Adopt A Husky - Profile

So I would like to officially announce that I am no longer a foster. Bye Bye foster homes, Hello furever home. It's really fitting that the family who got started fostering Siberians in need because of me should adopt the dog that got them started. They think they are adopting me, but in reality I'm adopting them. I love it when a plan comes together. I knew if I was picky enough, the right family would eventually come along. I just didn't think it would take this long, but I never thought I would be lucky enough to get a family like this. Here are some photos of me with the members of my new family. In the one with Mom, there was a bird in the grass which I really wanted to go chase, but she wouldn't let me <sigh>. As you can all see, I'm definitely a happy Miss Kitty <g>.

All my Siberian operatives have told me that the Husky Hike held on May 19th was a huge success. As you know, I was unable to make it due to family commitments but I sent my special representative, puppy Jack, in my place.

I know, he is beyond cute and the fact that he is a male pup is the only reason I tolerate his cuteness. Anyway, here is his report:

Hi everyone! My name is Jack and I am almost 4 months old and, hey-what is that thing shaking behind me? Is it trying to bite me? Oh I better attack it and kill it, oops can't quite reach it better swing around and try from here, oh, almost got it, oh it got away, oops it is back, hey, it looks like my tail? but it can't be my tail because I cant see my tail except, hey it is swinging around again-maybe if I go underneath I can get it? Hey, how did I end up on my back? Well, as long as I am here, how about some tummy rubs? Ohhhh, that feels nice. Now, where was I?

Ok, Skycat back now. I think it best I help edit Jack's report. He seems to go off on puppy tangents quite frequently and I think we have some bandwidth limitations. So let's see if I can cut to the meat of his report.

Ok, so I got up REALLY early one day and was put in a crate in a car! My Mommy was next to me, but I really do not like to be separated from her so I made sure all the humans near and far were told about how I felt about that. I guess I am really good at getting the humans to understand me, because once we got to the Forest Preserve (looks a lot like my big yard at home) all the other doggies there were in crates in a nice neat row, but Cynthia put my crate facing my Mom's crate and snuggled me up right next to her. It was not the same as being with her, but I quieted down a bit. Then Cynthia got a great idea and took me out of the crate and clipped a long rope thingy to me which tasted quite yummy and handed me off to this really cool lady named Whitney. See, all the foster dogs were going to go to be walked by volunteers through the trail, but they seemed to think I was too little to walk all that way. I could have handled it-really I could have. And if you see pictures of the humans carrying me instead of me walking, well that was just cuz they *wanted* to carry me, not cuz I could not handle it. Seriously. I could have done it. But anyway, Whitney was pretty much my buddy all day then and she took me all over the Preserve, meeting all sorts of folks. It was so much fun that I totally forgot that I was not with my Mommy. I got to meet so many other dogs, I got to go to a big pool that was filled with hot dogs and grab some of them and I got to go to all of these "vendors" and have them pet me and give me treats too. It was kind of hot, so I decided to crawl underneath a picnic table and take a nap in the cool grass and shade. And see, when a puppy decides they want a nap, not much is going to change their minds. It was kind of funny to see the humans all try and get me out from underneath there and me acting all dead weight and all. But they took me to the Bark N Town booth so I could nap under the shade and be cuddled with the kids there. Then I woke up and got to go exploring some more. I was pretty tired by now so when they loaded me up to go home, I just fell asleep and did not even yell for my Mommy. She was near me, I could tell, but she was pretty tired too so we just napped. But we were so happy to see each other when we got home! I love my Mommy. People do not believe she is my Mommy because I look nothing like her, but she is. I guess I look more like my Dad instead. My Daddy must be really handsome because everyone just thought I was the most specialist puppy ever. I sure had fun at the Husky Hike. I hope I get to come back next year.

Boy, sounds like fun Jack. Maybe next year I will come too and we can meet. By then you should be big enough to walk the trail all on your own. But that pool filled with hot dogs sounds like where I will be hanging out.

As always, feel free to contact me at skycat@adoptahusky.com if you went to the Hike and would like to add some insight as to the events there. I know most of the emails will be all about how much you all missed seeing me, though. But if you had a good time despite that, let me know!

I got out of there just in time. I was just informed through my Siberian network that tomorrow, billions of huge noisy bugs called Cicadas are going to burrow out of the ground, climb up on trees and start creating quite the ruckus in the Northern Illinois suburbs. It is suppose to be so loud that these pesky Cicadas will drown out all other noise, including our daily Siberian sing a longs! It is going to be so noisy that sleeping during the day, a Siberian tradition, is going to be near impossible! And they are going to be flying all around day and night, making running in the big yard a exercise in agility. Man, I sure lucked out that I live in beautiful Cicada free northern Wisconsin, huh? I expect my Siberian operatives stuck in Illinois will give me more details as they emerge so stay tuned.

Oh, and I heard from Jack (TPFKAT, or the puppy formerly known as Tibben for those of you confused) that the Husky Hike two days ago was a huge and Cicada free success. I am not sure if the puppy knows how to spell yet but I will ask him to dictate a diary blog soon to tell you all about it. That is if I can hear him over the din that is soon to be Cicadamania.

Oh the anticipation is mounting! One week from today the most spectacular occurrence is going to happen in the far North suburbs of Chicago. There, in the Forest Preserve of Wadsworth, the yearly gathering of the most gorgeous breed on the planet will commence, with well over 200 Siberians coming from near and far to strut their stuff at the Adopt a Husky annual Husky Hike! I would hope that every single Siberian reading this will immediately pull your human over to the computer to read the details (found on the main page) so they can make plans to bring you. Even if you do not live in the area, you can participate via their satellite hiker program and they will even mail you the cool gift bag and T-shirt if you collect enough money. And let me tell you, this is not an event to be missed. Let me break down some of the stuff that is going to happen.

First, get there early to register. Because when you register and drop off your pledge sheet, they are going to give you a HUGE stuffed bag filled with all sorts of free stuff. And if you collect $50.00 or more in pledges, they are also going to give you a FREE Husky Hike T-shirt! So your humans are going to be loaded down with all this free cool stuff and will no doubt want to bring it all to the car rather than lug it all around. So come early.

Ok, so after you drop off all your loot, next you are going to want to immediately head to the game area. Before you stop and play Plinko for more cool toys for your human or join in the musical hula hoop game, you are going to want to sign up for the NEW game this year-the first annual Husky Hike Scavenger Hunt. Everyone can play individually or you can even play as a family. For $5.00 you will get a Scavenger instruction sheet, a goody collecting bag and one of those cool pens that hang around your neck. And then the real fun begins. You get to take your pup all over the Forest Preserve collecting toys and prizes hidden throughout the preserve based on the hints provided on the sheet. And, are you ready for this, you get to KEEP all the prizes you collect. And then, at the end, the person with the most prizes collected wins this HUGE basket filled with stuff for ME! Or, I guess, for the Siberian in the house if you do not wish to mail it to me. Oh, and there are lots of stuff for the humans in the big basket too. You can play this game with your dogs, which is what makes it so fun. And it is not timed, so you can start right away and play it throughout the day while you are visiting vendors and playing games and watching all the demos going on.

And boy, there are going to be cool demos. The humans will try and convince you it is all their skill and talent that makes it successful, but while watching these demos please note how the Siberians really are the ones doing all the work and making all the decisions. These humans would be lost without us. You are going to see them do bikejoring, carting, and scootering with their humans. Oh, and there will be vendors there, including some of my personal Skycat favorites! Make sure you stop by and say hi to them all. And don't forget to convince your human to let you go to the hot dog dunk booth and get a tasty snack for you. After all, gathering up all those prizes for the Scavenger Hunt, hiking the trail, and playing the games takes a lot out of us. The humans get lunch-it is only fair we get something too, right?

And let's not forget the foster dogs. Even if you humans are not lucky enough to have your very own Siberian, you can still collect pledges and participate by walking a foster dog. Ask registration about it when you show up and they will send you to the foster area to see if there are any dogs that need walking.

Lastly, the real reason this whole thing is going on is because this is the one and only fundraising activity that Adopt a Husky does throughout the year. Your contributions, however small, really make a difference. It is because of the money collected at this Hike that they are able to bring in each and every stray Siberian that they home each year. Now, of course if I had it my way, they would only bring in the handsome male Siberians but darn, they take the females too. Can't have everything, I guess. But you know I try!

