Kelsey Ann

Our hearts are heavy today as we mourn the loss of our fellow SiberMal Society member and dear friend, sweet Kelsey Ann.

Kelsey Ann and her family will be in our thoughts and prayers.

The Army of Four (and our bipeds)

Louie

Anypup up for making Louie the Lab an honorary Siberian?

Ha roo roo roo!

Tail wags,
Stormy

Holding The Walls Up

Ha roo, pups! It's me, Zim! It's looked like this around here lately:

That's Dad, Dave and me from this weekend. Storms here in Kansas are nothing to trifle with, so I've taken it upon myself to keep the house safe. Here I am, hard at work on the downstairs stair landing:

That's right. I'm not just holding a wall up, I'm holding up two! Check this out:

Whoa! I almost dozed off!

Must... stay... awake! Must... keep... house... safe!

That's right - Dave's not the only hard-working guy around here!

Play bows,
Zim

Greetings from the Studio

Woo, everypup and kitty. Dave here, Guide Dog for the Color Blind. I've been working really hard down in the Studio lately. Mom has gotten in a lot of bag orders, so she's been pulling a lot of fabrics together; she always needs my approval on her choices.

She got an order in for her Super Shopper tote and put these cool batiks together:

She wanted my input.

"These? In a Super Shopper?"

I gave them a good look, then assured her they worked.

Being a Guide Dog for the Color Blind is exhausting work; trust me!

Luv,
Dave

Sunday Salute - The Sibe Blogathoners!

This week, our Sunday Salute goes out to our Siberpals who did such an outstanding job over the past 24 hours - Steve, Kat & Wilbur and Kelsey Ann, Sky, Canyon & Biloxi of the Kapp Pack! Way to go, everypup! (And kitty!)

These guys posted every half hour for 24 hours - that's a lot of work, creativity, and dedication! Not to mention a lot of sacrificing SLEEP! You all rocked it!

The Kapp Pack worked for the MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue and Referral Services, Inc. Steve, Kat and Wilbur raised money for Save Our Siberian - Siberspace Rescue Fund. Both are 501(c)3 organizations (non-profit organizations as recognized by the IRS) and do outstanding things for needy Siberians. Two great non-profits; two great blogging teams!

Our congratulations and thanks to Kat, Steve, Kelsey Ann, Sky, Canyon, Biloxi AND their bipeds for a wonderfully successful Blogathon! Begrudging kudos to Wilbur, too; sorry, but Zim is a little miffed you went to see Huffle and didn't take him with you. Blogathoners, we salute you!

The Army of Four

Isn't That Cool?

Ha roo, pups! It's me - Zim. I was hanging out in the front yard with Storms the other afternoon, when I saw something really cool.

"Hey, Storms!" I said. "Look down there; isn't that cool?"

"Yeah, Zim. You mean this bug?"

I meant down at the end of the street.

"Seriously cool clouds. Amber needs to see these."

Doesn't this look awesome?

Ammy was pretty impressed. Stormy was more impressed with the bug.

Please don't forget that today is the Blogathon! Head over to see Steve, Kat and Wilbur - and the Kapp Pack! They're working mighty hard to raise money for some wonderful causes! AND it's not too late for you to donate! Good luck, blogathoners!

Play bows,
Zim

Blogathon and Awards!

Ha roo all you pups and cool cats! It's me - Zim! I just wanted to remind you that the big Day of Blogs/Blogathon starts tomorrow!

Our very good friends in the Kapp Pack and Steve, Kat and Wilbur will be blogging every half hour for 24 hours to raise money for some really great causes. Please stop by and help them out!

While the girls distracted Mom, I grabbed her plastic card and made some pledges and Dave snuck into the Quilt Studio and got a couple cool prizes they could each give out! He helped Mom make this cool tote for Steve, Kat and Wilbur - it's out of the fabric Tasha sent us! Ha roo! And for the Kapp Pack, a really handy Hold the Phone! Bag. It's one of Mom's best-sellers, and could be used for a phone or your "good neighbor bags" or treats or something! Anyroo... please stop by and support our pals!

We are really honored to have been presented with two new awards! The first one is from our bee-roo-tiful, fluffy-tailed friend Khyra!

It's the "Arte-y-Pico" Award. You can click on it (above) for all the details and rules. Thank roo, Khyra! And to answer your question ... if you count EVERYone around here, it's more like the Army of 125. That Oswald is one BUSY bunny! Ha roo roo roo!

Our dear friend Rocky has given us this award!

Wowzers! Thanks for the honor, Rocky! That's mighty sweet of you!

Storm said I could choose who we are going to present the awards to! Here I am, thinking everything over:

Hmm...who to choose? Who to ... Oh! I know!

