The Dogs of Bacon's Acres

There is a lot I do not know about some of these dogs. I know I will get SOME information wrong, and I know I am leaving out a lot. I intend to take a lot more pictures, especially when the yard dries out a little, and save them, post them when I get home, when I know more about their origins, their history. What I know, the little I know, for now, I will post.

This is Kaki. He's a "village dog," though I cannot remember from WHAT village.
He's a total goofball, friendly, lovable, and such a joy to be greeted by when you firstopen the kennel gate in the morning. I adore him,

AHHHHH - I just realized I left out JACK, whose house is in between Kaki's and Charlie's. Oh no!  Poor Jack. I think I accidentally deleted his picture from the file, and will make sure his is the FIRST one I post next time. He's such a cool dog, too. The yard's best hugger.

 

This is Zumi - her name means "Hedgehog" in Japanese (I THINK they are all
Japanese. I will feel pretty stupid if I got THAT wrong, but I'm pretty sure
that's what she told me.) Anyway, I wish you could see her coloring. I will have to
do a better job next time, on a sunnier day. She is a mixture of the coolest colors:
brown, but not really a brown - almost more of a copper, with silver? And cream.
SO pretty. And a VERY cool "singer" when she's next for her food!

This is Raven. She had a Japenese name, that I think MEANT Raven anyway,
but she just gets called Raven. She's a sister to Zumi. VERY pretty, very sweet, but VERY wild-girl.
I think she has ADHD. She really can't stop moving. Which is actually GREAT, since she's meant to
be moving!

Kazi. A brother to Zumi and Raven. I can't remember what his name means. He is the
last in the kennel to get fed, because of his placement, but is a pretty patient guy.
I like him a lot. Kinda nutty, but not knock you off your feet, nutty. Also, apparently in Kazi's
world, you can't have water in your bowl. The MINUTE I fill his bowl with water,
he picks it up with his teeth and dumps or throws it.
I even REfilled it this morning, just to see, and yep: teeth grab, throw. Silly boy.
He will need a water dish hooked to the side of his house, I guess. Most of them
have that anyways, but he just got moved the other day before Kristin left.

THIS is Charlie. He's one of my favorites. I think he was a Ryan Reddington dog?
I like him because he is shy, and when you first come in the kennel, or go to reach for
his bowl to fill it, he scoots away from you. Sometimes he even goes into
his house. You would think he was not social, and would prefer to be left alone.
But it's really not true. He is SUCH a lover, when you just give him a little
bit of time and space. If you don't rush him, don't crowd him, pretty soon he's out there
asking for kisses, pets, and hugs as much as the rest of them. And loves it. I swear he
smiles. Shy, but loving.

Eewa. One of the pups!  He is, to me, a lot like Kazi. Big, loving, a little hyper,
as one year olds will be (just large puppies, still, really), but not TOO
crazy. Loves to be loved, like they all do.

Ah, Berkley. I am going to have to do some research on her when I get
home, and can read my Jeff King, Cold Hands, Warm Heart, book that
I bought, and for some unknown reason, never read. She was a Jeff
King dog, which, if you know ANYTHING about the Iditarod, you
will know that Jeff King was one of the top, top mushers, THE guy to beat,
for awhile. He won 1st place in '93, '96, '98, and '06.  I think Berkley came, most
recently, from Jake Berkowitz, but she was originally on King's Iditarod teams, and
was a top dog for him. She is a little bit of a conundrum for me. She's VERY sweet, and loving
BUT... standoffish and shy at times. She has a bark that is unlike the other dogs- more of a
"come near me and I'll rip you to pieces" kind of bark, and yet, she doesn't mean it.
She acts shy? Almost like she is afraid of you, and yet, she doesn't cringe, and I KNOW she
hasn't been abused. And when she's fed, she's VERY lovey. Need more time to figure
her out, but I really like her.