Ok, now the final comment of my post this time. And this one is bound to distress all my millions of admirers. But I, Skycat, will unfortunately not be attending the Hike this year. My foster family, whom I adore (and who, of course, adore me, duh) has a very important event that simply cannot be missed. Oh, I know, you all will miss me tremendously. So I have conspired and arranged to have an equally adorable foster to be there "in my place". I expect everyone who wanted to come and pet me to instead cuddle with newest foster puppy, TBN (To be Named, aka, Tibben-get it? Aren't I clever???) He just came in yesterday with his purebred Siberian Mommy and is just the cutest 3 month old bundle of fur you can imagine. Here is a preview of this little guy:

So please, convince the humans to gather up all the spare change they can find, bug their coworkers and relatives to sponsor them and pack your family up for a wonderful day of fun, food, and activities and join Adopt a Husky on Saturday, May 19th. And give a hug to Tibben for me.

For those of you keeping track, the score on mouse vs. FM is mouse - 1, FM - 1, trap - 0. Actually, FM has no clue where the mouse or the trap is. It seems the trap caught the mouse, and the mouse got away with the trap. All that was left was a itty bitty pile of mouse fur on the floor. FM is kind of baffled as she hasn't seen any trace of it in over a week. However, FM's daughter has a basement bedroom and hears it from time to time in the wall. I wonder if FM still expects me to catch it!?

It has been a quiet week here with the mouse nowhere to be seen. Until today...FM took me for a car ride which was just great. I love sitting in the front seat and looking out the windows. With the warm weather, FM had the windows open and the breeze coming in sure felt good in my fur. I thought it was just a normal ride, but we kept going until we arrived at the dentist's office at which time she told me I was going to get my teeth cleaned. Okay, so I have a *little* bad breath, but doesn't every pooch? The dentist explained the whole procedure to FM while I sat and looked up at him waiting for a treat and nice scratch behind the ears. It didn't sound like it would be too bad. He was going to put me under so I would take a nice long nap and while I was sleeping he was going to scrape and polish my teeth and make sure none of them were loose or going bad. Then he was going to put me in a kennel until I woke up at which time I would be able to go home.

I've been in my new foster home for a month now and FM says I'm settling in nicely. I've even got some routines. You know the saying "If I can't sleep, no one can?" That applies here. I sleep in FM's bedroom and wake up at 6:15 every morning. That's when I sit next to the bed and stare at FM until she starts to wake up and pretends to ignore me. Then, after she rolls over and tries to go back to sleep for a few more minutes I paw at the side of the mattress. That usually gets her out of bed. Sometimes that isn't enough and I have to resort to more drastic measures. So I go back to staring and then I bark really really loud. Then I just wag my tail and give her kisses while she climbs out of bed mumbling something about me and a crate.

As you know, my former FM had raccoons in her ceiling. Well now my new FM has a mouse in the house. The mouse comes into the kitchen and keeps taking my food. FM bought these traps but then couldn't figure out where to put them so I wouldn't stick my nose or paw in them. She told me that would hurt if one snapped on my toes. I think she finally came up with a few places to hide them where I can't get the peanut butter out of them. I haven't seen the mouse yet, but it seems FM expects me to catch it. She keeps telling me I was so good at hunting down and killing all the invisibles she had in the house that I should have no problems with a teensy weensy little mouse. Ok, invisibles are fun to catch, but a mouse? Do I really look like a cat to you? Although... chasing a mouse around the house sounds like something a Siberian could have a lot of fun doing.

Maybe I could chase that mouse into one of the holes I have in the back yard. I love landscaping. FM said she has to patch the yard, so she went out and bought bags of dirt. Silly FM, doesn't she know that fresh dirt in a hole is just the perfect invitation for me to spread it around? She says I'm a great digger and that I'll be a big help when she plants some things this spring. I got this one hole started and FM had to go get the measuring tape to see just how far the dirt was sent flying. She said I had dirt over 18 feet from the hole. I wonder if that's good enough to make the Guinness Book of Records.

Soon to be World record holder, Skycat

You know that old saying that you do not appreciate what you have until it is gone? Well, former FM sure knows all about that. Seems the proverbial all hell is breaking loose at her house now that I am gone. I knew I was the calm driving force that kept that house ticking, but no one else really understood that, I think. Perhaps they are now changing their minds.

See, when that was my house, no interloping wildlife was allowed to live there. Sure, the occasional kitty cat might show up, but no pesky varmits dared crossed the threshold while *I* was at watch. Nope, all were afraid of little 'ol Skycat. But since I have left, apparently the welcome mat was left wide open for any four legged creature that wanted to homestead here. And one in particular did. Seems that FM kept hearing "something" on the roof at night but did not feel it was important enough to send the Siberians in to investigate. Silly woman. Because two days ago all the roof stomping stopped, but something definately took it's place. Yesterday, foster Juno finally got FM to understand that the screeching and scratching and caterwauling that was coming from the ceiling right above Juno's dining area needed to be checked out. And once FM did, she realized this was way over her head. Literally. And she did something she rarely ever does-she called in the professionals.

This afternoon a very nice "certified wildlife relocator" cut a hole in the dining room ceiling and pulled out four very tasty looking baby raccoons. Oh, I know what you are thinking right about now-appetizers for the Siberians tonight! But nooooo, instead of the dogs getting a treat, those baby raccoons were quickly transported to a wildlife rehabilitator to be nursed and taken care of. Not sure why they did not stay here-they looked an awful lot like baby Siberians according to Juno. But the relocator man would not hear of it and insisted that he bring them to someone who knows all about raccoons. Probably a good thing or else former FM would have a raccoon rescue running out of her home soon.

I want it on record that none of this crazy stuff happened while I lived there. And I want it on record that my new foster home has zero, nada, not one single raccoon living in their ceiling, thank you very much. But do I get any credit for that? I think you know the answer to that one!

I have my FM and FD wrapped around my paw. It seems all I have to do is yip and they stop what they are doing to try and figure out what it is I want. I don't really want anything, but it's so much fun being waited on paw and tail. Yip and they play with me, yip and they let me go outside, yip and they check my water, yip and I get petted, yip and... well you get the idea. Most of the time, they think I need to go outside. Every time FM lets me in, I get a treat. So, you see the plan is to yip often, go outside, then come in and get my treat. FM can be so gullible hehehehehe. Here is a picture of me digesting all those treats:

Best thing is my new back yard. It is so big. FM and FD spent the last couple of days putting up a new fence enclosing an even bigger part of their yard so that I would have lots of room to run around and play. Who knew playing chase and keep away could be so much fun? I had to check each section of fence to make sure it was just right. Not only did they make the fence really tall, they put on extra wire to help make it escape proof. There goes that idea. But, in typical Siberian style, I began the landscaping process of turning the backyard into a lunar surface. It doesn't get much better than that! Now if I could only get my FM to quit calling me Kitty Kitty...

Contented Skycat

So I have heard from Tag, Drummer and Breeze that horses are very fun animals to play with. I hinted big time to my former FM to get me one of these horses to play with but she stubbornly refused. My new foster home does not have horses either, but one of their neighbors a bit away does. Oh, I did not see them. But I could smell them the moment I stepped foot in my new backyard. I decided then and there that I needed to meet these horses. But drat, sure enough, the new yard is Siberian proof. But you all know me-when I get it in to my mind to go visit the horses, it is going to happen at some point. It would be a crime against my Siberian nature if I just behaved the way the humans wanted all the time, right? I mean, I have behaved like the perfect Siberian these last couple of weeks in order to lull the new family in to a state of submission. Hehehehehehe, all going to my master plan! I just needed the right timing to show my true colors . . . . .

So, my opportunity presented itself this weekend. I used the old Siberian mind trick and distracted the humans while we had a guest at the door(coming to see me, no doubt) and I made a break for it out the door! Oh, FM *almost* grabbed my collar but I slipped through and boom, I was outdoors. Only my silly FM was right behind me, determined to catch me. Except she had no time to put on her shoes so she was at a distinct disadvantage. I led her (and the rest of the family, of course who were frantically running and falling and calling for me-very amusing!) through some fields directly to those horses I wanted to meet and climbed right in to say hello. Ok, so here is something Drummer and Breeze and Tag never told me. Horses, apparently, have no desire to play with Siberians. In fact, they were quite rude to me. They got all agitated and started making all sorts of noise and started kicking at me with their back legs! Hello?!?! How impolite was that? Here I am, new in the neighborhood, coming by to say hello and they act like I am going to eat them or something. Well, I had just about enough of these rude beasts (and saw that my foster family was rapidly approaching the paddock and outnumbered me big time) so I decided to go visit the rabbits instead. Geesh, they were not happy to see me either! They too acted like I was going to eat them or something, oh, wait, yea, I guess I kinda wanted to eat them come to think of it. Or at least just nibble on those tall ears a bit. But anyway, they were all up in arms and I was trying to figure out a way in to their hutch when whammy! I was grabbed from behind by the rabbit and horse owner who handed me over to my FM who had run up, all out of breath, still with no shoes.

