Malamute Revenge

I had to go to work for a while today, so I decided to take the dogs with me.  Kuma and Bella love to go to the office and run around on the 2 acres of land that we have there.

I'd been in the office working for about an hour when Harold, Taylor, and the crew returned from working on a job site.  I took the dogs out so they could visit the guys and run around for a little bit.  Kuma and Bella always run around, peeing on everything.  Traffic cones, peed on.  Truck tires, peed on.  50 gallon drums, peed on.  Carport support beams, peed on.  Garbage cans, peed on.  You get the idea.  They both peed on everything that they could get near.  This becomes important later. 


After the crew left, Harold and Taylor came into the office to get cleaned up and changed.  Harold decided he wanted to go to the little Mexican restaurant around the corner and get some dinner.  So we locked the dogs in the office and headed out.  We figured we'd be gone about an hour, so the dogs would be fine inside.  Really, it's an old office, so they, theoretically, shouldn't be able to do any damage.


We returned to the office and this is what greeted us just inside the door.

That is a peanut can, the lid to said peanut can, a box from something, a plastic deli container, and the lid to the plastic deli container.  I'm surprised the idiots didn't cut their mouths on the lid to the peanut can.  *sigh*


Harold went in to his office and was greeted by this.

Yes, Kuma peed on Harold's measuring wheel.  Really Kuma???  After all the peeing he did outside earlier, his bladder should be empty!  He peed on something in my office too, I just can't remember what it was.


Harold proceeded to walk through the entire office to see what else the dogs did while we were gone.  Oh yeah, they obviously weren't finished with the tactics above.  This is what was behind the secretary's desk.

The dogs had also rifled through the garbage in my office, and dug out any paper or wrappers that they thought might be edible.  *head shaking*  There was stuff strewn from one end of the office to the other.

Harold and Taylor then left, telling me that since these were MY dogs, I had to clean up after them.  When Kuma and Bella are cute and funny, they belong to the family.  When they've done something stupid or bad, they belong solely to me.  Thanks.

So, next time Harold wants to go get s bite to eat, he will be going alone, if the dogs are with me.  Lesson learned.

How It All Started

In May of 1998, our office was broken into.  I decided that day, that we were going to have a "guard dog" who lived at the office during the work season.  Within a day or so of the break-in, I was dragging Harold and Taylor to the Spokane Humane Society to find the desired guard dog.  When we walked into the 2nd kennel building, I knew I had found "the one".

People always say a girl knows when she meets "the one".....little did I know they were really talking about dogs and not men.  I looked into the biggest, sad brown Malamute eyes, and knew he was coming home with me.

Okii was about 4 1/2 years old at the time.  His previous owners dumped him at the shelter because they no longer had the time for him.  The paperwork on the kennel he was in, showed that these people had taken him to the vet that Harold had always taken his previous dogs to, so we knew we would be able to get more info from them.  We went to the counter, filled out the paperwork, and paid the adoption fee.  Okii was ours.

We walked him out to my Explorer and tried to load him in while a thunder storm rolled over.  This is the time that we found out two important things.  1)  Okii was not used to vehicles....at all.  2)  He hated thunder more than the vehicles.

Alas, we finally were able to load the big lug in and slam the tailgate before he was able to jump out.  When we got him back to the office, he unloaded himself at a high rate of speed.  We spent lots of time just petting and loving him.  We got him food and water, and settled him in for the night.

The next morning, Harold arrived at the office to find one of our employees chasing Okii across the playground across the street.  What in the....???  How did that dog get out?!?!  We couldn't see any obvious signs of escape, but we needed to catch the dog first.  This is when we found out another very important fact. Okii loves, loves, loves kids.  Once we let him get near the kids, as he had been trying to do the whole time, it was simple to get a leash on him and take him back over to the office.  After closing the gate and turning him loose, we quickly found out how he had escaped.  Through a hole in the fence that I wouldn't be able to shove my foot through!  And he crammed all 120 lbs of himself through there and went back over to join the kids.  *sigh*  Obviously, Okii is not going to be able to stay at the office without people there to monitor him.  This was our first experience with the Malamute tendency towards escaping.  So, Okii came home with us and only returned to the office when I went to work.

