FiveSibes™

♥ Love is in the Air ♥

2012-02-14T00:01:00.004-05:00

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A Love Story...

Love is definitely in the air here! Our resident couple, Gibson and Harley, shared a few special moments over a red heart pillow. Harley was also gifted with a few Gibbie kisses. My boy has been smitten with her since the day he arrived as a four month old pup and had a Harley smack-down welcome. It was love at first sight for him and she is his one true love!

Our "couple" stealing a kiss.

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Young Love: A Budding Long-Distance Romance...

And one of our pupsters, Chloe, has a very special Valentine this year...Sammy from Germany! We met the handsome Fox brothers, Sammy and Buddy when we became Christmas exchange partners and have become fast friends.

Chloe's Valentine!

Sweet Sammy is smitten with Chloe and he and his Hu-Mom Anni sent her the loveliest homemade Valentine, a photo of adorable Sammy, and a very special token...a heart! Chloe was so touched, she almost blushed! In this photo of Sammy, you can see the pretty little silver heart!

Sweet dreams of Sammy, Chloe!

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Happy Valentine's Day!!!

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Today is also the first "Hero" Day, a day to remember the little pup who has become a symbol of hope, love, and awareness of seizures, and brought together a entire community of pet advocates from across the globe. This little pup taught us that heroes really do come in all sizes.

And we are also joining our Blogville community in sending out lots of love and positive thoughts to furpal "K" of Romping & Rolling in the Rockies who is battling cancer of the paw and currently receiving treatments. You can read K's story and see the beautiful photos over on the blog. We find it fitting that today - a day of love - is also a special day of recognition for K as all of our posts are filled with love and prayers for K and family. We are all with you, K. Sending you lots of Husky hugs and love. Keep strong!

Sibling Sisters Sleeping in Siberian Swirls on a Shadow Shot Sunday

2012-02-12T00:05:00.002-05:00

So, I hear all of this shuffling and I peek at the furkids to find Bandit with a chunk of rug in her mouth, pulling it and rearranging it to her liking all the while sister Chloe is sound asleep on part of it. Once Bandit got it just right, she settled down into the Siberian swirl for her nap. And the best part? Chloe never moved an inch and stayed napping the whole time! Ah, sisters...!

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"To have a loving relationship

with a sister

is not simply to have

a buddy or a confident, it is to

have a soulmate for life."

~Victoria Secunda

Chloe has a Mystery Boo-Boo!

2012-02-11T00:35:00.002-05:00

Chloe on the way to the vet's office.

Checking out Chloe the other day, I noticed some very odd looking abrasions on her nose and mouth area. While she has a tendency for hot spots, and is currently sporting one on her leg, the issue with her face looked strange. It didn't seem painful, but it looked raw and it was red and bare above and below her lips. Plus, she did her best to hide her nose into her tail or tuck her head under trying to hide it from our view. Very suspicious!

While waiting to see the vet, Chloe sensed something was up and attached herself to my daughter! After being checked out with one of our vets, it was determined that it was not a hot spot...and her injury became a bit of an enigma! Ruling out allergies and erring on the side of caution, he took a slide culture of the affected area, and thankfully, it came back negative for any signs of bacteria, parasites, infection, etc. We are currently looking at a possible abrasion due to a rug burn. Yep, a rug burn! We have a giant rug out on our back deck for the Sibes, and it was my thought that while engaging in some rough Husky play, Chloe may have face-planted into the rug while in motion.

The mystery boo-boo.

No shots = a happy Chloe!

We are currently treating her with some antibiotic ointment and keeping an eye on it for any changes. Hopefully, it will clear up soon...and maybe our little innocent girl will leave the rough housing to the other four!

Waiting for Snow on a Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

It's the Big Game Day!!!

2012-02-05T21:39:00.004-05:00

Today was a big fun day for so many with lots of good food...tossing of a ball...a little rough-housing among siblings and pals...and a lot of woooing and cheering...why it's none other than...

Puppy Bowl Sunday!

Harley is pretty interested in the player lineup in this year's Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VIII.

Chloe getting ready for some yummy Puppy Bowl Sunday snacks while watching the game and cool doggie commercials.

Bandit getting ready to engage in a little indoor tag football with her siblings.

Let the Husky games begin!

Wolf scored a touchdown while Harley hit the couch safe zone.

Gibson going in for the pass...

Harley knows half-time means dinner time! Wooo, that was fun!

And congrats to "Fumble" on becoming this year's MVP! Did you check out this pup's moves??!!! Well played!

We hope your Puppy Bowl Sunday was a

fun one!

We're Going to be on Mushing Radio!!! We Hope You'll Join Us!

2012-02-04T20:51:00.001-05:00

We are so excited over here and the FiveSibes™ are wooing all about it! Sunday, I will be a guest on Dr. Robert and Michele Forto's Mushing Radio Dog Works Radio show out of Alaska! We will be chatting about Canine Epilepsy, my book What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy (illustrated by Michelle Littler of Etsy littletoad), the FiveSibes™, and all things Huskies and Canine! We hope you'll tune in to Blog Radio to listen to the show...and feel free to call in 1 PM EST/11 AM Alaskan Time to (646) 727-3539 to say "hi" and/or ask a question...and be sure to mention you're one of our Blogger furpals! Maybe my Sibe kids will even break out into one of their "wolf songs" on air for our hosts! This should be fun...we hope you will tune in and join us!

Post Show Update: We had a great time on the Forto's show, and if you missed it, here's the link to the program!

Listen to internet radio with Dog Works Radio Show on Blog Talk Radio

Thank you, Robert & Michele, for having me on as a guest!

Saturday Sibe Sibling Snuggling

2012-02-04T07:00:00.001-05:00

Chloe is our "tropical" Husky. We say that because we think she didn't get the memo about Siberian Huskies loving the cold, snowy weather. No, Chloe would much rather snuggle up inside on the sofa and sleep all day. When outside, in Sibe-balmy 40-50 degrees Farenheit, she will woo and cry and then snuggle right up alongside one of her brothers, either wooly Gibson, or furry Wolf. Here, she's taken up position to settle in for a nice nap up against Wolf with her head resting on his leg.