So back home I went, a bit slower this time because FM was limping pretty badly. I got lectured about how dangerous it is for me to play with horses (and given the rude reception I got from those horses, I think they might be right) and how rabbits are not snack items. Jury is still out on that one, though. But most importantly, they told me, as they were hugging me, that I proved beyond a doubt why Siberians can never be left to run loose. I guess they really like having me around because they sure got all hysterical when I left their house. And given they are super vigilant about open doors now, I doubt I will get the chance again to go exploring. Darn. But if I ever get the chance again (fat chance, from the looks of it), I think I will skip those rude horses and head straight for the rabbits. Rabbits are much better hosts.

I am so busy training my new foster family to do my bidding that I thought I would hand over my blog to a former foster dog for the day. Here is Najeh's story:

I saw you had a friend help you with your blog, and I couldn’t resist writing myself.

My name is Najeh, I live in Minnesota, and I found my forever home 2 years ago. It’s a great place, but me and my sister Niki don’t get to order the pizza either. Sometimes we might sneak a piece of the crust, but that’s about it. When will these 2 leggeds understand??

Anyway, my dad always asks me if I am happy here. Of course I am! I usually answer him, but I don’t think he understands dog talk. So then I lick his face, he smiles, so I think he gets it then!

Everyone says I had a real rough start in life. I have to say, I almost don’t remember. I was only a few months old when somebody took me and my little sister and left us on the side of a road someplace in Wisconsin. When they found us, we were so weak and cold we couldn’t stand up, or eat, or anything. Then I had some surgery so they could figure out why I wasn’t hungry. Whatever the doctors found, it worked, and I am still hungry… even now! My little sister didn’t do so well, and she didn’t make it. I still feel bad, I don’t really remember too much of her cuz we were so little and we were both so sick and scared. Thank goodness for the nice people at the doctors place and the nice foster home I lived at. I didn’t get to stay there too long though, before I was adopted to my forever home. I was lucky and found a great place right away. I even got to keep the same name! I was named after the Green Bay Packers player, Najeh Davenport. Maybe because I was from Wisconsin or something like that. Good thing my new dad is a Packer fan!

This place is pretty fun. My dad has 3 teenage kids for me to play with. Oh, and my Sibe-sister Niki. She is 6 months older than me, so they call me the little one, but I grew even bigger than her! My dad is fun and all, he races these loud cars, and he even let me sit in one! It has the husky dog sticker on it even. But he didn’t let me do anything else in it…oh well. Boring. My favorite is his girlfriend Jana. She is FUN! And she loves me ALLOT…I can tell because she lets me chew her ears and do neat stuff, like sleeping on the bed when I’m not supposed to. And it sure is fun to play with teenagers. If any of you get a chance to do that, I would recommend it! They can almost keep up with us huskies!

We get to go to the dog park too… NO LEASH! How cool is THAT? The first time we went there, I couldn’t believe all the friends there! Dad says the best time to go is winter when all the huskies are out, and when the pond is frozen. I don’t get that, the mud on the bottom is so fun to run in and we don’t mind the water either. Me and Niki might get to go boating this summer too. Dad got us some lifejackets and everything. Maybe we’ll get to go swimming then!

This year we both got kong toys for Christmas presents, and a ball toy that we chewed up right away. Silly dad, he should have known better than to give us that. Dad is already working on money for this years Hike. We had a great time there last year, and I even won a game and get a cool toy for a prize!

Yeah, we pretty much have the people here trained. Fun stuff outside, off leash dog park, husky hikes… but still nothing except the pizza crust. Well, I am not complaining, I know I am a pretty lucky girl. I met some great 2 leggeds on the way to my forever home, and when I meet my baby sister at the Bridge, I will tell her about all the nice people I met on the way.

Well Skycat, I better go now, dad is done doing something to the super fun snow pile outside, and he usually looks at his computer before we all go to bed. Your blog is really cool, and we read it whenever we get the chance!

Hey, guess what Najeh, I now live in Wisconsin too! I wonder if my new FF (foster family) are Green Bay Packer fans. I know my old FM sure was. That silly woman dressed us all up in Packer bandanas on Packer Sundays and even named her kennel Frozen Tundra Siberians. But hey, she gave us all treats when the Packers scored a touchdown so I was happy to be a Packer fan while there. Except green and gold really are not my colors . . . . Maybe we will run in to you sometime. Thanks for sharing your story and giving me the day off.

When I say upgraded, WOW! You should see all the toys I have to play with--balls, ropes, and lots and lots of stuffed squeakie animals. My new FM took me to the store to get another toy and was disappointed when they didn't have any hedgies. She finally selected a bear that has become my new favorite. For now I have given up on the invisible snakes because I'd rather pounce on and squeak the bear. As for the pet store visit, of course everyone came from all the different departments to see me and pet me and feed me treats.

Oh my gosh, I am beyond excited! Let me see if I can recreate for you the events that unfolded this past weekend.

So first, Bourbon got adopted! Very cool for Bourbon. And his foster home said that they wanted another foster right away if he did get adopted and all of a sudden, FM was looking at me funny while she was on the phone discussing this. I swear I could see a light bulb go off above her head while she was talking to Bourbon's FM about a "new" dog for their house. She was using phrases like "she really is a darling little girl, even if she is a bit opinionated at times" and "she would just LOVE to be the only dog in a home and not have to share a couch". Well, that perked up my ears because, let's face it, it sounded like she was talking about me. Well, guess what? She WAS talking about me and Bourbon's FM thought I sounded PERFECT. Duh-I am perfect so that is no surprise. But she said she really really wanted to meet me. Well, she did more than just meet me-she took me home as her new foster dog!

So I really upgraded here. Not only do I have a new FM who thinks pizza is one of the major food groups a Siberian should have to balance out their diet, but I also have a FD (foster Dad) and a new foster teenage girl to adore me. THREE humans to pet me, feed me and tell me how pretty I am. Oh, and no other dogs to share all this attention (and couch). Seriously, I think I went to heaven. I mean, I loved my old FM and all and she really was a nice lady, if not a bit scattered at times. But even she knows this is better for me. She was all teary eyed saying goodbye to me, but at the same time she told me that she wanted what was best for me, and that this really was best for me. I have to agree.

Oh, and I came to this new home just in time. Seems they have all these invisible snakes in their couch that they did not know about. I say invisible because even though I see them clearly, apparently the humans do not. So when I pounce and prance and dig at the snakes, my new FM just giggles and laughs and encourages me to "go get those invisible snakes!". So nice to have an FM that thinks it is more important to kill the invisibles than to keep the couch looking all nice and stuff. Darn good thing I came around to kill these invisibles. I bet there are more of them in the yard, too. I need to do some more investigating there. Oh, I can see I will be ruling the roost here soon! Once I kill all invisibles, my new foster family will be so impressed with my superior hunting skills that I bet they reward me with a whole big pizza just for me. My life is certainly getting better by the minute.

Don't worry, all my internet fans. My new foster home has internet so the world will still be able to get my blogs. I bet, with all the excitement and fun going on in my new home that the stories will be coming fast and furious. Going to bed now. Killing invisibles is not as easy as it looks.

Sigh. Maybe I would learn to get along well with other dogs if they stuck around a bit for me to get to know! Beloit is gone. FM was blabbing on to anyone who would listen about how nice he is and how sweet he is and how he gets along with *anything* (and looked pointedly in my direction when she said it) so sure enough, another foster home snapped him up. Apparently he is kissing up to the two existing dogs and the humans as well and now they too are all ranting and raving about what a nice dog he is. Seems like a little of that praise should be heading my way, doncha think? I mean, I taught him the rules of Skycat. Which is A) I am always right B) you are always wrong and C)anything yours is mine. He probably would not be getting along with all these dogs if I did not meld him in to the perfect Siberian. But are they thanking me? Nooooooooo. And what is the end result of all of this? Beloit is sucking up all the attention at his new foster home and I am stuck breaking in a new boy. Man, my work is never done.

His spot was not empty long, though. See, how AAHI works is that most of the dogs that come in to us go to one home first. There they are "evaluated" which is really just a long word to say that we are prodded and poked and hugged and fed treats and have our paws picked up and all sorts of other undignified things in order to see if we are nice dogs. Which, being Siberians, we almost always are. Then we go to the vet, which personally I do not mind. Everyone ohhs and ahhhs over me so much that I really do not even notice that they prod and poke me some more. Once we are deemed healthy and nice, we are matched up with a foster home. But the thing is, sometimes some of us need a little "work" in order to fit in better and get adopted quicker. When that happens-when a dog comes in that needs some training or some pizza-oops, I mean some extra help, they tend to come here, to FM's house. See, Twinkle is a classic example. That girl needs a lot of work. She is just stupid when it comes to other dogs. She is not mean-she just has no clue how to play with them and ends up jumping on them and some of them, go figure, do not like that! So she came here where she is learning, slowly, how to properly introduce herself to new dogs. My good buddy Drummer was the same way. And once he learned how to be nice and calm around other dogs, he too went to another foster home.

So, the question on everyone's mind is, of course, why is the most perfect Siberian in the world, Skycat, sitting in this "special needs" home? Well, I will admit that at first I, too, was not the most polite I could be with other dogs. And I still refuse to be nice to other girl dogs. I just don't feel I need to and that is all there is to that. But now I get along just fine with the boy dogs, providing they understand completely the Skycat rules (see 1st paragraph if you forgot them). Case in point, new boy Nashotah. He came here because it seems he has this little problem of jumping up on people. And he jumps up on kids too, which is just not cool. I mean, every Siberian should know that little kids need to be treated gently. But Nash thinks little kids are toys to be played with it seems and given he is a BIG boy, this is a problem. So off he comes here for some "work". So FM thinks it would be good for me to meet him since my chew toy Beloit left. And while this big boy Nash does play a bit rougher than Beloit, I decided that he and I could be friends. Well, more appropriately, he decided that Skycat could be in charge and that he would obey the rules which is really why we are getting along. But hey, this is like the 5th boy dog I have gotten along with now so obviously I am "fixed". Kind of nice that I am the best behaved most adoptable dog FM has now, huh? Wonder when I will graduate to a forever home.

Looks like a new bigger better dog truck is on it's way here soon! Lots of commotion about that around here. Look for pictures this week. Maybe FM will paint a big ole picture of me on the side of it. I would look good on a truck. Heck, I would look good anywhere. Going to bed now to get my beauty sleep!

Did you miss me? Oh my gosh, have I been busy. And FM has been out of town and took her laptop with her so I could not get online. I think I need my own laptop. But if I am not getting pizza every day, I bet that laptop is not going to happen any time soon. Sigh.

So we had our big Pet Expo last weekend. I was the star of the event, no question. I was *suppose* to be there every day, but noooooo, at the last minute FM grabbed Twinkle to bring on Friday instead of me. And she had no sympathy for me at all, saying "well, if you got along with her, you both could come". Hey, it works both ways, lady. Twinks doesn't like me either! But then again, Twinkle had to stay at home Saturday and Sunday when I went. hehehehehehehe

I was there with my new good buddy Beloit, who kept flipping on his back for belly rubs. Suck up. But plenty of people petted me and told me how pretty I was too. Also making an appearance was Meringue, Nashotah (who is a big boy and a bit too rambunctious for the show-he only went Friday), Cobalt, and Tiponi. It was lots of fun! Oh, and Saturday night FM stolled up to the booth with a HUGE slice of pizza!!!!! I thought it was all for me, but darn, she shared it with the other dogs there as well. But I think I got more than anyone, seriously. She was very careful to make sure I got lots of it. Here is a picture from the show and her feeding me the pizza:

I expected to get more pizza on Sunday, but they were so busy packing up that no pizza for Skycat. Bummer.

So something strange happened at the Expo. There was a booth there with someone called an "Animal Communicator". I just do not understand these humans-we communicate pretty clearly if you ask me but apparently they need someone to help translate us. Anyhoo, former foster dog Dallas went to talk to this Animal Communicator and told her some stuff about me that just is NOT true. I will not repeat those unsubstantiated rumors here, of course. But I was so upset that I DEMANDED to be taken to this Animal Communicator to make sure she knew the REAL story. Much to my surprise, FM did bring me over. I set that Communicator straight and told her I was NOT bossy and did not think I knew it all (I KNOW I know it all, thank you very much) and that it is not just me who thinks I am stunningly beautiful, everyone else does too. Whew. Glad I got that off my chest. She in turn went and told FM that I am one of the happiest dogs she has met and I just love life. Which is true. Again, sad that FM needed someone to tell her that about me. Seems like all she has to do is look at my smiling face, shining eyes and wagging tail (my tail never stops wagging) to know I am happy. But as you have no doubt read in my blog, sometimes FM is not the sharpest knife in the drawer, if you know what I mean.

So we have recovered now from the Expo and FM is back in town. And the rumor is that we are going to have a new dog truck soon too. Stay tuned for more info on that! I will try and get a hold of the laptop more often, I promise. I have lots of more stories to tell to be sure. But off to bed now.

Wow, has it been busy around here! So much has been happening that I just could not get on the computer. And of course FM was on the computer night and day watching the Iditarod. Way to go Fudge and Larry! I knew you could lead your dad Lance through that trail. Funny how Lance gets a nice new truck and all the dogs get were those silly wreaths around their neck. I am sure they shredded them the moment the cameras were turned off. I know I would have. And speaking of Iditarod, what is up with this Zuma dog getting all this pizza? I was reading her blog and she gets like, 12 pizzas a day from kids all over the world!!!!! I get nothing. What is up with that? This needs to change, pronto. If you all can figure out how to send her pizza all the way up in Alaska, it should be a piece of cake to send it to me here in the Midwest.

So, anyhoo, FM has been in a flutter getting ready for the big Pet Expo this weekend. Go to our events page and read all about it. But what you will NOT read on there is the most important part-I am going to be there ALL WEEKEND LONG!!! Well, if I behave, that is. But of course I will be behave all Friday and Saturday and then blow it all Sunday and there is nothing she can do about it then! Hehehehehehe, I can be a sneaky girl if I want to be. Hey, just a thought. If you come to the pet expo, you can bring a pizza with you to give to me! But really, you need to come out and meet me and pet me and feed me pizza. It will make your weekend.

Oh, and more exciting news-I will not be alone at the pet expo. I will have my new boy toy along. I have decided that Beloit is a very nice boy and he is worthy of playing with me. He has decided that I rule the entire world and that doing what I say is really in his best interest. See how well we play together? So now I FINALLY have a new buddy to run with in the yard. It has been lonely since Drummer left and they pulled my squeak toy Cobalt from me. Beloit is just the perfect dog for me to hang with. And rumor has it that Cobalt is going to be at the Pet Expo too, so that is good. I think his ears need a little trimming by now.

Look for an EFKAA (Event Formerly Known As Arlington for those of you calling it the Pet Expo, btw) update from me after this weekend. Who knows-maybe my forever home is going to stop by and fall in love. It is not hard to do with me, you know.

Oh, and yes, the cat is still kicking. Although I think FM is less inclined to be on her "save the cat" watch after he lept up on the second floor porch and screamed bloody murder outside her window at 3AM. We dogs thought it was all good fun but she did not like us clawing and leaping at the doors and windows for some reason. She really needs to lighten up.

"Here Skykitty". "Come here Kittycat". "Here Kitty Kitty". Those are words that fly quite regularly around my yard. Those dedicated millions who read my blog religiously know what I think about being called kitty. But still, FM persists, oblivious to my distain. So I want it on record that what happened next is NOT my fault in any way shape or form. She has no one but herself to blame. She should have expected it, tempting fate and all, but she sure looked surprised when karma came and bit her in the you-know-what. Anyone know where this one is going?

So last night here she was, out by the fence, calling for me to come in with her usual "Come here Skykitty, here kitty cat". To which I ignore. Of course. But guess who did show up this time? Yep, that would be an actual, real live CAT!!!! It was hysterical to see her freak out like that. She is calling away for me, and all of a sudden, right near the fence, the CAT answers with a big 'ol Meoooooowwwwwwwwwwww. To which I, of course, decided to come running too. Hysterical to see her diving for me while trying to shoo away the cat. The irony was lost on her, though.

So she got me safely inside and then got that "I have a new project" look on her face and marched outside to "check this out". She has seen the cat around the yard for a few days now, but she figured it was just because our garbage was kind of busting over this week (hmmm, and WHO forgot to bring the cans up the driveway last week that caused this dilemma????) But the garbage men came Monday so there was no reason the cat was hanging around anymore. She went charging out there to try and find this cat (who was appropriately chased away by my presence, thank you very much) and came back looking a bit upset. She did not have the cat, but from all the kitty cat tracks all over the yard, the garage, the stacks of crates in the driveway (yet another project fallen by the wayside, I suspect), the cars and even the dog truck (nice that is useful for something), it appears this cat is here to stay. He made a little home for himself in a big bush right near our yard. Silly cat. He obviously did not read all the Siberian books out there that state, unequivocally, that we Siberians are not real good with cats. Personally, I like cats. They taste like chicken.

