Saturday, 5/26 PM

Oy....what a day!  Funny, Caedran asked me earlier today if I was bored yet. I laughed out loud. How could I POSSIBLY be bored? The hours FLY here, faster than at home, if that is even possible, and yet, I cannot tell you how I fill them all. Just by being, I guess. I never have time for that at home.
And funny that today, the day she should ask me that (wait... I think now it was last night... oh no matter) I learned several valuable lessons. I'm thinking of making a list of those, a separate list: Lessons Learned In Alaska. Valuable for myself, if no one else!  Though I think that falls under the "retrospective" category, so I'll wait til I"m home to write them down.

Jack, Kaki's brother, even though they look NOTHING alike. Clearly, their mother
was a wandering hussy, who curried favor with more than ONE village
suitor.Jack and Kaki are both at the yard entrance, so they both greet you
when you come in, but Jack gives THE best hugs, hands down. If you hug him,
and then turn away, he hugs your back as you do so. Honestly, it doesn't
even feel like he is jumping on you, just HUGGING you with his long legs and paws!

 So, first lesson learned today was funny, once I confirmed one vital piece of information: Tricky is, indeed, fixed, and can only be shooting blanks. Good thing. Because as I was filling water dishes, after feeding and scooping the yard this morning, I suddenly heard some whining, persistent whining, from Miyuki.  I turned around to see her attempting to go in circles, but dragging Tricky along with her. Hmmm. I get closer, and stand there, totally puzzled. He wasn't humping her, he wasn't on top of her, he was totally "bum to bum" with her. AND, it appeared to me that his back left leg was, uh, missing? As in, it was lifted up, and I could not see his foot, anywhere. So, ok, I'm NOW thinking, "oh dear god, he has somehow gotten his foot entangled in her,  uh, private area." Like IN in her. I'm really trying to figure out how that happened, and what to do, and she's whining like she's in pain, or annoyed or something, so I get ahold of Tricky's collar, and tug him a little. Not much happens. I tug a little harder, hoping neither of them are going to bite me if I am causing them pain. Finally, I pull him free. Well, yeah, it wasn't his FOOT that was stuck in her. For SURE. Clearly, VERY clearly, other parts WERE. I'm not at all sure where his foot was that whole time, and I'm not sure what book he's been reading that suggested THAT position, but I could not confirm fast enough with Kristin that it was all just in fun, no babies were made. Tonight was even funnier (not that dog sex is normally particularly funny - just the "position" and the fact that I honestly thought he had lost his foot...).  It happened again, and THIS time I obviously knew what was going on (.. I'm thinking no Tricky in the kennel for awhile...), so I go over and gently attempt to separate them, not sure if you're supposed to or not, but it was pretty easy, so I guess it was ok? and Tricky then spent the next five minutes going around to Eewa, Yama and Yashi, all males, and letting them sniff his parts...I swear it was the equivilent of teenage boy lockerroom boasting!
     After dinner, I let Eewa loose to run for a bit, and boy, did he. Run and run and run and run. He loves the tennis ball. He would pick it up, throw his head up so the ball flew out of his mouth, and then run and chase it, grab it, do it all over again.


Not a great picture but I love how you can see he's running as he's about to round the corner!



Happy Eewa!

                                     Then, mistakes were made. I made a big mistake.

THAT was a piece of cake, and fun for both of us, so I decided to let Taki off to run after putting Eewa back.  I could avoid this telling this, pretend it never happened, but  I want Kristin to know so that she trusts me, trusts  that I will tell her the truth, even the bad or dumb things I've done.Thankfully, VERY thankfully, no one was hurt, and I learned a valuable lesson.  I let Taki off his chain and because he's in the back of the yard, and the dogs were already riled up because Eewa had been loose and running, they were circling, barking at Taki being loose. Taki was excited to BE loose, so he was loping around the yard like a crazy man, trying to get to the gate where I was headed. He went to jump over Kaki's chain, just as Kaki circled toward him, and Taki got caught, his back legs got caught, in Kaki's chain. I tried to reach down to pull him up and over, but Kaki then went the other way, encircling Taki's legs. That scared Taki, which then scared Kaki, and then both of them were snarling at each other. I could not get to either of them to get them loose. Thankfully, even though my brain was panicking, I did not, not outwardly. I talked to both of them pretty calmly, and quietly, which quieted them down and they both kept looking at me, like "Fix this, please, NOW."  Somehow, Taki ended up going into Kaki's doghouse, which was probably a good thing. Then I was able to slip Kaki's collar off, which let HIM loose, and then, Taki was freed. I got Kaki before he left the yard and put his collar back on him, and let Taki out of the yard. Then I checked Taki all over, completely, to make sure he wasn't hurt, or cut. He was fine, and ready to rock and roll, so off he went. I also checked Kaki, and he, too, appears to be fine from head to toe, and was giving me big slobbery kisses as though I hadn't let anything dumb and scary happen to him at all.

I swear they were playing both Tag, and Hide and Seek out there. So much fun to watch them.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Happy Taki (though his markings make him look more worried, than happy, but he was a very tired, happy dog. Honest.)

     So, the lesson learned from that was, even though the dogs are "friends," and all very friendLY, when one encroaches upon another's space, even accidentally, things can get ugly, quickly. I need to remember this, and be aware of this. I put a leash on him to take him back to his house, to keep a little more control over whose territory he was in, to be fair to the rest of the dogs, AND I took him in by another gate closer to his house, and only had to pass Miyuki, his sister, and Eewa, his brother,(Kaki is NOT related to him - I wonder if that makes a difference? It feels like it might?)  and Guiness, whom I don't think would hurt a fly.  It was easier that way. Far calmer, and I felt more like I was using my head. I love dogs, but there is a lot I don't know about keeping 14 of them, a lot I have to learn. I WANT to learn, but not at their expense. I need to think more, and act less with my heart. Thankfully, I feel pretty forgiven by all of them tonight, and will do better tomorrow.