when he came flying out as Koyuk jumped to be with me in the front seat. Unfortunately we were not prepared for a whelping and there was no place to pull over, so slippery Karuk and his placenta were placed in the warming box with his sister and brothers to ride the last mile.
(If I haven't said how wonderful Karmin is, I do need to.  She is a teen girl. This was her first whelping and thus far she had caught fraternal twins while I was across the room with Wy'east and with nothing more than an: "oh, Kay Lee we have another puppy", dealt with a birth in a moving car. She stayed for all the births and came over to help with all the weigh-ins and milestone pictures. I could not have whelped this litter without her. And past about week two, would not have had the pictures).
Alaka'i (nickname Ka'i) weighed 11 oz when we got him back to the whelping box.

 By week 4 he was 4 lb 14 oz. Maybe Alaka'i means "stout and determined" in Hawaiian.

Or maybe Alaka'i means "super adorable or inquisitive" in Hawaiian. The vet was enamored.

By 8 weeks he was inquisitive, stout, adorable, and determined all wrapped up in one boy. (Can't say that for his porcupine.)

Alaka'i went to live with the most creative and fun forever family (who send me great pictures with fun captions).  His beach beach play ground wore him out daily at three months.

Alaka'i had already spent weeks camping up and down the west coast by 3 1/2 months old.

With high 5's he passed his AKC STARS test at 4 months.

 Alaka'i and porcupine at 4 months.

 At 4 1/2 months he was in his first dog show and won Best of Breed.

 At Christmas "Ka'i had heard that reindeer could fly and thought he would give it a try".

In February I received this picture with: "Beginning "Human Wrangling" A.K.A. "Obedience Class" is in the bag and got a pretty ribbon to prove it! Onwards to learning intermediate level treat appropriation methods and more cookies!"

In March Nari wrote: "I am amazed and grateful on a daily basis for how happy-go-lucky Alaka'i is. He is now wearing an e-collar to stop him from licking his skin rash (vet guesses from an environmental allergen) and though I know he is itchy, irritated, afraid, and disoriented by the cone, he seems to be making the best of it. After circling with the cone on for a few minutes, he realized people were ooh-ing and aw-ing even more. As if realizing the cone gave him extra cuteness power he started giving everyone kisses and tail wags until we walked out the door. Love this guy".

 Ka'i at 8 months.

Alaka'i at 9 months. Celebratin' 9 months of lickin', chewin', and tail waggin' with my trusty porcupine pal and lots of fresh-outta-the-oven turkey jerky! Sending love to the BrownStone Cascade family!"

In April Nari wrote: "EARmotional" I was describing the many ways Ka'i carries his ears depending on his mood. To this Justin replied "he's just ear-motional." Love it. I think this is my new favorite Chinook word".

In May Nari captioned this picture with: "Trying to feign enthusiasm for "Sit-Stay" when all he wants to do is keep running. Love his goofy, pre-drool, treat-begging grins".

This picture came titled with:  "Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope." - Maya Angelou

June found Alaka'i out socializing. "Why won't she play with me-eee-eee?!" Despite the attempted licking, play-bowing, and whining, Ka'i just can't get this cat to budge. Disappointed Doggie".

 Yup, Nari and Alaka'i have a great time.

 "Happy Tongue Out Tuesday!"

For a year summation Nari wrote: "We are still working towards earning a CGC. I'm trying to convince him that "sit-stay" is more fun that "jump-play." It's a hard sell but we're getting there. Our trainers reassure me that they see a difference with each passing class. Even after the CGC we'll continue on with obedience training. I've decided to wait on re-entering conformation workshops and shows until he is calm enough around other dogs to safely walk the ring.  He has a great personality and is a social butterfly, but that doesn't seem to translate well to conformation practice. We haven't given up though!  Should Alaka'i ever lose interest in every bug, rock, or leaf on the ground, I think he would be great at rally competition! He is smart and responds very quickly. We'd like to try a rally competition within the next year (or so). We love hiking with Alaka'i so we'll start working towards a pack dog certification as well. Other than that Best of Breed we won at the AKC 4-6 month puppy show, we have not tried entering any other shows. He has earned many titles and nicknames around our house, some of which are: Sir Sniffs-a-Lot, Crazy Ka'i, Whiny McWhinerson, Marky Mark, Hungry Hungry Hippo, and Dirty Dawg. I'm certain he thinks that "Leave It" is his name as well.