Chloe, sweetie, read the memo. You are a S-i-b-e-r-i-a-n H-u-s-k-y!

Woo-Woo...All Aboard for Today's Stop Along the Blog Book Release Tour

2012-02-03T20:43:00.002-05:00

Today's What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy Book Release Blog Tour stops at the Gimpy Dogs, and we are so pleased to be part of their blog and truly enjoyed their interview. We want to give a big "thank woo" to them for joining our book tour and for helping to spread the word about Canine Epilepsy Awareness and our book. We sure hope you'll pop over and read their great article and take some time to read some of their other great stories about dogs with special needs and the listing of resources available. We sure had a lot of fun and want to extend our wholehearted thanks for featuring us!

Gibson is pooped from all the touring, but loves that his furpals are helping to spread the word about Canine Epilepsy Awareness and helping to promote his book in order to help raise funds for the Canine Epilepsy Resources, a non-profit organization that provides valuable information and resources to Epi-Dog parents worldwide. He is busy catching some zzzzz's and dreaming about his next book tour stop - which will be this Sunday on Dog Works Media radio out of Alaska!

Other stops and sites along the way who are featuring

What's Wrong With Gibson? that you may like to visit,

so far include:

The Chronicles of Woos

Bailey Be Good!

Peggy's Pet Place

SiberianNation

Canine Epilepsy Resources

We thought we'd share our Canine Epilepsy Awareness video once again and give a nod to our Epi-furpals from across the globe (and to our Gibson who just turned 6 in January!)

If you would like to host us as part of the book tour, please feel free to contact us at FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com. We'd love to have you join in and help spread the word about K-9 Epilepsy Awareness. If you would like to purchase a copy of What's Wrong With Gibson? you can do so by visiting ArcticHouse Publishing. A percentage of proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Canine Epilepsy Resources Center to aid them in their continued work of providing valuable information and resources to Epi-dog parents worldwide.

Peek-a-Woo on a Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-01T21:46:00.000-05:00

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Next stop on the FiveSibes™ Book Release Blog Tour will be on Friday, February 3rd at the Gimpy Dogs blog! Please stop on by!

Monday Mischief - Couch Potatoes

2012-01-30T19:18:00.000-05:00

Okay, kids, I'll get right on that!

(Discretion Advised: Please excuse the dirty, chomped-up blue Peep rabbit. It's Harley's most favorite toy in the whole world! And while she cuddles with it, Chloe wants absolutely nothing to do with it!)

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It's a Blog Hop!

A Hero Arrives in Heaven

2012-01-29T22:13:00.003-05:00

Hero, a forever symbol of hope & awareness.

It is with sadness that I must relay that final update on Hero, the Christmas pup. The sweet little boy who was a real fighter, earned his wings this evening and has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. May he run free and healthy North of the Rainbow Bridge. He will always serve as our beacon and symbol of hope and seizure awareness. To honor his fight, we will all carry with us how this wonderful little Husky pup brought a worldwide pet community to join together for the greater cause - helping a helpless animal. To read Hero's story, please visit our previous post from yesterday that included updates and video message in Helping a Hero.

Alley, of Alley's Rescued Angels, you are wonderful for all that you did as his guardian. Hero was lucky you found him. For your vet team, Siberian Nation, and all the champions of Hero - you are all so caring and compassionate. This little boy will always be our symbol and we will carry on his legacy, which is quite a big one - this little pup brought together an entire pet community worldwide for a greater cause - to help an ailing Husky pup with sharing, caring, and donations for medical care (the CHIP-IN is still in effect to help Alley's Rescued Angels with the balance of surgical bill and emergency procedures during surgery. Please keep the link active on your sites to help).

Facebook and Twitter were aflutter today with updates and statuses from Alley of Alley's Rescued Siberian Angels as she received news from the surgical team. Well wishes, prayers, positive thoughts, and photos of furpals flooded in from across the globe as Hero went in for surgery, where his heart stopped, he received emergency CPR and was placed on life support. Then he began having bleeding. The surgical team went back in to find the cause...but the fight took it's toll on the nine week old puppy who fought hard to the very end.

We can not let his story end and should not let his brief life be in vain. We will keep Hero alive as a symbol of heroism and hope...and his legacy will continue as we continue to carry the torch for seizure awareness. This we can all do in Hero's memory. When we see his photo, we can all be proud of how we joined together in support of this pup and Alley, his guardian. When we see his photo, smile, whisper his name, and then give our own furbabies and extra "Hero" hug. Please remember to mark your calendars on Valentine's Day, as Siberian Nation has proclaimed it "Hero Day." While we shed our tears, let us never forget Hero's legacy - a story of how an abandoned little Husky pup with special needs brought together an entire global pet community for the greater good of an animal. That's quite a big legacy for a little boy.

Rest in peace, sweet little furangel Hero. You've earned your wings.

North of The Rainbow Bridge
by MakWa4me

The time comes. A Siberian Husky lifts up its head. There is an untested adventure beyond. Time to go.

Across the Rainbow Bridge is a place for all dogs. A river runs wide and shallow with tennis balls that fly with their own wings; that is the place for a Labrador or Golden to await its master's arrival.

The Siberian is not content here. Northward is its trail....

There are soft pastures for Aussies and Border Collies, with sheep and geese to pen. Agility equipment grows like trees amid Frisbees and flyball.

But the North continues its sure wild call, and the Siberian's journey continues....

Now the air is colder. Now the moon is always full. Now the light is silver and it breaks and shimmers on fields of bright snow. Now there are no roads, no walls, no pens, just endless space to run. This is where Siberians gather, North of the Rainbow Bridge.

They wait in this beautiful place, happy, but not complete. Suddenly, a howl begins, as one dog senses someone coming, someone very special. All the Siberians raise their heads and join in the ancient chorus. They dance like moonbeams and sing like winter winds.

There are red ones like dawn streaks, black ones splattered with many colors and silver ones like the first strange hour before light. They line up as if in harness and run together, in a scintillating, many-colored streak. The leader of the team guides the others past the fields and river, with racing feet and racing heart. They rush to greet the new arrival at the Rainbow Bridge, where the leader is rejoined with its beloved person, never to be parted again.