Yeah! I had a great idea! Or is that a "brilliante" idea, in keeping with that second award? (Ha roo roo roo!) On behalf of the Ao4 (or so), I would like to present both of these awards to our Sibe blogathoners: Steve, Kat and Wilbur and the Kapp Pack, Kelsey Ann, Sky, Canyon and little Biloxi! Good luck tomorrow, pups and Wilbur!

Play bows,
Zim

No Win Situation

Woo, it's me - Dave. Remember the quilt I was trying to win for my mom? I gave it my best shot, but it didn't pan out. Woo. I'll just have to work overtime in the Studio to help Mom pull together fabrics that cool and colorful so we can make our own. Mom said she'll need a LOT of help from me - her Guide Dog for the Color Blind - to pull it off. Sounds good to me!

Mom seemed to know I was a bit down, so she said, "Let's go play in the yard for a little bit, Davy!" It's JUST what I wanted to hear!

The yard was a little wet, so Mom said we needed something water-proof. I chose the very cool fishy that my pals Eva and Brice gave us when they were here! It SQUEAKS! I LOVE squeakies! Eva and Brice picked out such cool toys! (Ammy may think that Loopie toy is hers, but it's MINE, too!)

Here I am, all set to PLAY!

Throw Squeaky Fish, Mom! Throw Squeaky Fish!

It was great fun! Ammy had already done a thorough security check in the yard, so Mom knew Oswald and his family were elsewhere. That meant I didn't have to drag a long leash behind me. Here's a video of me in action; make sure you have your speakers on so you can hear Squeaky Fish talking!

Isn't he cool? And yes, I went over to check one of the bushes. Ammy said she saw a tiny lizard run in there, so I wanted to look for it. Besides, Stormy's REALLY been teasing me a LOT lately about being a Lab in a Sibe suit, so I decided not to bring Squeaky Fish right back that one time - just to be Siberian. That is, until Mom said, "Davy, what are you doing?" Then I brought him right back, so she'd throw him and throw him and throw him for me!

I just love playing with Squeaky Fish!

Luv,
Dave

Wubba!

Hi everypuppy, it's me - Amber! Did you see our wonderful, new toys that Kat and Steve sent us?!? Stormy showed you everything yesterday and oh, they're just SO fun! Kat and Steve are soooooo very sweet to send these! I just love all of them - especially my GREEN Wubba!

Yesterday morning, it wasn't 100 degrees out, so Mom showed me my new green Wubba and asked if I'd like to go out and play!

Oooh, I love this toy!!!

Of course, I said, "Yes!" I love to play in the backyard with Mom! Here I am after I chased it down!

You might be wondering why I'm on a long leash. Hrmph! Mom wasn't holding it or anything, but she needed a "safety" on me. You see, it would appear that Oswald and his wife Hare-iette have turned our Red Prince Weigela into a bunny nursery. Mom doesn't want me to ... um ... well, you know.

I got to play anyway. I ran and ran and ran and chased after the Wubba! I usually bring it back part way or grab it and wait there with it so Mom will come get it and throw it for me. Don't I have her well-trained? :)

Here it is, Mom!

Umm... there are a few ... um ... teeth marks on it. What can I say? So.... moving right along, Mom tried to get some action shots, but I'm tooooooo fast! In this next shot, Wubba is still in mid-air, but I've already caught up with it! Ha roooooo!

I did a lot more running and running and running after that, then Mom said it was time to go inside. I was tired, but beat her up the stairs anyway!

This new toy is SO fun! Thank roo again, Kat and Steve!

Love,
Ammy

It's Christmas in July!

Ha roo, pups and kit-cats! It's me, Stormy! Before I get started on today's post, I would like to take a moment to thank our friends over at the OP Pack for presenting all of us with the Cool Cat Award! Thank you so much! We are truly honored!

Yesterday was such a great day! True, our temps topped 100, but we celebrated Christmas! Ha rooo! Our sweet friends Kat and Steve (how come Steve always gets top billing?) sent us some Christmas in July presents!

Zim helped Mom open the box!

Zim unpacking!

There were REALLY cute pictures of Kat and Steve in the box - obviously, they helped their mom pick everything out! There was a bag of SOS-SRF Husky Java coffee beans for Mom and Dad (and Zim!). Mom's having some now and says, "Yum!" They picked out a blue Wubba for Zim (just like his girlfriend Sitka has!)...

Zim and his cool new Wubba!

...an Air Kong football for Dave (it SQUEAKS!)...

Dave - a real football kinda guy!

a Kong Wubba for Ammy in her signature green...

Ammy and her Wubba - thinking about Brice, no doubt

...AND a cool Jumping Jack Kong toy for ME! It's RED like my collar! Here I am with it!

Me! Storms! And my cool new toy!

