Home Again

I got home from an uneventful two-week tour of duty at work yesterday.  It was wonderful to come home and see all the dogs here rather than having to go pick them up elsewhere.  Even more wonderful was their behavior.  They were all happy to see me, but there wasn't the wild hyper-excited behavior they usually indulged in when I arrived to pick them up from the boarding kennel.  They acted just like they do when I return from a quick trip to the post office or an evening at the Lodge.  In short, they were quite content to be in their own home yard.

In a few days I'll post an entry to introduce you to the newest primate members of the Stardancer team.  Ted Kirby, our handler, and his lovely young wife Clare.  Meanwhile, I'll try to catch you up on what's been happening here.

After greeting the dogs - all of them in excellent condition - I unpacked my luggage and headed to the post office to check my mail.  I ran into Mike Green there and we chatted for a good long time.  Since Mike is no longer running sled dogs he doesn't need most of the gear in his kennel, so he offered me pretty much everything he's got from dog houses and posts and chains to a many-year collection of harnesses, snowhooks and other gear, all for a very reasonable price.  He also offered to trade a relatively new toboggan sled for the old 'dead' four-wheeler.  So, one of my projects over the next few days will be to start fetching all of that 'stuff' home.

Today after morning chores I headed to town to purchase materials and supplies for upcoming projects.  I needed to get batteries for equipment (one of the lawn tractor and one for the four-wheeler), and then paint and painting supplies and 2 chain-link pens from the home improvement store.  While at work, I decided that by installing only 2 new 10 X 20 pens, I can create housing space for two more dogs should I decide to acquire them, and also free up some additional play space, by installing the pens. 

When we got home we unloaded the trailer and moved the fencing panels to the side of the dog yard, and then spent a couple of hours just letting dogs free-run around the yard.  Though the weather has ranged from wet to drizzly, all of the dogs had a great time visiting all their buddies and running off some energy. 

Now everyone has been fed, scooped and love-up on.  I'll prepare and eat some supper in just a bit, and grab a hot shower before hitting the rack.  I need to be up in the morning to start morning chores early.  We have 8 dogs who need a trip to the vet for their rabies vaccinations bright an early, and plenty of other projects to fill out the remainder of the day.