Friday is Coming....

Not just another day of the week, either.  Friday is a 1/2 Hedlund Husky, 1/2 Zulu Alaskan husky male from To Points Unknown Kennel at Irish Creek Homestead.  He was whelped and raised by Jim and Judy Dunlop who are also receiving puppies from the litter.

Friday (puppy name Botas), the newest little Stardancer

 
Although he doesn't know it, Friday's placement with the Stardancer team was a bit of a surprise.  Originally we were offered a male from this litter, but there weren't quite enough males to go around, so I deferred my spot on the waiting list in favor of a kennel that is very much in the public eye.  Very shortly afterward Vladimir came to the kennel from Kyle Belleque's Nushagak Kennel.

Things got a bit complicated last week, and through a series of on-line discussions it was agreed that the highly visible kennel should hold off for a male from a future litter, and that Friday (puppy name Botas) would come to Two Rivers instead.  Friday will be arriving from Minnesota about the same time I return from a week of clinical training in Kentucky, so we will both enjoy a warm welcome home.

Planning for a new puppy at home while I'm away at work has been interesting, but for the most part it has been essentially a counting of blessings.  When I called our handler, Jeff, he was nearly as excited as I.  He has a litter of puppies about the same age, so Friday can hang out with Jeff's babies much of the time, enhancing his socialization with other dogs.  Meanwhile, while I'm home from work he will be spending nearly every waking moment with me, the Stardancers and our human friends, learning our own quirky ways. 

This is a really exciting development, as Linda's Zulu line is well proven to be compatible with the Hedlunds, and has been the source of several out-cross breedings.  The result at this point is a male dog with a strong Hedlund background, yet from an entirely different family line than Animosh or Chetan.

I can barely contain myself.  I suspect there will be many times in future runs I'll be saying "Thank Goodness (and Linda) for Friday."