New Game

Woo, everypuppy! It's me, Dave! We saw this cool new game on the bee-woo-tiful Malagal Holly's blog and our special pals Guinness, Shiloh & Misty's blog and we wanted to play, too! Stormy said it would be too much to post everysibe's answers in one post, and told us to go two at a time, alphabetically. That means me and Amber first. Well... Amber and me. Woo.

Me and Amber, giving the game some thought

Here are the rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions. They must be real places, names, things ... If you can't think of anything, skip it. You CAN'T use your name for the boy/girl name question. You take the first letter of your first name, and then answer the questions using only that letter. Cool! Let's go! Ammy first!

What is your name? Amber
4 letter word: Amen
Vehicle: Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV)
TV Show: The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin (And here is the real story of Rin Tin Tin!)
City: Archangelsk, Siberia (It's the city our Weather Control Device is set to!)
Boy Name: Alexi
Girl Name: Alena
Alcoholic Drink: Ale
Occupation: Arbitrator
Something you wear: Anklets
Celebrity: Aaron Baddeley
Food: Apples
Something found in a bathroom: Antenna (on the radio)
Reason for being late: Alarm didn’t go off!
Cartoon Character: Arthur, from Babar the Elephant (Pictured at right!)
Something You Shout: Ah HA!

Now it's my turn!

What is your name? Dave
4 letter word: Dirt
Vehicle: DUCW (or Duck), pictured at right (Hey Davy, it's a 'Duck out of water'. Hee hee hee!) (Oh, Amber!) (Sorry. Hee hee hee!) (That's OK... it IS funny...ha woooo!)
TV Show: Dream House
City: Dallas, TX
Boy Name: Dmitri
Girl Name: Danika
Alcoholic Drink: Dirty Banana
Occupation: Detective
Something you wear: Diamonds (not me, but Mom does!)
Celebrity: Dave Thomas! (I was named after him!)
Food: Dumplings
Something found in a bathroom: Drain
Reason for being late: Didn’t hear you calling!
Cartoon Character: Dino Flintstone
Something You Shout: Dinner time!

I hope you enjoyed our answers! This was really fun - I hope lots of our friends play! I can't wait to see what Storm and Zim come up with tomorrow!

Luv,
Dave (and Amber!)

Sunday Salute - Husky Power Dogsledding!

Our Sunday Salute goes out to our friends at Mountain Maryland Kennels, LLC - the home of Husky Power Dogsledding!!! It's only fitting that since tomorrow is Labor Day here in the US that we salute some true working dogs!

Have you ever dreamed of going on a great dog sled run? Getting up close and personal with sled dogs? Watching huskies do what they were born to do? Book a visit with Mike and Linda Herdering, and they and their Siberian and Alaskan Huskies will take you on the adventure of a lifetime! Can you imagine?!!? You can have anything from an informative, fun-filled kennel visit (complete with husky kisses!) to a hands-on mushing experience!

Linda and Mike are two hard-working bipeds (like some of our favorite people, Mike is a retired Colonel!), and went through a lot of training and hard work before opening up Husky Power Dogsledding. They are both Wilderness First Aid certified, CPR certified, and expert dogsled drivers. They love to share their passion for dogsledding and dogs with others! Here's Linda, bonding with two members of the HPD team:

You can tell Linda enjoys her work, can't you?

The huskies of Husky Power Dogsledding are an incredible pack! We read all about each and every one of them on their website, and though we think each one is a star ... we have to confess that Smokey (pictured at left) stole our hearts. Look at that FACE! And the empty bowl! His bio reads, in part, that Smokey, "is about 5 years old, is the silliest pup to ever romp in a kennel. When it's dinnertime, actually anytime for that matter, he grabs his bowl and plays with it for hours." He sounds like our kind of guy! Actually ... they all sound like pups worth getting to know!!! SGT Zim really liked Gunny, especially because he thought maybe since COL Mike is a retired Marine, Gunny was actually a Gunnery Sergeant! We also fell in love with Nellie (pictured at right) - a six-year old who was rescued from a shelter in Alaska! According to her bio, "She’s one of the smallest dogs in the yard, but one of the smartest, especially when she runs." Stormy really liked that part!

Linda has a great group of pages on their website; they follow the life of three puppies who were born in April! It is so exciting to see them growing up! Though they are on the "Puppies for Sale" page, these little darlings are not available. Here they are at 19 weeks, doing a Christmas photo shoot!

We have to wonder how long the cute jingle collars and bracelets lasted? Ha roo roo roo!

The pups are gorgeous, aren't they? They've already put in some sled time. Seriously! Check this out!

COL Mike, with future sled dogs Rosie, Sabot and Zoomer

Ha roo roo roo! Is that a perfect picture? And though they're wee babes now, it won't be long before they'll join with the rest of the team to do this:

YEAH! Let's GO!

Doesn't that look like fun? A lot of hard work - but FUN!

For all you do at Husky Power Dogsledding, Linda and Mike and all the dogs, we salute you! (And our bipeds sure wish they lived closer so they could book an exciting sledding adventure!)

The Army of Four

The Big Day is Here!

That's right, pups! Ha roo, it's me - Stormy! Today is the big Hike N Howl! We hope all of our friends in the Eastern PA/Maryland area are having a BLAST at the big event! It looks like a perfect weather day there for having lots of FUN!

It's a big day here, too. Can you guess what it is? My (honorary) birthday! That's right! Based on how old I looked when I adopted Mom and Dad, they chose the 1st of September as the day we celebrate my birth! I'm 12 today!!!

Mom took me outside - just me! - to take some pictures. She asked me to sit and pose by the front door, and I just wasn't in to it. "Stormy! Please look at the camera!" she pleaded.

Oh, I sat. But I was having none of the "look at the camera" nonsense.

No.

She got the message and we went to do some exploring, which is tons more fun. I checked Amber's favorite bush for Oswald, so I could tell her if he was out there. He wasn't. He likes to hide in the honeysuckle, too, so I led Mom over there so I could check it out.

Hmm... sniff, sniff. Oswald, are you in there?

I didn't find him in there, either. He must have been off having breakfast at the neighbors' house. I did strike a pose on the steps, just because I felt like it.

Pretty nice, don't you think?

We're having lots of Siber-fun today, with nice walks, visits with the neighbors, yogurt (it was Mango-Pomegranate, Auntie Laura, and no chunks!), and all kinds of singing (the boys and Amber sang me the Birthday Song!), playing, and FUN! Anypuppy want to come to my party!?!?

Anyroo, I hope our friends in the MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue, Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue, and the Delaware Valley Siberian Husky Rescue are having a wonderful time at the Hike N Howl! We hope the event is a smashing success and that everyone fully enjoys the day. We can't wait to hear all about it!

Tail wags,
Storm

Support For The Hike N Howlers, Part II

Hi everypuppy! It's me, Amber, again! I have the rest of the pictures from our group photo shoot! We wanted to show our support for all of our friends going to the Hike N Howl tomorrow! We'll be sure to get Mom and Dad to wear their shirts tomorrow and take us for a lovely walk here. On to the pictures!

In this first one, I do believe Stormy was telling Zim (who still wanted to play) to settle down. Dave was seeing if Zim wanted to play with him. I'm still looking for Oswald.

Zim! I said, "Lay DOWN!"

He's starting to do just that (lay down) in this next picture:

Stormy and Dave were sort of posing for the camera as Zim started to lay down. Me? Umm... I was looking for Oswald.

In this one, Zim is finally in a "down", as is Stormy. More or less. And I'm looking at the camera! Dave is looking for Oswald. (One of us has to be on the look-out at all times!)

It looks like Zim is saying something to Stormy, doesn't it? Sassy back-talk, perhaps?

Here's the last one. Dad is the only one smiling for the camera. Dave was about to jump on Storm and Zim, Storm is letting Zim know his back-talk was UNacceptable, Zim is horsing around ... and I'm ... well, I think you know what I'm doing. Or should I say who I'm looking for? :) You can never be too careful if there's a bunny involved!

Mom didn't take any more pictures after that one. She said she wasn't going to get all of us to "cooperate"... but she was OK with that. She and Dad know that if you're owned by Siberian Huskies, you should treasure any photo (like the one at this link) where we're being at least semi-cooperative! (Come to think of it ... I was looking out the front windows for Oswald in that picture, too. It's not that I'm obsessed, it's just that there's a BUNNY out there!)

Good luck to all our friends going to the Hike N Howl! Have a LOT of fun, lick a lot of faces, and raise a lot of money for your rescue groups!!! We can't wait to see all the wonderful pictures from your big day!!!

