Things to Know about Me (Miss Stella)

First, big slurps to all the condolences about Nakita. She was a very special furry friend to me. We got along just great. I will miss her sweet face.

I saw that Maverick the Pirate and Holly had this questionaire on their blogs, so of course I thought I should do the same!

1. Your age? Nearly 2 1/2 years old. (My birthday is Dec. 13, 2004)

2. Your age when came to live with your people? About 8 weeks of age.

3. What color is the collar you’re wearing right now? A new white collar with the look of embroidered flowers (Maverick's humans helped to pick it out at PetSmart!)

4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with?
Lisa! Maverick may call her Lisa the Mean, but I adore her!

5. How much do you weigh? In the neighborhood of 100 pounds.

6. Most expensive thing you’ve ever chewed up? Hmmmm...well, its all related to each other. Let's see: the deck stairs, the deck itself and the wooden siding of the humans' house. Oh! And I ate the phone line, so that was expensive 'cause the repairman had to come out!

7. Do you like other Dogs? I like some but adore my kennel mate, a small gray Siberian by the name of Stormy.

8. Who is your best non-human friend? Stormy...paws down.

9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? I love my squeaky zebra tail toy, but there's a photo somewhere of me as a puppy trying to stuff 2 tennis balls into my little mouth!

10. Do you like to be brushed? I'm not a big fan of it.

11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? Both! Mixed together would be delightful!

12. Do your people cut your toenails? Yes

13. Any formal education? Yes: I've been to both conformation classes AND puppy obedience classes. I loved going to those.

14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? Energizer Bunny at first, then a couch potato, if the humans aren't looking.

15. Five nicknames your people call you. Smella, Stellamonster, Stelly-Louelly, Stell the Smell, The Stellanator. You get the idea: I have a body odor problem.

16. What is your best trick? Doing my doggy aerobics: Lay down, sit up, lay down, sit up. All for a tasty treat, of course.

17. Do you like kitties? I would LOVE to eat a kitty.

18. What did you have for breakfast? 3 cups of soaked Iams or Eukanuba.

19. Can you hunt? I try...there's a bunny who comes out every morning that taunts me.

20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? When I got my "yearly" (i.e., rabies shots, ect.)

21. Where do you sleep at night? In the kennel area (air-conditioned/heated garage), in my crate.

22. Do you like to swim? I HATE water!

23. Can you make puppies? Yes, I could. The humans have promised me a spay once I finish my championship. The humans do not want me to have puppies at all.

24. Do you give kisses? Big, wet, slobbery, gooey, sticky kisses!

25. Can you potty on command? Yes, the command is "Hurry up!"

26. To Cuz or not to Cuz? I saw them at PetSmart, and wasn't impressed.



That's all for now. I'm on my way to Oklahoma City with Lisa to see if I can win a major or two. Keep your paws crossed!
Slurps,
Miss Stella

A new angel in Heaven

A note from Stella's old female human:

On Friday, June 22, we unexpectedly lost our dear Nakita. She had a bout of cancer in the past, and it came back to claim her. A tumor we were unaware of ruptured, and we freed Nakita of her agony. It was an unfair and cruel life's end to a dog so sweet and kind to so many. We are still reeling from her loss, and have yet to come to grips with it. Life without her seems surreal.

Nakita was registered as Nakita of the Smoky Hills, and as a 2-year old came into rescue when her owners were convinced that because she had growled at another dog in obedience class, she would bite their two young boys. Rather than see her go to a high-kill western Kansas animal shelter, I took her in. A sweeter dog would have been hard to find. Although Nakita didn't go looking for trouble with other dogs, she stuck up for herself if another challenged her. With humans, she never, ever growled or even made a stiff stance. Nakita had many opportunities to show an aggressive side to humans (if she had one). This dog was my partner in presenting sled dog and Iditarod programs to schools, libraries, churches and senior groups. We would bring our sprinting sled, books on sled dogs, the Iditarod, and stories by Gary Paulsen and other great children's writers. Nakita was always gentle and approachable. Even those terrified of dogs would steel themselves to pet her because of her calm and quiet demeanor. She would often give small kisses to children, and then lay down and sleep during the presentation. Often I would have to remind those smitten with her that she was not a typical Siberian in the fact she was so quiet and calm. I always let my audiences know the good and not-so-good sides to owning a Siberian. (You other Siberian owners would naturally know the list by heart!) They are not dogs for everyone. My other Siberians that had tried their paws as Library Dog would often whine, woo-woo, constantly move, or try to be the Fastest Tongue in the West. Nakita was never a "in-your-face" dog. She was a dog you could leave out in the house while you left and know it would be in one piece when you returned, and with no "surprise gifts", either. She was a dog I could absolutely trust with my two young boys and with other children. Many times after a presentation, all you would be able to see of Nakita would be an ear or tail, as children swarmed around her to pet her. She loved all the hugs and pats the kids had to share. This would-be shelter dog, possibly another kill statistic, managed to make the front page of two local newspapers, and numerous other times in the newspaper back pages, in school papers and church bulletins. Nakita was well-loved by all she met.

