Husky Snowfall

Today we had our first significant snowfall of December, 2008.

We started our morning with school being closed, so Kodi and I took advantage of the early morning and lack of traffic and went for our walk before the snow started to fall.

We played in the yard a bit before coming inside. Once inside, I did a little housework and parked my power chair to charge it.

My son came out and told me it was snowing and I was shocked to see that the grass was already covered.

When Kodi let me know he needed to go outside, I bundled up and went out to shovel a path around the deck, down the ramp into the yard. He was a bit hesitant at first, but when we got to the bottom of the ramp, he sat down, tail wagging and let me put him on his 'tie-out cable'. When I let go, off he went like a shot.

He ran all over the yard, bouncing, jumping, shoveling the snow with his nose. We stayed outside for about a half hour while he played, as the snow fell hard.

Once back inside, it was hard to occupy Kodi's mind. He kept looking at the door, restless. When he began to whimper, I bundled back up and out we went to shovel once again. He played in the yard again, tossing his tuggy around, jumping on it, eating snow.

We went back out again to shovel and play in the yard. I tried to shovel the front sidewalk, but was gasping for breath, winter asthma stealing the air from my lungs as I slowly maneuvered the steps one at a time, using the shovel as a support.

Inside, my son took my coat and hung it up for me as I collapsed into my recliner. Kodi heard me breathing hard, wheezing and came right to me, standing up with his paws on my shoulders, forcing me back into the chair as he licked my face, ears, eyes, chin and mouth, nibbling on my nose. He rubbed the side of his face against my cheek as he licked my ear.

We later, went back out again to shovel and play in the yard right before my husband was due home from work. When he pulled into the driveway Kodi ran to the truck, jumping in the snow.

They played, chasing one another around the yard, Kodi dodging my husband's snow balls, grabbing his gloves and tugging on them.

It's pretty clear we're going to have trouble keeping him inside this winter.

Rushed to the Hospital

Yesterday, after our morning walk, we were playing in the yard when I noticed something on Kodi's right front foot. When he got closer, I asked my husband what that looked like and he said "blood".

I called Kodi over and gave him the 'paws up' command. He put both feet on my lap and it was obvious, the toenail on his left front dew claw was injured. There was a lot of blood and the toenail was sticking straight out of the side of his foot.

He hadn't yelped or limped or shown any sign of injury, but there it was. Apparently he got it caught either on his airline cable, in the yard or on my husband's jacket when they were rough housing.

We took him in the house, got our ID and everything we needed to rush him to the Veterinary Hospital.

When we got there, they said dew claw toenail injuries are common and happen often. They took him in the back and brought him back a few minutes later. He had a light blue bandage on his left front foot and they informed me he had partially torn his toenail off. They removed it and wrapped it to keep it clean. They prescribed antibiotics.

My sweet puppy wanted a lot of attention and cuddling when we got home. Walking out to the yard to go 'potty' he wouldn't walk more than a foot in front of me and kept stopping and turning back to make sure I was coming. I had to go out into the yard with him to get him to go 'potty'.

Later, in the evening, he got up on the recliner with me, laying his body on top of mine, resting his wrapped paw in my hand and his head on my shoulder and chest. He proceeded to slip peacefully into a deep sleep, where he stayed for some time.

We've taken a couple of walks, as the Vet indicated he could still go for walks and we shouldn't restrict his activity. He's limping a bit, but seems more uncomfortable than in pain.

We are staying close together, aware of where each other is, how we are feeling and what one another needs. He's so much more than 'just a pet'.

Those Darn Squirrels!

Walks with Kodi are something to be experienced. I've noticed more things in my environment during my walks with him, than I think I ever had before.

I find myself looking up into the branches of the trees around us where I've seen a variety of critters, mostly squirrels and birds.

When we're walking and I see him looking up, I'll stop, so he can investigate and I find myself looking up with him, trying to see what he's seeing, trying to see it through his eyes.

He has the same love for Butterflies that Echo had, though he has no interest in caterpillars, which fascinated her. She was interested in squirrels but not in chasing them, mostly watching them, but Kodi wants to chase them and get close to them. He is fascinated by birds flying over head.

This tree he's standing against is an old tree, that hangs down over the sidewalk, like a canopy. It is in the block before our house, so we walk under it often. There are squirrels that seem to almost tease him, staying close to or on the ground, until he's near, then shooting up into the tree, just out of reach as he nears.

Every walk with Kodi is a wonderment, a relaxing venture into appreciation of nature, taking the time to see, hear and smell the world around me.

Kodi playing in the Autumn Leaves

Kodi's first Autumn

Leaves Crunching Under Husky Paws

Oh the joy of walking my handsome Husky on cool Autumn mornings! Pure BLISS!

