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May 5, 2003
Spring is coming to the UP, slowly but surely.  There are still big patches of snow in the woods and snow piles in the yard, but it is definitely retreating.  The sun-filled, bug-free days have allowed us to get the house completely enclosed (windows and walls), to cut some new trails, and to get our spring cleaning done around the yard.  Ed rototilled the garden but I think it's a little early to start planting.  I'll wait until the twenty degree nights become less frequent before putting those fragile plants in the ground.  The dogs have enjoyed sun bathing and wrestling with each other, as well as digging huge holes looking for all those food scraps that they missed this winter.  I think there's a nightly digging contest that goes on in the kennel at night.  We often wake up to dirt flung across the dog yard and dog dishes filled with sand.
    Our four spring babies (Happy, Stuff, Nat, and Arlo born to Hedgie in March) are all doing great.  They are one of the bravest litters we have ever had.  They are about 6 weeks old and love to follow us all around the yard with out a care in the world.  They also love to kiss human faces and noses.  They bounce around like little rabbits with their fluffy puppy hair blowing in the breeze.  They are the reason we don't get our list of things to do completed everyday.  The puppies suck us into their pen with their cuteness and we end up spending the day snuggling with them!
    Ed is home this week again on his own because I am down state staying away from the dust and debris of the dog yard.  I had laser eye surgery done on Friday so I can be glasses-free!  I can return to the homefront on Wednesday once my eyes heal, so he'll have to do my share of the chores until then.  I hung my picture up in the puppy pen so they wouldn't forget who I was!  Even though I hate to be away for so long, it just wasn't worth the risk of being around the dust and getting an eye infection.  I think Ed secretly likes to be left alone so he can do his outdoor fun jobs like cutting and exploring new trails instead of having me around to pester him about doing more house construction.  The weather has been so nice that he can't resist working outside while the bugs are still hibernating!  I think the expected rain this week will drive him back under cover though.
    I'm off to the beach to collect some big drift wood pieces for the puppy pen.  The bigger puppies love sticks and they LOVE the smell of the driftwood.  Don't tell Ed that I'm down here going to the beach, he'll say that if I'm good enough to play, I'm good enough to come back to help feed the dogs!

June 15, 2003
Ok, Ok...I'll get a journal entry on here so ya'll know we are still working hard and not playing around too much this summer!  We've both started our summer jobs.  Ed is doing some grounds keeping at a friend's house in Munising.  He'll be busy roofing sheds, doing yard clean up and general maintenance all summer.  I call him the "pool boy", but he prefers "maintenance supervisor".  I'm the naturalist at Muskallonge Lake State Park, doing hikes and programs all summer for the campers.  The dogs are also doing their summer duties--sitting in the sunshine and cooling off in the shade.  I have our garden planted and I thought it as doing fantastic....until I came down to my parents house in lower Michigan to see how huge my dad's plants are.  I guess life in the UP not only moves slower, but the plants grow slower too.  Ed gets to use the computer as a "perk" from his summer job, so I've elected to put him on journal update duty...so I'm not sure what you'll be reading next.  I'll try to teach him how to keep things entertaining, but just let me know if he is not meeting everyone's standards.

July 13, 2003
This one is for Laura--our most dedicated reader who has been bugging us to write her some more stories.