Love,
Amber

Show Of Support For the Hike N Howlers!

Hi everypuppy, it's me - Amber! As many of you know, the big Hike N Howl 2007 is coming up! It's THIS SATURDAY!!! We sure wish we could be there, but it would seem a little something called "being about 1200 miles away" is getting in our way. Hrumph! We want to show our support anyway, as we are so proud of all the participants! Three rescue groups getting together for a wonderful day of fun and fund-raising!

We sent a donation out to one of our most favorite hikers, we bought some really nice Hike N Howl tee shirts for Mom and Dad, and the other day, we posed for a bunch of pictures with our daddy who was wearing one of the very pretty shirts! We thought these pictures would show all our friends who are hiking that we are with you in spirit! We love each and every one of you and are so proud of you and your bipeds for doing all you do to help Sibes and other Northern Breeds in need!!!

Stormy said we should break the pictures up over the course of the next two days, as Mom took a BUNCH! I think Mom said something about "not the most cooperative pack of Siberians". Hmmm. I'm really not sure who she's talking about. I hope these pix inspire all the hikers!

Here is the first one! The front row is Dave and Zim, and Stormy in a play bow. Daddy and I are in the back row.

I'll just stand here quietly next to you, Dad!

Dave and Zim wouldn't stop playing around - can you see the look on Stormy's face in this next one? She's ready to pounce! Me? I'm looking for Oswald.

Then... since Zim and Dad did not stop huskying around, Stormy had to step in.

GOTCHA, you little Siber-pup!

She's really such a very good leader! This next picture is a nice one of Dad. And we're all holding still. Notice he's shortened our leashes. Hee hee hee. Here's the picture and what everypup/one was saying!

I didn't start anything, Stormy!
Yeah, right! I've got 'em all settled down now, Dad!
Look at your mom and smile!
I think I see Oswald, you guys!
I really want to play....

We'll post more pictures of all of us with Dad tomorrow! We're so excited about the Hike N Howl!!! We're with you all in spirit!

Love,
Amber

PS: Guess what Mom's making right now?

Mmmm... burger buns!

You should smell our house! OH! She also made Koobie's "Pizza Soup" last night! (Look in the comment section here for the recipe!) Mom and Dad really liked it! Thank you, Koobuss!

Ask the Ao4 XXIII - Dutch Ovens and Cilantro

Hey, pups! Tail wags! It's Stormy here! It's actually stormy here, too ... but that's another story. My Zim posted a great recipe (and an even better story behind it!) yesterday and on behalf of the Ao4 and our mom, thank roo for all the kind comments! A couple of the items mentioned presented a little language gap challenge. Consequently, our dear friend Marvin wanted to know, "What is a Dutch Oven? Is it what we call a casserole dish? What is Cilantro? (Jeannie thinks it is what we call here, Coriander??)"

Great questions, Marvin! The English language is used so differently in different parts of the world, isn't it? Let's get on these!

I was going to let Amber answer the query about the Dutch oven, but then I looked over her shoulder during a web search she was doing for a graphic. She looked up ovens, then made another entry I couldn't see and hit on this one:

She wouldn't stop giggling. I think she was going in the wrong direction, Siberianly speaking. AND she's obviously still fixating on Oswald. Anyway, you can use your imagination to figure out where she was headed with this one.

Back to the Dutch oven issue. Have you ever been to the Netherlands, Marvin? No, just kidding. Ha roo roo roo. A Dutch oven is a heavy cooking pot with a tight-fitting lid. As per why it's called a Dutch oven ... Wikipedia actually has a great write-up:

During the late 1600s the Dutch system of producing these cast metal cooking vessels was more advanced than the English system. The Dutch used dry sand to make their molds, giving their pots a smoother surface. Consequently, metal cooking vessels produced in Holland were imported into Britain. In 1704, an Englishman named Abraham Darby decided to go to Holland to observe the Dutch system for making these cooking vessels. Four years later, back in England, Darby patented a casting procedure similar to the Dutch process and began to produce cast metal cooking vessels for Britain and her new American Colonies. It is possible that because Darby’s patent was based upon his research into the Dutch foundry system that the cooking vessels he produced came to be referred to as “Dutch” ovens. Other researchers believe that this term may have come from the itinerant Dutch traders who sold cooking vessels out of their wagons as they traveled from town to town and door to door. Maybe both accounts are true. In any event, the term “Dutch oven” has endured for over 300 years.