Recently I was afforded the chance to take some pictures on one of our morning walks, as my husband walked with us. Some friends asked for pictures of Kodi in the Autumn leaves, they thought it would make for beautiful pictures... I have to agree.

Kodi and I have been enjoying two walks a day, once in the early morning before the sun burns off the fog and once in the evening as the sun is setting.

One of the most pleasant parts of our walks is when we walk through this area shown in the picture. The trees are just beautiful and the fallen leaves make the most incredible crunching sound under Kodi's feet.

Kodi enjoys the walks so much it's hard to get him to come home... I tend to find ways of lengthening our walks, so we can enjoy the fresh crisp cool Autumn air longer. He loves seeing the squirrels and birds and loves the smells of Autumn.

I find myself really moved by his joyous wonder, the look on his face when he sees something for the first time, when he watches geese fly overhead, or sees a butterfly flitting nearby. This is Kodi's first Autumn and he seems to really enjoy the changes happening around us.

His Assistance Dog Training is coming along well. He's picking things up for me without commands, stays close to me in an effort to assist me and we've tried "tug door" as a new command in our training.

"Tug door" went fairly well for a first try. Kodi understood that the rope and knot I put on the door handle was for him to take in his mouth, he even gently pulled on it, but when he felt the resistance of the door, he dropped the knot. Inside the house, we practiced with the knot on the bedroom door, a door that swings more freely. He did tug that door and at one point, nearly closed it. It's a great start.

Autumn is my favorite time of year. I love the smells, sights and feeling of the season. I love that it signals the beginning of the holiday season. I love that I, once again, have an incredible Husky companion to share it with.

Life is Good!

He Never Ceases To Amaze Me

Things have been somewhat interesting here since Wednesday, when we got word that our 'new flooring' was going to be put in Thursday. It sort of messed up the whole last half of our week. We weren't expecting things to happen on the spur of the moment like that, but ok.

Wednesday night I had to go for groceries alone, though Sidney helped bring them in and put them away, our plan had been to go Thursday morning after our walk, so my hubby could go along. He was working Wed. night, so I did my thing alone.

When I came home and we were putting things away, I had bought a flame less candle for my son's room and was showing it to him when a plastic part of the packaging fell on the floor. Without hesitating or receiving a command, Kodi was right there, picking it up and offering it to me. To say I was impressed would be an understatement.

The flooring wasn't exactly what we thought it was going to be and cost us more than we anticipated. We hadn't thought ahead very well, because Kodi has trouble walking on it. It's a 'hardwood floor' product made of PVC. It has wood grain texture, but not enough for him to 'grip'. So we've had to purchase area rugs to keep him from falling.

Today, Sunday, I was working on dinner. As I was trying to serve it, he was sitting next to my power chair. I put one arm of the chair up, out of the way, the one with the control pad on it and the joystick fell off.

Before I could give the commands, he was behind my chair, picking it up and offering it to me. I was stunned once again!

Kodi and I have spent some wonderful moments together this past week. Besides sharing some great, cool, gray morning walks and an evening walk in the dark, we have shared some cuddle time on the bed.

The weather, being rainy and damp, can sometimes bring on arthritic flare ups of pain, so a brief rest on the bed is called for from time to time.

He got up on the bed and lay down across the bed, so I did the same next to him. He proceeded to roll over on his back, resting his front legs which were drawn up against his body on my shoulder and pressed his nose in under my chin as he softly sighed and made little noises. He licked my face and ear, nibbled my nose and cuddled as close as he could get.

He's been up on the recliner with me the last few days about a half dozen times, curling up between my legs with his head resting on my forearm.

He seems to know when I'm not feeling the best and wants to be that much closer to me at those times.

When we went out to get the area rugs it was raining when we got back. I asked my husband to go in first and take Kodi out the front door, so I could get in and situated before he came back inside. When I come in the house from being out, he just loses it with excitement and joy. He jumps on me, kisses, nibbles, cries and wiggles himself into a frenzy. I didn't want him to hurt himself on the new floor.

Everything went as planned, my husband got him outside as I snuck in the side door. I sat on the couch, ready and waiting. When he came in the front door, Kodi ran for the kitchen and side door, looking for me. When he saw me, he cut short and raced for the living room. He slid and couldn't get his grip as he cried and wiggled madly.

My hubby put him on the couch with me where he welcomed me home with a shower of doggy kisses.

My husband sighed and said "he did a quick pee when I took him out, he was too busy looking for you. He went around the car and the driveway looking to see where you were."

We are so close and need one another so much.