Summer in the Kennel.  By Mole
    Tasha decided that it was time that we earn our keep during the summer.  And, since we can't pull the sled, run races, and take people like Laura for rides, she has decided that we need to start writing instead.  She asked around the kennel for volunteers, and most of the dogs just looked at her from under their shady platforms and said, "ya, right".  Peso said he'd do it, but he was reminded by Rock that he's too young to write--he gets his letters all mixed up.  In fact, he still spells his name like this: Passeoo.  He gets it all mixed up.  So, being the oldest girl in the kennel, (next to my sister Wesel, who spends far too much time sunbathing to get anything done) I told Tasha that I'd do it.  She knows that she can always trust me.
    The summer is always pretty relaxing around here for us dogs. The youngest puppies always get walked first in the morning (that's Nat, Happy, Stuff, and Arlo).  They are the most rambunctious, so they have to have long walks to burn off all their energy.   Arlo is becoming kind of bossy, so Tasha has to stand in the pen with him when he eats so he doesn't growl.  I told her to just let Prowler do it, but she said no because he might eat Arlo instead of just picking him up and squeezing his nose like she does.  Prowler is kind of old and grumpy that way with rambunctious puppies.
    After the youngest puppies are done, the older puppies (Peso, Girlfriend, Pie, Junior, and Hail) get to run around the kennel while Tasha cleans up.  (That's Peso)  They are pretty wild too and always try to jump in my barrel with me while I am trying to sleep.  They just don't understand that one dog per barrel is the limit, NOT 5!  They also love to get tackled by the big dogs (especially Peso), so they are constantly running through all the dog circles playing "catch-me-if-you-can"!  Unfortunately, they usually get caught and then they have to get rescued.  So immature.
    Once all the kennel is cleaned and the puppies are out of breath, we get fed.  FINALLY.  The humans just don't get how important food is to us, especially to ME!  I just love it.  I can barely control myself during the feeding time. Every time I hear that green wagon go clickety clickety down the trail, I think it's carrying food. Unfortunately, sometimes Tasha tricks us and carries other stuff and then we get really disappointed.  I know, I know, we only get fed twice a day, but you always hope that some days she will forget, and feed us three times, or maybe even four times!!!
    Lots of us get to do special things in the summer too.  Me and Sneeze get to go to Muskallonge Lake State Park sometimes for Tasha's dog program.  She's the ranger that does the programs and we get to be ranger dogs for the day.  We love to walk around and visit with all the campground dogs before the programs.  Tasha thinks I like the people, but I really like to go and see all the dogs.  I can't believe some of my relatives that are up there.  Some dogs have legs that are only 3 inches tall yet their bodies are really long.  Some dogs are such sissies that they won't go swimming, and others are so fat that they must get fed 10 times a day--their owners must forget a lot that they already got fed.  I wish I could spend some time with those owners!
But the programs are the best because everyone comes just to pet us.  I can't believe it.  There are so many people there and some are the same height as me.  Those little people are the best because usually I can lick their hands and get some good tasting treats like peanut butter or sausage grease.  And, the little people rub our ears the best.  They must know what it is like to be short and not able to reach your ears very well.  Tasha just talks and talks and shows some pictures of me but I don't know why she has that silly dog sled up there for the show.  Those little people look SO weird pretending they are dogs and trying to pull it up the hill, but there's now way I'm pulling it around in this heat!
    The park is fun, but hanging around here is the best.  Everyday, a couple of us grown up dogs get to run around the dog yard too so we can see our friends and talk.  I like to see my sister Weasel and I always make sure to stop by the puppy pen.  There's a rumor that some of our old friends like Honey, Chou Chou, and Grace live in a place in Wisconsin with a pool in their dog yard.  Weasel is organizing a bus trip so we can all go there for a pool party.  Don't tell Ed.  Tasha (the dog) and Xena found the best thing of the summer yet--a HUGE turtle.  It was living right next to Opal's house!  It was so cool!  But it's gone now, I guess it doesn't like all the commotion around here.  We are usually pretty quiet this time of year.  Except for in the evenings.  That is wresting and playing time.  The boys really get excited and they are usually playing "body slam tag" where they run around in their circles and slam against each other.  Boys are so weird.
    I'll tell Hiccup that it's her turn to write the story for next week.  She's a little bit younger (and not as smart) as me, so I'll help her practice before she writes.  I hope you liked my story.
    Your friend,  Mole

July 31, 2003
  By Hiccup--that's me--I'm better at poems because they are shorter than journal pages.  So here is what I wrote.
The Puppies
The puppies got sick.
It was really the pits.
They had to go to the vet.
They were really upset.
Happy was sad and Arlo was mad.
Stuff did the best,
Nat had to rest.
Now they're back home.
And my poem is done.  ( I couldn't think of a rhyme for that).

