Ireland

Fort Funston

2008-11-16T13:51:00.000-08:00

A Tired Husky.

2008-10-13T17:27:00.000-07:00

Camping at Yosemite

2008-10-13T14:48:00.001-07:00

Dog Lover's Guide to Dogs.

2008-10-01T16:08:00.000-07:00

Looks like this blog was listed in the dog blog directory of Fido - the Dog Lover's Guide to Dogs.

Favorite Hangout

2008-09-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ireland's favorite spot is upstairs, as close to the edge as possible. From there she has a good view of downstairs, as well as outside, and nothing escapes her attention.

Beach Husky

2008-06-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

A husky on the loose!

2008-04-14T21:03:00.000-07:00

"The approach"

"The jump"

"The run"

Yellow Blanket.

2007-12-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

2007-12-09T21:15:00.000-08:00

Escape Artist

2007-08-07T22:23:00.000-07:00

On our way to the park today, Ireland figured out how to use the electric window controls in order to open the window. When I turned around and noticed the window was nearly all the way down while Ireland was trying to climb out, I nearly had a stroke.

First, I thought Brad had lowered the window for her, to let some fresh air in, but Brad denied all involvement. Besides, Ireland still had one paw on the control button so it was obvious who the culprit was.

All of this happened so fast, while we were trying to cross a busy intersection. I was in full panic mode so I screamed " Close the window NOW, Ireland's trying to get out". Brad, not fully understanding what was going on, immediately used his window controls to close the back window WHILE Ireland's head was still outside the car! This caused further drama. Fortunately, Ireland has a lot of neckhair and suffered no physical damage. The psychological damage she might have suffered is an entirely different issue.

This just illustrates that Siberian Huskies are true escape artists and can even use modern technology to their advantage.

Wrestle Mania

2007-07-22T17:34:00.000-07:00

2007-07-02T21:51:00.000-07:00

It's that time of the year!

2007-06-24T18:52:00.001-07:00

Ireland's been shedding a lot lately. The amount of hair on the picture is what came off of her, after I brushed her for 2 minutes! Brushing definitely helps to speed up the shedding process but if you don't like vacuuming every day, don't get a husky!

I wonder if the weather here in Northern California will affect the shedding frequency and/or process. Last year, when we were living in Cincinnati, Ireland started shedding about a month earlier. It lasted for about 6-8 weeks, if I remember correctly. Cincinnati might have a hotter, more humid summer but Northern California has warm temperatures year around.

Yellow Ball

2007-06-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

Ireland spent her Sunday afternoon at the Alameda dog park, near Crown Memorial Beach. The focus of her attention was a yellow Spongebob Squarepants ball that she carried with her wherever she went. We eventually had to get rid of the ball because she started getting aggresive towards other dogs who showed interest in it, or even just looked at it.

The park itself, consists out of beach sand, bushes and occasional grass patches. Ireland's favorite part of the park is the collection of sand pits, strategically located in the shade of surrounding trees. Often, she'll run circles around the edge of the pits or she'll jump straight over one. Today, she amused herself by letting the ball roll into the pit and then jumpin in to try and retrieve it. While she was at it, she decided that the pit wasn't quite deep enough and started digging like crazy.

An hour later, we drove home with a very tired husky in the back of our car! As soon as we got home, she went straight to her cage and collapsed.

Sleepy Dog

2007-06-17T21:58:00.000-07:00

New friends !

2007-03-18T19:56:00.001-07:00

This afternoon, Ireland attended her very first dog party! A few friends from work decided it would be nice to get together and bring the dogs. The sun was shining, the grill was hot and the beers cold. It was a perfect setting, for five minutes.

Ireland immediately caused chaos when she managed to track down a wild rabbit and found it necessary to parade in front of everybody, struggling rabbit hanging from her mouth. We managed to eventually free the rabbit from Ireland's jaws, but the harm had already been done. The fact that children witnessed the attack, made this whole ordeal even worse. You can take the Husky out of the wild but you can't take the wild out of the husky!

Aside from this unfortunate incident, the rest of the afternoon was quite enjoyable. I did manage to take a few individual pictures of the attending guests but forgot to snap a group picture. In order of appearance: Otis, Dandy and Ireland!

Is that a .... wolf?

2007-02-07T18:46:00.000-08:00

Looking at this picture, I can see why people frequently ask me the above question.