So FM is now in her "Save the Cat" mode and is bound and determined to catch this cat and save him from being loved to death by a pack of Siberians. This project is going to be very very interesting to follow. I do suspect one pleasant fall out already-I am guessing she is not going to be calling "Here kitty cat" for me anymore while standing in the dog yard. I can only hope that the Cat Project ends better than the water bowl project.

It does not happen often, but I am giving control of my blog to former foster dog, Teddy. His story is so typical of a rescue dog. And I will spoil the ending right now-it is a happy one! So take it away, Teddy:

Skycat,

I am sorry to hear of your trouble with pizza. I used to be a foster dog,
too, but now I have my forever home. My name is Teddy, and I live near St.
Louis, Missouri. I totally know what you are dealing with. Sometimes people
don't understand that pizza has all the things we need for shiny coats.

Last year, I was brought to my foster home because I was rescued from a bad
place. While I was still a puppy, I was taken from a shelter by mean people
who used me to train other types of dogs to fight with each other. I am a
very good boy, and I didn't want to make other dogs fight. They chewed on my
beautiful ears. The dogs told me that they didn't want to fight, either, but
they would be hurt if they didn't. I still have nightmares when I sleep, but
I am getting better every day. I was brought to David's (he's my dad) in
August, by a rescue group that gave me to Adopt a Husky.

One day, David came home and he had THREE GIRLS with him. I was FLOORED. I
didn't know them and they smelled wrong. They didn't smell like dogs AT ALL.
I don't like new people very much, so I was really, really scared. I hid as
far away as I could in my kennel so they wouldn't see me. At least David
SMELLS like a dog sometimes!

I tried very hard to make myself as small as I could, but the littlest girl
came into my room. Now, I don't know many small people--just the ones that
live in the other doghouse on the street, and they move TOO FAST. They make
me feel afraid. But this small person came in and sat down near me and
talked quietly to me. She didn't smell so bad, after all. I had to get just
a little closer so I could sniff her better. She had a lap that was very
soft, and soon she was talking to me quietly, and rubbing my poor beautiful
ears, and the next thing I knew, David was waking me up so I could eat my
dinner. I liked her so much that the next time she came, I got really
excited and wagged my tail! I like her sister, too, but she plays with all
the dogs and Elisabeth (that's my person) just wants to play with me. She
came to see me more often, and every day I would wait to see if she was
going to be at my house. Finally, after a few months, when it got nice and
cold, David and Peg from Adopt a Husky came into my pen and talked really
quietly. I could only hear a few words, but the next thing I knew, David
told me I was not going to go to another forever home--I was going to stay
RIGHT HERE and be Elisabeth's best friend!! He said she was going to move to
his doghouse with her Mommy and her sister, and I could come in the big
doghouse if I wanted!! It was to be a surprise, though, so I wasn't to say
ONE WORD to Elisabeth--and I didn't! (It was very hard not to tell her, but
I licked her face a whole bunch to tell her something really special was
going to happen!)

One night, in the total middle of the night, my dad and new family came
home. I was sleeping very nicely, but David came to my kennel and told me
that Elisabeth was asleep, and Santa was coming tonight, so we needed to
hurry in to surprise her. (I didn't tell him I had already seen that fat
Santa guy, and his reindeer pooped EVERYWHERE. He really shouldn't complain
about 23 dogs and their poop, because reindeer poop STINKS.) David carried
me into the big doghouse, and I was scared. But my new Mom wiped my fur down
with smell-good stuff (I smelled fine, for the record) from the vet, and
David carried me upstairs, and laid me on a HUGE DOGGIE BED! RIGHT BETWEEN
THE GIRLS!! Elisabeth woke up and was so surprised, she started laughing and
crying both! Hannah just rubbed me until I wasn't scared anymore, and I
snuggled between them, right up next to my person, and WENT TO SLEEP.

I don't always like it in the big doghouse, because it is just not cold
enough. So I get to stay outside sometimes. Usually, when Mom cooks a big
piece of cow I am willing to spend some time inside.

I am a very patient doggie, but let me tell you, Santa brought a new leash
and collar for me, and THEY ARE PINK. Now, I understand that Elisabeth's a
girl, but I'M A BOY. I don't want to make her sad, so I deal with it. It's a
burden, but I can bear it. I won't walk on a leash for anyone else at all,
though, not even Hannah, and not even David. There's not a single thing
wrong with being carried everywhere.

I would send you a pizza, but I don't know how to do it. Here, it just comes
by itself, like magic! A really funny-looking guy knocks on the door and
gives it to my mom. I like sausage pizza, personally.

I hope you find a wonderful forever home, Skycat. My mommy and daddy say
they have enough, or you could come live with us. We have mostly boys here,
but I have one VERY ANNOYING LITTLE SISTER that came with the package. Have
fun in your snow, and remember--convertibles mess up your beautiful fur and
you have to be combed again!

Sincerely,
Sir Theodore the Fluffy, previously known as Teddy

Wow, isn't that a great story? Teddy needs to start his own blog. And he needs to send me that pink leash and collar. They would look great on me! And he needs to tell my FM how to get that pizza stuff delivered. She does not really know how to get them to come like that.

I have it on good authority that today is "International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day". So every Siberian out there reading this, go immediately and demand your biscuits!!!! And do not just stop at one. Demand more and more until you are stuffed. Hey, if the humans can eat themselves silly on Fat Tuesday, it is only fair that we get to stuff ourselves with dog biscuits one day a year, right? Personally, I think every Friday should be Dog Biscuit Appreciation day. Heck, as long as I am making declarations, I think every Friday should also be "Skycat Appreciation Day" too. I am going to go call Hallmark now and suggest that . . . . .

So I was right. As always. FM is most decidedly trying to blame the dogs on her truck woes. Well, not all the dogs. Just one in particular. Any guesses out there in web land who might be in the proverbial dog house this time? I will give you a hint. This particular dog is quite known for his sneaky destruction tactics. Yep, that would be my man, Tag. I will explain. But in order to explain, you need to see what I am talking about. Here is a picture of the infamous dog truck:

The dogs in this picture are, from left to right, Hera, Tyco and Billikin. See how Hera is attached to the truck on the bumper, but Tyco and Bill are attached on the running board? Well, Tag was attached on the running board too. Until his superior strength combined with his, um "excitement" caused him to kind of detach the running board a bit. FM was all up in arms about that, so she switched him to the front left bumper. Apparently that worked better, but it really did not calm him down much when it was time to hook up dogs to the sled. So driving home from a race this weekend, FM noticed that the front left wheel was making funning noises when she braked and started rattling all around. Apparently this is not good (sounds kind of fun to me, though). So she took the truck in to the vet and he told her that somehow, a very important pin that held the the brakes up came out. He did not know how that happened. FM thinks she knows exactly how that happened given that is exactly where Tag was all weekend. I do not know about all you dogs out there, but Tag has just earned even more respect in my eyes. I mean, any Siberian can destroy heated water bowls and couches, but it takes a master planner to take out a big 'ol truck. Hats off to Tag! I think it only appropriate that you all meet Tag because of it. Here is his picture:

Very handsome man, doncha think? Anyhoo, FM is still puttering around on the computer looking for new dog trucks so I suspect there is more wrong with the truck than just a missing pin. I really was not too concerned about all this hoopla over a truck I rarely rode in until I heard a rumor that in order to pay for this new dog truck, FM is going to be selling her convertible! Now this concerns me. I look good in a convertible! I am *just* the type of dog that should be riding in a convertible! Oh, I would turn some heads riding in that baby for sure. Not that I ever have ridden in the convertible. I tried but I heard "Oh Skykitty, it is not safe for you to be in that car. Jump up here in a nice protective crate in the SUV instead". Again, that woman just lives to kill my fun. But I had plans to ride in the convertible this spring for sure. And if she sells it, those plans are dashed. Drat. All I can say is that this new dog truck better be good. And it better have a big picture of me splashed across it's side too. Yep, that would be good.