Nakita was my husband's most favorite Siberian. We are all missing her very much.

Nakita was of the old Marlytuk and Monadnock bloodlines, with a smidgeon of Innisfree. I thought she was beautiful on the outside, but knew for certain that she was beautiful inside. Nakita had a heart -and temperament- of gold. I know we were blessed to have had her in our lives. Our angel is now everyone's angel.

Somewhere, there are five of her progeny, all likely out in western Kansas somewhere. Her first owner bred her to a puppy mill-bred male Siberian, and the resulting puppies were all red and white. I know nothing of their whereabouts. I am fortunate that Cecile and Lisa Toth so generously offered a co-ownership on a young Nakita cousin...Eddie. Eddie will follow in Nakita's footsteps some day as the next Library Dog. He has the sweet demeanor and calm temperament that the job requires, and his breeders hand-selected him for the job. He already has shown how well he gets along with kids when my 8-year-old son walked him around a show site, then stepped into a fun match junior's ring for the first time, and won it with the help of Eddie. Our family is ever thankful for the Toth's generosity. I have no doubts Eddie will be right for our family and right for the job of "Library Dog".

Please enjoy Nakita's photos. I know I will see her again some day at the Rainbow Bridge.

Nakita's young cousin, Eddie (D'Azul's On the Dark Side), showing Nathan how to be a junior showman.

Look at General now!

It's been about 5 1/2 months since my female human rescued a 24-year old bay Quarter Horse gelding, "General". Although he still needs to fatten up some, he's come a long way from the filthy bag of bones he was on Dec. 29, 2006. At first, my human jokingly called him "McRib", but it was serious stuff to start feeding this guy right without killing him. From 2 scoops of senior horse feed a day, with brome hay (a flake at a time), to 16 pounds of feed and all the brome hay he can eat, he's doing a heck of a lot better. General also had to have two molars pulled when the equine vet/dentist came out to float his teeth, once he was strong enough to handle it. He has been microchipped in case of emergency (or theft), and gets brushed out often. My human went to a Pat Parelli clinic with her oldest son and neighbor's son (who is also taking riding lessons). General and my female human are really working well together, and are becoming more bonded with the Level One Parelli lessons. He has even given the youngest human (5 years old) a short bareback ride. General was thrilled to be working again...his ears came up, his eyes brightened, and perhaps he stepped out a little more proudly.

It feels good to be needed...and loved. General has become a beautiful, shiny, happy horse.

Slurps,
Miss Stella

ps-Here are General's "before" and "after" photos, on Dec. 29, 2006 and June 12, 2007.

Introducing "Nakita" Sled Dog Program Star

Today I'm going to introduce you to one of the sweetest pointy-earred Husky Heathens I live with. "Nakita" likes to visit libraries and elementary schools to teach the kids about the Iditarod and sled dog racing. She goes with my old human with all her sledding equipment, and then gives kisses and gets petted like crazy. Some dogs have all the fun! This past Wednesday, Nakita went to do her last sled dog program. She is getting elderly, I think she's twelve going on thirteen years. "Nakita" is officially "Nakita of the Smoky Hills". Years and years ago, when my old female human was active in Siberian rescue, Nakita's former owner called her and said "If you don't take her, she'll go to the pound tomorrow"! Apparently, Nakita didn't like a dog in her obedience class and growled at it. Her previous owner was afraid Nakita would bite her kids. Well, in the ten years Nakita has lived with us, she has never offered to growl at any human. Never. And she's had hundreds and hundreds of people pet her with all her presentations. She is royally bred, too: her sire is a show champion. You can see her pedigree at www.pawvillage.com, and type in "Nakita of the Smoky Hills". She's even been on the cover of a newspaper TWICE! She was shown a few times, the first time out she won RWB, and always placed in the other shows. She wasn't top show quality,definitely solid, but not top of the line. So, she was spayed and retired to go on to really fun things, like sled dog programs! The kids get to touch all the sled equipment, stand on the sled runners and pet Nakita. My old human likes to point out to the kids that Nakita is directly related to Togo, the famous lead dog (which I think nearly all Siberians are), and he is 13 generations behind her. The old human likes to tell kids about all the great dogs that can be adopted from animal shelters. They are amazed that Nakita could have been there, and that many purebreds are there along with their mixed parentage friends.
Enjoy the photos of our dog sled on the van (my human gets plenty of funny looks when she drives with the sled strapped to the van's roof!) and also of beautiful, sweet Nakita. Just think. Her previous owner was ready to dump her in a kill shelter in western Kansas. Nakita is truly a "diamond in the ruff"!
Slurps,
Miss Stella
ps-Bruce and Nakita came from the same breeder, and I believe that they are cousins!
pps-Check out the Byrd Herd's blog...see photos of General's progress!

