(originally written 1-10-2008)
Huskies are notorious for eating anything that comes into their line of vision. It doesn't matter if the item that strikes their fancy is something that one would consider edible or not. If it is there, chances are, your Husky is going to eat it.
Here is a laundry list of items that our Huskies have eaten just over the past year: cell-phones, boots (with steel toes, at that!), numerous shoes, a St. Brigid's cross (Sitka got that one with the help of my white Persian, Mr. Biggles, who knocked it off the wall to the floor where Sitka proceeded to consume it--a friend said, "Well, that gives new meaning to Holy Sh*t, doesn't it?"), the seat of my step-father's riding lawn mower (I am NOT kidding you--they DEVOURED it!), portions of the plastic swimming pools that we put out for them in the summer months, multiple toothbrushes, coffee mugs that I negligently left sitting on my deck, cable wires (see previous blog entry), several dog toys and stuffed animals, books, the collars off each other's necks, my mom's debit cards (were they planning on going shopping?), my stepfather's prescription glasses, and my prescription glasses (vision problems?).
I'm sure that there have been plenty of other items that they have consumed that I cannot remember at the present moment, but the moral of the story is this: if you treasure an item, do NOT leave it where your Husky can reach it. And believe me, they can reach a lot of places, so your best bet might be to place said item in a locked safe. Even then, I wouldn't become too complacent.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Houdini Dogs...Now You See Them, Now You Don't!
(originally written 1-10-2008)
Perhaps you have heard the term "Houdini dogs" used in connection with Siberian Huskies. If you have a Husky or know somebody who has a Husky, then you know first-hand what this means. It is quite possible to place a Sibe in a locked safe, only to return moments later to find that the dog has disappeared and is half way to Alaska.
Think I'm exaggerating? Let me relay a little story to you about Dougal and Maia.
Huskies are sneaky critters. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER become too complacent, thinking that your facilities are secure and that your canine friend has absolutely no way to get out. He or she will surprise you. I guarantee you.
You see, we have an 8-foot privacy fence surrounding our back yard. At the gate, we have an additional chain-link gate. Yes, that is TWO gates. We have the electrical wiring running the length of the fence, keeping the dogs from digging around the bottom. We thought we had all of our bases covered. A long time had passed. Our dogs were not going anywhere without us. Heck, they never even tried to get out, so we had nothing to worry about, right?
WRONG. Just prior to Christmas, these two canine Macgyvers found a way out. They had pulled the vent covers off the crawl space area in the back yard, went through the crawl space under the house, then pushed to vent covers off at the front of the house, and then they were FREE! I became aware when I looked out back and saw their puppy, Natasha, by herself, then heard a commotion out front. I walked out on the front porch to find that the two of them were standing at the foot of a tree looking up...at one of my cats. Dougal and Maia were having a ball. Ariel, my favorite kitty, was not so amused.
I spent around 30 minutes rounding up the escapees. Dougal is fairly laid back...as far as Huskies go, so he was pretty easy to capture. Maia, on the other hand, is the poster canine for Ritalin. She would run toward me, and just when I thought I had her, she would dodge away at the last minute. It was great fun for her, but as I was in shorts, a t-shirt, and Birkenstocks without socks, I reached a point where my feet were numb from the cold, and I was starting to adopt Ariel's "not so amused" attitude. After a while, I finally managed to capture her.
Dougal and Maia spent the remainder of the day in Alcatraz, aka their kennels. I think I heard the theme song for "Cops" playing in the background. This is not as harsh as it sounds. I mean, they have covered kennels with insulated dog houses, complete with fresh food and water, and they even have toys. You would think I had confined them to Dante's lowest level of Hell based on the initial howling I heard from them.
We did some temporary patching of the vents, but we kept a closer vigil after that. And we have learned something. Never underestimate a Siberian Husky!
Perhaps you have heard the term "Houdini dogs" used in connection with Siberian Huskies. If you have a Husky or know somebody who has a Husky, then you know first-hand what this means. It is quite possible to place a Sibe in a locked safe, only to return moments later to find that the dog has disappeared and is half way to Alaska.
Think I'm exaggerating? Let me relay a little story to you about Dougal and Maia.
Huskies are sneaky critters. NEVER, I repeat, NEVER become too complacent, thinking that your facilities are secure and that your canine friend has absolutely no way to get out. He or she will surprise you. I guarantee you.
You see, we have an 8-foot privacy fence surrounding our back yard. At the gate, we have an additional chain-link gate. Yes, that is TWO gates. We have the electrical wiring running the length of the fence, keeping the dogs from digging around the bottom. We thought we had all of our bases covered. A long time had passed. Our dogs were not going anywhere without us. Heck, they never even tried to get out, so we had nothing to worry about, right?