The glory of the reunion is celebrated by all the Siberians dwelling beyond the Bridge, a glimmering, multicolored team leaping and whirling with joy. The light from that scene is what we see on magical evenings in the northernmost parts of this Earth: The Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

While we are tearfully bidding Hero farewell in our own ways...let us remember to smile, hug our own furkids, and continue to fight the good fight to help those animals who are abandoned and helpless. We will continue to share news of seizure and canine epilepsy awareness. We will remain connected as a caring, compassionate pet community; and we all will remember that even in sadness, our lives are all the better for having a pet in it, no matter how long or short of time we are blessed to have them. While we are their champions, they are our "Hero"es.

A Sibe Super Sniffer on a Shadow Shot Sunday

2012-01-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

You can't fool Harley's nose; the best super sniffer in the pack!

"I talk to him when I'm lonesome like;

and I'm sure he understands.

When he looks at me so attentively,

and gently licks my hands;

then he rubs his nose on my tailored clothes,

but I never say naught thereat.

For the good Lord knows I can buy more clothes,

but never a friend like that."

~W. Dayton Wedgefarth

Helping a Hero

2012-01-26T09:24:00.009-05:00

Artist rendering of Hero in fundraising poster.

We all have favorite heroes. They may be human. They may be canine. Maybe they wear capes, maybe they don't. They can be real, or they can be fictional. In any case, sometimes even a Hero needs saving. And one sweet beautiful little Siberian Husky pup, named "Hero" needs our help.

Do you know the story of Hero, the Christmas pup? Just a few days after this past Christmas, a sweet little Siberian Husky puppy was left at a shelter in California. A rescue stepped in to save him and believes "This poor little baby was obviously someone's Christmas present only to find himself abandoned..."

The rescue folks at Alley's Rescued Siberian Angels discovered that the puppy was only about five weeks old, too young to have been taken away from it's mother, and was experiencing seizures...and even had one as the rescue was bringing him to the vet's office for an exam. An early Chip-In was set up to assist with the veterinarian expenses. So many people came forward to help, it was so heartwarming! The spirit of the season in the pet community was shining brighter than ever!

Here is a video of Hero playing with his Christmas Tree toy!

Updates on Hero continue...and as the folks at Siberian Nation have said in their blog, "... he has kinda become our Christmas Hero for pulling though as he has, as well as now having a special place in our hearts." Well, we say, "Ditto that!"

Hero certainly has stolen my heart. His caretakers and champions have asked for the pet community's opinion on various stages along the way, including answers to the questions, "Should help be continued for this little guy as he needs lots of funds to assist?" as well as "Should he be adopted or stay at the shelter?" The community came forward with a resounding "Yes!" for continuing to help Hero, and the the majority opinion is he should remain with the rescue until he has a clean bill of health and is seizure-free before he is available for adoption.

Continues Siberian Nation on their blog post: "He has had many many people pulling for him as well as inquiries about adoption. One person was even willing to drive cross country to adopt him and was willing to try and take on his medical expenses. Alley's stance on adoption as well as many of Hero's followers I see has been disagreement with any adoption at this point because of the unfinished tests and doctor visits he still needs. There is too many unanswered questions. And that adoption can not take place until he would be fully stabilized and the cause of his seizures has been found, Hero's immediate care is the first priority."

First, bravo to Alley and Siberian Nation and all the wonderful and caring folks taking up the torch for Hero's cause. We must save this little pup who has become a beacon of hope for all of us.

In these economically trying times, asking for funding is difficult. Well, asking is easy, receiving is difficult. Folks have been wonderful. There have been many successful and well-needed Chip-Ins for a variety of reasons. Animal advocates truly have the biggest hearts. I am proud to part of this community - I've seen so much care, compassion, and miracles happen when everyone joins together for the good of an animal. Sometimes the end result is gut-wrenching, but we rest can rest assured we have done everything possible...but other times, the end result is so inspirational and heartwarming, we glow for weeks.

I pray the latter is the case for Hero. I want to glow for weeks and know sweet Hero is romping around healthy and giving big Sibe kisses to his forever family. And I believe we can make it happen.

One of the fundraisers is for this great poster (we just purchased and received our personalized copy via Email). The artist commissioned, who works under the name Cameo Anderson, will be donating all proceeds to Alley for the continued medical expenses and care for Hero. You can order yours for $25 through Lily's Pad Pet Supplies.

Here, via Alley's Facebook page, is a video of Hero (please click HERE to view) meeting the new vet staff at the specialist office, and just look at how bouncy and full of life he is! Unfortunately, the latest update from Siberian Nation via Alleys Rescued Siberian Angels from that visit is: "Hero has finished his tests and we have a diagnosis. Hero has a pocket of fluid on the brain which is causing his seizures, aggression and vision issues. They cannot draw all the fluid out because of the pocket size, doing that will cause his brain to collapse so he would need a shunt placed so that the fluid can slowly drain. They state only because of his young age he is a candidate."

Here is a new Chip-In created by Siberian Nation for the purpose of raising funds for this life-saving surgery for little Hero, which is estimated between $7,000-$9,000 to perform. If everyone from across the globe could chip in a little, this could easily be reached! And if you can't chip in money, please spread the word about Hero - and if you know of vets, clinics, pet supply stores, newspapers, radio and TV stations - please share Hero's story and links with them in the hopes some kind and generous benefactors may come forward.

February 14th is Valentine's Day and a day for showing love...so it is a perfect day to be proclaimed as "Hero Day." For this event, organized by Siberian Nation, everyone is asked to make this photo of Hero their default photo on Facebook and to post it on their websites and blogs to honor this courageous little Husky pup.

It will once again take a community to help save this pup...and the pet community is working hard to do so. Why? Because time is not on this pup's side and this Hero deserves a fighting chance...and we all need heroes. Who knows what great things this pup may go on to do in the life that could lie ahead of him...he may one day even go on to save a life himself, like so many who came forward to help save his.