They also have some photos of Dutch ovens at the link above. What we Americans call "casserole dishes", to respond to the second part of your question, are normally glass, pottery or ceramic-type covered baking dishes. The term also refers to the food item cooked in the casserole dish. That's a wee bit confusing, isn't it? "I cooked a casserole dish in a casserole dish." Amber would have a field day with that one! Anyroo... here I am with our Dutch oven.

I was thinking about Amber's web search, and couldn't help but laugh. She is soooo funny!

The cilantro question is another great one! Jeannie is right, cilantro and coriander are from the same plant! Cilantro, or Chinese parsley, is the name given to the leaves of the coriander plant (Coriandrum sativum, Marvin!), while both the plant and the seed-like "fruit" are traditionally called coriander.

Cilantro is used as a garnish in a lot of Southeast Asian food, and as a key ingredient of Thai green curry paste. In Mexico and Tex/Mex cuisine, it is used in salsa and guacamole. It's also used in many different chutney dishes! It's in all kinds of wonderful treats! There is a good image of cilantro at the Gourmet Sleuth link. Mom tried growing some a few years ago, but as it gets a little tall, our winds really did a number on it. She wants to give it another try!

I hope that clears things up for you, Marvin! They were excellent questions; thanks for asking!

Tail wags,
Stormy

Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup

Hey pups! Zim here - kitchen expert! I just love all things kitchen - prep work, cooking, clean up ... and the cool appliances. Mom and I got a new little mixer a couple years ago and I just love it.

Pretty cool, don't you think? Anyroo.... I was thinking about kitchen stuff because our pal Cosmos' Mom is going to have some jaw surgery soon and I was trying to think up a good soup recipe for her. I was a little stumped, because most of the soups I help Mom make are pretty chunky - and Cosi needs one that his mom doesn't have to chew. I asked Stormy if she knew of any good chew-free soups, because number one, she knows everything and number two, she spends a lot of time in the kitchen, too. She said she had the perfect soup in mind, then told me a wonderful story from back when she, Dad, Mom and great-brother Booter first moved into this house...

Mom and Dad were having some nice people over for dinner for the very first time in the new house. All the walls here are white, because Mom loves a clean, crisp look and let's face it, that was pre-Dave, so it's not like she would have chosen the right color(s) anyway! Mom decided to make Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup for one of the courses. In her nice, new, clean, white-walled kitchen. Part of the recipe says to combine a mix of pumpkin, chicken broth and mango nectar with some peanut butter. It also mentions putting it in a blender or food processor. Mom doesn't HAVE a blender, so she grabbed the Cuisinart (that's our food processor's name). To make a long, VERY amusing story short, about one minute before the door bell rang, Mom understood the capacity of the Cuisinart. And let's just say "pumpkin, chicken broth and mango nectar with some peanut butter" doesn't fit. Stormy said it was REALLY cool - stuff flying everywhere, and really nice pumpkin-colored walls. Mom's friend complimented her on the interesting paint technique on the kitchen walls and thought it was an added special touch that Mom's outfit matched the decor. Ha roo roo roo!! Wowzers, I wish I'd been there to help clean up!

Anyroo, the soup is really yummy - Mom's made it since - so I thought I'd share the recipe with you!

Thai-Style Pumpkin Soup
(I think this came from 'Cooking Light')

2 (16-ounce) cans fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can mango nectar
1/4 cup reduced-fat chunky peanut butter
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1-1/2 tablespoons minced green onions
1 teaspoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed
Chopped fresh cilantro (optional) (I recommend using it - it really adds a fresh
taste!)

Directions:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large Dutch oven, and bring to a boil.
Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.
Combine 1 cup pumpkin mixture and peanut butter in a blender or food processor; process until smooth.
(There's a note in the margin of Mom's recipe sheet that reads "Don't use Cuisinart! Use hand
held blender!" Hmm... interesting!)
Return mixture to pan.
Stir in vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through garlic); cook 3 minutes
or until thoroughly heated.
Ladle into soup bowls.
Sprinkle with cilantro, if desired.
This makes about six 1-cup servings. Unless you decorate the kitchen with it. Ha roo roo roo!

Well, that's it. Cosmos. Amber said she hopes your mom will give it a whirl, so to speak. (Ha roo roo roo!) It's really tasty, yet chew-free! Except for maybe the cilantro. Maybe she'd let you and Juneau eat it instead!