Every time Mom turned the camera on, I stopped playing with it. Ha roo roo roo. I made her take about 100 pictures before she even got that shot of me sitting by it. That was pretty exhausting, so when my Zim asked me if he could try chewing on the toy, I said he could.

Zim and my toy

He really likes it a LOT! That made me so happy. He doesn't really play with too many toys!

Dave, on the other paw, LOVES toys. Ammy turned her back on her Wubba for a second and he snagged it.

Dave and Ammy's Wubba

See the rip marks in the top of the toy? Jaws of Steel strikes again! Mom thinks this is going to be the perfect outside one-on-one toy for her and Ammy. But not a laying around ripping it to shreds toy. She did that in a matter of minutes. She and Brice really DO have a lot in common!

Kat! Steve! Many thanks to you and your mom and dad for the wonderful gifts! The best gift of all, of course, is your friendship!

Tail wags,
Stormy

Old Red Barn Co.

Woo, everypup. And kitty. And any bipeds who happen to be out there. It's me - Dave. Here's a picture of our thermometer from just after 1900 hours yesterday. That's 7 p.m. on the 24-hour clock.

See that bottom number? That's the outside temperature. Woo. It's supposed to be even hotter here today. And I know what you must be wondering. "You pups are members of the Working Breed class! How are you going to stay busy?"

Thanks for asking. We did our exercise early and now we're all doing various Ao4 stuff. You know - supervising Mom while she works, keeping Ao4 HQs safe from cat burglars or bunnies, holding down the air conditioning vents, spreading our fluff around... always busy! And I found something I'm working SUPER hard on! I'm trying to win Mom a quilt from Old Red Barn Company!

That's right! The kind folks over there are giving away a quilt and, with the help of Storms, Amber and Zim, I'm trying to win it for Mom! I put their cool logo in our sidebar, left them a comment on the right page of their blog, am doing this blog post linking to them ... AND I had Mom shoot a video of us! I emailed the link in - I hope Dana got it! If anyone would like to see it, please click here. I would have shot the vid myself, but without opposable thumbs, it just wasn't possible! I think most of you understand how that goes!

Wish me luck, everypup and kitty! I've been working really hard on this and really hope I can win it for my mom!

Stay cool! Drink lots of water, stay in where the AC is on, and find some fun indoor activities to keep you busy!

Luv,

Dave

Sunday Salute - Nikki of Northern Cyprus!

Our Sunday Salute this week goes out to our very good friend Nikki of Northern Cyprus! We've told you about Nikki's adventures before, and her adjustment in moving from South Africa to Northern Cyprus. Now that she's settled in, she has all kinds of challenges to deal with and incredible adventures.

For starters, there's the heat! If you pups and kit-cats think it's hot where you live, look up the temps in Northern Cyprus and see what Nikki has to deal with! Fortunately, her mom and dad have a fan set up just for her, to help keep her cool.

Nikki on duty, keeping cool. Relatively cool.

She wears a "cool tie" around her neck to help her cool down. It also makes her look MIGHTY fashionable! Ha roo roo roo!

When we last p-updated you on Nikki, we told you about cows trying to invade her home. Now it's gotten worse. Here's what she had to say! "I was looking over Mom's shoulder and saw a post to your blog about how woo have to do 'cat duty' and thought I would send woo a picture of one of the cats that 'lurk' around our house."

Yikes! Huffle warned us about the orange ones! As Nikki said, "Now is that a face with attitude? I have to keep an eye on this particular kitty as she (yes, it is a she!) comes and sticks her paw into MY Kong and pinches MY treats!! Even wolfie teeth don't chase her away. She can run very fast! She comes into the house at night and Mom finds paw prints all over the counter tops in the kitchen!"

In the house?!!? Trying to steal your treats?!!? What an outrage. Come to think of it, we did catch an orange kitty trying to break into our place! Maybe it was the same one! As Nikki told us, "A Sibie's work is never done!" Amen, sister!

Here's another that tried to break in, Chez Nikki:

Hmm. That one's mighty cute. Truth be told, the orange one was pretty cool-looking, too... even if she does have cat-attude.

Nikki said this picture could well explain why the kitties are hanging out at her place:

That's right ... Nikki's mom is putting food out for them! Nikki tries to guard the milk dish from the cats. She told us, "Mom has to come and fetch me and tell me to 'leave the poor kitties alone'!" Our mom would probably do the same think, Niks. With our blessings. (At least those of Storm and Zim.) Poor little kit-cats are hungry and have no home of their own!

Anyroo... when it gets WAY too hot at the house...

Woo is me!

...Nikki and her bipeds get into the car and head for a cooler spot! She showed us these great pictures from a recent trip into the mountains!

Karsiyaka, NC

How beautiful! Doesn't that even LOOK a lot cooler!?! We bet it was Nikki's idea!