EVENING UPDATE from Alley:

"So guess what, a $4,000 dollar deposit has been called in by a generous donor and Hero will be going in for surgery, we still need to raise the balance so please keep sharing. Hero cannot go in until they get the seizures stopped long enough for this huge surgery, will keep you all posted. Keep your paws crossed and a huge thank you to all who have donated and kept Hero in their thoughts. He still has a huge surgery to go through and we still have a lot of money to raise. Much love and thanks to all of you, Alley."

We still have a LONG way to go. If you know of any corporate, businesses, pet stores, etc. who would be willing to donate to Hero's cause, please share the Chip-In link started by Siberian Nation in this blog post with them! Each one of us has truly made a difference! We have HOPE for Hero...let's all continue to be this little boy's champion - we are almost there!

Hero at the vet in his collar ready for surgery!

Saturday Night Update on Hero. According to Alley, he has been seizure-free long enough now that they can prep the little boy for surgery. He will be going in for the surgery to insert a shunt to drain the pocket of fluid from his brain tomorrow morning. All of our prayers and positive vibes are with this little Husky boy and his surgical team. There is so much hope for Hero, thanks to a caring community of pet lovers. Hero...fight the good fight. We WILL hear good news about you tomorrow, little fella!

Sunday Morning Update: Baby Hero is now in surgery, which will take about three to six hours. Prayers and positive vibes go out to our little Hero, his surgical & vet team, and his rescue guardian angel Alley.

Sunday Afternoon Post-Surgery Update: Alley has reported good news/bad news - Hero made it through the brain surgery and although he is breathing on his own, he is currently on life support as his heart failed during surgery and CPR had to be administered. The next 72 hours will prove to be critical...Hero and Alley need all of our prayers, positive thoughts, and healing vibes...hang tough little boy...so much love coming your way.

Follow-Up Update: Hero is not doing well. Says Alley, "... bleeding internally and we are loosing him as the Doctors just told me. They have given him blood and fluids but he is dying. I had to authorize them to go back in and try and find the source. The Doctors state either we go back in and try and save him or we lose him for sure. We have come this far and what could I say but ok go back in and try and save him. Please share, cross paws and keep fundraising, Hero and this rescue need you more than ever."

Come on, Hero...hang in there little boy...you've been through so much. Our "be strong" message to Hero:

Siberian Sibling Pillow

2012-01-25T00:01:00.000-05:00

Pupsters Party in Review and Winner of Birthday Book Giveaway Announced!

2012-01-23T00:01:00.001-05:00

The Pupsters had a fun fourth birthday filled with ice cream cake, toys, and treats...and a Birthday Book Giveaway!

So like a TV show teaser...before we announce the winner...here's some pics of the Birthday siblings Chloe, Bandit, and Wolf's party!

The party is ready! Bring in the Birthday Sibes!

"Woo, where's the cake? Where's the cake?"

Nom-nom-nom...ice cream cake time!

All together now!

Yum-yum!

Wolf loves his new little Kong buddy!

Bandit played Tug O'War with her Kong alligator!

Chloe cozied up to her Kong Cozie for a post-birthday nap!

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We want to thank you everyone for joining us in celebrating the Pupsters fourth Birthday celebration. And now...without further delay...the winner of our Rafflecopter Birthday Book Giveaway for a personalized copy of
What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy
is...

Kiersten R. from Spain! Congratulations!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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If you'd like to purchase a copy of our FiveSibes™ Tale: What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy illustrated by artist Michelle Littler, please visit ArcticHouse Publishing. A percent of proceeds from the book will benefit the Canine Epilepsy Resources Center for their continued work in providing valuable information and resources to Epi-Dog parents worldwide.

Brotherly Love on a Shadow Shot Sunday

2012-01-22T12:42:00.000-05:00

Brothers Gibson and Wolf

A Brother's Love

~Paris

A Brother is a special gift
Sent from God above
For us to cherish daily
And fill them up with love
In the beauty of a brother
It's so plain and easy to see
Just how wonderful they make your life
And how they were meant to be
Now what is it that makes a brother
It's quite difficult to say
Except he is the reason
Why your sun shines everyday

Let it Snow...Finally!

2012-01-21T00:01:00.013-05:00

Harley having the chase-her-tail snow zoomies!

Finally, we are having some snow! And more is predicted for the next two days! Woooo! All I have to say is there is just one equation to sum it all up:

Snow = Happy Huskies!

It was an afternoon of great play here!

We wish for lots of snow for all of our furpals to play in! Happy Snowy Weekend!

Be sure to check out all the great blogs on the Saturday Pet Blogger Hop listed below, including our hosts who are the first three blogs listed!

Happy Saturday!

All Aboard! Featuring Today's Stop on our Blog Book Tour!

2012-01-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

Gibson says, "Thank Woo!"

Today's stop on our What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy Blog Book Tour is at Peggy's Pet Place! Peggy, as many of you know, is the author of the recent release, Dieting With My Dog, and a pet parent, blogger, and fellow writer. She has been writing her way through her the alphabet on her blog, and today she has dedicated the letter "G" to Gibson! Please stop by and check out her great interview and why not stay and visit her site for awhile too! There's lots of great info there (and some really great pics of adorable Kelly!)

Just a reminder that a percentage of proceeds from sales of What's Wrong With Gibson? will benefit the Canine Epilepsy Resources center to aid with their continued work in providing valuable resources and information to Epi-Dog parents worldwide.

If you would like to order a copy of What's Wrong With Gibson? please visit ArcticHousePublishing. Orders accepted and delivered anywhere in the world the United States Postal System will deliver to! International orders accepted via PayPal. If you would like your book personalized, please jot a note in the comment section of the order form.

Thank you, Peggy and Kelly, for joining in our Blog Book Tour and campaign for spreading Canine Epilepsy Awareness with your "G is for Gibson" post!

Other stops and sites along the way who are featuring

What's Wrong With Gibson? that you may like to visit,

so far include:

The Chronicles of Woos

Bailey Be Good!

SiberianNation

Canine Epilepsy Resources

Happy Fourth Birthday to Our Pupsters!