I blame FM. If she were not so paranoid about "privacy" I could have broadcast my address for all my admiring fans so that they could have gotten me the Valentine's gifts they bought just for me. But nooooooooo, she will not let me tell you where I live so I woke up to nothing, zippo, nada on Valentine's day :( That is just wrong. I know somewhere there are dozens of wrapped fancy packages just for me, waiting to be mailed with notes of adoration attached. Sigh. She really likes killing my fun, you know. No Skycat, you cannot tell millions of strangers where we live. No Skygirl, you cannot have a second helping of food. Nope, Skykitty, you cannot spend the night out in the big yard digging for moles. No no no. That is all I hear! Just once I would like to hear "Why yes Miss Skycat, you are welcome to call the pizza parlor and order yourself a large pepperoni". Hasn't happened yet, though.

So dinner was late tonight. FM had to take her dog truck in to the shop and she was not looking too pleased when she came back. She then got on the web looking for a new one so it is not looking good for the old one. I am sure she will find some way to blame us Siberians for this.

It is getting warm out now. Normally us Siberians hate the warm weather. But I got to tell you, I am kind of looking forward to it because then maybe FM will stop talking non stop about all this sled stuff and focus on the important stuff again (um, that would be ME). Oh, and there is a really cool show coming up that will be starring ME! The Chicagoland Pet Expo is once again coming to town, but apparently it is a new spot this year. I will find out more details and let you all know, but mark your calendars for March 16th-18th now. I will be there, which is reason enough to come, but there are tons of other things to see and buy. And hey, maybe, since I will be there, you all can drop off your Valentine's gifts for me then? Or buy me new ones. Lots of places to buy me stuff!!!!

I'll sign off tonight by showing you a picture of former foster dog Velvet in her new home. If you remember, this is the home that I personally met and approved prior to Velvet going home with them. As you can see, I certainly picked a winner. Looks like Velvet is being spoiled appropriately. I will expect my fuzzy huge fleecy bone to be delivered shortly.

Tomorrow is the big day. I just know that I will wake up to find dozens of presents waiting for me from my many admirers. You know, nothing says I love you like a big heart shaped pizza. Of course the pizza guy will not be able to easily negotiate my driveway. We got lots of snow these last couple of days and FM has yet to start up the snow blower and clear the driveway. And she cannot blame this one on us Siberians! We have left no toys in the driveway this time. She says she cannot find the time to do it, what with going to "work" and playing with us Siberians non stop when she gets home. She was joking about hooking up us Siberians to a plow and having us do it. She better be joking about that one! I did not sign up to do physical labor.

So it figures that today is the day the big truck that brings us our food came. FM almost sent him away! Hello?!?!?! I bet if it were a truck bringing her chocolate she would not have sent him away. But thankfully she decided that she might be able to help him unload all our food and had him drop it off at the top of the driveway. And now here is where she got pretty smart. She went and got her dog sled out and loaded it up with my, I mean OUR food, to bring it inside. She had to make lots of trips but she got it all! So fear not, I will eat well tomorrow. Well, I will eat better if someone sends me a pizza . . . . .

I got to go out and play in our new snow today. I really really like the snow but it sure is a lot of work. I mean, I had that yard really well marked and now that it is covered in snow I have to start all over again. It is going to take me days to get it just right again. Sigh. The life of the working dog never ends.

In case those of you were keeping track, destroyed heated water bowls, 3. Intact bowls, 3. And while I will not say FM has given up on this idea (I know her too well-she is too stubborn to give up) I will say that the Siberians are winning this battle. The three intact bowls have been pulled from the kennels and are now safely stacked in the garage while she "rethinks" the set up. Yep, that sound you hear is Tag snickering in the background . .. . ..

I got to go to the spa! It was SO exciting! FM was fretting over me for quite a bit, talking about cold and weather and frozen water bowls (hehehehehehe) and she decided that I needed a spa weekend instead of staying home in the cold! How cool is that? So she packed me up (and that silly Twinkle, darn it) and drove me over to the really cool spa place called Bark N Town where I was adored by all the staff and got lots of attention. See, FM had to go out of town last weekend and even though she has this excellent dog sitter (Kathy loves me best, of course) she decided that it was too cold for us to stay at home. Not sure what that was all about-we are inside toasty warm with heat and stuff-but hey, it got me a couple days at the spa so I was not arguing with her!

It is cold, though. So when I am outside I have to zoom all around and run away from FM at all times just to keep warm. She might think of it as disobedience, but really it is just about staying warm. Yep, all about warmth not being stubborn at all! But you know, that brings up another point. I think folks might have the wrong impression of me sometimes. I mean, I know I am a lady of "a certain age" but do NOT confuse that with me being docile couch potato. Because I am NOT! Oh, I want the couch-don't get me wrong. The couch should belong to me and I most certainly will nap there. But don't count on me to wake up in the morning and walk over to the couch and sleep the day away. That ain't happening! I am a very vibrant lady and there are things to do in the world that will not get accomplished by sleeping the day away. Every few hours or so I will decide to get the zoomies and run up and down the stairs, through the hall and end with a flourishing leap on to the chair. I like to explore. The room is really not safe if you do not sniff every corner of it at least 5 times a day, you know. Walks are great fun and you can trust me to act like a Siberian and pull you along if you start lollygaggling about. I like to be moving. Of course, I can certainly come to work with you and lay down most of the day too. But you are gonna pay for that down time when you get home, of course. I will expect some serious play/walk time when we get home. Life is too short to just hang out on the couch.

I hear FM calling me a diva all the time, but she says it in kind of a negative way, believe it or not. I do not think she has the same definition of diva as I do, though. I think a diva is a confident, mature, stunningly beautiful lady who knows what she wants and thinks she should always get it. And believe me, I am a diva! (that's a good thing)

I was very very sad to hear about Barbaro today when I went on the computer. I mean, I have never actually met a horse, but as far as horses went, he seemed like a cool one. Tag told me about how he met a horse once when he was out running on the sled. He said FM would not allow him to chase the horse like he wanted to do, but he got the horse to rear up a bit and get all agitated, which seems like a fun thing to do. AAHI adopted dog Breeze told me she had a wonderful time a few years ago when she climbed a fence to get in the horse pasture with 4 of them. She had them all worked up and was doing her best border collie impression to try and get them moved in to the barn. Her Mom was not pleased, though, and I think she took about 2 years off the life of her Dad. She said it was hysterical seeing all the humans running around after her. And my good buddy Drummer told me how he recently got his FM to fall off the sled and get dragged all over the place when he saw a horse and decided to chase it. Horses sound like lots of fun. Wonder if FM would get me a horse to play with . . .

Anyhoo, Barbaro got me thinking. We heard lots about him when he got hurt, and then he just kind of went away. But there were tons of people who worked so hard to help him all this time and we never knew about them. Did you know that there are lots of Siberians that come in to my rescue that need lots of help too, and you guys never hear about them? Oh, you might hear about some of them at first-dogs like my good buddy Murphy who was hit by a car and had two broken legs when AAHI brought him in. I think he played that one up pretty good at first to get lots of treats and attention. But then after he was operated on, you did not really hear about him again. But believe me, that operation was just the start of it. He went to a foster home that had to wait on him hand and foot (like it should be for all of us, of course) and carry him around and take him to the vet about a zillion times and change bandages and change casts and make waterproof splints and feed him pain pills and monitor their other dog so she would not get him all worked up and, well, tons of other stuff too. He is alive today because they were willing to do all of that. Of course, suckers that they are, they totally adopted him the moment he was cleared medically. That was his plan all along, of course.

But there are lots of Murphy's that come through our rescue. Right now we have Juno, a very pretty (too pretty for my taste) girl who came in to us in big time pain from some bad arthritis in her spine. AAHI got her all checked out and got her hooked up with the right drugs and now Juno acts like a puppy. But AAHI is not going to ever adopt her out-her medical situation is such that they need to keep her close to make sure she gets all the vet care she is going to need throughout her life. She is going to live forever with an AAHI volunteer who will take care of her every needs. And then there is Trip, a dog so unsocialized and shy that, even after three years, she still shakes when a stranger comes by. She will never be on the web, but she will live a long and happy life in her foster home where she feels safe and comfortable and acts like a real Siberian (no shyness there, I can assure you-she lives at my house!). And senior mother/daugher Alpine and Picabo who are permanent fosters in Jeff and Janet's house for the last three years too. And current medical girl Cookie. And Dallas, who was so shy he had to go to live with some experienced folks (Breeze's parents!) in order to learn how to trust again. Don't worry-he worked them like Murphy did and they ended up adopting him! And Roxey, who was dumped by her owner at age 12 but went to live with Ed and Donna for the rest of her life. My point is that there are lots and lots of dogs that come in to this group that you out there in internet land might never know about, but that are helped out behind the scenes because of these folks here at Adopt a Husky. So next time you are out at an AAHI event and see our volunteers sporting those stylish "volunteer" vests, go over and thank them. Because without them, many more of us Siberians would not be here.