WRONG. Just prior to Christmas, these two canine Macgyvers found a way out. They had pulled the vent covers off the crawl space area in the back yard, went through the crawl space under the house, then pushed to vent covers off at the front of the house, and then they were FREE! I became aware when I looked out back and saw their puppy, Natasha, by herself, then heard a commotion out front. I walked out on the front porch to find that the two of them were standing at the foot of a tree looking up...at one of my cats. Dougal and Maia were having a ball. Ariel, my favorite kitty, was not so amused.
I spent around 30 minutes rounding up the escapees. Dougal is fairly laid back...as far as Huskies go, so he was pretty easy to capture. Maia, on the other hand, is the poster canine for Ritalin. She would run toward me, and just when I thought I had her, she would dodge away at the last minute. It was great fun for her, but as I was in shorts, a t-shirt, and Birkenstocks without socks, I reached a point where my feet were numb from the cold, and I was starting to adopt Ariel's "not so amused" attitude. After a while, I finally managed to capture her.
Dougal and Maia spent the remainder of the day in Alcatraz, aka their kennels. I think I heard the theme song for "Cops" playing in the background. This is not as harsh as it sounds. I mean, they have covered kennels with insulated dog houses, complete with fresh food and water, and they even have toys. You would think I had confined them to Dante's lowest level of Hell based on the initial howling I heard from them.
We did some temporary patching of the vents, but we kept a closer vigil after that. And we have learned something. Never underestimate a Siberian Husky!
The Cableman Always Rings Twice
(originally written 10-12-2007)
Or three times. Or four. Or five. At least, that's the case when you have Maya the Destroyer on the job, chewing through cable lines.
You might be thinking, "But she doesn't look like a destroyer." Don't let that innocent face and those baby blue eyes fool you. Maya could demolish an armored car in sixty seconds flat. Oh, she's a sweetheart, as far as her personality goes. She's one of the sweetest, most loving dogs I've ever met, but I'm not about to let my cell phone get anywhere near her. She ate my step-father's cell phone once. She's chewed up a few of his boots, too.
And that brings me back to the cable lines. What does one do when the cable TV goes out? Call the cable company, naturally. When Charter sent their repairman out, he approached the back yard cautiously. Although all of the dogs had been put into their kennels prior to his arrival, I suppose he found the howling, dog house jumping, yodeling canines a bit intimidating. He quickly discovered the source of the TV viewing problems...cable lines chewed nearly in half. Obviously, a Husky was responsible, but how did we come to the conclusion that Maya was the culprit?
First, consider Maya's history of demolition. Then, there is the proximity of the cable lines to her kennel. However, the evidence was inconclusive. The cable was fixed, and television restored to the household. For a time. Until it went out again.
This time, Maya the Destroyer was caught in the act. The cable guy came out. Again. I can imagine the conversation back at the office. "It's those crazy Siberian people again...yeah, dog ate the cable line again." They probably have a repairman on standby just for our address!
The question I have is why Maya repeatedly chooses to chew on the cable line when there are plenty of other interesting things for her to chew on out there. And electricity does exist out in the kennels...there are lights and fans in each kennel. My only theory is that she feels if she can't have cable television out in her kennel, then nobody else should have it! After all, a dog should be able to watch the newest episodes of "Meercat Manor" and "Animal Cop," shouldn't she?
Thar She Blows!
(originally written 10-8-2007)
It's that time again...the dogs are starting to blow their coats. Keep in mind that these dogs shed like crazy year-round, and your clothes are generally going to be adorned with decorative Siberian fringe. However, when coat-blowing times hits, look out! The yard starts to look like a cotton field of Husky undercoat, and if the slightest breeze is blowing, you might find yourself caught in a blizzard of fuzz.
The thing that amazes me the most, though, is that I will brush these dogs every day, sometimes several times a day, and huge clumps of hair, handfuls of hair come out each time, and they STILL have bodies full of hair left. With all of the hair coming out, you would think they would be as bald as my father-in-law.
A few days ago, Dougal, my big white boy, leaned his head down to check out a particular piece of hair that I had brushed off his back. When he looked back up at me, a long piece of fur was attached to just under his chin, looking like a long white beard. That, coupled with the big grin on his face, sent me into fits of laughter. He looked like a cross between a canine Santa Clause and a turban-less Al-Qaida member, except he hasn't used Just for Men like the latest video of Osama bin Laden shows. Well, that, and I doubt Osama bin Laden grins like a Siberian Husky...he doesn't have their good nature!
But back to the coat blowing...the next few weeks mean that I will be sporting a fashionable Husky fur shirt and trousers wherever I go, and the dogs might look a bit ragged around the edges until they finish blowing coat. IF we are lucky enough, though, to actually enjoy a winter season this year (lately I have been despairing that it will be forever warm), the dogs will grow their winter coats, and when they are in "full coat," they are absolutely glorious to behold.