2012-01-19T00:07:00.000-05:00

"Woo...we're 4 today!"

Happy Birthday to our Pupsters: Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit! It's so hard to believe the babies are now four years old! But age, after all, is just a number. They sure still act like they are puppies and do everything together and in tandem like they did since the day they came home and my daughter trained them. We used to love the "puppy pile up" where they would just plop down and fall asleep on top of each other after playing. Now, they still sleep near each other; hug each other, run together, and follow each other in tandem to eat or do their business. They are a pretty comical trio and they sure do keep our alpha Harley and boy Gibson busy! Wolf has grown very close to his big brother Gibson (who just celebrated his sixth birthday on January 6th) while Chloe loves to snuggle up against Gib to keep warm when they're outside (of course, she needs to make room for Gibson's true love Harley to be near), and Bandit has become Harley's shadow and the alpha wanna-be...following her everywhere! It's a trip watching them all together...you just have to smile!

I will post pics from the Pupsters' party with their furfamily at a later date. For now, we hope you'll have fun entering to win our book! We'd love to see a photo of the winning furpal with the book, too, and we'll post it here and on our Facebook page!

Here's our updated annual video of a look back over the past four years as we celebrate a new year of sharing life with these wonderful "kids!" Happy Birthday Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit...we are so happy you came into our lives and love you pups so!

To celebrate this special day, since Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit love to play games, we thought we'd host another Birthday Book Giveaway via Rafflecopter like we did on Gibson's birthday. You can enter from now until 12:01 AM on Sunday, January 22nd, when the winner will be announced who will receive a personalized copy of our FiveSibes™ Tale: What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy, illustrated by Michelle Littler! To enter, just follow the steps below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Today's Stop Along the Blog Book Tour

2012-01-17T09:46:00.002-05:00

We are so excited to have been interviewed by Bailey and Momma over at Bailey Be Good! Blog as they are our featured stop today along our What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy Book Release Blog Tour! It was fun being on the other end of the interviewing process for a change, since I'm usually the one asking the questions! Bailey asked so many great questions and we so loved the fabulous photos of her reading our book! Here's a sneak peak at one of them (isn't Bailey adorable?!):

I'll be adding this one to my collection of fabulous furfriends posted in my home office! We feel so blessed to have such truly wonderful friends here in Blogville! Thank you, Bailey, Nala & Hu-Mom, for helping to share Gibson's story and spread the word about Canine Epilepsy Awareness.

Please be sure to pop over and check out Bailey's interview and book review...and visit for awhile - it's a great website!

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Chasing Shadows

2012-01-15T20:45:00.002-05:00

Go! Bandit! Go! Race that shadow!

Chasing Shadows

by Uriah Heep

Shadows in the night

Safe from the darkness
Deep in the night
I know you’re here
You’re nowhere in sight
Over my shoulder
I know you are near
I feel you moving
Will you ever appear?

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We are so happy and excited to announce the next stop on our FiveSibes™ What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy Book Release Blog Tour will be Tuesday, January 17th over at Bailey Be Good! blog and we can't wait! Bailey was our very first blog interview for the book and what great questions were asked! Be sure to visit Bailey's blog Tuesday to check out what Bailey and Nala have to say, and be sure to check out their great pics and website while you're there!

Mud Monster Cometh...Again!

2012-01-13T00:01:00.001-05:00

Siberian Husky Denial...

Our Book Release Blog Tour Has Begun!

2012-01-12T00:01:00.003-05:00

The FiveSibes are wooing with excitement! We have officially kicked off our Blog Book Tour for my "What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy" children's book illustrated by artist Michelle Litter.

Our first stop...visiting with The OP Pack over at The Chronicle of Woos blog - and wow! What a great way to start! Please stop over and check out their Wednesday Woos Storytime post and the wonderful photos of their adorable family with their beautiful Huskies! Be sure to let them know the FiveSibes sent you! You will love their stories and photos of life with four Siberian Huskies!

I am absolutely are in love with this photo and so happy the whole pack - children and the furkids - enjoyed our book!

Our heartfelt thanks to Phantom, Lightning, Ciara, Thunder and Hu-Family for a most wonderful post!

Stay tuned for more stops on our FiveSibes™ Book Release Blog Tour! We think it will be a fun and exciting trip!

If you would like to host us as part of the book tour, please feel free to contact us at FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com. We'd love to have you join in and help spread the word about K-9 Epilepsy Awareness. If you would like to purchase a copy of What's Wrong With Gibson? you can do so by visiting ArcticHouse Publishing. A percentage of proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the Canine Epilepsy Resources Center to aid them in their continued work of providing valuable information and resources to Epi-dog parents worldwide.

An additional "Thank You" goes out to Kol's Notes for helping with our Blog Tour Badge Button!

Happy Birthday to My Daughter! Now go Jump in a Mud Puddle!

2012-01-11T00:01:00.029-05:00

My Birthday girl and her furbaby, Harley.

Happy Birthday to someone very special to me...my daughter! It was through her love of Siberian Huskies and bringing our first pup, Harley, into our family that I was bit by the Husky bug! She is a wonderful daughter and Sibe-raising partner! I could never do what I do without her! I'm still amazed at how she trained three pups at one time! I would come home from the office and each day she would show me something new that Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit (also known at the Pupsters) could do. She would say, "Sit!" And in tandem...they would sit down. She would say, "Potty off the deck!" And again, like a little Siberian Husky train, they would trot in line off the deck to do their business. To this day, the three of them do things in the same style! My daughter also has the biggest heart. She rescued two starving stray and feral kittens who have grown into beautiful, healthy cats and now call this home.

All the love and best wishes in the world to her from me and our furkids: Harley, Gibson, Chloe, Wolf, Bandit, Smokie and Binx! Have a super Happy Birthday! ♥ You are so loved! ♥

Our resident Mud Monster.

Today is also National Step in a Puddle and Splash Your Friend Day (seriously)! And here to celebrate is none other than our resident Mud Monster, Wolf!

It's been rather unseasonally warm this year, so we actually have mud puddles to jump in, rather than inches of ice and snow.