Play bows and bon appétit! Or is that "bone" appétit? Ha roo roo roo! I've gotta go tell Amber that one!

Zim

Is It Banana Time?

Woo, everypuppy - it's me, Dave! Mom was telling a friend of ours the other day how she and I have conversations. She's been trying to capture one on video, but I usually clam up. Yesterday, I just couldn't help myself. It was time for Banana Formation ... and instead of calling the troops in, Mom kept asking ME if it was Banana Time. I looked to Stormy to bail me out - I didn't want to talk on video, but I couldn't help it! Mom asked me and I had to tell her, "Of course it's Banana Time, Mom!"

Here we are:

I hope you enjoyed my "woo"s. When I was in the slammer, I screamed the Siberian Death Scream for over a month -- until I saw my mom. Then I gave her one of my nice, low "woo"s. She understood exactly what I was saying! I love talking to my mom!

Luv,
Dave

Sunday Salute - The Smirnoff Lab

This week's Sunday Salute goes to the Smirnoff Lab. There we were, watching TV with our bipeds when we saw him ... the BIGGEST Labrador we've EVER seen! That's right - it's the Giant's dog!!! We've seen his waterbowl ... we've seen a hole he's dug... but until this commercial came on, we'd never seen him! We thought, in the interest of self-preservation, it might be a good idea to Salute this fella and get on his good side. Without further ado... here he is:

The Army of Four does not endorse this product one way or the other ... and asks that if you do indulge in adult beverages that you drink responsibly and get a designated driver.

Smirnoff Lab ... you look like one cool guy! And because of our pursuit of the Giant, we thought you might appreciate our salute... and protect us when the Giant is around! We salute you!

The Army of Four

PS: I wonder if this guy knows Charlie the Big Dog? Maybe he IS Charlie the Big Dog!!!

Product Review

Woo, everypup! Dave here with a product review! Dad brought home a new (at least to us) kind of yogurt made by Blue Bunny. NO .... not Oswald! A different kind of bunny.

It comes in a smaller container than what we're used to sharing with Mom , which I didn't think was a good idea at first. But - it's shorter and wider, too... so it's much easier to stick your (this one's for Auntie Laura) to stick your snooter into.

Mmm.... it's the pink kind!

I give it a big paws up!

Luv,
Dave

PS: Don't I kind of look like Sitka in that picture?

Ask the Ao4 XXII - Duckies and Lab Tests

Tail wags, pups - it's me, Stormy! I wanted to spend today's post addressing a couple of concerns our dear friend Rocky and good buddy Echo have expressed!

First up - Have you read our pal Rocky's blog lately? He was real worried because he couldn't find his special friend Ducky ... and said he might have to consult our Detective Service! WOW! Before we could fully launch into action, he found Duckie!!! Whew! We're so glad Rocky and Duckie are reunited!

Dave had already started a preliminary investigation and left a message for the Rockstar saying that he saw a duck in the garage and wondered if it was Duckie. Dave showed it to me, and I knew right away it wasn't Rocky's Duckie ... it was our great-brother Booter's Mr. Ducky!!!

It's great-brother Booter's "Mr. Ducky"!

Oh! how Booter loved Mr. Ducky! (He also was also quite fond of Rocky's dad, coincidentally enough!) He liked to carry Mr. Ducky with him - even on walkies! I think it was the Lab in him.

Speaking of Labs ... our second question comes from our good buddy Echo. He asked, "Everyone keeps telling Kelsey Ann they want her to have 'good Lab results'. She's not a Lab....She's a Sibe! What's up with that? I certainly hope the Vet isn't trying to turn her into a Lab because she's pretty just the way she is."

Echo, we agree 100% that Kelsey is pretty just the way she is! Kelsey Ann had a lump removed, and she and her pack were waiting for the test results. (We're thrilled to report the results were very good indeed!) Bipeds often say they're waiting for "good Lab results". It doesn't mean they're trying to turn her into a Lab ... it means that in order for the bipeds to be certain of what they've found, they have to run it by a Lab first. You know, see what the Lab thinks about everything. As we canines are the superior intellect, the bipeds turn to us when there is a serious health issue in question. So Kelsey's parents waited to hear from the Lab, who told them the good news!

Mom runs a lot of things past all of us - like how she always consults Dave about colors. Like the Labs Kelsey Ann's bipeds consulted, he takes his job seriously, and studies hard.