Yesterday, when Ireland was running around, off leash, at this little park at the end of our street, I heard a woman scream. She had just walked around the corner and thought Ireland was on the loose. This despite the fact that the park is fenced. I tried to reassure her that Ireland is really harmless but I suspect she must have been sceptic because she walked away at high speed. Which was actually remarkable considering the roads and sidewalks were as slick as cow snot.

It's snowing!

2007-01-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Rain, rain and more rain!

2007-01-15T14:27:00.000-08:00

It's been raining for three days straight! Unfortunately, this means that we haven't been able to take Ireland to the park. We've been to the park on muddy and rainy days before, and it's more hassle than it's worth. Because it's winter, the hose at the park has been disconnected so we wouldn't be able to clean her properly. Furthermore, on rainy days the park is empty so Ireland wouldn't have any other dogs to play with. It's days like this, I wish we had a fenced backyard.

Nevertheless, we've been trying to keep her occupied, inside, by playing 'tug o' war' and plenty of wrestling. She even started running laps in the living room but when she got tangled up in some computer cables, the fun was over.

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2007!

2007-01-02T19:25:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gift.

2007-01-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Tired of waking up cold in the morning, because our Husky kept pulling the blankets off the bed, in an attempt of making herself more comfortable, we finally gave in and bought her a bed for Christmas.

BEFORE

AFTER

Christmas Dinner.

2007-01-02T18:41:00.000-08:00

Reindog Parade

2006-12-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

Saturday, December 9, Ireland participated in the Reindog parade, a Cincinnati tradition. Since Brad and I didn't know what to expect, we kept Ireland's Christmas outfit pretty low-key. At Petsmart we found her a Santa hat, that she seemed to tolerate as long as it covered only one of her ears.

To our surprise, over 500 dogs and their owners showed up for the parade! Some of the dog outfits were really original and it was obvious that some owners had put a lot of thought into it. A lot of families with kids were present, watching as well as participating. There were prices for the dog with the best holiday costume and best owner-dog-look-alike. New York City might have Macy's parade but here in Cincinnati the Reindog Parade has become a Thanksgiving tradition.

Ireland behaved surprisingly well, that is, as well as you can expect a Husky to behave in a parade. She didn't even seem to mind posing for a few pictures.

Taking a shower.

2006-09-17T11:35:00.000-07:00

After her daily round of wrestling at the dog park, Ireland will run up to the dog shower, waiting to get sprayed. Fortunately for us, she loves the water. I can't imagine having to let her in the car while she's covered in mud and looking like a coal miner.

We live downtown, in a loft without a backyard, so the only way to really clean Ireland is taking her to the dog park and hose her down. Usually, Huskies are very clean dogs but Ireland likes to get dirty when she's playing. During those hot summer days, a cold shower was also the only way to quickly cool her down.

Dental care for Huskies in three easy steps.

2006-06-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Step 1:

Ireland, getting started to brush her teeth. First, take the green mint stick and put it between your paws, so you can get a firm grip on it. For a Husky, it's easier to do this when you're lying down, rather than standing.

Step 2:

Open your mouth and use your paws to insert the green mint stick in your mouth. Use the rough edge of the stick to get in between your teeth, while trying to bite into it.

Step 3:
Make sure you brush everywhere, even all the way in the back! When I get to this part, I've usually already eaten half of my minty stick, which makes it even more difficult for me to reach back there. Nevertheless, by the time I'm all done, I do not only have very clean teeth but also a very fresh breath.

Into the wild

2006-06-18T18:19:00.000-07:00

Ireland loves playing in the water, especially on a hot day! Sometimes, she just likes to get her feet wet and splash around a little bit, but today she was going all the way: jumping in the water head first,using the riverbank as a diveboard, and all this while on a leash. This maneuver is also known as " suicide style". After she comes back up for a breather, she shoots herself up the banks so fast, you think her hind legs are springs...

While attempting to capture this event on camera, I missed the best shot, which is her diving into the river. She's so fast though, and my camera is so small, that I have trouble tracking her. It also didn't help that B. was blocking the view, while trying to keep up with Ireland. Anyways, I think you'll get the idea.

Dog Days.

2006-06-11T14:11:00.000-07:00

It's been a rainy and grey weekend here in Cincinnati. Aside from two short trips to the dog park and a stroll on Main Street during the 2nd Sunday on Main, Ireland's just been chillin' inside.