Oh, and I think it is a new rule or something that your name has to be Jen in order to volunteer with us. We have Jen A and Jen M and just Jen and Jenn (clever girl added an N to make her different) and the list goes on! So if your name is Jennifer and you like Siberians, fill out a volunteer app today and join the club!

This one came courtesy of Winter, the resident Alaskan Husky that lives here. She did a good job, doncha think?

I do not know why FM was surprised by this one. Winter has been responsible for the demise of more than a few remote controls, one cell phone, one cordless phone, and more pens than you can find at an office depot. Shock of the century that she took out the bowl, huh?

It is snowing a bit right now. I just love the snow. Maybe FM will take a snow day tomorrow and take me in the big yard to hunt for moles! I could not think of a better way to spend the day. And then we could order a pizza for dinner and turn on Animal Planet. Ahhh, let's hope it happens!

Woohoo, my arch nemesis Velvet has left the house! I am so excited for me, oops, I mean her, yep for her. Very happy for her. But more happy for me that she is no longer here taunting me with her squeaky toys and her pretty blue eyes and curly tail. Yep, she was just too much competition for me so it is good she found her forever home. She came to Morton too and there were way too many people who said we were both beautiful. BOTH of us? I think not. I am the only one who should be called beautiful. *I* am the one the TV station chose to film and put on TV, not her. So really we should not be compared. And now we won't be anymore! So good news all around. Her new home is wonderful-I made sure of that before she met them. I came up and interviewed them personally and they definately passed my inspection. So Velvet is off to a pampered life as an only dog (lucky her) filled with lots of pets and attention.

So her foster spot was not even empty for, oh, like 4 minutes before FM filled it right up. But, hold your hats here, she filled Velvet's spot with a BOY! FINALLY, I have a boy here with me to hang out with. He has already checked me out and tried to flirt with me. So he is smart. And he is very very handsome. He looks like a red version of that superstar Demon from Snow dogs. I think he and I are going to be good friends. Maybe I will finally have a dog I can go run around with in the big yard now.

Oh my gosh, I am still exhausted from my weekend out and about! Did you all see me on TV? Of course the TV crew focused immediately on me, smart guys that they were. I have not seen my 15 minutes of fame, but my good friends Ed and Donna came up to me this Sunday at the Morton event and said I, Skycat, was on the TV via the Comcast channel on Saturday! So if anyone saw me, drop me a line and tell me how gorgeous I looked. I can never hear that enough.

So many folks came up to pet and adore me this weekend at Morton that I just did not know where to turn sometimes. Everywhere I went there was another kid that wanted to hug me or an adult that wanted to pet me. Sure was a good time! And who knows, maybe one of those folks fawning all over me will turn out to be my forever home!

I was so busy being the greeter of the group that I did not even get a chance to go over to the sled area either day. I mean, if you had the choice to hang out around the restaurant, saying hi to folks as they came out with hot dogs and hamburgers in their hands, would you stay there or would you go over to the cold sled area where they were working and had no food whatsoever? Bet you can guess where I preferred to be! So I hung out near all the food and people and missed my big chance to run on the sled team. By the time I got over there late Sunday, everyone was packing up and the crowds were all gone. FM said she would still take me out, but what was the point? No one was there to see it so I politely declined, got a liver treat and retreated to my crate. Still, even without the sled run, it was a very busy, tiring and most excellent day. I really really liked hanging out with Donna C on Saturday and with Joan on Sunday. They refused to drop my leash and let me frolic all over the Arboretum like I wanted to, but other than that, they were very fun to spend the day with.

So now I have to decide how to spend my big royalty check from my star turn on TV. I am sure the check is in the mail and that it is enough to buy a pizza parlor all of my own! Oh the plans I have . . . . .

Thanks to all who made the Morton event a big success. Hope you had as good a time as I did!

So there are going to be lots and lots of Siberians at the Morton Arboretum this weekend, and I am a bit concerned about how all my adoring fans are going to pick me out of the sea of Siberians. I mean, I am going to be the most stunning one there, no question. I find it hard to believe anyone would not recognize me immediately. But it has been my experience that humans are not the sharpest bunch and they tend to think we all look alike just cuz many of us are black and white. And heaven knows they cannot rely on their sense of smell like we do. So I have been pondering this and getting all worked up about it. So many folks are coming to see ME and if they cannot find me, that would just be tragic.

So I requested some help from FM to help me stand out. I really expected her to just ignore me, to be honest. I mean, that is her standard answer to most of my requests. "NO, Skykitty, you cannot have a kitty of your own to chase". "No, Kittycat, you cannot have pizza for dinner tonight". "No, Skygirl, I am not going to let you run off leash through the neighborhood". It is sad, really, how much of my fun she kills. So imagine my surprise when she came in today with a funky looking collar. She said that I could wear this at Morton and thus everyone would instantly know I was Skycat, even from far away. How cool is that?!?!?!?!? So here is a picture of me with my cool new collar:

Don't you think I look very pretty with the blue and pink tassles? I think they need to be munched on, personally, but I will wait until after Morton to make my modifications.

I thought it was very nice of FM to get this for me. I mean, if I had my way I would have preferred to have some big strong men carry me around on a platform throughout Morton ala Cleopatra, but this will do.

So make sure to look for the dazzling black and white Siberian with the deep blue eyes and frilly blue and pink collar and come and say hi. Feel free to bring me a bite of pizza while you are at it!

Morton is coming! Are you all making plans to come out and meet me in person? I am going to be there BOTH days so no excuses! Gas up the car, get out the winter clothes and start mapquesting your route to Lisle to come see ME! Yea, there will be other Siberians there. Hundreds of 'em, I am hearing. Ok, maybe hundreds might be a bit much (not everyone has as many Siberians as FM does, I guess) but there sure will be alot of them because FM told me there are 11 sled teams participating this year. So you do the math. That is a whole lot of sled dogs. And ALL of them are Siberians. How cool is that? Now I need to be clear here-those sled dogs are NOT available for adoption. So don't even bother going over to them and petting them. Just ignore them. Focus on me, who IS available for adoption. There will be other foster dogs there, too but none as adorable as me. As a matter of fact, Velvet got a bath today in anticipation of her appearance at Morton. I just laughed at her being led away for the dreaded bath. Heeeheeeheeeheee, I do not need one and do not have to go. . . HEY, wait a minute!!! If SHE got a bath, doesn't that mean that she will be all sweet smelling and soft for the Morton??? Hmmmm that might take some attention away from me. That's not good. And not all humans are good about figuring out us Siberians anyway. They think all us black and white ones look the same. So how is everyone going to figure out who I am????? I am going to have to work on this. Check back tomorrow for my master plan to showcase my beauty at Morton and to make me stand out amongst all those Siberians. I will come up with a plan, I promise!

I have an update on FM's grand master "heated water bowl" experiment. I could explain it all, but they say a picture is worth a thousand words. So here you go:

So now we have a new death count. Intact heated water bowls, 5. Killed heated water bowls, 1. This one was courtesy of Tyco (Tag egged him in to it, I am sure). Hey, his lasted a whole 3.5 hours though. For Tyco, that is pretty good. FM is muttering about making it "chew proof" and has already gone on the internet to replace it. That woman is just not in touch with reality sometimes, I swear. But if she wants to give us another one to destroy, so be it. But seems like it would just be easier to burn the $20.00 herself.

Cola emailed me again saying all is going great in her foster home and that she has a family interested in meeting her! How great is that? For those that want to see Cola, check out the shelter/other rescue/owner surrender page. She is way too pretty to come here, though, so hopefully she finds a forever home soon. Good luck, girl!

No snow. None whatsoever. Have some ice around here which makes taking the corners at high speed interesting. FM has this stuff that is supposedly safe for our delicate paws and that helps melt the ice, but in typical FM fashion, she cannot find where she put it! So we slip and slide away. It was really fun watching her slip and slide on the driveway this morning, but then she put her salt all over and no more sliding. Funny how she found the salt for her but could not find the stuff for us.

So I promised you some pictures. Here I am, with my Christmas Hedgehog toy still alive and well:

I have yet to destuff him, but I sense it is coming. He still squeaks at me every day, taunting me to find the pizza I am sure is hidden in his belly. But I have been patient, very patient and besides I like flaunting the fact that my Christmas present is still alive and kicking when Twinkle's looks rather haggard and Velvet's is in pieces all over the place. They really want my stuffy hedgehog, but he is MINE! Oh, the power I wield. And yes, those are hoses in the picture above. FM was suppose to gather the hose up a few months ago but now it is frozen to the ground so it just sits there. Sometimes I like to play "kill the snake". FM isn't so fond of that game for some reason.