The first time my parents met Okii, I recall my dad saying that he just felt that this dog had zero confidence in himself.  I'd never really thought of an animal having, or not having, confidence in them self.  But looking into Okii's eyes, you could see that he was totally unsure of what he should do.  He didn't know what treats were.  His only real experiences with a vehicle, according to the vet that knew him, was to go to the vet or being taken to the shelter.  So, we had our work cut out for us.  


It took an entire year, but Okii grew to be a magnificent addition to our family.  He absolutely adored Taylor, and watched over him like he was a crucial part of Okii's pack.  He always, always, watched anyone who was even playing with Taylor, to make sure that "his" boy was safe.

Over the next 6 years, Okii and Taylor were the best of friends.  Taylor was Okii's "boy", and Okii was Taylor first, and most precious, best friend.  We took Okii every where with us.  On camping trips across the state, to work, to Grandma's house, and more.  

We were learning some of the crazy traits of the Malamute, and realizing that we liked the silly things they do!  Okii's biggest problem was his on-going fear of thunder, or thunder-like noises.  He would break out of the yard if he heard the local hot air balloon coming.  He would dig out under the fence and run helter-skelter up and down the golf course.  We even found him dumpster-diving at the local grocery store during one particular storm.  He was enjoying a bag of pretzels when we pulled up.  

Okii was banished from one boarding kennel after he chewed through a chain link panel in an effort to entertain himself.  Yes, they did have to pay to repair the kennel panel.  I had the more expensive repairs....Okii's teeth.  He broke one of his canines off at the gum line during that episode.

We were blessed to enjoy Okii for just over 6 years.  Harold and I were lucky enough to hold Okii as he passed on, suffering cardiac arrest after an intestinal hemorrhage.  We were able to tell him we loved him as he left us.  And for that, I will always be grateful.  He was an amazing friend to our family, and he deserved to be loved all the way to the end.

Telling Taylor that his best buddy was gone, was the worst thing I've had to do.  He sobbed like his heart was broken.  It was.  We gave him the collar that Okii was wearing, and he wanted it hung on the wall in his bedroom.  For a long time, years, he would look at that collar and the tags, and huge tears would fall.  I know Harold and I were extremely sad to lose Okii, but Taylor was devastated, crushed.

Time has lessened the pain of losing Okii, but it hasn't completely erased the ache.  Taylor still misses his friend very much.  He still has the collar and tags in his bedroom, along with an 8" x 10" photo of Okii.

Okii died on June 12, 2004.  The very next day, June 13, a litter of Malamute puppies was born.  One little pup out of that litter was to come join our family in August.  I believe that Okii was there to tell this pup's spirit that a great family would take him and love him for all of his life.  Kuma came to us on August 9, and the saga continued.....

We still miss you.

Review - Pedi Paws

Ok, so recently I have been having a hard time trimming Kuma's nails.  They are so big (not long, just big) that they really don't fit through the opening in a normal pet nail trimmer.  I can fit the very tip through, but that is it!

So today I was running errands and stopped at Fred Meyer.  I happen to see the Pedi Paw package in the "As Seen On TV" section.  After tearing the package open in the aisle, I saw the the guard opening was big enough to fit Kuma's nails through.  I was thinking "Score!!!"  Yeah, not so fast.

The Pedi Paw runs on 2 C batteries.....no problem.  I have a kiddo, with a thousand toys, so we have batteries everywhere.  I loaded the batteries in and screwed the end back on and hit the on switch.  Nothing.  Turned the thing off and then back on.  Still nothing.  I rummage around and find 2 more C batteries, thinking maybe I happened to grab old ones (YES, Taylor does put old, dead batteries back in the new battery bin).  Insert new batteries, screw cap back on, and hit the power switch again.  Still nothing.  Really????  What in the heck?  How do I always manage to grab the broken/busted item?  I bang on the Pedi Paws for a minute and then jam MY nail through the guard to see what is going on.....bingo!  I now have a slightly ground corner on one of my acrylic nails.  *shrug*  At least the thing works.