Today was Dog Days on Main Street and the first 50 dogs at the scene could get their picture taken for free. When we were walking around, the photographer spotted Ireland and asked if she could take her picture. Easier said than done because Ireland didn't have the time nor the patience to sit still. There was too much going on around her: cops on horses patrolling, other dogs strolling by, birds teasing her, .... Nevertheless, a picture was taking during the three seconds Ireland was contemplating on whether or not to go after a bird. We'll see how it turns out...

Ireland's favorite indoor activities are: chewing on her Nylabone, playing with her green ball and sleeping. She is not one of those dogs who crave for constant attention but is content just enjoying our company.

Sleeping over at the Tudor's

2006-05-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

While B. and I drove up to Brownsburg, Indianapolis, to hang out with the Rocks, Ireland stayed at the Tudors. She had a lot of fun playing with her friends Kenai and Elliet! It was her first sleepover since we rescued her from the pound, about two months ago. Ireland loves playing with kids so I don't think she missed us too much. Getting along with the Tudor's dog, a Chihuahua, was an entirely different matter!

Blowing her coat

2006-05-06T20:40:00.000-07:00

Ireland's been shedding a lot of hair the past two weeks. I guess the proper term is " blowing her coat". Huskies will blow their coat about once a year, typically during the summer.

Brad's been trying to quicken the process a little, by using a comb to rake over Ireland's hair. Usually she enjoys it, unless the comb gets stuck in a knot of tangled hair.

The pile of hair in the picture below is what came off of her by just raking over her back and sides for a couple of minutes. By the time she's done shedding, the amount of hair she's lost could probably fill up a comforter...

From 0 to 30 in two seconds.

2006-04-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, during our daily evening walk, Ireland decided to take matters into her own paws.

We were heading back to our appartment, when a big black cat made her appearance. When she saw Ireland, a couple of feet away from her, she ran for her life ! Not to be outdone, Ireland went from 0 to 30 Mph, yanking the leash right out of my hand, in pursuit of her evening meal. In the blink of an eye, she had darted across the street and continued the chase on the sidewalk.

In the end, Brad and I managed to call her back and divert her attention long enough to allow the cat to disappear. There's no ******* way anyone's able to outrun a Husky, so you can only hope and pray they come back to you. Fortunately for us, she did come back, expecting to get a belly rub.

I included the above picture because this was exactly the look she had on her face when she ran into the cat...

2006-04-16T13:14:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon, we drove out to Yellow Springs, OH, to walk part of the Little Miami Scenic Trail. This trail, which was once a railroad track, runs 72 miles, from Springfield in the north, to Milford in the South. The nice thing about the trail is that it's all paved in asphalt.

As you might be able to tell from the picture, Ireland is wearing her "Gentle Leader" headcollar. Although it slightly resembles a muzzle, it's NOT. The " Gentle Leader" prevents Ireland from jumping and pulling on the leash but still allows her to eat, drink, pant, bark and even bite. It just makes life a little bit easier for us and lets her know who's boss.

Halfway through our walk, Ireland discovered the joy of splashing around in the little creek, next to the trail. With temperatures up to 79°F, she needed to cool down a bit before continuing the final part of the walk.

Sometime soon, we intend to come back and bring our bikes.

What're You Looking At?

2006-04-05T13:20:00.000-07:00

I mean, really, can't a girl get a little privacy with her blue puppy dog? The nerve!

Sunday afternoon at Ault Park

2006-04-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

Nice to meet ya !

2006-04-01T09:10:00.000-08:00

My name is Ireland and I'm an 11 month old, blue-eyed, white and grey Siberian Husky.

The picture on the right is taken during my stay at the Animal Friends Humane Society, where I was brought in as a stray. Because they were unable to track down my owner, I was put up for adoption. Several people were interested in adopting me because of my charming appearance but also because I was already house-trained and can sit on command. I'm not much of a barker, although I will howl when I'm bored or anxious.

After having spend two weeks at the shelter, I was finally taken home by my new owners, Katrien and Brad, but not before I was spayed and microchipped.

I like:
- belly scratches
- my soft, green toy dog.
- my Nylabone
- car rides
- playing with other dogs at the dogpark.
- taking naps under the desk.
- long walks
- eating icecubes

I dislike:
- small dogs and rodents
- being by myself
- escalators