So a bit of a miracle happened here today. FM fixed the snow blower!!!!!!! Oh, it took lots of work and there was some words uttered I cannot put on such a public blog, but after many false starts, followed by loud clanks and the snow blower suddenly stopping, she got it working! Of course, I take all the credit. I supervised the whole thing and gave her pointers at every step. Here I am at the gate making sure she does it right:

She would not let me touch the snow blower, though. I was sure that I could just grab that kong toy and yank it out but she instead insisted on doing it herself. It sure took a lot of tools. At one point I think she had an entire set of ginsu knives out there, along with a saw and pliers and I think I even saw a chain saw! But she got it. RIP kong toy:

So for those keeping score, Kong Toy 1, Snow Blower 1 But the season is still young!

I have to do a shout out here to Billikin, a permanent dog here. Billy got in to some of FM's art supplies today and spread it all over her floor! She was not happy but even she could not help but laugh at Bill. He looks more like a dalmation now than a Siberian! Gotta love his sense of style:

This is just not right! It is almost mid January here in the Chicagoland area and we have not one drop of snow. It was so warm this past week that I thought FM was going to turn on the air conditioning for us. Everything is turning green around here. I like the Spring and all (lots of critters to chase) but I am a SIBERIAN husky and I am suppose to have cold weather and lots and lots of snow in January. I blame my FM for this. I have seen pictures of her in the 80's and she sure had some big hair. I think there is a nice big hole in the ozone up there with her name on it due to all her hairspray usage. Would explain the global warming we are having around here.

"They" said tonight we might have some snow coming this weekend. Boy would that be cool. FM still has not fixed the snow blower from the last snow storm. Here is a picture of it:

You can see the blue kong toy stuck in there. FM thinks that if she leaves the snow blower broken, it would be more likely to snow. Something about Murphy's law and all. I think that if "they" are right about this snow, she better get cracking and try and unwedge that kong toy! Not sure if "they" are going to be right, though, because it was raining tonight and even had thunder and lightening! Now I am not scared of a little thunder and lightening. Nope, not me. I am too brave for that. Some of the Siberians around here are, and they hide and shake and moan about the noise. But I think the light show is pretty cool. Of course I must comment on it every time it flashes. Everyone wants to hear about what I think about the lightening, right? Thought so. But I am not afraid of it.

One of our foster homes in Minnesota claims that he can make it snow by doing some kind of funky dance in his yard. Well Don, you are officially hired. Get out there and start dancing because we need some snow. Bring your Siberians along with you-we like to dance too. And take pictures. This could make an interesting blog entry.

I am still figuring out this email stuff. I get really excited when I see the list waiting for me. Because, after all, doesn't every Siberian want to increase their energy, win that prize award and buy Cialis for pennies a pill? But when I click on them, it is just gobblygook that has nothing to do with ME at all. I mean, if I get an email titled "Frustratingly gassy" I just assume it is from one of my fellow Siberians who is about to tell me a very funny story of how they got to steal the pizza off the table! But no, instead I read about some vacation rental in Ecuador. You humans sure waste a lot of your time sending me this stuff.

But every now and then a real email comes through from someone who just loves to read about me and has loads of praise to heap my way. I love those emails! Here is one from Leah Trush, an former AAHI foster dog:

I know that a dog as cute as you will have no problem being the queen of her own castle. I am enjoying my reign here in Third Lake, Illinois and expect to for a few more years.

Happy new year to you Skydog. I will hold a good thought for you to get adopted to a great forever home like I have. I even have two human brothers that keep me entertained. I got a hedgehog for Christmas also. I scared that Santa guy into leaving it. By the way, I recommend eliminating the word CAT from your name. SkyDOG would be better for you. The word CAT is almost a four letter word -- know what I mean?

So Santa Claws must have gotten a deal on those hedgehogs, huh? Did yours have pizza inside of it? I will have to think about that Skydog thing. Although I am really hoping my forever home renames me to something that is regal and fitting my character. You know, like "Princess Pretty Paws" or something. Happy to hear you are living the high life Leah. It is what we Siberians deserve, after all.

Sisko emailed me with some tips she thought might help me get my forever home quicker. She writes:

Your people will love you so much and will respect you so much more when
you SHARE and help the other huskies in your place.
It's hard to believe, but it's true. If people think you are able to get
along with other dogs, it will help you get adopted. Now, I don't think
you have to be willing to put up with just any other dog (and I agree,
who wants to live with another girl?) but it is so nice to have a
playmate and partner: two dogs get a lot more attention than just one!!

Well Sisko, I just do not understand this word "share". I mean, I am perfectly happy to have other dogs give me their toys and treats and stuff. Is that sharing? If so, I am all for it! And I am fine with having another handsome male dog in my new home, just as long as he understands that *I* am in charge. It is just the way it is. But someone like Tag is perfectly acceptable to me. Tag is a very handsome boy. Tag is very smart. I like Tag. Tag is my friend. But I doubt FM will let Tag go home with me. Seems he is "her" dog and she needs him for the sled team.

I also got a very important email from Cindy. Seems that Cindy was reading my blog and decided that she wanted to foster a dog for Adopt a Husky given her previous darling girl Cassie had to go to the Bridge. I got all choked up reading Cindy's email and I am not going to print it here because it is really special to me and I want to keep it for my own. But because of how special Cassie was and because Cindy wanted to honor her, she applied to foster and now has her very own foster dog living with her! Maybe her new foster dog Bourbon will email me about how he is doing soon.

Skycat, who is wondering what Cialis is anyway. Maybe a type of pizza . . . . . . . .

Happy New Year from your favorite (and cutest) Siberian! I can sense that 2007 is going to be MY year. I just know that my forever home will be found this year, sooner rather than later. I just sense it. And it cannot come soon enough because just as I was doing the happy dance that my fellow foster Lodgepole got adopted (she was told she was so cute way too often for my taste, thank you), FM brings home another, yep you guessed it, GIRL to take her place today. So now Velvet is in the house. Oh, the irony. The three girls that do not like other girls are now all together. Twinkle and Velvet think they are such hot stuff, but I think even they are impressed with my beauty and intelligence. Velvet tried to wag her tail at me today so she has some smarts to her. She must know that I am in charge here. Maybe I can mold her to do my bidding . . . . . . .

So someone needs to explain to me these crazy human customs. Last night I was kept awake for hours while the humans made quite a commotion. They had fireworks going off, some huge booms that sounded like buildings blowing up and then something that sounded like gunfire! I was so happy I was safely indoors in my nice comfy kennel but still it was loud and I did not appreciate being waken up and kept up. You do not get this good looking by keeping late hours you know. I need my beauty sleep and I did not get it last night. From the look of it, neither did my FM <g>. So logging off early tonight to catch up on some sleep. Happy New Year everyone! I hope 2007 brings much joy to everyone. And I know an easy way to do it, too. Adopt me!

So, how did you all clean up with this Santa Claws guy? I scored some tasty dinner yesterday and also got this fuzzy hedgehog toy that simply needs to be gutted, I decided. I have not done it yet-I prefer to have the hedgehog live in a constant state of fear waiting for me to do it, but be assured it will be done. I heard a rumor that every now and then you find some pizza in the insides of stuffed animals, so any good Siberian will eventually destuff their toys. Bet that solves a mystery of life for the humans, huh? I will make sure FM gets a picture of me and my hedgehog before I shred it, though.

My FM got all excited over her gifts from the big red guy. Seems he brought her more heated water bowls since the last one worked so well. And here, my fellow Siberians, is the true brilliance of Tag's master plan. If you recall (or if you scroll down and read), she "tested" one of these water bowls with Tag, regarded here as somewhat of a Siberian God. Tag figured out how to tear a little hole in the couch a few years back and sneakily gathered up all the kong toys and hid them in the couch for months before FM figured it out. He figures out all sorts of things to drive her crazy, but she still adores him. Go figure. So anyhoo, Tag was responsible for destroying the heated water bowl and much to all of our shock, he did NOT even try and move it, much less take it apart. We thought he was losing it, but it turns out he *knew* that if he let it alone, more would come and we could all, in unison, attack them together one day and cause mass chaos. Is he not just the smartest dog? So FM is going to set up all these expensive heated bowls this week and our stage will be set. It is going to be so COOL!

Hmm, another one who thinks sledding is just so much fun. Well, Gibson, I am going to try it out soon. Morton is just around the corner!