BS: Old English Sheep Malamute

Subject: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:14 PM

Well, much to our disappointment, Ariel had her puppy about two weeks ago. As sometimes happens with older females, she was only carrying one pup.

As also sometimes happens when there's only one pup -- the mother doesn't accept the pup. Ariel immediately didn't like the pup.

But a cool thing happened.

The woman who arranged the breeding in the first place happened to have a client whose Old English sheep dog had a litter of puppies on the same day that Ariel gave birth.

They took Ariel's pup, rubbed her on the Old English puppies so they'd share a scent, and then put her with that litter. The mother accepted her immediately. Obviously, so did her new brothers and sisters.....   here and here

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:27 PM

"Pull sled? Herd sheep? Pull sled? Herd sheep? I'm so confused!"

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sorcha
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:38 PM

Herd sled, pull sheep. Congratualtions, poppa

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alba
Date: 12 Feb 07 - 09:39 PM

Thanks for sharing the pics John.
They are ALL adorable.
Give Ariel an extra hug, she may be fickle but that comes with age..and all is well that ends well:)
Best Wishes,
Jude

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: dianavan
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:20 AM

Ahhhhh! Too cute.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: katlaughing
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:22 AM

What cuties!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 12:36 AM

Looks like a mink in with the pigs. What contrast! They are very cute. :)

We had a cat that fostered the neigbhbor's kittens one year after they lost their mom cat. They were fairly close in age, but not so close as these pups. She was fine with their three since she only had a couple of her own.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Bob the Postman
Date: 13 Feb 07 - 08:14 AM

As an expert on other people's dogs, it is my opinion that those puppies sure are cute. Dogs are generous folk--we can learn a lot from them.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 01:19 PM

The story continues...

This is just a guess, but I would say that part of the reason Ariel rejected the pup in the first place is because she had it C-section. She woke up unaware of having given birth to this little thing crawling around on her.

Oh, it's not that unusual for an older dog to reject a single pup, but the way things have progressed, I'm guessing it was more than just the old dog/single pup thing.

Now that Ariel is home, she has gathered up every single stuffed toy in the house and has taken them up to her open crate (we made it feel like a den for her by covering it and making it dark when we realized she wouldn't settle without a den.).

If you pick up one of these ersatz "babies" and squeek the squeeker, Ariel will roll over on her side so that she can nurse it. When she takes a new stuffed toy up to her den, she immediately lies down with it in nursing position.

For more than a week now, the only thing on Ariel's mind is her brood.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alba
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 02:40 PM

Oh John...*sniff*

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: katlaughing
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 04:24 PM

Any chance she'd take to the real thing, now?

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: GUEST,Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 04:29 PM

Poor dog. Maybe you now need to rub the puppy on the stuffed toys so she smells like them, and give it a try! I wonder if you could slip the puppy in while she's sleeping?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: MartinRyan
Date: 14 Feb 07 - 05:04 PM

Isn't Google great? Knowing only Robert Service's "Malamute Saloon", I'd no idea what this was about until I Googled it!

Regards

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: fat B****rd
Date: 15 Feb 07 - 03:40 AM

Lovely thread and pics , John.
Yours f (big softy) B.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 01:26 PM

Nowhere else to post this, but I enjoyed it. At least this is a remotely connected topic...

"Malamutes are convinced that the world is run, if you can even call it that, by a bunch of spineless incompetents with no sense of order and no ability to enforce rules. Border Collies share the conviction but are committed to rising above the chaos or herding it neatly into enclosures." --Susan Conanat

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 05:05 PM

Add catahoulas to that border collie mentality. She can drive us nuts trying to get us to go where she wants. She tries to herd the pit bull all of the time, and the pit bull's response is to leap straight up and over the top of her to get out of the way. It's quite a beautiful canine ballet when they are playing out back.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 05:34 PM

My friend has a catahula. Lucy is, I swear it, the seventh wonder of the dog athletic world. She can standing leap a tall building in a single bound. Well, five feet straight up, anyway.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sorcha
Date: 17 Feb 07 - 07:36 PM

I love the cat dogs but not conducive to our lifestyle. Besides, they have tails. Real dogs don't have tails. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sooz
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 04:26 AM

Need more pictures of the puppies please.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 10:19 AM

Getting Ariel's mind off of mommying. We got out and skied a few miles this morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alba
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 10:23 AM

Ah John she looks so happy. Way to go Ariel!
Now someone tell me Dogs don't laugh!!!
Thanks for sharing her with us.
Warmest Wishes as always,
Jude

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 11:20 AM

"Now someone tell me Dogs don't laugh!!!"

You won't hear that from me! In fact, I wrote about another of my happy malamutes here.

My wife is enjoying a really good book about animals and their "emotions" (she's contending that they do have 'em).

I do know there's few things that make man happier than sharing life with a good dog. Or cat -- Moose and Crush are as enjoyable as the dogs I've had.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alba
Date: 18 Feb 07 - 11:42 AM

Thanks for the link John. Lovely Post and lovely Thread altogether really. A delightful read.

I have a rare Fur Ball that shares his Life with me. His name is Barney the wonder dog and he was a sad, starving and abused wee man when he came to stay 7 years ago and for a while it was doubtful that he would survive the ill treatment he had be subjected to.
He is 12 years old now.
I call him my Woolen Squirrel Terrier...he is a mix of Jack Russell, Border Collie and Beagle.
I watched this fella go through many "emotions' during his first few years with me.
To me, dogs laugh, get sad, have good days and bad days but the one thing they never stop feeling, I believe, is love for those that care for them and no matter how Barney might be feeling he always has some love affection to spare!
Don't know what I would do without him really.
Jude

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 10:29 AM

Update. Pup's still doing great. The Old English Sheepdog family has a couple of pre-teen girls -- one plays piano to Ariel's puppy, the other takes the pup to bed with her at anight and reads to her.

this and that

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: MMario
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 10:37 AM

So does "ariel's pup" have a name of her own yet?

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 10:44 AM

No name yet. And we're reconsidering trying to bring her home. Ariel is such a gentle spirit (even though she at first rejected the pup -- a rejection that I think had most to do with the fact that the pup was born via C-section and Ariel woke in pain with a strange "thing" trying to crawl all over her). It's not a good idea to put two mal bitches together, but in my case, we live AND work at home and could PROBABLY remain alpha enough to maintain order in the home.

Truth is, we have already forfeited our initial rights to the pup. But if the pup ends up not being show quality, she may become available again.

If we get her, her name MIGHT be "Flurry".

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Becca72
Date: 01 Mar 07 - 10:46 AM

That is just about the cutest little face I've ever seen!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:31 AM

I finally got to see Ariel's puppy on Friday and Saturday when we went up to pick up our new
pup.

We haven't figured out his name yet, but he's Ariel's nephew.

Ariel's puppy is a beautiful, dark (if at a sort of gangly stage) girl, and may some day be the lead dog on a sporting sled team (replacing Ariel's sister).

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sorcha
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 07:38 AM

PUPPIES!
(you'll be soorrrrrreeeeeee)

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 08:21 AM

wot a beautiful pup!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 18 Jun 07 - 10:04 PM

So back up a little and tell us this story again. This puppy you picked up is from someone who owns a litter mate of Ariel's? Did you not have the choice to bring home Ariel's pup, even though you saw her? Surely Ariel wouldn't recognize it now? Or is she not available?

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 10:39 AM

Sorry I didn't see your reply to this thread, SRS!

The breeder of Ariel is the person who helped us get Ariel out of a lousy kennel situation in Tennessee last year. Ariel wasn't abused. More that she was treated like livestock. Ariel isn't livestock. She's a live wire. Too intelligent and inquisitive and, mostly, too loving to be stuck in a cage for the rest of her life.

Anyway, the breeder who helped us get Ariel has Ariel's sister and that dog's son. She bred the son and his offspring is now our "Breeze" (or B.Z.). Ariel has taken to him like her own.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Becca72
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 11:08 AM

OMG is that sweet. What beautiful dogs!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 11:14 AM

That's wonderful!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: katlaughing
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:24 PM

What Becca said! I love seeing update photos of your dogs, John. Thanks!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:42 PM

Thanks guys. It's a trip. I've never had a puppy this young -- we brought him home at 7 weeks (I don't recommend it). But it's been amusing in its own way.

For one thing, seeing the profound changes that occur in awareness between the 7th and 8th week -- nothing short of amazing. He went from focusing on nothing to exploring and amusing himself with toys in that week.

Ariel's agility equipment is set up around the back yard. One of the apparatuseseses is a teeter totter. At 8 weeks Breeze was fascinated with the teeter and would walk the length of it before he had enough body weight to tip it. We had a rug drying right at the tipping point of the teeter and Breeze walked right up to the midway point. Normally nothing would have happened, but this time the rug was enough added weight and the teeter tottered. Breeze wasn't frightened. He was thrilled. We were worried. Now he wanted to do it all the time. We had to lower the teeter to its lowest point. Now he will dash around the yard doing nothing....and for no apparent reason other than fun, he will run the teeter. Hilarious to watch a dog no bigger than a minute doing the teeter.

Further -- you know that scene where Fred Astaire is dancing around a room and steps up on a chair, steps futher up to its back, and then tips the chair over and walks gracefully down the back of the now-tipped over chair?...

...Breeze figure out that he could do that with a lightweight chaise lounge that we had set up in the back yard. Sometimes he hops up on the lounge to nap. Mostly he hops up on the lounge, walks up the back of it until it tips over, then he walks off the now-tipped lunge chair and lets it flip back aright behind him.

Heaven, I'm in heaven
And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak
And I seem to find the happiness I seek
When dancing up the back of the lounge chair seat.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: GUEST,maire-aine
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:47 PM

Thanks so much for the lovely picture. It sure brightened my day.

Maryanne

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 01:50 PM

Great stories, John. Sounds like BZ is a joy.

