enjoying my days off.

 should be sleeping because the puppies are sleeping but here i am...blogging away.  there are actually a lot of things i should be doing.  hopefully, i catch up on life soon.  don't want to miss these puppy days and want to get them trained and worn out each day.above is from my trek to Potters and the wildlife center.  the bears were accommodating to my photo needs.

 a wee bit of rain fell on the way to and from.  clouds were pretty.

 the moose were chilling in the water so i liked this angle for photos.  when do you get to see this with the wild moose population.

 today went with a friend out to Reflection Lake. she'd never been.  it's an easy puppy walk.  still 2 miles so not too short for puppies. they are tired tonight and are crashed now.

 puppies do need to be worn out..they will get into trouble super fast if you aren't watching them.  some folks just have no clue what they are getting into when they get a puppy.  you have no idea how much energy and effort it takes to raise a puppy.

 heard someone was returning one of the pups from my puppies litter as it was too rambunctious.  all i can do is roll my eyes.  be prepared for your puppy and know that it will take effort to make your puppy a good canine citizen.  people like that are why so many young dogs end up in rescue.

 this is the new fox in town.  it's not an Alaskan fox though, not sure where it originated from....can't remember.  odd colors.  cute.

 it was low tide today so the creek that runs out there was super low.  the pups both decided to follow the big dogs toward the waters edge.  the big dogs made the leap and then poor tusker slipped down the embankment and into the less than 1 foot deep water . he was pretty anxious about it.  crying and trying to get back up that embankment.  i was able to grab him and pull him to safety...don't worry he was never really at risk but he was a bit stressed.  gave him the all clear and a treat for his troubles and he seemed no worse for the wear...is that how that saying goes? i  always get those wrong.

 of course, the plus side is..i am his hero now.  poor guy was soaked.

 i had my own brush with death later when i was eating my chinese food and a big chunk almost went down the wrong tube and then was pretty slow heading down my esophogus.  i suspect my esophogus is is still irritated or a small chunk hasn't quite completed it's path down. i can still swallow easy...just feel a bit of a lump.

 so no gym for my tonight.  actually feels best when i lay down so hopefully, my gut works it all out while i sleep tonight.

 started watching a show on netflix.  nothing else on tv and i kept seeing this show.  " the unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt".  super short episodes it seems. not too heavy on the brain so i enjoyed it enough.

 tried to take the dogs for a second walk. we walked part way in the bog but i was getting push back on all three dogs.

 was attempting some more serious leash walking with Ivy in the yard, but she wasn't going for it.  instead i put Blossom on the leash and ran her through some training.  she was quite happy to do it for the treats and it did boost my confidence.  it will take time, but there is no reason my new pups can't get at least that good.  right?

 a musher has been banned for at least next years Iditarod due to charges of domestic violence.

the whale hunts are happening in the north.  sounds like they are having to go further out in rough seas to get this meat.  it's what many eat out in these villages.

 loved these bear photo's.....hope i can get half as lucky with some fun photos out at Hallo Bay this summer.

 of course, there won't be any fence between us out there.  yikes!

 this one below made me think he just needed a beer and the remote control.

 he is one huge bear.

 the baby caribou was a bit farther away this week.  the color has lightened up.

 they have temporarily moved the black bears.

 before i went there i headed to Byron Glacier for a walk.  not the best weather.  i seem to head down there are days that aren't bad in Anchorage but quickly turn on me as i head towards Portage Valley.

 i briefly thought about heading through the tunnel...but i'm happy i opted to hit the conservation center instead.  the guy at the booth laughed and said that my dog was soaked last time i came through there as well.

 i had stopped to let her swim in the little lake.  we walked around there a bit and actually saw a great blue heron.  rarely see them this far north so that was a treat.  no pictures.

 we end up doing a short walk at Byron.  when i got there we were the only car there.  that is unusual.  was it weather?  could be.  i was making loads of noise and had my bear spray and air horn, but still i will admit i was a wee bit nervous being out there alone.  these pups are a quick meal for a bear...i couldn't handle that encounter.  let them play in the creek and then headed back

 we did actually see some folks headed out there as we walked back.

 then i heard a loud noise and looked back to see this.  this is the tail end of a large snow/rock slide that happened near where i had just been.  don't think the folks that went passed me were in any immediate danger, but it must have given them a bit of a scare.  i was far enough away, but it was pretty big.  thought later i maybe should have turned back to make sure they were okay.  a few more cars and folks by the time i got back to parking lot so i'm sure i would have heard about it if something bad had happened.

 pretty impressive though.

 a 24 year old from Oregon was due to begin a new job with a tour company working around Denali National Park.  he went for a hike and didn't return...guess he was found to have died of a head injury.  he went off the main trail he was on and fell.  so young...that is summers in Alaska sadly.  these stories seem to repeat themselves up here.

 another sad story out of Alabama.  a couple had met in Alaska, married and eventually had 6 kids.  one day the young mother died of a blood clot, the next day, the father was so heartbroken he ended up having a fatal heart attack.  so sad...those poor kids.

crate training going well....except the pups are together.  the crate upstairs is not getting much use.  i know i'm horrible...they are supposed to be split up as much as possible so they don't over bond with each other.  each time i attempt it the dog left upstairs ends up whining and crying.  in the end..i am starting to think that it's the cats.  the upstairs is their zone.  when i bring sleepy pup upstairs suddenly the cats surround the crate and this gets which ever pup i've brought upstairs all hyped up trying to get to the cat.

 choose your battles i guess.  they are both in the downstairs crate sleeping peacefully. Blossom sleeps by their crate so it's like all three dogs are together down there.

 the rest of these are iphone shots...

 this was a sunrise at work. i was totally booking but i did take a moment to stop and enjoy the views out my patients windows.  pretty sweet, right

 took a few shots at the tree with the iphone.

 gotta get labs drawn tomorrow and then i'll get my annual exam done on Wednesday.  i'll have to just load the furs in and then plan for a walk somewhere afterwards.  it will get me motivated to get out of the house.

 they are becoming fans of peanut butter in the bones...a family tradition for settling pups.  we have been working on settle as well.  that just means going to their bed and getting out of the way...resting.  when i crate train i use "go mimi's" as the command to enter the crate.  part of dog training is teaching them english.  i am impressed.  i mean my dogs know a lot more english than i know dog.

 the cats are making their way back into their lives more and more.  i suspect they will all be buddies eventually.

 they play like crazy and then they crash.  less crashing of late and more playing.

 my friend came by to borrow my shower before work.  Tusker got a hold of her super long hair...everything is fair game as a chew toy for a puppy.

grateful for:  A.  not choking to death B.  puppy not getting harmed from his embankment slide.  C.  sleep...it is wonderful!!