Mud partners in crime.

So if you live in an area where typically it would be under a thick blanket of white this time of year, but instead are experiencing spring-like weather...may I suggest finding a puddle to jump in and have a little fun splashing a friend, just like our partners in crime, Wolf and Bandit, did!

And hopefully, snow will be arriving soon!

Happy Splashing!

Annabelle's Rescue Story

2012-01-10T10:01:00.001-05:00

Annabelle

Have you read Annabelle's Story? You must, but be forewarned, have the tissues handy. This story was posted today on our FiveSibes™ Facebook page by a fellow Husky lover and follower, and it has touched me deeply.

Annabelle, this beautiful red and white Husky, had one of the worst beginnings in life, including being run over by a car and left to heal without medical attention - and at the hands of her owners! That is until a thoughtful and compassionate neighbor stepped in to save her. She is now safely with the Angels Among Us Pet Rescue who as you will read in the Annabelle's Story link above, have nursed her back to health, including an amputation. Even as a new tri-pawd, Annabelle is loving and happy and energetic. She will always need to be an inside dog, but has much love to share. Angels Among Us Pet Rescue states she requires another surgery, but they truly need some help. Here is their Facebook page and a Chip-In link for Annabelle that I'm hoping we can all share on our blogs, our Facebook and Twitter statuses, and websites, in the hopes of spreading the word...and maybe we each can donate even just our coffee money for the day to help these "Angels" help Annabelle. Please, read Annabelle's Story. You can also keep up on her progress on their Help Annabelle Facebook page. And the next time you see some rescue folks, tell them "thanks" for all they do to help sweet angels like Annabelle.

If you have a loving home and would love to welcome in Annabelle, let Angels Among Us know! Annabelle - even with all the horrors she faced as a pup at the hands of her own humans - is trusting and loving and forgiving. They are so much better at being humane than even some humans are. Her story is an incredible one. Rescue folks are incredible. Now let's all join together to give this beautiful gal an incredible life.

Congratulations to the Winner of our Gibson's Birthday Book Giveaway!

2012-01-10T01:54:00.001-05:00

Personalized with a Gibbie kiss!

Woooo! The Rafflecopter has selected the winner of our Gibson's Birthday Book Giveaway - Marcia G. B.! We have sent you an Email with instructions on how to receive your personalized copy of the first book in our FiveSibes™ Tales - What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy. Please feel free to send us pics of you and your furpals reading the book so we can post on our blog, FiveSibes Facebook page, and Twitter!

Woos and Congratulations, Marcia!
And thank you to everyone who participated!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Bond of Brothers

2012-01-08T10:44:00.000-05:00

"Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."

~ Aristotle

Shadow Shot Sunday 2 Host

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And don't forget, there is still time to enter the Rafflecopter to win a copy of my new FiveSibes™ Tale Learning About K-9 Epilepsy, What's Wrong With Gibson? Just click HERE to go to the post about the Gibson's Birthday Book Giveaway and follow the Rafflecopter instructions. The raffle is open until 12:01AM January 10. Winner may have their book personalized. Good luck!

And What a Party it Was!

2012-01-07T00:33:00.003-05:00

Gibson had such a fun birthday and wants to thank everyone for all the great happy wishes! Here's a photo recap of his extremely fun day. Thanks for celebrating with us, and if you haven't entered to win our birthday book giveaway, click HERE to bring you to the Rafflecopter, where you can by following the prompts before 12:01 AM on Monday, January 10th to win a copy of my illustrated What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy FiveSibes™ Tale!

First, the day began with a little tug o'war, Sibe style!

Followed by a trip to the vet for tons of Birthday greetings and his tri-weekly K-Laser treatments.

And then it was party time! A new toy for Gibson and ice cream cake for all!

"Seconds???"

What's next - more games???!!!

Time for some good ol' fashioned Sibe toy stuffin' rippin'!!!

Thank you for sharing in Gibson's Birthday! Don't forget to enter in his birthday book giveaway - click HERE! And good luck in the drawing!

Woooo....seconds on the ice cream cake!

Happy 6th Birthday, Gibson! To Celebrate, Enter Our Book Giveaway!

2012-01-06T00:01:00.010-05:00

The Birthday Boy!

Today is a very special day - it's Gibson's sixth birthday! Wooo! And to celebrate (along with Harley, Wolf, Chloe & Bandit) there will be party hats, presents, and vanilla ice cream cake for the Huskies...and for our supportive friends, followers, and furpals...a drawing for a chance to win a personalized copy of the first book in my FiveSibes™ Tales collection illustrated by the very talented Michelle Littler, What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy." All you have to do is complete the Rafflecopter below before January 10 at 12:01 AM! Then we will announce the winner shortly after! What better way to help us celebrate Gibson's special day than by spreading awareness about Canine Epilepsy and the non-profit center Canine Epilepsy Resources?!

Gibson says, "Good luck in the drawing!"

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will post pics from Gibson's party with his furfamily at a later date. For now, we hope you'll have fun entering to win his book! We'd love to see a photo of the winning furpal with the book, too, and we'll post it here and on our Facebook page! In the meantime, here's our annual updated Birthday video dating back to when Gibson was just a big fluffy pup!

Happy Birthday to my big beautiful boy! You had my heart from the very moment we met.

♥ I love you, Gib! ♥

Sibe Slippers: The Best & Warmest Slippers for a Cold Winter's Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-04T20:02:00.001-05:00

Newsy Tuesday: Books Hot Off the Presses!

2012-01-03T22:59:00.005-05:00

Gibson, my Epi-dog & K-9 Epilepsy Awareness SpokesHusky

It's exciting times here...our first illustrated book in the FiveSibes™ Tales series, What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy is done, printed, and hot off the presses! All pre-orders are being packaged this week and sent out, so if you ordered one, keep an eye out on the mail! We can't wait to see what everyone thinks of it! Plus, we'd like to take this time to thank everyone for supporting K-9 Epilepsy awareness as a percentage of the proceeds will benefit the non-profit center for Canine Epilepsy Resources in their continued work to bring valuable information, studies, and resources to Epi-dog parents worldwide.