Dave, GDFTCB, doing some professional development reading

Not saying he's a Lab... but well... you know.

Tail wags,
Storms

Oswald Makes a Run For It

Hi everypuppy! It's me, Amber! Guess what? Mom took the camera out with us yesterday ... and shot a little video! It's me showing Oswald just who's really in charge around here!

I don't know why Mom is laughing about Oswald getting away ... nor do I understand WHY she held on to my leash so tightly. Who's side is she on!?!?!

Love,
Amber - the Great Huntress!

New Family Member?

Hi everypuppy! It's me - Amber! I think all of us have told you about our bunny problem, haven't we? Dave posted about a stare-down in the back yard about a week ago ... Zim has been so worried about his Magic Bean Stalks ... Stormy saw one way before we did, but thought it might be the Easter Bunny ... and I've seen a bunny in the back yard AND a bunny out front! I guess what I'm trying to say is they're all over the place around here!!!

There is one little bunny who started out as a wee little baby who spends a lot of time in our front yard. For a while there, he'd come running when he saw us! I don't understand this, but Mom would yell, "No, no, no, little bunny!" and pull our leashes really hard and make us run into the house. The bunny was chasing us and Mom made us run away!!! Who's side is she on?

Anyroo.... we're starting to accept that these guys are around - and the little bun out front is now living right under our Mugho pine at the end of the driveway. We have to walk past this bush to get just about anywhere ... and I look for the bunny EVERY time I go outside now. I'll have to see if Mom can get a picture of me checking for ...Oswald.

Yes, that's right. We're calling him Oswald. He's really made himself right at home here and I'm not sure I like that ... but check this out! We in the family all get our pictures taken by our Support Our Troops sign ... like this picture of Zimmie and me!

Well .... guess who's posing by our sign now!?!?!

Oooh, what a lovely sign! Would you like me to pose by it?

I support our troops, too!

This doesn't mean Oswald is a member of the family, does it? I think things are getting a little bit out of control around here! I'm more than willing to ... ummm... "relocate" Oswald, but Mom doesn't seem to approve of how I'd do it. Hrumph. Oswald. Hrumph.

Love,
Amber

Cat or Pillow?

Ha roo, pups! It's me - SGT Zim! As many of you know, I have a fascination with bugs! And plants. I was pleased to be able to combine two of my passions just the other day!

Mom went out to water the Sweet Potato vines growing in the mailbox planter and I conned her into letting me help her. I took a look into the vines and said, "Hey Mom, there's something in there!"

She thought it was a tuft of Sibe hair at first, but I said, "No! Get a closer look!"

Here's what we saw!

Mom said it was something called a "cat or pillow". It didn't really look like either one to me ... it just looked like a BUG! Then Mom said it was a bug called a caterpillar. Cool! (I made sure I told Amber my "cat or pillow" joke and she really liked it!) Here's another loook!

It kind of looks like Sibe hair, doesn't it? Mom said seeing the caterpillar explained why some of the Sweet Potato vines look like Swiss Cheese. Hey .... I wonder if the bugs are in cahoots with the bunnies!!?!? Then Mom put the watering can away and we started to head in the house. In the middle of the driveway, I saw another bug! It looked like the caterpillar ... only he didn't have a nice fluffy coat on!

Hey, bug! Where's your fluffy coat?

Mom said it's a different kind of caterpillar bug and to remind her to spray our bushes the next day. OK, Mom! She has a bottle of "Bug-Be-Gone" right next to the "Bunny-Be-Gone". Ha roo roo roo!

Play bows,
Zim

Middle Name Tag

Ha roo, pups! I hope all of you had a nice weekend. It's me, Stormy today. Our friends Guinness & Shiloh (and Misty!) tagged us in a cool new game. It's the "Middle Name Meme."

Here's how it goes:
1. Post the rules before you give the facts.
2. List one fact that is somehow relevant to you and your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3. When you are tagged you need to write your post using your middle name and facts about it.
4. At the end of your post, choose one dog to tag for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to let each puppy know she/he has been tagged. (It's okay if you don't do this... tag who you want to tag!)

I'll go first. My middle name is Zoluschka, which at this point in time seems realllllllly long.