In the meantime, maybe I'll collect that undercoat and knit some scarves, after all.
It's that time again...the dogs are starting to blow their coats. Keep in mind that these dogs shed like crazy year-round, and your clothes are generally going to be adorned with decorative Siberian fringe. However, when coat-blowing times hits, look out! The yard starts to look like a cotton field of Husky undercoat, and if the slightest breeze is blowing, you might find yourself caught in a blizzard of fuzz.
The thing that amazes me the most, though, is that I will brush these dogs every day, sometimes several times a day, and huge clumps of hair, handfuls of hair come out each time, and they STILL have bodies full of hair left. With all of the hair coming out, you would think they would be as bald as my father-in-law.
A few days ago, Dougal, my big white boy, leaned his head down to check out a particular piece of hair that I had brushed off his back. When he looked back up at me, a long piece of fur was attached to just under his chin, looking like a long white beard. That, coupled with the big grin on his face, sent me into fits of laughter. He looked like a cross between a canine Santa Clause and a turban-less Al-Qaida member, except he hasn't used Just for Men like the latest video of Osama bin Laden shows. Well, that, and I doubt Osama bin Laden grins like a Siberian Husky...he doesn't have their good nature!
But back to the coat blowing...the next few weeks mean that I will be sporting a fashionable Husky fur shirt and trousers wherever I go, and the dogs might look a bit ragged around the edges until they finish blowing coat. IF we are lucky enough, though, to actually enjoy a winter season this year (lately I have been despairing that it will be forever warm), the dogs will grow their winter coats, and when they are in "full coat," they are absolutely glorious to behold.
In the meantime, maybe I'll collect that undercoat and knit some scarves, after all.
Put Away Your Cashmere...There's a New Sweater Material in Town!
(originally written 7-14-2007)
The other day, I came across a book title that I knew I had to purchase, Knitting with Dog Hair. Forget the fact that I don't knit. I was intrigued. How, exactly, does one go about knitting scarves, mittens, and even sweaters with the hair of one's faithful companion? I had to find out.
The process of collecting, harvesting, washing, carding, spinning, and then knitting your Poochy Parka is about as labour intensive as growing and harvesting your own personal 20 acre garden using 18th century technology. Let's assume that you actually have TIME left over after caring for and feeding your pets.
First, there is the grooming of your dog. Now, this is something that has to be done anyway, but if you want to recycle Fido's hair into a pair of socks, you need to be prepared with a bag or something so you can collect the hair. Okay, so far so good. Next, however, is WASHING the fur. Reading the instructions, which claim this is a simple task, it occurred to me that washing the hair while it's still attached to a live, wiggly dog would be easier. Wash, wash, wash...several times, then rinse all the soap out, etc. THEN, you have to put all the hair out on towels to dry. Just who has extra room for that?
Let's assume you've made it this far, and it's still the 21st century. Next, you must card the washed and dried hair. I'm not sure I understand this process because reading about it was about as tedious as I imagine actually doing it is. After you've bored yourself stupid carding the hair, you must actually SPIN it into yarn. This is where having a long-haired breed or a breed with lots of undercoat, like the Huskies, is an advantage. It also involves actually buying a spindle or making a drop spindle. Making one...yeah.
Okay, so let's say that someone who is really dedicated or someone who really has A LOT of time on her hands has gotten this far. It is now time to knit that sweater or scarf or mittens or socks or whatever, using yarn spun from the loose hair of your best friend. How cool is that?
I had thought about taking up knitting and imagined that I could knock out half of my Christmas list by giving Dougal hair scarves, Sitka hair socks, and maybe even a Loki hair sweater, Prancer hair ear muffs, or Xena hair mittens. After reading all of those instructions, however, I believe that I will stick with simply brushing the dogs, and giving gift certificates to the people on my holiday list. I think we'll all be much happier that way!
The other day, I came across a book title that I knew I had to purchase, Knitting with Dog Hair. Forget the fact that I don't knit. I was intrigued. How, exactly, does one go about knitting scarves, mittens, and even sweaters with the hair of one's faithful companion? I had to find out.
The process of collecting, harvesting, washing, carding, spinning, and then knitting your Poochy Parka is about as labour intensive as growing and harvesting your own personal 20 acre garden using 18th century technology. Let's assume that you actually have TIME left over after caring for and feeding your pets.
First, there is the grooming of your dog. Now, this is something that has to be done anyway, but if you want to recycle Fido's hair into a pair of socks, you need to be prepared with a bag or something so you can collect the hair. Okay, so far so good. Next, however, is WASHING the fur. Reading the instructions, which claim this is a simple task, it occurred to me that washing the hair while it's still attached to a live, wiggly dog would be easier. Wash, wash, wash...several times, then rinse all the soap out, etc. THEN, you have to put all the hair out on towels to dry. Just who has extra room for that?