We will also be embarking upon a Blog Book Tour and The Chronicle of Woos and Bailey Be Good will be our first stop! We will announce the dates and links as the interviews and reviews begin! Fun times for a good cause! If you would like to order a copy of What's Wrong With Gibson? you can check it out over at the ArcticHouse Publishing website or on our FiveSibes:Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews Facebook community page under the "Store" tab. And, last but not least...a big "thank you" to Kol's Notes for helping with the book tour badge!

"Come on, Mom...let's get shipping!"

P.S. - check back on Friday. It's Gibson's birthday and to celebrate we will be holding a book giveaway! Hope to see you then! ~FiveSibesMom

To/From Germany: Friendship Across the Miles

2012-01-02T23:18:00.000-05:00

Harley with our gifts for German furpals Sammy & Buddy.

During this past holiday season, one of highlights was when we joined the Santa Paws Christmas Gift Exchange organized by Jazzi's World's Mom. We came on board late, and feared we had missed what sounded like a fun holiday event. Fortunately, a family in Germany had been looking to partner up with someone, even though they have not gotten their blog off the ground yet. I hopped at the chance as my mother is German, my daughter studied German, and I had written some chapters and a synopsis for a book for a lovely woman who resided in Berlin some 15 years ago. All roads seemed to lead to Germany, so when this came along, I thought "perfect!" Well, I did not know just how wonderful of an experience it would truly be.

Our new furpals Sammy and Buddy from Germany!

I was teamed up with the lovely Anni, Hu-Mom to two adorable fox terriers: 4-year-old Sammy and 5-year-old Buddy, and we have all become fast friends across the many miles that separate us. We Email, exchange photos and information, and had an absolute blast having our furkids be "Santa Paws gift exchange" buddies! And a big surprise was both of our packages arrived safely to each other's doorstep before Christmas Day!

Sammy checking out the parcel of gifts.

Anni happily reported her furbabies had a wonderful time opening their gifts, as did the FiveSibes opening theirs!

Finding one he likes!

Sammy & Buddy checking out their goodies!

A little brotherly tug-o-war game!

Buddy found his favorite toy - a stuffed squeaky candy cane!

When the Sibes' box came in the mail, they somehow knew it was for them! They were so happy and very excited to get to whatever was inside!

And when the box was opened, we were all so pleased! The package contained many gifts and treats and a lovely note
card written out to each of the dogs! Harley, Gibson, Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit each received their very own lovely little holiday greeting from Sammy and Buddy's Hu-Mom, each complete with a beautifully hand-painted clothespin tag.

Wolf, Gibson & Bandit all loved the little doggie!

Harley and Chloe cozied up to some of the toys!

Their were squeaky toys, a cool frisbee, treats, and even a sweet Santa and some yummy delicacies for this Hu-Mom! We literally had received a loving slice of Germany all wrapped up in a gift box!

It was just so special! I've posted pics here of our Sibes and German furbrothers Sammy and Buddy as they celebrated Christmas Day morning...new friends, miles apart.

I love my Santa from Germany!

We look forward to a continued friendship with Anni, Buddy, and Sammy and to see what other adventures we can share as we experience the wonders of life during this brand new year that is unfolding before us. This Santa Paws Gift Exchange was truly a wonderful experience (thank you Jazzi's Mom!) and now we are so fortunate as to have Sammy & Buddy and their Hu-family as our new friends!

Happy Husky New Year! Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T00:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Husky New Year!

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery

Huskies are beautiful with eyes so bright.

And they are intelligent and very sprite.

Pulling sleds or

Pulling apart toys

You will love them all; girls and boys!

Howling is their native song

Understanding where they belong.

Spirit guides speaking the unspoken

Keeping us safe by their side

Yet always willing to work and to ride.

Nome owes the Sibe since twenty-five

Everyone knows their story and pride;
Whether snow or ice, never they hide.

You can’t keep a Husky from running

Even then they are truly stunning.

All they want is a Hu-family to love;

Real fur angels sent from above.

Wishing all of our furpals and their hu-families a very happy and healthy 2012!

Christmas Card Exchange Was So Much Fun!

2011-12-30T21:48:00.019-05:00

Wolf below our wall of furpals' greetings!

Wow! We have had so much fun with participating in the Blogville Christmas Card Exchange! This was our first time joining and I have to say, getting all those great holiday cards made the season even brighter and I loved getting to know each of you a little bit better through your lovely photos, cards, notes, and Email greetings!

Here is how our story goes...

Gibson was excited to see all the cards arrive!

Each card was so beautiful!

Harley loved seeing her furpals!

Chloe loved seeing all the cute designs!

Harley was excited to start displaying them!

Bandit loved looking up at all the greetings!

Wolf & Bandit: "Woo! These are all for us!"

Chloe drifted off to sleep dreaming of her furpals!

Our wall of beautiful cards from our wonderful Blogville furpals!

We love our cards! Thank you, everyone! A giant round of a-paws and a million thanks to our Blogville's Christmas Card Exchange coordinators: HoundDogMom, Finn, and Schanauzer Days for pulling it all together and to Jazzi's World's Mom and her elves for compiling the great list of names! And what a list it was! The FiveSibes™ and I had so much fun. I enjoyed getting a mailbox full of cards and we all just loved looking at all the pretty greetings and beautiful furpals from around the world!

As we see out one year and welcome in another, we would like to take this time to wish each and every one of you the happiest and healthiest of New Years! Happy 2012!

A Sibe Sleeping in Heavenly Peace on a Silent Christmas Night

2011-12-28T00:01:00.005-05:00

♥ Bandit ♥

Merry Christmas! It's Time for a Sleigh Ride!

2011-12-25T10:23:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas to all of our furpals and their hu-families! We wish you all the merriest the season has to offer and the brightest of new years. While we reflect back on this year, let's all celebrate how lucky we are to have our furbabies in our lives. Let us also take a few moments to remember the many furpals who are now celebrating Christmas in the big, beautiful snowy meadow beyond the Rainbow Bridge, and those who are homeless. May animals everywhere get their wish this Christmas for a warm place to sleep, bowls filled with food, and hugs by humans whose hearts are filled with love. We are all so fortunate to have forged wonderful, caring relationships here in our pet community.