Miyuki. She's CRAZY!  No, not in a bad way. In a totally GOOD way. She's funny, and
has a sense of humor, and loves, loves, loves to play. She and Tricky are BEST friends,
and the two of them together make the best noises when they play. Tricky has a play "growl" kind of noise
that I only hear from him when he plays with her. She can not WAIT for her turn to be fed - comes
to the end of her collar/chain, and almost swings around on it, waiting. She, along with Raven and Zumi, are
on the smaller side, as girls from that litter. I would love to let her, or any of the girls, in the house with me,
but she's been in heat, and is clearly still there, so, I'll pass!

Just behind Miyuki in the yard is one of her brothers, Yama. I call both
Yashi-Nomi (means Coconut), behind him, and him, the two "wild men" of
the kennel. They are big, and enthusiastic about EVERYTHING. Eating, playing,
jumping up, kissing you, EVERYTHING. I LOVE their enthusiasm, and can only imagine
that they must be pretty enthusiastic sled dogs as well. I am going to let them loose (one at a time)
tonight to let them run off a bit of their energy. I'm looking forward to it, as I think
it will be fun for them, AND for me to watch!

And this is Mr. Coconut, the other "wild man" of the kennel. He's GORGEOUS.
They all are, obviously, but there is SOMETHING about that all white (actually,
far more of a creamish-yellow) color that I am drawn to. Same color as
my Anvik. I know it's common. And I don't love him more than anyone else, but I do
love him a lot.
I guess there is something about EACH of them that I like a lot, and for
Yashi, besides his great personality, it's his beautiful color.

This is Taki. I think she said it meant "talker." Which is kind of funny, since whenever I get close to feeding
Taki, Kobe next to him, starts "talking."  I love Taki. He's beautiful. He's a good boy. He loves to kiss, and clearly let me know that, had I left my earrings on after the first day, they would have been part of his next supper.
I took the hint, and took them off! I love his facial expression, and his tail, in this one. Can't wait to let
him have a turn running, too.

I love, love, love this dog. He is the BEST singer in the whole kennel. He has
a totally unique voice. He "half" sings when I'm feeding Taki, and, if the moose is
around, or dogs in the neighboring (but far off - not close) kennels are howling, he
adds his voice. He is a little on the skinny side, which always makes me want
to fatten him up. And although he could stand to put on a little weight,
MY inclinations to give everybody "just a little bit more," are not good for the
dogs. Probably one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn this week.
(Though I now VERY CLEARLY see why my own dogs are SO overweight and
downright fat.They really DON"T need half as much as I feed them, especially
since my own dogs are total couch potatoes. I'm going to bring this lesson
home, and feed my own less, to take better care of them)

And then, there's Guiness. Ah, Guiness. I am pretty sure she will be 9 this summer. And, strangely, I know that first-hand, and can mark her birthday by the Graduating Senior Class, the FIRST class I ever studied the Iditarod with. Guniness was a part of that. She is, actually, a HUGE part of my heart. I told you there 's a story about her. Trying to pull a few of the old pieces of it together before I tell it, so I can tell it right. In the meantime, I am enjoying giving her so much love. She is a sweetheart. Totally calm, because of her age, and a total total sweetheart of a dog. I would LOVE to have her on my couch. She gives VERY gentle kisses, lots and lots of them. She loves to lay on top of her doghouse and be petted. She loves having her belly rubbed. She is the Guardian of the Yard, though. The one who barks when there is an occasion for barking. Not randomly, not annoyingly, just the one to let you know SOMETHING is going on, or maybe it should just be meal time, or something. Not loud, not a lot, not even persistent. But she definitely has one eye open on what's going on, all the time.
Even if there was no prior attachment to this particular dog, I think my heart would still be drawn to her because of her absolute sweetness, her gentleness, her goodness. She's open, and trusting, not shy, not hyper, just calm and happy. Definitely gettting older, but has been a good dog in several Iditarods, several Alaska Sweepstakes, etc. She's paid her dues, for sure. Hopefully, her instincts and wisdom will be a help to Kristin in training the puppies. And when she's done, I'm already working out how to get her home to rest under my apple tree in my back yard. I want this to be the LAST dog yard she is in. How fortunate she ended up here, with Kristin.