Once I see that it is running, I get a hold of a sleepy Kuma.  I had already grabbed my good scissors, so when I sat on the floor with him, I was able to trim the long hair out of the way and get to his nails.  After trimming and trimming, I finally saw nails!  Aha!  So I grab the Pedi Paw machine and turn it on.  It doesn't make enough sound to bother the dogs, so that is a good thing.  Kuma doesn't mind noise since he is used to being groomed and having a dog dryer used on him.....now that is noise.  

After grabbing Kuma's big ol' hoof, I gently put his nail through the opening in the top guard cover.  The nail then is filed down by a rotating disk that is like a heavy grit sandpaper.  The nice thing about it is that the filing leaves a smoother edge than if I were to trim the nails using the normal guillotine type trimmer that just cuts the end of the nail flat.  If you have ever been scratched/pawed by a dog that just had it's nails trimmed that way, you definitely know what I am talking about.  Ouch!

The down side of this trimmer, at least for me, is that it lacks enough power to grind much of the nail off at once.  I guess for the average person who doesn't have experience with trimming nails, this might be a good thing.  It forces you to take small layer after small layer in order to actually get the nail shortened.  For an inexperienced nail trimmer, it will definitely help prevent the dreaded cut quick.  For me, having a big dog with thick nails, and being fairly experienced with nail trimming, it takes too long.  If you push too hard, trying to take a thicker layer of nail, the machine simply stops.  Not enough power to do more than thin layers.  You have to over-look the not-always-pleasant smell of ground nail dust too.  Kuma and Bella both went nuts smelling the tool when I finally gave him the ok to move.

Overall, it isn't a total waste of $20.  It should work fine for my 4 cats and my parents Lab.  It won't work for Bella though as she is waaaay too ticklish for me to hold on to her paws and slowly grind away.  If you have smaller nailed animals, Pedi Paws might just work for you.

Fall is Here!

Fall isn't just in the air, it is here!  I love this time of year, as the tree leaves change color and the evenings get cooler.  There are some trees down the road from our house, that turn the most gorgeous shades of red, orange, and yellow, each year.  They only turn colors for a few days and then are done and barren.  But during those few days, they almost glow.  The inside leaves seem to go to yellow and orange shades, while the outer leaves go to dark orange and various shades of red.  Every year I swear I am going to go get photos of these trees, but get busy and forget.  *sigh*  Alas, another year has gone by and I've missed an opportunity to photograph these beautiful trees.

My dogs are in heaven now that the fall season is upon us.  Kuma, being a woolly, is happiest when the weather is COLD!   Bella enjoys the cooler days, but does like to come inside at night.  After all, she is the princess you know.

    
Who doesn't like to play in the piles of leaves?!?!

There isn't anything quite like a warm blanket to snuggle with on a cold fall night!

I know that some of my friends who mush are getting very excited.  The cooler temperatures bring more days where they can get in some serious workouts.  Temps in the low 30's and below are desired for mushing workouts that can go a loooooong ways!  And the dogs love it!!  These are Alaskan Malamutes you know.  The colder it is, the happier they are.  Give them a job to do and they are in seventh heaven.  Remember, a tired Malamute is a good Malamute!


Thanks for stopping by!

HUGE Congrats to Lisa!

I also have to give a huge congratulations to my sister-in-law, Lisa.  She has secretly been training to run a half marathon!  She completed the race today and then announced to everyone that she had done it.  I am soooo proud of her for setting this goal and accomplishing it!  Way to go chickadee!!!  I know the entire family is extremely proud of you.

Way to go!  You inspire me :)

Sephora Delivery!

Ok, so I got home from work the other day and found a big ol' box sitting on my front porch.  I just knew it was all my goodies from Sephora.  I grabbed the box and tore into it like a little kid on Christmas morning!

*Gasp*

The colors!  Oh, the colors!  There are different colors of everything....eyeshadow, eyeliner, blush, lipstick, and lip gloss.

