Christmas Hounds

We begin each holiday season with the annual "Lighting of the Christmas Hound." Gus looks slightly annoyed because we interrupted him while he was chewing up the extra lights.

Molly the Bluetick, age 14 1/2, is our oldest hound. Therefore, she had the distinction of being the only hound not to be kenneled while we opened presents on Christmas morning. She thanked us by peeing on the carpet right in front of the tree before we opened the first gift!

Amanda, Alyssa and I posed without the hounds in front of the tree. I can't imagine why we got the photo on the first try.

About 20 takes later, we ended up with this shot including the three hounds.

Molly relaxing on the new dog bed on Christmas Eve. She and Dimond Willow ate the old one the night before.

Three peaceful hounds. This lasted for approximately 3.5 minutes. Then it erupted into a Wrestle-Mania event.

And finally, a relative thinks he can hold back a bloodhound. It never works!

Christmas in Fairbanks, Alaska with the hounds. Always entertaining!

Whose Bed Is It Anyway??

Edie got up to get a cup of coffee and she seriously expected to have a spot on the bed? Really. Humans are so dumb.

By the way, that IS a queen size bed, you know.

Why my lawn chair smells like dog...

How to Study for a Test

The following are the ingredients for successfully studying for an upcoming test:

1. Start the fire in the stove

2. Add one spotted coonhound, snoring loudly while snoozing upon her back

3. Add one baying bloodhound in the background

4. Include one set of earplugs

5. Attempt to ignore hounds

6. Focus, focus, focus

7. Then move to your bedroom, close door tightly, continue to study

Moose Tracking 101

Often when out for a walk, Gus the bloodhound happens upon fresh moose tracks. This is a splendid opportunity for him to display his tracking skills. Gus was tracking this moose at temperatures hovering around 10 degrees above zero. If I had let go of the leash, I have no doubt that he would have found that moose!

Old Molly hound was also tracking that moose, baying her progress to us. And where was Dimond Willow?? Well, she tracked herself right up to a big pile of moose poop, and was busily dining upon it. She had no interest in going any further.

Playing Catch-up

Wow. It's been a long time. As usual, I've been up to my eyeballs in stuff to do. Teaching 2nd graders all day, teaching a reading class in the After School Program, assistant coaching the Lathrop Ballroom Dance Team AND hauling my 9th grade daughter to basketball practices and games, not to mention taking care of the hounds. Whew. But it is all fun, and I'm having a blast! So here is a little photo montage to start bringing you up to date...

Starting with my goofy children getting ready for the Halloween Carnival.

And a little hound snuggling.

Can't forget a cold, dark Alaskan afternoon photo.

And Molly helping us get ready for Black Friday Power Shopping!

"Who ARE you and what are you doing on MY couch?" the customary line from Gus...

I can't finish up without a little SoundHoundz entertainment, so here it is! Dimond snuffles her new dog bed and grumbles at Gus for getting into her business.

Next installment: Thanksgiving, Christmas, delightful Alaskan weather, crazy hound-dogs and more goofy children!

Thinking of Summer

It's starting to get a little chilly. About 10 below zero at night. Been thinking about getting out the winter coat and maybe a hat, but I'd rather pretend it's still summer. Gloves are for sissies!

I was just looking through iphoto, and found this video from last summer. In this video, I was trying to comment on Marmalade's blog. This is pretty much a typical afternoon with the dogs. Right now, picture the same scenario, only the girls are trying to practice the cello with Dog WrestleMania happening under their feet. Never a dull moment in our house!

Whoa, Dude!

I do believe Gus the Bloodhound thinks he is really a Jack Russell Terrier. What do you think??

(The background sounds are Molly the Bluetick barking and the television)

Drool, Part 2

Gus came in the house with a third eyebrow, much to my surprise.

He is very creative with saliva.

Drool for You!

Marmalade, Bentley and Wimsey have posted fabulous shots of the most spectacular of bloodhound traits...drool. As a bloodhound, I produce copious amounts of spit as well. Here is my first post regarding this most important matter.

More posts will follow.

Game on, Marmalade!!

---The Gusinator--

Alaska- Extreme Weather Only, Summer Version

What a beautiful summer we have had this year! Temperatures consistently in the 70's to upper 80's, and almost no rain at all. Combine that with 24 hours of daylight and it sounds perfect, doesn't it? Well, not quite. With all the hot, dry weather comes a lot of lightning. Combine that with millions of acres of dry timber and you've got a bit of a problem. Right now that means over 1.3 million acres of forest fires surrounding us here in Fairbanks, Alaska. We have been beyond fortunate though, as the winds have not been blowing the smoke right into the Tanana Valley as they usually do all summer during an active wildfire season.  We have had sporadic smokey days, and only a few orange and red air quality alerts. The last week has been the worst of it, but it isn't too bad so far. The forecast is for continued warm and dry weather through the next several days, with smoke. The fires closest to Fairbanks are the Minto Flats South Fire at 245,000 acres, about 40 miles away and the Wood River Fire, about 27 miles south of Fairbanks. Here are some photos taken along the Parks Highway near Denali National Park on July 4th. Even though it was very warm, we had to keep the windows closed because the smoke made it hard to breathe. 

The camera lens definitely cuts through the smoke, but you can get an idea of what it looks like.

On Wednesday, we watched smoke roll in from the Minto Flats South Fire about 3 p.m.  I stood on the sidewalk in front of Gulliver's Books and took a picture to the east, and then immediately turned and took a picture to the west. You can see a very dramatic wall of smoke rolling in over the hills!

Later that evening we went to Amanda's softball game after the smoke had descended upon the city. These were taken about 8:30 pm. That funny spot near the people in the center is a big chunk of falling ash.