Z=zoomies!
O=omnipotent (see second meaning here) (ha roo roo roo!)
L=loving
U=urbane
S=Supreme (see next line)
C=Commander
H=ha roo roo roo (Siberian for happy or laughter)
K=kudos to others - I like to give credit where credit is due
A=alpha (I am a born leader!)

Amber's middle name is Zichick.

Z=zoomies!
I=ideal pack-mate
C=communication expert
H=herd - she loves to herd!
I=ice cube lover
C=cross-country runner
K=kangaroo - I mean that in the nicest way possible!

Zim and I had to figure out what his middle name is. Here we are, in conference:

Stormy, do I have a middle name?

Since he's really SGT Zim, we're going to consider Zim his middle name.

Z=zoomies!
I=imagination - he's got a GREAT imagination!
M=magnetic personality

And then there's Dave. Dave's really just Dave! Not that there's anything wrong with being "just" Dave. He's really the best Dave I know. But middle name? The only thing I can think of are his cool initials, which already stand for words that describe him - or at least what he does. He is Dave, GDFTCB.

G=Guide
D=Dog
F=For
T=The
C=Color
B=Blind

Here he is, pondering some fabrics:

So many colors... so many patterns... I need to sleep on this one

We all like to hang out in the Quilt Studio, but none of us quite have Dave's color sense. He's very good at what he does!

OK... we tag Frankie and Maddie, Rocky and Mati, Marvin, and Jazz & Dixie! Have fun, pups!

Tail wags,
Storms

Sunday Salute - Harley's Mom!

This week our Sunday Salute goes out to our extremely good friend Harley's mom - Kathryn! You may know Harley as Dave's twin brother of a different mother! We've told you a lot about Harley before, about him and his sisters and how Harley is hiking in the Hike N Howl to help raise money for the MaPaw Siberian Husky rescue! We've never really talked about his mom, though - and she's a biped worth getting to know!!!

Kathryn and Harley

That's from a couple years ago, and it's one of our most favorite pictures!

Kathryn has a full-time job as mom to an adorable biped toddler and Harley, Flora & Juno, and as a wife to her hubby! PLUS she works at the Lehigh Valley Hospital full-time, too. (That's like a vet hospital for bipeds!) She's an incredibly talented artist - check out some of the gorgeous things she's done for us! Here are some metal masks she painted to look like us:

The girls, Dave, and Zim

We use them as curtain holders! It's fun to see if people notice!

Can you see them up there?!!?

We have other works of art by Kathryn and treasure each one! She is one VERY talented lady! She also is a wonderful volunteer for MaPaw Siberian Husky Rescue, helping homeless Siberians find their fur-ever homes!

And guess what else?!? She has just launched a new blog for Haicooo: Little Poems for Children, a lovely book she and her father collaborated on! (Kathryn's "Haicooo" is what inspired Dave to start writing his Haik-woo!) In Kathryn's own words, "Haicooo are little haiku poems just for children! All haicooo poems have an accompanying drawing of a sweet animal to help develop a child's love of nature, art and poetry. It has long been my philosophy that a child who learns to love animals and treat them with kindness will be a child who shows empathy for other children as well. I also believe that they will grow into more caring and responsible adults. We can all learn a lot from animals as well as children!" That sounds like a great lesson for older bipeds, too! Our favorite Haicooo is about Frosty!

Click on the book for more information...

...and don't forget to check out her new blog! All proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, PA. to help care for newborn babies who require special care and their families.

Kathryn, we know we've only scratched the tip of the iceberg, but for all you do - as a mom & wife, in your work at the hospital, volunteering for MaPaw, as an incredibly gifted artist, ... and so generously donating proceeds from "Haicooo" to the NICU ...... we salute you!!!

The Army of Four

Zoomies

Hey pups! It's me again - Zim! You know, I had a great time at the vet's the other day - but I sure did miss everypuppy here at Ao4 HQs. Mom and I were gone a whole couple of hours!

Everysibe sniffed me over real well when I got home, then we did zoomies, then we napped. After nap time, we had supper-dupper ... THEN we did zoomies again! Mom took some pictures for us to share with you. The flash on the camera has our eyes looking a little weird in some of the shots, but at least you can see us all having a GREAT time! Mom had to use the flash, because we're so FAST!

Dave, who always likes to bring something to the party, brought me one of our real dinosaur bones.

Hey Zimmie, look! Here's our red real dinosaur bone! Wanna play zoomies?

Of course I did! We got into formation ...