Yes, our puppies were really sick.  Our four and seven month old pups contracted parvo (a very serious viral disease that affects the lining around the intestines and/or heart ) in our kennel two weeks ago, and we've been fighting it vigorously.  I have no idea how we got it here or what happened in our vaccine schedule to make our pups susceptible, but they were.  We have four pups that are four months old and they were hit the hardest.  So needless to say, I was too busy nursing sick puppies to write a journal update.  Besides, it would have been a pretty sad entry if I had done it a week ago as we just weren't sure who was going to pull out of it, and who wasn't.  Happy was the first pup to get sick and she ended up being hospitalized for five days. We weren't sure what we had at the time until a parvo test was run on her and came back positive.  We then had two more very sick babies, so Arlo and Nat were the next to go in. They were both hit really hard.  Nat spent five days in, and Arlo nine. Stuff was the strongest and only had to spend a night just to get some extra fluids put in to here.  There is no cure for the disease itself, we were just trying to keep the inflammation and infection down and keep the pups hydrated.  During the time that our four month olds were in, our older pups started to get sick as well.  Three of the five just ended up with flu-like symptoms for a day or two, one never got sick at all, and one pup died within twenty four hours of getting sick.  It was very strange that she got sick so fast.  We had been able to nurse everyone else along for a couple days before we took them in, but it really hit Hail hard and fast.  That's one of the mysteries of parvo, why it strikes some dogs so much harder than others.

The good news is everyone is doing really well now.  None of our adult dogs ever showed any signs, so I think we are on the mend.  Our only concern now is that we have two litters of pups due in about three weeks and we don't want to expose them to the virus that could still be around our kennel until they are fully vaccinated and about 4-5 months old.  We have friends in Wisconsin who are taking one litter to raise (and return!) and are still in the process of placing the second mother.  It will be very hard not have the puppies here to play with, but we know it is in their best interest.

We are now just waiting for the weather to turn cooler so we can start fall training.  Out goal is always to start August first, but the forecast is for pretty warm and humid weather. It's too risky to take dogs out that will be crazed with excitement for their first run on a morning that is too warm.  So we will play the waiting game.

I hope the next entry brings better news of healthy puppies!

August 10, 2003
All pups are wild and sassy, so they must be feeling better!
As you can see, Happy is happily splashing in her water/bath dish! 
We are even able to take them for short walks and go on blueberry picking adventures.  The pups wrestle around and act as bear patrol while I pick berries.  There are endless amounts of wild blueberries and raspberries on or near our property, so I've been spending about an hour every day for the last week picking and picking until all I dream about is berries.  I just can't stand to think of all free fruit going to waste!  We have also been harvesting our small garden.  We dug the last of the potatoes today as well as some carrots, beans, and peas.  The garden is very close to the kennel, so the dogs have done a great job on deer patrol this summer.  Although, the puppies have been in trouble a few times for tearing though and knocking our precious plants down.
We are now playing the waiting game, anticipating the cool weather that will allow for fall training.  We reorganized the entire kennel into training teams today, as well as getting the quads all set, and gear organized. Now we only need mother nature to cooperate!  The dogs were all very excited to get new neighbors, and I can still hear some out wrestling eventhough it is about 11 pm.  Some act like they haven't seen each other in years as they wag their tails and give kisses.
I am headed to Duluth at the end of the week to deliver our two pregnant females
Momo and Raven 
to some foster puppy homes. We don't want to raise the puppies here where there is still a chance of the live parvo virus floating around, so we are going to give the Evavlod's and Silverstrini's the pleasure of raising the puppies for us.  We'll be able to take them back in December after they have completed their vaccination series and the sun (and by that time snow) has had a chance to cleanse the soil.  We'll miss not having them around here, but it's definately for the best.  I feel like I'm living in London during WWII and sending the children to the countryside for safety.