Admittedly I have become one of those people who thinks that every story about my dog is the greatest thing EVER.. If I could summarize the past year with Alaka'i in a word, it would be "compromise." One of the funnier compromises is that we no longer shut the bathroom door, but he must patiently wait at a polite distance. Haha. Instead of poking his nose into our shower while we bathe, we have him bring us a pile of his toys and we will play fetch as soon as we're done.  Alaka'i would wake us up with frantic cries at the crack of dawn and run crazy circles trying to give us a morning tongue bath.  If he is willing to wait quietly until the alarm goes off, the absolute first thing we do is give him 5 minutes of morning cuddle and belly rub time before leaving the bedroom. No exceptions. Who can complain about starting their day with puppy snuggle time!?! I can't remember what life was like before Ka'i cuddles, but it has replaced coffee (gasp!) as my morning pick-me-up. I have never had/met a dog like Alaka'i who responds to things in such a clever and sensitive way. It seems as if the more freedom we give him, the more positively he responds.  Alaka'i reminds us to be more attentive, present in the here and now, and to follow our instincts rather than trying to follow a rule book. He, like us, is just a happy goofball, often going against the tide, and we love him all the more because of it!"

 Happy Birthday you handsome, 66.7 lb, boy!

Happy Birthday Tule Loowit and Kyrik

Warning: Hours of sorting and downloading pictures were wiped out with the stroke of an excited paw at dinner time. Stupid human, me, could not replicate the paw stroke. Now that everyone has eaten and I have calmed some with a glass of wine, I am attempting to reproduce my wondrous work supplemented by however much two-buck-Chuck it takes to finish the task.
Loowit (Mt. St Helens-Ms Pink, aka: Tule Loowit) and Pahto (Mt. Adams - Mr Red, aka: Kyrik) were quite a surprise when they popped out together as fraternal twins (a very rare occurrence in dogs.)

"PR" BrownStone Cascade Mt. Loowit.

Loowit was 14 oz when born.  Loowit checking out the world at 4 weeks - 4 lbs 14oz

 Loowit at 8 weeks - 10 lb 9 oz and ready to move in with her forever family and be called Tule Loowit.

 I am lucky. Tule lives in town. She and Trask have shared some adventures throughout their first year. A trip  to a mountain lake at 3 months old...

mushing together at 7 months...

playing together in the pond at 9 months...

sharing a tender moment at 10 months.

playing to exhaustion at 11 months.

Tule Loowit's family sent a story of her first year. Unfortunately I can't post most of the pictures that went along with the words but trust me, she has had a wonderful first year.
Remarkable Tule Loowit’s “tail” so far, as told by Tule Loowit:

I was born.

I loved my life with my brothers and sisters at the BrownStone farm, especially my mom.

I left for my new home with the family when I was 8 weeks old – so scary!  But they love me and I like that.

I have new brothers who take me on the long board which I love. I travel in the car which immediately puts me to sleep. I have traveled to San Francisco several times.

There is a scary cat. He clawed me on the nose once, so now I really do not like cats.  At all.  I walk WAY around them when I see them, just to be sure. But I do have a tiger, which is like a cat but a lot bigger.

I took a class where my owners learned how to ask me to do things that I personally already knew how to do, like sit, and stay, and walk politely on a leash and respect other dogs’ space. I liked everything except respecting other dogs’ space. I like their spaces. In fact, my most favorite thing to do in the world is to play with other dogs, which I get to do a lot but not enough. I have many dog friends and we have play dates and go on hikes.

In the summer I have a trampoline to play on, and I hide all of my special toys under it. I also like to sit in the sun if it not too hot.

In the winter, I am a member of the National Ski Patrol and I get to wear an official Mountain Host jacket and greet customers at Willamette Pass. I like that job. Snow is the best. 

I am all grown up now and I have a sleeping perch where I keep an eye on the neighborhood when I am home alone.

The beautiful Tule Loowit.

"PR" BrownStone Cascade Mt. Pahto 

Pahto (Mt. Adams, Mr Red) aka: Kyrik went to live with McKenzie's daughter, BrownStone Tillamook River (Tiki).

 

Pahto weighed 15oz when he was born. (with Loowit, a combined weight of 1 lb 3 oz. No wonder Koyuk was having labor troubles)

 By week 4, Pahto weighed 5lb 2oz.

 By 8 weeks there was no stopping, weighing or taking posed pictures of Mr Red.

Pahto now Kyrick at 3 months.

Kyrik was still chomping on his poor owl at 4 months old.

Kyrick's family reported that:

He is very handsome! He and Tiki get along better than I could have hoped for – I wasn’t sure how tolerant she would be of all of the puppy energy, but she seems to really enjoy playing with him, and they both seem to seek out each other’s company more often than not. She has also been great at keeping him busy and out of trouble, so she has made the puppy training much easier for all of us. 

 Kyrik at 4 months

 Kyrick on the town at 5 months

 First snow at 6 months. 

 Kyrick at 8 months

A picture of Kyrick painted by the daughter in his forever home. I am still waiting for her to do one of Trask.  

 Kyrick at 11 months.

I am so excited. I get to see Kyrick and Tiki at the Annual Chinook PicNook next month.

Paws crossed that the canine produced blogspot formatting will disappear when I re-boot. I still have 5 more pups to profile and really don't want to take another trip back to Trader Joes.