Let's assume you've made it this far, and it's still the 21st century. Next, you must card the washed and dried hair. I'm not sure I understand this process because reading about it was about as tedious as I imagine actually doing it is. After you've bored yourself stupid carding the hair, you must actually SPIN it into yarn. This is where having a long-haired breed or a breed with lots of undercoat, like the Huskies, is an advantage. It also involves actually buying a spindle or making a drop spindle. Making one...yeah.
Okay, so let's say that someone who is really dedicated or someone who really has A LOT of time on her hands has gotten this far. It is now time to knit that sweater or scarf or mittens or socks or whatever, using yarn spun from the loose hair of your best friend. How cool is that?
I had thought about taking up knitting and imagined that I could knock out half of my Christmas list by giving Dougal hair scarves, Sitka hair socks, and maybe even a Loki hair sweater, Prancer hair ear muffs, or Xena hair mittens. After reading all of those instructions, however, I believe that I will stick with simply brushing the dogs, and giving gift certificates to the people on my holiday list. I think we'll all be much happier that way!
The Tell-Tale Eyes
(originally written 7-10-2007)
Take a good look at the stuffed frog in the photo with Prancer for you will never see it again. Not because Prancer disliked the frog. Oh no. He quite enjoyed it and loved posing with it on his back. He's a camera ham that way.
Prancer also loved the frog. It was on the back porch, his "lair" along with other Prancer toys that he cherished and his favourite chair that he co-opted for his very own. Yep, Prancer has quite a cushy little pad there!
One day, however, my mom came out onto the back porch and discovered the frog's eyes lying on the floor. Not the frog itself, nor any other sign of the frog. Just the EYES. Oh no.
Venturing further outside and onto the deck, signs of a struggle began to appear...bits and pieces of green and stuffing. There were signs also of a break-in. It looked like some of the other dogs had invaded Prancer's space and apparently absconded with the frog. Sure enough, there it was out the yard...stuffing strewn from one end to the other, pieces of green fabric. Nothing was left to indicate that a frog had ever existed.
Only the EYES, the tell-tale eyes, removed for some reason known only to their canine minds and left on the back porch to stare in stuffed amphibious accusation.
The Pack Antics Continue...
(originally written 7-9-2007)
After months of not blogging, I am finally back. I was dealing with a bum computer that kept shutting down on me...it was almost as stubborn as the dogs.
I have also added Sitka, the Silly Siberian, to the pack, and she keeps us all busy! So far, she has eaten part of my carpet, a St. Brigid's cross, some doll furniture, a catnip toy--dogs don't react the same way as cats, incidentally--a few paintbrushes, a book of Russian short stories--getting back to her roots, maybe?--and other miscellaneous items. And she's only 5 months old!
The pack is up to their usual antics. Xena is in heat, and Loki and Prancer are circling one another like members of the Jets and Sharks. Dougal is no longer part of that macho posturing since he has come down the street to live at my house. He is enjoying his new role as Alpha Male, and I swear his chest is puffed up more than it was in the past. Between Sitka and him, my little Shih Tzu, Wiggles, now thinks that he is also a Siberian Husky, and THAT is an interesting sight to behold, let me tell you!
And stupidity prevails among the patrons of the local Petsmart where I was recently picking up some items with Sitka in tow. As I passed a group of women, they backed up in apparent fear, and I heard one of the say after I passed, "That's one of those wolf-dogs." Bless her heart...I guess she's never seen a Siberian Husky in person, or at least never seen Snow Dogs or Eight Below. If ignorance is bliss, she must be a really happy person.
After months of not blogging, I am finally back. I was dealing with a bum computer that kept shutting down on me...it was almost as stubborn as the dogs.
I have also added Sitka, the Silly Siberian, to the pack, and she keeps us all busy! So far, she has eaten part of my carpet, a St. Brigid's cross, some doll furniture, a catnip toy--dogs don't react the same way as cats, incidentally--a few paintbrushes, a book of Russian short stories--getting back to her roots, maybe?--and other miscellaneous items. And she's only 5 months old!
The pack is up to their usual antics. Xena is in heat, and Loki and Prancer are circling one another like members of the Jets and Sharks. Dougal is no longer part of that macho posturing since he has come down the street to live at my house. He is enjoying his new role as Alpha Male, and I swear his chest is puffed up more than it was in the past. Between Sitka and him, my little Shih Tzu, Wiggles, now thinks that he is also a Siberian Husky, and THAT is an interesting sight to behold, let me tell you!
And stupidity prevails among the patrons of the local Petsmart where I was recently picking up some items with Sitka in tow. As I passed a group of women, they backed up in apparent fear, and I heard one of the say after I passed, "That's one of those wolf-dogs." Bless her heart...I guess she's never seen a Siberian Husky in person, or at least never seen Snow Dogs or Eight Below. If ignorance is bliss, she must be a really happy person.
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