...then raced into the living room, then the dining room, then the living room, then the dining room, then the kitchen to get a quick drink ... then started all over again! We were so fast, Mom couldn't get a picture of us!

Dave went to get another drink, so I played Furniture Olympics with Amber for a while.

Mom couldn't catch me in full-flight, but here I am just after the Ottoman Vault. Ha roo roo roo! I can fly right over that thing!

Lest you think our Supreme Commander is above all of our Siber-silliness, check this out!

Yep! Me and Stormy having a great play session! I love playing with with my pack-mates!

I feel a zoomies session coming on now. Gotta run!

Play bows, pups!
Zim

Guess Where I Got To Go?

Hey pupper-duppers! It's me - Zim. Guess where I got to go yesterday? To the vet's! It was really cool! I saw all the nice ladies at the Admissions desk, play bowed at a cute little girl Pug in the waiting room, then met my senior student, Ami! She was real nice and was patient with me while I got comfy with her. I'm a real friendly guy, but it takes me a little while to warm up to female bipeds. It's because of the rough start I had. Nothing personal!

Guess who came in to help her with the exam!!??!? BETH! We all love Beth - she's a very cool Vet Tech who's really great with us and always asks about the whole Army of Four and she is owned by Border Collies! Here I am, hanging out with Beth in the exam room:


They don't make me get on the table or anything - we just all goof around on the floor. I put about 100 sticky-rollers worth of Sibe fur all over Beth, Ami and Dr. Nelson's black slacks before all was said and done. Ha roo roo roo! I'm a Siberian; sharing my fur with everyone comes naturally to me.

I had to do a couple "holding real still" things, while they listened to my heart and lungs, checked my eyes and ears and teeth, and did other stuff. That went pretty well. They also had to take some of my blood for my Heartworm test and to run a CBC. Mom fed me cookies the whole time, so I held back my blood from my back leg after they found the vein, just so they'd have to keep trying. Eventually they switched to the front leg and hit pay-dirt there. I figure I got about 2500 extra cookies that way. Ha roo roo roo. Pretty good, huh?

Here I am with Ami:

Ooooh, is that a cookie, Ami?

Thank roo!

Do you pups understand now why we all love going to the vet's? They all come down to our level and make us feel so comfortable and give us COOKIES! Dr. Nelson gave me a few, too, just because I was so good. She says we shouldn't have to sit or anything for our cookies there because we have enough challenges. Wow, is she nice! Mom says we should sit anyway. Hrmph!

I got to schmooze the ladies at Discharge, too; I love seeing them! And I saw Dr. Riegel there - he's done dentals on Dave, Storm and me AND just recently on a Siberian TIGER! WOWZERS! (When they put that story up on the website, we'll link to it! What an incredible experience for him! And the whole Teaching Hospital!) Mom asked him which he liked working on best, Siberian Tigers or Siberian Huskies; he said it was a loaded question. He probably didn't want to offend the tiger. Ha roo roo roo!

All-in-all, a great day for me, the Z-man. Everypuppy sure was happy to see me when I got home, and sniffed me over real well. I told them all about it and we played zoomies in the living room for a while. I had fun at the vet's, but it was great to get home!

Play bows, everypup!

Zim

Puzzled!

Woo, it's me - Dave! One of Mom's quilting buddies sent her this puzzle because it reminded her of ME, her favorite Guide Dog for the Color Blind. Pour yourself a Sibe-Tini, click on the puzzle, then kick back and see how fast you can solve this!



Have fun, everypuppy!

Luv,
Dave

Staying Cool, Sibe Style

Woo, everypuppy, it's me - Dave! You know, us Sibes are really good at staying cool. We in the Ao4 have been spending most of our time in the air conditioned house, getting our exercise in the wee hours of the morning. I like to lay on the AC vents to stay cool, Zim likes the downstairs tub, Amber likes the cool tile floor in the Library and having ice cubes, and Storm likes Dad's office downstairs or the tile floor in the kitchen.

We were talking about how our fellow Sibes manage to stay cool - and my thoughts turned to one of the coolest Siberians we know - Frankie of Southern California. Frankie posted some "old" pictures the other day on her blog - and the first one reminded me of a picture she sent me a couple years ago. It is the quintessential cool Sibe picture! (Yes, Stormy taught me the word "quintessential"!) It's Haik-Woo #14:

She is sooooooo cool!

Luv,
Dave