Snow Day!

It snowed pretty much all day last Saturday, so our trio got to enjoy most of the day outside. My husband would've loved to have done some sledding with the huskies, but unfortunately he was stuck at work all day. Depsite his lack of a hardy husky coat, Champ stayed outside most of the day and had a blast. All were extra frisky that afternoon. I was able to take many many pictures of them all playing around in the snow -- I switched over to phone pics while my camera's battery recharged, haha -- so now I'm satisfied with our winter season...bring on the spring!  :)-



Watching the snow fall...I tried to wait till the snow really covered the ground before letting them out in it.






First few minutes out in the snow.





Two on one play come snow, sleet or shine. :)





Jake's first time seeing and playing out in the snow.





Always listening and watching...





Every time the frisbee disappeared under a blanket of snow, he'd root around until he found it again.



Afternoon in the Park with Molly

A Walk in the Park

A few weeks ago, before the heat index went off the charts, I took my huskies to a nearby state park to walk for a bit, along with my friend and Molly. The dogs had a blast exploring and walking, and enjoyed taking a dip in and drinking from the creek that followed our trail. These shots are from the end of our walk. As they say, tired dogs are good dogs... :)

I've taken my dogs once more since then, before the temps went up. Sadly, we won't be able to take them for a walk like that again till the fall, because the temps and humidity are just too much around here during the summer. The temps dipped a few days ago, and I would have loved to have taken them that day, but unfortunately I'm recovering from a broken toe, so there was no way it was going to happen. I have to be 100% mind and body to take these two on an outing to the park.  :)

The Con Artist Escapes Again

Apparently Isabella's collar wasn't as tight as it needed to be when I took them out this morning. I was only planning to run them out for a second and then go right back in, so I was still wearing part of my pajamas and slippers-- definitely not in "greet the neighbors" attire. (Guess that's what I get for walking out of the house assuming I won't see anyone.) The puppies got frisky as I started walking them back in, dodging and darting around each other, and Isabella slipped right out of her collar, and promptly headed off across the neighbors' yards. I ran Jake back in the house since he'd only slow me down (I've tried it before), grabbed treats, and ran back out (I'm starting to get rather quick at this routine). One of the last times Isabella got out, she went several houses down and finally stopped when she got to a cow pasture. This time, no such luck. She went under the fence and and ran around a bit, all the while me yelling her name and telling her to come back, and that I had a treat for her. In the past, I've gotten close enough to her for the treats to work. Needless to say, she didn't go for it today and kept running and sniffing around. Thankfully there were only a few cows in this particular pasture, and thankfully they weren't mean-spirited. Isabella definitely was trying to convince them to play, and thought the whole thing was a game, darting around when the cow started to move toward her.
I finally went around all the fencing and over to the homeowner's house. Tried ringing their doorbell-- nothing. Their outside dog-- a lab, maybe?-- was very friendly (thankfully), and once Isabella saw I had a buddy with me, outside of the pasture, she was eager to come over and play. I don't know how I would have ever gotten her out of the pasture if it hadn't been for that dog. It didn't take long to grab her after she came out, and after putting her collar back on (nice and tight this time), I walked her home, the neighbor's dog following the whole way back.
I know it's a husky's tendency to want to roam, but it scares me every time she escapes. Especially since she doesn't listen to me off-leash outside -- she's alot more likely to listen to my husband when outside.
Needless to say, I will be double-checking the tightness of her collar before going out and about next time.

Pasture Fun

Off-Leash in the Country

MUCH fun was had by both on Christmas Day.

Initially they were together in a big pen, while the humans enjoyed Christmas lunch inside the house. (Animals aren't allowed in my parents' house.)

At some point in the afternoon, our houdinis escaped the pen and tried to enter the house...Jake through the back door (straight into the kitchen), and Isabella through the front door (into the foyer and next to the desserts). A joint effort to break in, and they almost succeeded. :) Luckily I caught Jake, and Isabella came fairly willingly back to my husband.

Later that afternoon, they enjoyed some time out in the yard with Skunk. It took Jake and Skunk a little bit of time to get adjusted to each other, but after that they all had a blast chasing each other. Isabella and Jake don't get many opportunities to run as hard as they like outside, off-leash, so they kept doing funny little jumps into the air almost as a way of expressing their pure delight at being allowed to for once.

Late afternoon, we went for the usual Christmas afternoon walk out in the country, with my dad and some aunts and uncles, and Isabella, Jake and Skunk in tow. We took their leashes off at one point, amid all the cow pastures, and they took off again, enjoying the freedom and taking in all the smells (aahh, cow patties...).

Alas, that's when things went a bit downhill...for me and my husband, at least. Skunk suddenly darted off through the pasture, Isabella and Jake hot on his heels...and right past a huge, muddy water hole. Have I mentioned my huskies love water? Oh yes...Skunk doesn't like to be wet, so he went around the huge hole (like a good dog), but not my dogs. Jake merely walked through the muddy mess to the other side, after a drink or two...but Isabella DANCED in it, like a dog that had never been given such a pleasure in her whole life. It took a bit of convincing to get her to come out of it, especially since she was pretty sure she was in trouble for it. Needless to say, both were a mess when we finally got their leashes back on them. They both knew they were in trouble, but they didn't look near as worried about it as they usually do.

After a hose-down at the house, a bit of towel-drying and a little more air-drying in their pens, we drove our huskies home for the night. Quick baths (no way they'd stay in the house smelling and looking like that) and they were out like lights, worn out from the days' events.

A very good Christmas in all...

Discovering the Beach

My husband's family met up at the beach for an early Christmas this year. Isabella and Jake had never been to the beach, and I've been wanting to take pictures of them on the beach for awhile now, so we figured out a way to take them along with us (though they did have to stay outside the few days we were there, which is not what they're used to-- they were extremely good about it anyway). They didn't pay as much attention to the water as I thought they might, but they paid plenty of attention to the sand-- Isabella LOVED digging in it, and Jake enjoyed eating it (I didn't realize just how much until the next morning...lol). They didn't get to stay out on the beach for long, but it served its purpose-- they were willing to settle down for a nap afterwards.

Going on a Walk...Together

Isabella LOVES going on a walk. As soon as she sees her harness, she starts prancing around and whining at the door, she's so excited. Jake hasn't gotten into the routine as often, so he doesn't get as excited beforehand...but once we're on the way out the door, he's all for it.

Isabella is also VERY friendly, both to human and animal alike. Jake is friendly, but alot more cautious around other animals. He'll bark at another dog pretty quickly, but once he's gotten a good sniff of them and they've hung out a bit together-- especially if Isabella is also there-- then he's just as friendly as Isabella.

They got a little extra attention on their walk today-- several people came out to pet them, and they met an Australian Shepherd as well (I think she felt outnumbered so never fully warmed up to either of my huskies)...all in all, an interesting and fairly exciting walk for both.

A Walk Around the Neighborhood...Individually

I haven't walked Isabella and Jake much since we last moved, mainly because Jake's weight has caught up with Isabella's, so when they pull-- all 80+ pounds-- it's a little much on me. So today I tried something a little different. First I walked Jake, then I walked Isabella...then I walked them together. Tada, problem solved! They were worn down enough not to pull too much when walked together. A little extra work for me, but hey, I could use the exercise. :)-

B&W Shots at the Lake

Enjoying the View

Cooling Off in the Lake

Fun at the Park