The new owner of the building I live in is renovating right now and he brings his four-month old Malamute pup with him. As soon as they get here in the mornings Rolli runs down the stairs to my apartment and moans at the door. My 6 year old Cairn is mightily offended at the pup's antics but I am enjoying her a lot.It's been a long time since I was around a pup.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Ebbie
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 02:15 PM

Just now, Rolli was chewing on my dog's plastic food dish. When I told her 'uh uh' she picked it up and went around the corner out of sight.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Sorcha
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 03:19 PM

LOL...I love it, John! And Ebbie, that's a Malamute for ya.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 03 Jul 07 - 04:16 PM

So maybe the dog's name should be lengthened to include the terpsichorie aspect of his personality. Breezy Bojangles. :)

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 04:00 AM

Beautiful story, John. (Just now saw this thread.) Couldn't think of a better place to put the following.





Dogs' letters to God (from the www).



Dear God, Why do humans smell the flowers, but seldom, if ever, smell one another? Where are their priorities?

Dear God, When we get to heaven can we sit on your couch? Or is it the same old story?

Dear God, If a dog barks his head off in the forest and no human hears him, is he still a bad dog?

Dear God, If we come back as humans, is that good, or bad?

Dear God, More meatballs, less spaghetti, please.

Dear God, Are there dogs on other planets or are we alone? I have been howling at the moon and stars for a long time, but all I ever hear back is the Schnauzer across the street.

Dear God, Are there mailmen in Heaven? If there are, will I have to apologize?

Dear God, We dogs can understand human verbal instructions, hand signals, whistles, horns, clickers, beepers, scent ID's, electromagnetic energy fields, and Frisbee flight paths. What do humans understand?

Dear God, May I have my testicles back?

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 05:46 AM

"terpsichorie"

You've been waiting and waiting for the opportunity to use that word, haven't you! (I love the Bojangles Breeze name. I'll have to tell Dar. She'll love it too. We haven't picked a registered name yet -- maybe we'll play Bojangles into it.)

Ebbie,

You've not been snubbed until you've been snubbed by a malamute.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 02:48 PM

That's great! I could have used either word in that other thread where we listed words not used in titles yet. :)

My pit bull has a routine that isn't meant to snub, it's meant to show that she's on top of things, but a human might misinterpret it the first time they see it. When I open the back door to join the dogs outside she perks up her ears and races to the back of the back yard and barks through the cyclone fence to the southwest. I think she's warning off the old rottweiler two doors up to stay away. Or maybe scolding their cats. Anyway, when she finishes this brisk task then she comes over to have me put on the leash or whatever I was going to do that requires her presence. (I haven't had the heart to tell her that what she's doing amounts to a workman leaning on his shovel and then quickly bending his back to the work when he sees the boss enter the work site.)

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 05:12 PM

Oops. I see that Bojangles does in fact appear in a thread title now.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Peace
Date: 04 Jul 07 - 06:07 PM

I had a dog like that. She knew darned well she was to pick nothing off the street. Anyway, she'd got about 3/4 block ahead and was waiting for me at the corner--she wasn't allowed to cross alone. In her mouth was a bone. My single utterance was "WHAT?" She kept looking me in the eyes, opened her mouth and allowed the bone to fall to the ground. She was quite the character.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: John Hardly
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 05:55 PM

Ariel had quite a day today. My wife has been wanting to start doing obedience trials with her -- has been working with her steadily this year toward that goal. Today was Ariel's first obedience trial and she came away with High In Trial -- outscored every other dog!

What's more, though my wife and I aren't very fond of the comformation ring, or the whole conformation game, for that matter, we have thought about trying out Breeze as a learning experience. After all, there's years of obedience and agility trials ahead of the boy. We thought we might try to title him on both sides of the name.

Anyway, as a learning experience my wife showed Ariel in the conformation ring and walked away with Best of Breed.

And because she won Best of Breed and High In Trial in the same event, Ariel won what's called "Total Dog" -- BIG ribbon.

Fun day!

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alice
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 06:52 PM

Cute! Cute! Cute! Who can resist a puppy... my favorite tv ad right now
is the puppy who sings "Ain't no bugs on me.. .Ain't no bugs on me..
there may be bugs on some of you mugs, but there ain't no bugs on me."

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Ebbie
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 09:02 PM

The other day Rolli was in the apartment when I had to leave and go to work. I went out and told her owner that I would leave the door open so that she could go in and out, in the process affording my own dog a more interesting day.

That thought didn't last long. A few minutes later she came into the living room where I was at the computer and I heard Rip! Rip! I looked up and there she had one of my books on the floor, holding it down with one foot and her jaws ripping out page after page.

I closed the door.

Subject: RE: BS: Old English Sheep Malamute
From: Alice
Date: 28 Jul 07 - 09:16 PM

My dog is not a puppy, very old now, but can't resist chewing up
old hardbound books. It must be something about the glue, aged
like an old fine wine.... a few days ago, I left my bedroom door open
and then found the old book I had just finished reading chewed up
on the bedroom floor. AAARRRRGGHH!