The Horses Have Their Own Blog Now, and a Very Sad Day

My human has noticed that the horses are somehow taking over my blog, so she created the Byrd Herd blog, where they can post their own adventures!
Their blog is located at http://byrdherd.blogspot.com/.
Visit them there!

On a different note, yesterday afternoon, our neighbors a couple miles away (we live in the country, so they're neighbors), lost their house to a massive fire, and with it, their two beloved dogs. Nothing is standing as of today. Even the chimney fell in on itself. Out here in the boonies there are few fire hydrants, so all the water had to be trucked in. Our fire department consists of brave volunteers. The home owners were away at work during the fire, so our heart goes out to them and we mourn with them their two canine family members.

Last year, our neighbors a mile down the road lost their entire house to fire also. Unfortunately, in the fire were 35 show cats (some top national winners) and 3 show dogs (Chinese Cresteds). All perished before anyone could get into the house. Again, the owners were away at work when it happened, and when the fire was discovered, the house was fully involved. You can only imagine the horror and pain felt by our neighbors. Truly any fire is tragic, and is a real fear our owner has since we are kennelled in the house. We are fortunate, however, to have a rare fire hydrant across the street, and our owner has a sticker in the window to lead the volunteer firefighters to us. The county sheriff knows we're in the house, too, so hopefully in case of a fire, we'll be rescued.

Please tell your humans to let their neighbors know that you are in the house (if they are yet unaware) and to put a "Rescue Me in Case of Fire" sticker on their front doors or windows. Have them check the smoke alarms, too, while they're at it.

Slurps,
Miss Stella

"Jackie" has a new name!

My old human female didn't like the name "Jackie" for her new Snack, I mean, filly, so after nearly a month of pondering, asking folks for suggestions, she turned the task over to her oldest son. The Snack loves this kid, and follows him around, like, dare I say, a Bullmastiff. He decided to name her "Smokey". Its the 4th most common pet name, according to one source, so its not very original, but fitting.
So, I'll officially welcome the Smokey-flavored Snack to our family!
Slups,
Miss Stella

Next stop: Columbia, MO!

In a couple of weekends, my humans will again WASH me (I hate that!), trim my nails (even worse!) and spray "Odor Muncher" on me (cruel, cruel people). But it will be all worth it, because I get to go to the Columbia, MO dog shows with Lisa in a couple of weekends and meet Tubey's human! Lisa spoils me, too, and I love showing off in the ring with her. So, I can't wait!
My show photo from St. Joseph KC show hasn't arrived yet, but I'll be sure to post it once it comes. That's if the printer/scanner/fax machine comes alive again. Maybe the old human will have to save up for a new one.
Slurps,
Miss Stella
ps-This photo is of old General after a month of daily feeding! He usually wears a horse coat, complete with neck rug, every day. This day it was warm and the coat came off for a few hours. He's starting to put a little weight on.

I'm Just Singin' in the Snow..Just Singin' in the Snow...

What a glorious feeling, I'm woo-wooing again! Hi, this is Bruce. Miss Stella's sleeping, so I have the computer to myself and thought I'd share a photo of me singing my best woo-woos to celebrate the four inches of snow that fell last night! My kennel mate, Old Miss Kiana (13 1/2 yrs. old), was very perky, and even bounced a bit with happiness.
I just love this stuff!!
Woo-woos to you,
Bruce