I'm trying to help him adjust to me going out and coming back and he's doing much better than he was doing, but we have a long way to go and know it will happen with time and patience.

I'm simply in awe of how incredible a companion he is.

Assistance Dog Training

Kodi has shown a desire to be with me at all times. I can't leave one room and go into another without him following me. I can't go outside, even for a moment without him, as he stands just inside the door mournfully calling me. When he is near me, he has to be touching me.

Having such a close bond with him, it seemed only natural that we should try teaching him a few 'assistance' commands.

Kodi has been learning obedience commands, the two we have been working on the most recently are 'bring it' and 'drop it'. I decided this might be a good time to see if Kodi could learn 'pick it up' and 'paws up'.

I started with 'paws up', asking him to put his paws on my lap. He didn't understand, so it took taking his paws in my hands and saying 'paws', then putting them on my lap and saying 'up'. We did this a few times with rewards each time until he was able to do it himself.

I read up a bit on owner trained assistance dogs and discovered the method for teaching your dog to 'pick it up'. I used an old clicker with a coiled ring attached, tossed it to the floor and asked Kodi to 'pick it up'. When he didn't understand, I touched it to his mouth, dropped it again and said 'pick it up'. We did this about a dozen times, until he picked it up. Even though he immediately dropped it, he was experimenting with what I wanted him to do. We did it again and again, as he held it in his mouth longer each time. He was rewarded with treats each time he completed the task.

After several successful attempts, I added 'paws up'. He was able to pick it up, stand up against my leg and hand the clicker to me gently.

Since that day, he's picked up a tea towel, paper plate, jar lid, my keys, the cordless phone, remote control, a fork, a wrist watch, a tablet, a pen, a crystal figurine that fell on the floor, a whisk, his collar, his leash, a piece of mail, a dvd cover, a jar of spice, a meatloaf mix packet, a doilie that fell off my nightstand, a sock that fell when folding clothes, his brush, and my hair tie-back.

The next thing we will begin to work on is closing the front door behind me when we leave the house, as the area I have to turn my power chair around is quite tight and the stairs are in that area so it could be quite dangerous as well.

I'll tie a piece of playground rope around the door handle with a knot in the end and teach him to grab the knot and pull.

Kodi wears his "Halti" when we go out to walk, as well as a backpack with some essentials in it that we need. He carries my house keys, cell phone, occasionally things I might pick up at the store when we're out and he carries his own travel water bowl (sometimes bottled water).

I bought some Service Dog patches and affixed them to the backpack. One with a hand with a red slash through it saying "Do Not Pet Me - I'm Working" and the other two are rocker patches that say "Service Dog" and "In Training".

"Paws up" has been a great command when taking off the backpack and halti after our walks... as well as getting my keys out of the side pouch.

I've read where an owner trained their assistance dog to unload grocery bags. That might be something I teach Kodi later on, as they usually end up on the floor when brought into the house because I don't have enough strength when sitting in the chair to lift them onto the counter and I can't lean out of my chair far enough to reach them safely.

He's learning exceptionally fast. He tries hard, though he has to be motivated with a treat to perform to any command. That is the puppy in him, as he matures, I feel confident we will become more consistent and need less rewards.

Kodi Talking & Sylvester Having the Last Word

Kodi had something important to say...

Sylvester had the last word!

There's never a dull moment in our home, thanks to our furry friends. The cats loved and got along so well with Echo, they aren't sure how to handle Kodi, as he's such a puppy still. He's loud, clumsy, energetic and loves to tease and chase.

I sometimes think we live in a three ring circus!

Walking With Kodi

Kodi and I go for a walk twice a day. We walk around our neighborhood, to the local park, on the bike path and along the dike.

He's a strong and energetic dog, as you can imagine from the picture. Still being a puppy, he's encountering new things all the time.

He was born in December, so he's never seen Autumn leaves, Canadian Geese flying overhead, fuzzy caterpillers or so many squirrels playing and storing their acorns for the winter.

He's often frightened by new things we encounter, such as little children (my son is 17) who are loud and quick, skateboards or bicycles. Even strangers approaching us on the street can make him anxious.

Yesterday morning we had to pass some 'orange barrels' along the roadside. He was terrified of them, until we walked close enough and stopped, so he could give them a hearty 'sniff' and check them out. At times he's frightened and at other times he seems to be trying to protect me.

Our walks have been a bit harrowing, as we have been charged by a young pit bull, an adult german shepherd and an adult german shepherd mix. There are far too many dogs left unattended and off leash in our neighborhood.