Here are Nikki and her dad, taking a rest together:

What a beautiful, shady spot! Looks like they had a little picnic or something! Eventually, it was time to head home. Here's what the road was like:

WOWZERS! We wonder if Nikki got to drive!?!?

Nikki said her mom held her breath the whole way down! Ha rooooo!

What great adventures you have, Nikki! And what hard work you have, guarding the house (and your treats!) from intruders! Try to stay cool, friend! For all you do, we salute you!

The Army of Four (It's good to have the blog back in our own paws now!)

Snooter Hanging, Day Four

Hi readers! The Ao4's mom coming at you one last time with this tutorial about snooter hanging. I know what you're thinking - she'll give up! At least that's what Stormy, Amber and Zim were thinking. Umm... especially since I did give up trying to hang a Hold the Phone! Bag on each of their snooters. That's right - I admit I was defeated by Stormy (who teaches classes about not cooperating for photos), Ammy (her TOP student in those classes) and by Zim (who likes to choose his own poses). But I have one chance left. One certain Sibe. One lovely snooter covered in freckles! One very amenable ... DAVE!

Hi Mom! Whatcha doing? Can I play?!

That's right, when all else fails, turn to the "old" standby.

So... grab your digital camera, arm yourself with very tasty treats, and find the most laid back pup you can. :)

Show your model the treat, tell him, "Wait!", and bring the object you want to hang on his snooter close. As you slip the object over his snooter, get ready to hold the treat up, so the ...

You mean like this, Mom? Is this what you want me to do?

"Umm... well, yes. Good boy, Dave! You could have waited for the treat! Good boy!"

I guess somepups have extra-sensitive sniffers and know you have the treats, so they don't feel they need to wait for you to show them. Dave already let me get that "money shot"; once your model does, treat him with a cookie! (And, yes, before anypup asks, even the puppers who weren't exactly as cooperative for the snooter-hanging spree were rewarded.)

Mmm, thanks, Mom!

Maya Marie's mom sure does bake some yummy cookies!

Once you've rewarded your model and have lavished him with praise, pick up the object which he's surely shaken off by now and tossed onto the grass, and go download the photos to see if you were able to get any good shots.

Hey Mom?! Wanna get another picture before we head in?

Umm... with MOST dogs, especially Siberians, the object will be on the ground. Some pups are just ... different. :)

I hope you enjoyed my tutorial. Many thanks to Stormy for setting me up - I mean for turning the blog over to me for a few days. Let us know if you're able to teach snooter hanging to any of your friends!

Thanks for reading!

The Ao4's mom

Snooter Hanging, Day Three

Hi readers! The Ao4's mom here again, ready for another try at this snooter hanging tutorial! Before I do, though........... let me wish a very happy Zim-aversary to our very own SGT Zim! That's right - it's his "Gotcha Day"; we brought him home from the shelter on this day back in 2001. (We celebrate an honorary birthday in January.) It's hard to believe he's been a member of our family for seven years, yet at the same time it's as though he's always been a part of us. Happy Zimaversary, little guy!!!

OK, now back to my snooter hanging tutorial! To sum things up so far, you'll need a digital camera, bribes, and a gorgeous model who is neither teaching her own on-line (not) "cooperating" for photos classes nor is an excellent student in those classes. In fact, let's get someone who just loves the camera! Let's get ... Zimmie! He is a very handsome lad, loves the camera, and ...

Hey, hey, what's this thing on my snooter?!?!

I reminded him he'd posed with a Hold the Phone! Bag on his snooter before. Twice even. He assured me that was different. That bag was for his Sitka.

"Wait, Mom," he seemed to tell me. "That's not for my gorgeous girlfriend Sitka, is it?" I had to admit, it wasn't. Not exactly, anyway.

No way, Mom! Not if it isn't for Sitka!

"Aw, c'mon, Zim! Please? Look - I have a Happy Heart cookie for you..." (carefully place object on snooter) "... and ..."

Hey, Mom! Is that the camera?!?! Wanna take my picture?

"Zim! Hold still, Zim! Zimmie!!! Zimmmmmmmmmmmmm-mmmmmmie!"

Hey, Mom! Don't I look better without that HTP! Bag on my snooter?
I'm ready for my close-up!

OK... maybe it's possible to love the camera too much. So now we're up to changing Step One of snooter hanging to include camera, bribes, and ... a gorgeous/handsome model who isn't teaching her own on-line classes about NOT cooperating for photos, who isn't a top-notch student in those classes, and who can combine a love for the camera with the ability to let the photographer pose him. (If I believed in reincarnation, I'd swear he had been a model in another life-time.)

Please tune in again tomorrow for another attempt at my snooter hanging tutorial. Thanks for reading, and Happy Zimaversary!!!!!

Mom-o-the-Ao4 (Please stop laughing, pups. Please?!?)