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The Rain Mountain
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| 8 Week Portraits | |
| Playing in the Woods & Hanging Out at Home | |
| We're Big Kids Now | |
| 3 Week Portraits | |
| Days 8 to 14 | |
| The First Week | |
8 Week Portraits
The pups turned 8 weeks old on Friday, August 5th, and it was a big day. They went to meet Dr. Dan (Frey, of Woodinville Animal Hospital, who has taken care of all my Chinooks since my very first one, and all my pets even longer than that) then, since the vet clinic is now 45 miles away, we took a rest break at the Academy of Canine Behavior, where they were looked over by fellow Chinook breeder, Carie Taylor of Moonsong Chinooks, and Am Staff breeder Becky Dickerson. Becky has known all my Chinook litters and is very skilled in canine anatomy so I value her input. After that it was a more relaxed drive home since we'd managed to miss rush hour traffic.
To mark the occasion, Carie Taylor helped me take these photos as we were loading the pups back into the car. Luckily they were pretty tired from the excitement of the day. One more major evaluation happens on August 7th, then the owner of the sire, Susan Fletcher, decides which pup she wants as her stud fee. After that. Laef Olson (Bridger Chinooks of Bozeman, Montana) will choose the pup he will take. This is essentially my "puppy back" in exchange for Salishan since her breeder is focusing on her Siberians now rather than Chinooks. After that I'll start figuring out which pups will fit best in which homes and they will start heading out into the Big Wide World.
| Malcolm |
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| Shep (Shepherd) |
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| Simi (Simon) |
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| Cobb (Jayne Cobb) |
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| Wash (Washburn) |
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| River |  |
| Kaylie |  |
Most of the time the pups just hang out around the house. Every evening when I'm done work for the day we take a walk around the trails. At first it was just up to the top of our back property line and back, then they could make it around the small loop that goes along the side I share with Larsons, the top of our rise which is also the eastern property line, the narrow side of the rectangle, then along the south side of the property line for a short way, before it cuts back through the center back to the clearing that adjoins the bonfire clearing (the bonfire clearing is on the far side of the parking area, which is next to the house). But by the time they were 6 1/2 weeks old, they were making the whole 1.3 mile trek around the perimeter trail with me. The first few times they were determined to stay right under under my feet. But with all four of the adult dogs along, they were soon following the offshoot trails into the underbrush, finding unknown things to eat, and even learning the essential skill (around here at least) of log walking.
 Initially Taga leads the way, closely followed by Quileute, then the pups. But then Salishan joins in since log walking and stump climbing is one of her favorite sports. You'd think she was a cat or monkey by the way she flies up trees. |
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 It's a big enough log that there's room for everyone. |
 Maybe it's her slower gait (Lolo had one leg plated to help it heal after a bad break and her gait is slower because of it) or her older age but on walks the pups and Lolo always seem to be hanging with me. |
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 The chunk of log Kaylie is hiding behind was actually 2 hemlock trees at one time before they got so big that they crowded into each other and eventually merged into a single tree. |
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| The bridge goes over our "wetland" which at this time of year, is black mud and marsh plants. Putting a bridge across was the only way to fence it. Now, it's fun to see what foot prints show in the mud on the outside of the fence. Luckily the big dogs have yet to show the pups how much fun mud baths can be. Lolo especially loves to come home all black. But then, her coat is quite lush; maybe there's something to it. | |
 River contemplates doing something evil to her sister Kaylie, who is trying to snooze. |
 Malcolm pins Shep |
 Simi has a contemplative moment |
 Wash is a true sleeping machine |
 Taga not only uses the wading pool to cool off but also as a safe place when the pups get to be a bit much. They haven't tackled water yet. |
 Malcolm gives us that teddy bear look while Shep looks on |
 Simi rests for a moment |
 Kaylie |
 Mealtimes are met with enthusiasm |
 And meals are followed quickly with naptimes |
In addition to the pen off the back door, I have a second pen behind the pump house for the pups or any other dog. Part of life is learning that being in a pen doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You would think that the gourmet meal I'd just fed them would reinforce that idea. But no, if they think that there is something fun going on outside said pen, they can be quite cranky. Sure, they spend mornings in the backyard pen but their mom hangs out there with them for most of the time and it has a lot of area to explore. The little pen is just too boring.
It was bad enough before when Mom was in here with us. But now you go and let
her out and make us stay in. That's a violation of our civil rights!
Since Susan has raised just as many litters as I have, she took Salishan and the pups home with her for a week and a half while I got through a busy spell of work and personal appointments. But they came home the day after turning 5 weeks old, already weaned by Salishan -- the first time they nipped, her nursing job ended, just ask her -- and introduced to the Great Outdoors. Since a vague sort of summer seems to be happening with temps hanging at least over 65 for the most part, the pups are now spending most of their days outside. In the morning they have breakfast in the kennel and hang out there with their mom while I work. She may not nurse them any longer but she still spends most of the day with them. Lunch time they come inside for a nap then go outside again with all the dogs late afternoon, where they play until it begins to get dark at about 9:00pm.
They really are a serene litter. Mornings they are quiet until they hear me stirring. They know it doesn't do any good to raise a ruckus until She Who Has All the Food shows up. I've even pulled off sleeping until 9:30 on weekends! Knock wood, there haven't been any mishaps so far either. They can sound like a flock of seagulls if they are hungry and I'm not fast enough with their food dish but I don't blame them, I can be grouchy when I'm hungry too. None of them is shy in the slightest. All of them love attention from any visitor.
So from here on out most of the photos are of the pups playing outdoors since that is the best place for them. By feeding them outside (and the next action tends to come from the other end) they start to learn that going potty is done outside. Not potty training in a formal way but just getting used to going outside more than inside. So enjoy the Serenity Litter. River and Kaylie, Shep and Simi, Cobb and Malcolm, and the usually quiet Wash are having a great time being puppies during what is passing for the not-quite-summer of 2011.
 Kaylie poses for the camera. The pups spend most of the day playing outside now as long as it isn't raining. |
 Malcolm looks so small in relation to everything else as he comes up the hill from the meadow to the house. The pups will now follow me all the way around the 1/3 mile perimeter trail. |
| The Ankle Biters First Cobb, then his older cousin Bodie (now named Nakoda and living in a forever home) prove they are true ankle biters. They can make it quite a challenge to walk out the front door and down the measly two steps to the ground, what with all of them chomping at my feet, shoelaces, pant legs, or just trying to get my attention. I am VERY careful to not step on pups and even more important (to me at least), to not take a dive off the porch. I have had to leap off a few times to save myself but they haven't taken me down. That's one thing that I am getting better at with each litter. |
 Jayne Cobb has the green collar |
 Bodie is the older (3 months) silver tawny pup, skillfully assisted by Cobb and Malcolm (with the darker coat in the blue collar). You can only see the hind end of their brother Simi (Simon) who has managed to shed his collar after twisting it so much it won't go back on. |
 As Shep, River, and Wash come in to help, I make my break, surprisingly, pant leg intact. |
Copyright © Ginger Corley, Rain Mountain Chinooks, 1988 to present. No material may be reproduced without permission, though permission is usually granted. Logo by Susan Fletcher, Frontier Chinooks, used here with permission and much appreciation of her great talent.