We were all covered in ash by the end of the game! Here's a shot of the roof of the car:

By midnight some of the smoke was gone, but an orange haze has been hanging over us each day. When you open the door or a window it smells like you are right next to a campfire.  Small amounts of ash continue to fall from the sky, reminding us of snowflakes. Not a happy image this time of year! 

However, no one is complaining. This is nothing compared to the Boundary Fire of 2004 which began mid-June and lasted until the snow fell in September that year. We were covered in smoke from the end of June until August. It was in the 80's most days and because the air quality was so bad we were advised to keep the windows closed every day and to limit outdoor activity. Which wouldn't have been so bad, except homes do not have air conditioning up here in Fairbanks.  It was hot and miserable 24 hours a day. The southern border of the Boundary Fire was just about 5 miles from our house, so we had to be ready to evacuate for several weeks. That fire alone ended up burning over 537,000 acres. The wildfire total for the entire state that same year was 6.2 million acres. That was a very scary time for us.

In Alaska the weather is ALWAYS extreme, it seems. From bone-chilling cold in the winter to hot and desert dry with smoke in the summer. It is a challenge to live here!

Despite snow, rain, sleet, hail...or smoke, dogs must be walked! Here is Gus the bloodhound basking in the orange smokey glow of the afternoon.

And we may not have cornfields like Bentley, beautiful flower gardens like Marmalade or the liveliness of Central Park like Wimsey, but we DO have the most beautiful fireweed! Most of our property has been left in it's wild state, and here's the beast on a walk next to our house.

That's about it from Alaska today. The land where humans and animals can become chain smokers without even lighting up...  

SoundHoundz Arrive at Resort!

Hello, all! Gus the bloodhound here to give you an amazing auditory experience. If you enjoy the sound of hounds barking, then this is the blog for you!

A couple of weeks ago, Edie and Amanda dropped the Alaskan SoundHoundz pack at Chelsea's Pet Resort for a week of non-stop barking excitement. I had my humans record the arrival as we bumped down the dirt road. Everyone within a five mile radius knew with certainty that the "houndz" had arrived!

Note my deep voice, which provides rich undertones to Dimond Willow's excited "seal bark." Molly chose to announce her arrival with her version of "chirping and talking." These barks are quite different from our baying serenades saved for different occasions.

Now here is a video of me and Dimond in the resort parking lot. I particularly enjoy this segment, as I was able to deposit a little saliva on the crate, which happened to survive the entire week hanging in magnificent dried form on the wire. To my chagrin, the crate in this shot is a bit crowded with two hounds, and you will notice that my normally destructive tail wagging is somewhat curtailed in these confines.

This resort is not nearly as well- appointed as Bentley and Beau's swimming resort, but it is an adequate place to engage in hound socializing and vocalizing for many days.

Edie picked us up on the 4th of July, and we were so very happy to see her. Upon arrival at home we promptly plopped down on the floor and slept soundly for many hours. Can't wait for the next vacation!



Until next time,
Gus
(Loud Hound of the North)

Waiting

Waiting in a hospital is not fun. Especially when it happens day after day. Almost six days, to be exact. My husband went in for surgery early on June 29th. He had three vertebrae fused in an 8 1/2 hour operation. He mostly slept for the first 4 days, so I sat and waited. A lot. And I am not good at waiting, so it was a difficult task. I had thought I would work on a couple of new blog posts, but my iphone apparently decided that was not going to happen. Since we were in Anchorage, there wasn't much in the way friends or family to break the monotony. So there I sat, in a tiny corner with books and newspapers and my iphone. Fortunately, the procedure went well, and he was eventually up and walking with a walker, soon graduated to doing a few stairs, and then we were sent out the door, free to head to my brother's home for a little more recovery before heading back to Fairbanks. 

View from the 6th floor of Alaska Regional Hospital, Anchorage, Alaska 11pm

To make a long story short, we went to my brother's house and my husband tried to get settled in, but just couldn't get comfortable.  Not surprising, since he had 27 staples in his back. So I came up with a plan... give him his pain meds, stuff him in the back of the (small) car and drive all night to get home. Well, I am happy to report that it worked! We spent about 6 hours on the road, he slept most of the way, and children and hounds were very excited to see us the next day.

June 28th, Cantwell, Alaska, near entrance to Denali National Park

He continues to recover remarkably well, with the help of a few gentle (!) hounds.

Molly, best therapy dog ever!

A Miracle!

Vacuuming a hound? Dimond Willow and Molly would never allow it. Vacuuming a bloodhound? Hmmmm. I don't know how or why Gus suddenly decided that this was okay, but who am I to question him? I will just enjoy it as long as he decides to humor me. 

Pass the Halibut, Please!

What can I say?  Gus loves his halibut!

Yummm!  Later we had deep fried Valdez halibut with a crispy salad.  As for Gus and the other hounds, welllllll..... they didn't!

Wordless Wednesday!

Dog Walking 101

Humans have a lot to learn about dog walking. Especially walking three hounds named Molly, Dimond Willow and Gus.

Dog Walking 101 tips for humans
compiled by The Three SoundHoundz:

1. let the dogs lead

2. let the dogs wrestle

3. do not get in the dog's way

4. leashes are for tug-o-war, not leading

5. let us bay as loud as we wish

6. run

7. run faster

8. hurry up

9. if you fall, roll out of our way

10. provide adequate couch space once we're back home

And good luck getting out of the driveway.

Our best wishes to all you dogs for a good walk with your humans!

Molly, Dimond Willow and Gus

The SoundHoundz of Alaska