Back from the Shows

Well, we've come home from another show weekend. My old female human was the "show chairperson" and "show secretary" for the Siberian Fuzzies show on Friday night. She and the oldest human child came back to hotel very late,all pooped out. The rude Civic Center workers started shutting off the halogen lighting on the club during show photos. If I were there, I would have put a stop to that. Grrrrr....... Of course, we had to show early on both Saturday and Sunday...first breed in the ring both days. So, no sleeping in. I LOVED going to the shows! I got to sleep on the floor between two big beds, and even once curled up next to the oldest human on Saturday night. Saturday's show I was the "bridesmaid" again, RWB. Then the Civic Center people were rude again, shutting off lights and locking doors at least a half-hour before the contract said so, and my old female human had to make several phone calls so a couple of puppies an exhibitor had could be fed and walked.
But on Sunday, I got to be WB/BOS for the point! Lisa and I had a grand time showing off and winning the all-purple ribbon this time. I was beginning to be called the "Reserve Queen" at home. I'll post our show photo when it comes in the mail. My female human is not so into dog shows anymore, so she's had enough shows to last a her awhile. I'm glad Lisa and Cecile take me places, or I wouldn't get to go anywhere!
I got to see Cap'n Maverick, but he thought I was out to get his stuffed orange Orangutan. As a matter of fact, I think I would have liked to chew on its head. I loved stuffed animal toys.
Slurps,
Miss Stella

Stella's Saturday show

Hi Blogger friends-
It's me, Bruce, standing in for Miss Stella, who is away with Lisa at the Iowa shows. Today (Saturday) she and Lisa took the Reserve Ribbon. They had a judge change, so it wasn't the person they had hoped for. But Miss Stella wagged her tail throughout the time in the ring, and had a good time. Sunday she'll have another shot at the point. Poor Lisa had a bang-up accident on the way to the show. Fortunately, everyone is fine, and the truck is a bit worse for wear. Keep your paws crossed that their trip back is a safe one!
Right now it is SNOWING!!! All of us Huskies, both Siberian and Alaskan, have had a grand time bounding through the snow and skidding through it. Ahhhhh......snow.
Now, I've heard rumors that Pirate Maverick is teaching Miss Stella some pirating ways. I'm a bit concerned. A lady that size does not need to be learning such things! I think she's a pushy broad anyway! I have images in my doggy mind that she'll come home wearing an eye patch!
Now, since she's away, I can post a baby picture of Stella when she was tiny and cute, at about 6 weeks!! Now she's a big ol' slobbering, gassy monster dog.
Woo-woos,
Bruce

Bad News for the General

The Doctor came out to visit the General today, and strongly feels that he has EPM and is 24 years old, not 17, as my owner was told. He said that if he were his horse, he would not allow his kids to ride him. General is so unsteady on his feet that when he turns, he, as the vet said, "Doesn't know where his feet are". EPM (Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis) is often transmitted by possums to horses via feces on to grass, hay, whatever the horse is eating. Basically, there are protozoan in General's spinal cord, and his central nervous system is infected. Eventually, he will either die of it, or complications from it. The vet said he has maybe 6 months, 1 year or 5 years. He doesn't know. The treatment is very, very expensive and may not work. The vet said if General were his, he would not pursue treatment. The humans are very, very sad, as the General is an exceptionally sweet horse who loves kids and enjoys "talking" to the humans with his nickers. I'd say he's like a big, big Bullmastiff in many ways.
I hereby name General as Honorary Bullmastiff, never to be known as "Snack" again. Salute to theGeneral! May he be with us for many more years!
Slurps,
Miss Stella

More on EPM: http://www.vet.purdue.edu/horses/EPM.html

Close-Ups of "McRib"

Here's General or "McRib" up close. Maybe my owner should take him to Dairy Queen for some sundaes or shakes! My owner says that always works for her!
Slurps,
Miss Stella

New Snack for Christmas & New Year's

The old humans brought home a very boney, sad-looking snack called "General". I think of him as "General Foods", although there's not much to chew on. Even I feel sorry for him. His spine, hip and ribs are showing through a winter coat. I can only imagine what he'd look like in the summer. I wonder if I should call him "McRib"? Yeah, that sounds more like it.
This is the only photo so far that the old female human can upload onto the blog. There are clearer ones to show you just how bad shape the old McRib is, but they won't upload.
He is a 17 year old Quarter Horse that used to be a working ranch horse, then became a church camp horse, a lesson horse for beginning riders. He really likes the small humans. He prefers to visit the little ones over the big ones. My female human is trying to feed him without killing him with kindness. The Doctor said to take it easy with the hay and feed for awhile. The Doctor comes out on Tuesday to check out McRib.
Happy New Year to Everyone!!!
Slurps,
Miss Stella