August 11, 2003
Mouse decided to write a short poem for the website, so I told him that I would make sure it got published.
I am Mouse,
I dig under my house.
Diggin is fun.
And I like to run.
I'm looking forward to winter,
Because I'm a fast sprinter.
I'm on Ed's team.
And he's never mean.

September 9, 2003

Our apologies for no updates.  We are still alive and well, and finally hooked into a satellite for internet service!!!  The world has come into our home!!!  We will now be able to frequently update the website, check email, and keep track of everyone else—provided the new computer doesn’t keep crashing.  The dog teams are still much more reliable than this new computer!  Ed’s so frustrated that he keeps putting me in charge, and I’m so frustrated, that I may just throw it out the window and let the puppies carry it around.  I’m sure we’ll get it all figured out someday! 

I’ll keep this update short, just so we can be sure that everything is in working order. I realize that some of the pictures that used to exist no longer do, so we’ll keep working on that.  I’m not the best computer wiz. 

I do have a puppy update.  Momo and Raven both had litters of eight!   Momo is living with Chris and Ingrid Evavold and family and she had 4 boys, 4 girls.  Raven is living with the Silvestrini family in Duluth and she had 5 boys and 3 girls.  Ed is very pleased with the boy to girl ration as we have had lots of girls in the past and he really wants the boys!  All mamas and babies are in good hands, although it’s very hard not to walk out the door and hold all of them.  It’s a good thing they were born in Duluth, or I would not have been able to let them go.  I know it’s for the best to have them far from home, but I sure do miss them and I haven’t even seen them yet.  Oh, I take that back.  I took Momo to Duluth on a Thursday, and she had the puppies that next day, so I was able to see her puppies and at least get my hands on them!  Pictures just don’t do them justice!! 

With some luck, I’ll get the website figured out and get more frequent journal entries!

September 10th, 2003
YES!!! I have become a computer whiz...after several frustrating days getting all the information transfered, I think we are on our way to success. 
Running dogs is so much more reliable than computer work!  Although, the weather hasn't been the most cooperative lately either.  We have only been able to do short runs (2-5 miles) because the weather has been so warm and humid.  My "B" team can handle the heat better than Ed's "A" team, but it is still not very relazxing to constantly watch for overheating instead of enjoying the run!  Hopefully this last warm dose of sunshine ripens the tomatoes in the garden, because that't the one good thing that could come of it!

We do have good news in the way of handlers...our friend from Duluth, Andrew Letzring (son of Matt and Paula Rossi) has joined us for the season.  He is such a great kid to have around.  He has a lot of mushing experience, so we can send him out with our teams and not worry about him at all.  He is also in the process of perfecting his carpentry skills as he works on building his hander cabin!  I keep having to talk him and Ed into getting back to our own house construction as well!  We are fully enclosed for the winter, but we do need some more insulation up as well as an operational wood stove!  The warm September weather has been spoiling us! 

I have added a couple of photos (since I know how to get these up and going again, I thought that I should show some off!)
  Demetri, father of Raven's puppies.  

October 7, 2003
I didn't realize how long it has been since I gave a journal update.  Even with the luxury of the computer in our home, I still slack off!  Well Momo is back at the kennel, so she'll have to keep me me in line.  Her puppies were done nursing, as were Raven's, so we took a trip to Duluth to pick up the mothers before they retaliate against their wild puppies!  The puppies are all pudgy little cuties, and I wish we could have brought them all home.  We'll pick them up in December when their vaccinations are all complete and parvo-protected!  I do have to admit that I miss them, but it is kind of nice knowing they are all getting more attention than we could give them here with dog training and me being on the road doing school programs and marketing.  When we went to pick up Raven, her puppies were just finishing their afternoon bath!  A little spoiled I'd say...that's ok, one can never spoil puppies enough.   I'll send a request to get some pictures so I can publish them on here.  There is lots going on with training and traveling, but you'll have to wait until next week to hear more because it's late and time to head to bed!

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