The first thing I opened was the Sephora Collection Endless Color Blockbuster.  If you like to play with lots of colors or experiment with different eye looks, this is a great kit.  For only $48, it contains 98 original eyeshadow shades, 70 lip glosses, 6 cream eyeliners, 2 lip liners, 3 eyeliner pencils, mascara, 2 blush and a bronzer, and small applicators.

As you can see from the photos, there are colors for every skin tone and individual taste!  And another great thing about the kit, is that it folds up to a nice compact box that would easily fit into a suitcase for travel.  No more having to select from a limited palette while on vacation.

The next thing I opened was the Sephora Collection Color Diary.  This is another fabulous kit with lots of color variety.  And with a price of $34, it provides a lot of bang for the buck.  It comes with 5 color palettes and an empty compact.  If you want to take one of the palettes with you, you simply pop the palette out of the kit, snap it into the compact, and you are ready to go.

Today I used the Meditation Retreat palette from this kit.  The color pay-off is fantastic!  It takes a small amount of product to get a great color result.  Many cheaper brands of make-up have a lower pigment content so you have to layer and layer and layer to get a decent color show.  No so with the Sephora line!  A little goes a long way.

Meditation Retreat is the palette with green and brown eyeshadows, peach blush, and a bronze lip gloss.

I used eyeshadow #1 on my brow bone as a highlighter.  #3 went across my lid and slightly into the crease.  #2 went in to the crease and was blended upward and out.

I then used Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Espresso Ink to thinly line the upper lash line and the outer 1/3 of the lower lash line.  Then eyelashes were curled and Make-Up Forever Smokey Lash Mascara was applied.  The combination of colors definitely brings out the green and brown in the iris of my eyes.

Thanks for stopping by!

Make-up and Malamutes

I am sure everyone is wondering WHAT make-up and Malamutes can possibly have in common.  It is really very simple.  Both make me happy!

I have battled major depression ever since my son was born in 1996.  Medication and counselling definitely help, but my animals are a huge source of comfort and laughter for me.  How can you NOT laugh at something like this?!?!

Kuma is a total mouth, and always, always, has something to say about everything! You don't even have to ask his opinion, you just get it.  It's hard to be sad with Kuma around.  He can talk you out of a bad mood!  He doesn't bark, but rather "talks" in a series of "woo's" "woo-woo's" and howls.

Bella is my princess.  She came to us as a 1-year-old rescue that had been picked up as a stray running loose.  It took time for her to relax and really blend in to our family, but now she thinks she is queen of this castle.  We tried, really tried, to keep her off the furniture.  To no avail.  She is a true princess and will not sleep on the floor.  She much prefers the comfort of a couch, with a pillow or blanket to rest her head on.

She does manage to share the couch with the kitties  Not all Malamutes get along with cats, but both of mine live harmoniously with the 4 in our home. Bella does, however, like to play games with Sulley, the cat on the right end of the couch.  She will pounce at him just to hear him hiss.  Other days, Sulley waits around corners, just to attack Bella as she walks by.  Kind of like human siblings!  Most of the time they just hang out together on one of the couches.

Now the make-up portion.  I love playing with cosmetics!!  On days when I am feeling down, putting on make-up can help pick me up and give me the confidence to leave the house.  I love the different textures and colors.  I love how you can use make-up to transform in to a whole different person or character.

My mom has always laughed at my bathroom.  "Who needs that much make-up???" She has asked me that question more times than I can count!  It can be hard to explain just why I need 10 different shades of brown eyeshadow.

I saw a video and blog entry that asks for people to create a make-up look based on "Myths and Legends".  I'm contemplating what my creation will be, but I do want to enter.  There will be different levels of awards, for those who are pros and then for people who, like me, are still doing it for fun.  The winners will get a really nice set of Hakuhodo brushes, which I wouldn't be able to afford on my own.  Some of the individual brushes sell for over $100 each.  Yikes!

I have some really cool new things on order from Sephora, and will share those things with you when they arrive.  I recently ordered a few things from MAC, and will review those items once I've had a chance to use them a bit.

Thanks for stopping by!