Sunday Zoomies

This video is a couple weeks old, as half of the snow has melted since I took this video.

Chance and Blaze may sound rough and tough, but that's just big Husky play.  :)

Enjoy here or on YouTube!

 

Part-time Huskies are still Arctic dogs, right?

Huskies are Arctic dogs that thrive in the snow and cold.

They take on the frigid temperatures willingly and with great ease

There coats have a thick undercoat that protects them from the Arctic air.

And watch out when you get two or more together they will chase each other through the snow all day long.

Huskies rarely like to come in from the cold and prefer to stay outside.

Don't these pictures just make you shiver?

This has been a public service announcement brought to you by the

24 Paws of Love

How are you healing with your loss?

Dear Friends,
This is dedicated to those of you who have lost recent loved ones and your own healing/grieving process.  I have found that it is not a linear journey, but one that seems to be all over the map.

Here is a tid bit of how my healing process is going since losing Brut... 

Ever since Brut died 8 months ago, I have been reliving thoughts and feelings that were suppressed when we came to the point of calling the vet and putting Brut down.

When the vet was at our house that fateful day my entire being was on alert and I was living straight in the moment.  There were no tears, that was no sadness, it was an act of kindness that I understand, but don't understand and I could not take in any of the pain that was happening at that point.  I was just there for Brut and easing his suffering.  My mind was open, my heart half shut to what we were about to witness, when the needle went in.

About 6 months that Brut had been gone, I had a memory of this moment in time described above, that were what my thoughts were when said event was happening.

"I don't want you to die.  I don't want you to die.  I don't want you to die."

And I balled and sobbed and grieved at a new depth.  I could have never gone through with his death if these words had been fully open in my heart.  For this wasn't about me and what I wanted.  It was about Brut and what was best for him.

Then just recently hubby, Mark and I came down with flu-like symptoms, horribly sick and I had another memory.  This one was very clear, we'd just put Brut down, we weren't ready to bury him yet and Mark looked at me and said, "Do you feel the void?"  I slowly shook my head.  Brut's life was too fresh in my hands and heart.  But in this present day, my mind ran through that scenario again and I felt it like a ripping of a veil.  Sending me further into my grief and pain.  Two weeks before this, I was doing pretty good.  Now it feels like a huge band-aid was ripped off my heart and needs to heal all over again.

It a little scary to have these memories only to be tore up all over again, but I believe it is all part of God's love for me to help me heal as thoroughly and lovingly as possible.  He knows what I need and this must be what I've needed.

How do you feel your healing process and grief are going?   Does it feel healthy? Too fast?  Too slow?  

Brut Thursday-Three's a Crowd...or is it?

There was a time when Brut and Zappa would play together, this is one of those times.  It would be considered very rare now if ever.  I'm so glad I caught this on video.  This video is from Nov. 11, 2010.

Enjoy!

Watch here or on YouTube.

Brut Thursday-No one

Dog Sledding Lesson- Don't Let Go of Sled!

Our winter has been warmer than normal and that makes for heavy, wet snow which is difficult to sled through with our two dog teams.  We haven't got out once this year...

So instead we wanted to show you one from last year with Chance and Blaze pulling Mark through the wooded area across from our street.  Mark isn't very good at controlling the dogs, as you'll see he almost panics when he takes off.  And today's lesson is, don't let go of the sled!

The video's about 7 minutes long and you can watch here on YouTube 

Did you get Puppy Fever when your dog died?

I did.  About a month after Brut died, that gaping hole in my heart was crying for someone to love.  This was after learning of someone my husband knew had a litter of Great Dane puppies that were all black.  My favorite color mixed with a dog I'd always wanted to have.  I was excited just thinking about it and it distracted me from the pain of losing Brut, but when I thought it through completely, I had to face the fact that I wasn't ready for another dog in our lives.  Six dogs had tipped the scales and even after most of the fear and misery that came with Brut was gone, five dogs was enough.  Five dogs were plenty and we had to take into consideration our living arrangement with two packs.  It didn't seem fair to bring in a puppy into that mess.  No we had our hands full with the two packs we had.  Getting through losing Brut was just the tip of the iceberg.

The Dane puppies were available about the time Brut's three month anniversary rolled around...puppy fever struck again.  I went through the usual excitement  and hot flashes of insanity, while trying to convince myself and hubby that this was the right move for us.  I mean, a Great Dane couldn't be more different from a Husky and I've always been attracted to large dogs and I always wanted one since I was a kid.  How much more perfect could this be?  Then the truth struck like a blow to the stomach and head, I couldn't do this to my Brut.  The dog that gave me my soul back.  The dog that saved my life and could read me like a book.  I wasn't ready.  I just wanted my Brut back.

I finally read up on Great Danes and discovered we were not a good match.  End of story.

My husband, Mark has a Christmas gift still to give me.  I immediately thought it might be a puppy.  And I got excited again.  Then I felt that blow in the pit of my stomach and felt guilty that I couldn't just get on with my life and get another dog.  Mark has got messages on FB about people asking if we have gotten another dog yet.  And I felt guilty that I was even thinking about getting a puppy.  It triggered off a wave of nostalgia for Brut.

Grief and timing are going to be everything when we come to that point in our lives to get another dog.  We both believe we will be lead by Brut to the right dog for us.  For now that will be a while.  Not to mention we have 'Mission Impossible' with the dogs we have now and meshing the two packs together. One thing made easier since Brut is gone, but will still be a huge challenge in itself.

So I'm sure I'll have bouts of puppy fever again and again, but for now that's all it will be.

What about you?  Do you have or did you get puppy fever when you lost your dog?

Brut Thursday- Hold On Forever

Happy Birthday again!!

Well since mom can't always get herself together on time, we took it upon ourselves to help her get our Birthday video out.  After all, we are now 8 years and 1 month old!  And there's cake and ice cream, so better hurry if you want any!! 

Thanks Googel...!

for making us cry all over again over Brut!

A little ditty that Google put together for us.  If you want to find out more about the 24 Paws of Love, 

Watch this: