My worst fear has come true...

I have always feared on of the dogs hurting one of the cats. I have done everything I could to keep both species happy and safe. But last night, I failed and failed miserably.
Last night, my sweet little cat, Dominique escaped from the house.

We have no idea how or when. I have torn this place apart today trying to figure out how she could have possibly got out and I have no answer. But she did get out. She always was an adventurous little thing. She never knew any fear and she loved the dogs. Last night those traits combined to cause her death. Dominique was killed by one of my dogs. I was out for a lousy 90 minutes. I left at 9:30 and all was well. I came back at 11 and found Dominique's lifeless body in the yard. I do not have the words to describe the horror and hysteria that overcame me. I am still in shock and devastated. I feel like my heart has been shattered.

I do not know which dog did this. It doesn't matter. I can not blame them for being dogs. They know to leave the cats alone in the house, but a small, furred critter outside is a different story. They could not connect that the little black and white cat outside was the same one who live inside the house. I know if they had been able to make that connection, they would not have hurt her. None of my dogs would intentionally cause me this kind of pain. I do not believe they meant to kill her. None of the dogs have so much as a scratch on them. Her body was not badly mauled. Her neck was clearly broken. I am sure she headbutted someone who misunderstood her actions. I pray she died quickly and did not suffer.


Goodbye, my tiny angel. I will love and miss you forever. I am so sorry that I wasn't here to save you. I will never forgive myself. It is my job to protect all of you and I failed Dominique.

May you find sunshine, catnip and mousies on the other side. Find Hoodoo, he'll show you around. Godspeed, my love. Til we meet again.

Deuce goes loose!

With some misgivings and trepidation, Deuce was set free for his first off leash walk today! I hate letting them loose for the first time! I'm never sure they will come back.

Deuce did quite well. This is a GOOD thing! I was going to need shoulder surgery if I kept leash walking him! That dog can pull! If he's still here in the winter, it's going to be a beautiful thing!

He is not a water dog! We walked down to Mary Lake. He got a drink and got his paws wet, but that was enough water for him! No way was he going swimming!

He did pretty well. Like most huskies, he didn't exactly come when called. Unlike most huskies, he didn't vanish into the mist! He did return when I called him, but rarely came all the way back. He checked in and kept moving. Deuce did make it home with me though and happily went back into his pen!

I don't think I'll be walking him at peak hours on the trails any time soon. I'm not 100% sure what he would be like if we encountered a dominant dog. I did find out today that he likes kids. We met my neighbor and his four year old boy on the trail this afternoon. Deuce was very good with Liam. He didn't jump on him, although you could tell he wanted to! He gave Liam a few kisses and danced around him. Good boy, Deuce!!

We are having a bit of an issue with him and food right now, but so far that's the only problem. Deuce has clearly been hungry at some point in his life and he just can't let the other dogs eat. Easy enough to solve. Deuce eats alone. He eats like a dog 3 times his size. Heyoka who weighs 130 pounds eats less than Deuce. Hopefully, Deuce will soon realize that he will get more food everyday and be able to relax a bit!

My new toy!

Last week I took some money I had saved and my Yukon Bonus cheque and bought myself a kayak! After 2 summers of trying out different boats and renting every kind I could find, I finally settled on a Perception Carolina 14.5. I love it!

Stuart spent last weekend building a rack for my truck. It's way too long to just prop into the box!

Nothing gets done around here without a little canine assistance! This is Bandit giving his approval on the boards!

The finished product! I think it turned out great. I can load and unload the boat myself. Which is important since Stuart hates kayaking and I will be going alone most of the time!

This afternoon, I went paddling on Kookatsoon lake--really a glorified slough, but it works!

The view from where I sit!

It was a beautiful day!

I paddled around for a couple hours, but then the clouds starting to roll in.

I went home before I got caught in the rains!

I have all of this week off work and I'm hoping to get out paddling lots!!

The new guy!

Monday evening a new dog joined the pack. At the time his name was Bandit, but that had to go. Two Bandits was just too confusing for all of us! So after some experimenting, the second Bandit has a new name!

Introducing Deuce!

Deuce was rescued in one of the Yukon's small communties. The man who saved him and his two buddies kept them safe until there was room at the shelter. Deuce was kept in the isolation ward for three weeks while the staff tried to assess his temperment. They determined that he was aggressive and needed to be euthanized. My hubby, the shelter director, had a different opinion. So Deuce came here.

This is not an aggressive dog. Deuce was simply bored stupid in the shelter. He's young and active. A tired husky is a good husky!

Now that he has lots of buddies to play with, he's a good husky again!

The integration has gone suprisingly smoothly. He's very dog friendly. He adores Raven. This is Raven and Deuce about two minutes after they met:

Nothing like a good wrestle to tire a dog out....really, they aren't fighting! They are playing.
He has fit right in and made himself at home. He even got into Kayleigh's pen and made it out unscathed. Not many dogs get Kayleigh's seal of approval!

Welcome to the pack, Deuce!

Sure signs of spring..

Spring is finally making an appearance here...

The crocus flowers are out. Well, a few of them anyway. There should be lots more coming up soon.


The lake is half thawed out. Ozzy went for his first swim this afternoon:

He was not so sure about the whole idea of swimming. He got wet, but no way were his little paws leaving the lake bottom!

And Stuart built me a greenhouse over the weekend. It's 10x10 and he put it outside the dogs area so it should be safe from digging paws and helpful huskies!