Kodi has some neighborhood friends too, a Siberian Husky named Dodger who came over for a play date, a Siberian Husky named Jarrett and an Alaskan Malamute named Phason whom we visit when we walk. Our neighbor has a Lemon Beagle named Maggie whom Kodi has a bit of a crush on.

Maggie's brother Jack lived with her until a couple of months ago, when he jumped against and knocked down the new baby. He was quickly whisked off to live with another of their litter mates at a friend's house, leaving Maggie alone in the yard.

She often sits outside crying at the back door which inspires Kodi to howl for her and to cry with her, while keeping a watchful eye on her.

Tonight, we went for our walk around 7:30 and it was dark before we got home. That was a new experience for Kodi, walking in the dark. He discovered everything looks different.

I'm looking forward to walks through fall leaves, the sights, smells and sounds of Autumn, as they will all be new to Kodi. I am grateful for the chance to see our world anew, through the eyes of my Husky companion, the wonderment and joy he demonstrates is a joy to share.

Meet Kodiak ~ My Husky Companion

I never imagined, when my beloved Echo crossed the "Rainbow Bridge" on October 16, 2007 that I would ever have another dog.

She was truly my soul mate and a constant companion for 15 years.

My heart broke and a terrible void began to swell and consume me, not having my beautiful girl to spend each day with and to care for.

I vowed to never have another dog. I couldn't betray her in that way. We have two cats who are affectionate in their own way and enjoy a nap on a lap or curling up in our arms, but it soon became obvious that it's just not the same as having a dog.

I was terribly lonely and had become an 'inside human', only going outside to get groceries or mail. I was merely existing inside my home, not experiencing life, the fresh air, enjoying the mobility my new power chair afforded me.

The discussion began between my husband and I that I might benefit from having another dog. This was a hard thing to admit, after such an incredible and long-lived bond between Echo and I. We began searching for a Husky puppy.

No one locally had any available. There were none (even mixes) at the local SPCA, where we had gotten Echo. We went online and found a new litter of Husky puppies in Pennsylvania, about a two hour drive one way from where we live.

After making contact with the 'breeder's representative' via email, we sent a down payment on a sweet little male puppy. We were told we could pick him up when he was 7 weeks old.

"Kodiak" is the name we picked out, with the help of some friends. He was born on December 16, 2007, the second born of a seven puppy litter. His father was black and white, his mother looked like Echo.

We received pictures every week so we could see him growing, until that day, Feb. 5, when we drove 2 hours after a snow storm to pick him up.

What a fast learner he would prove to be. He was potty trained in less than 2 months, quicker really, as he went two weeks at one point without an accident and then had one in the house.

He took to his collar and leash instantly and soon understood when we said "potty" that meant he was going outside and when we said it outside that meant he had to do his business.

He didn't like 'crate' training at all. He cried terribly at night when he was put in and the door was closed. We even tried feeding him inside the crate, to make it seem like a good place to be, but that didn't work. We ended up laying on the floor next to the crate until he was asleep, then getting back in bed.

He was sleeping in the crate, having to go potty every couple of hours for a while, but soon was able to hold his bladder until morning when my husband woke to go to work.

After he was housetrained my husband decided he wanted him to sleep in bed with us, not certain about leaving him to roam the house at night, terrorizing the cats. (He loves to chase them around.)

Kodiak, "Kodi" for short, and I spent every moment together with the exception of an hour every week when he had to stay in his crate while we went for groceries. As soon as he was old enough and big enough to wear a harness I began taking him for walks with my power chair. He showed no fear of the chair and was very responsive to me, so we began twice daily walks.

He pulled so hard he hurt my shoulder. He was so strong, even at 5 months old, he was able to assist my power chair up inclines. Huskies pull against harnesses, as they are bred to pull, so we soon determined this wasn't going to work for Kodi. Our vet recommended a "Halti" head harness, so after his neutering and the removal of his rear dew claws, we began training with the Halti.

What an incredible difference that made on our walks. He seemed to understand that when he had to wear the Halti, it was time to focus.

Our walks increased in time from a half hour to forty-five minutes to an hour and in some cases when it's cool and nice out, an hour and a half.

We walk through our local park, along the bike path, across the dike and in our neighborhood.

He stays with me all the time, he follows me from room to room, he has to know where I am and what I'm doing at all times. If my husband takes him outside, when he comes back in he first has to find me and make sure I'm here, before he will even accept a treat for a successful potty trip.

My disability causes a lot of pain and discomfort. I was laying on the recliner crying one day and he jumped up, layed down over my body on his side, rested his head on my shoulder and began to lick my tears. He stayed with me until I had stopped crying.

This blog will chronicle our daily life together, the things we learn, the way we help each other to grow and the adventures we face, me and "Kodiak", My Husky Companion.