Thank you to all who joined in our Christmas Canines & Friends Sleigh Ride! The FiveSibes and I had so much fun putting our sleigh ride together and meeting so many gorgeous furbabies from across the globe! So after the presents have been opened, gather your hu- and furfamily around and enjoy our Christmas gift to you...a sleigh filled with friends from across the globe! What's that jing-jing-jingling I hear? Why sleigh bells, of course!

(We sure hope we didn't miss anyone & that we spelled all your beautiful pets' names correctly! If photos were posted to our Facebook & your album was on "private," it is possible your photos did not post to our "public" community wall and that is why they are not here. Please forgive us if we somehow missed someone as we would never leave a furpal off of Santa's sleigh intentionally!)

Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Sweet Christmas Eve Dreams

2011-12-24T00:01:00.108-05:00

Gibson, all snug on the rug with his stocking.

A Husky’s Night Before Christmas
FiveSibesMom's adaptation of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
by Clement Clarke Moore

The night before Christmas all shared a warm vibe
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Sibe;
The stockings were hung on the stair rail with care,
In hopes that Santa Paws soon would be there.
The Huskies were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of squeaky toys danced in their heads;

With Harley on her blanket, and Gib on my lap,
Wolf, Chloe, and Bandit all settled down

for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,

the FiveSibes wooed as to what was the matter.

Brothers Wolf and Gibson searched out the cause,

When who should appear – why yes, Santa Paws!

Santa Kathleen from our vet's office!

A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he left rawhides for all five in the pack.
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And touching his finger to alpha Sibe’s nose,
He gave them all treats and up the skylight he rose;
He sprang to his Husky-driven sleigh and gave a loud "Hike!"
And away they all drove like on a speed racer's bike.
But we heard him exclaim, before he went out of sight,

"Merry Christmas FiveSibes,

and to all a good-night!"

We wish of all of fellow Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook furpals and their hu-families the merriest of holidays and a very happy, healthy, and promising New Year! We lost many furpals in our community this past year, and they remain in our thoughts and hearts this Christmas, as do their families. May those beautiful furgangels be celebrating together and twinkling their love in the bright stars scattered in the heavens above beyond
the Rainbow Bridge.

Have a wondrous Christmas Eve, Everyone!

Trimming the Tree Time!

2011-12-23T00:01:00.004-05:00

Each year, I love to add new ornaments to my collection on our tree. Each ornament, some hand-crafted from my daughter as a child, some passed down from my youth, some representing a special moment in our lives, and then there are my pet-themed ornaments. This year, I ordered custom designed porcelain ornaments of each of our Sibes, as well as our kitties Smokie and Binx. The awesome creations were done by fellow blogger, The Magic Sleigh.

I also added a cute little penguin family (last year it was a polar bear family) to our tree this year representing each member of

our Husky family. What type of ornaments do you put on your tree? Do you have favorite ones? Ones that hold special meaning? I'd love to hear about them!

Here is a little slideshow of some of our pet-themed ornaments. Hope you enjoy it! And Happy Tree Trimming to you and yours!

Music by Kenny G.

It's the Christmas Edition of Regressive Dinner for Pets!

2011-12-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

Gibson is eager for the sweet potato chews!

Christmas is almost here and with it comes the aroma of all things delicious! Today is the Christmas edition of the Regressvie Dinner for Pets blog hop hosted by Two Little Cavaliers. It's a different sort of blog hop without a Linkys, but please be sure to check out Two Little Cavaliers page for the list of particpants and check out their yummy recipes too!

This edition focuses on Soups, Salads, and Sides. We chose to reprint a recipe from Food.com for Sweet Potato Chews for Dogs! Our Huskies love anything sweet potato, and this is a wholesome, low-calorie, healthy treat for them. Whip up a batch for them this Christmas and see how happy they will be!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250°F.
Wash the sweet potato or yam (the very orange type).
Cut down the middle lengthwise.
Then cut long lengthwise slices about 1/3 of an inch wide and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
Bake in oven at 250 F for about 3 hours.
This leaves them kind of chewy but you could also bake them a little longer to get them crunchy.
Bon Appetit!

What's in Santa's Toy Sack for the Sibes? Kong® Wobblers, Classics, & More!

2011-12-21T20:10:00.006-05:00

Gibson having fun with the Kong® Wobbler!

Well, Christmas is almost here...and you can feel the excitement in the air! The Huskies sense something wondrous is about to arrive. Their eyes have been big and bright and there is extra energy in their steps! Each time we enter a room or go outside with them, it's like they are waiting for "it." Hopping, jumping, wooing, kissing, all in a group Sibe-family effort to get at "it." Whatever "it" is! Well, "it" is the excitement of Christmas almost upon us! I think they know a huge box stuffed with Santa Paws' gifts for them has arrived ahead of the sleigh and is parked in our family room. (Santa just can't carry all the goodies on his sleigh, so the furry elves in the North Pole sent it on ahead!)

Chloe enjoying her "Classic" Kong©

I have to admit, I just love setting up their stockings, checking out new toys that they would love (and hopefully stand the tough testing of a Siberian Husky), and just watching them get all excited. I even have to chuckle during this time of year when they try to counter surf as my daughter bakes cookies. They are just so excited! Gibson has now decided my daughter is his best friend since she is the designated cookie chef in the household. At night, they have been having sweet Sibe dreams of what could possibly be in Santa's sack for them.

One thing is for sure, there will definitely be gifts of Kong® under the tree for them! We recently had the opportunity to test out a few items, and boy, were the Huskies happy!

Hands down, they loved the Wobbler. It's Gibson-sized friendly and is filled with treats or kibble that they can roll around to dispense. This toy they never bored of! Gibson played with it, rolled it, and carried it around until every last kibble piece was out! It durable and strong enough to even pass the Gibson test!

Wolf picked his flavor of Kong® filling!

Naturally, while Gib was busy with the Wobbler, Harley and the pupsters wanted in on some of the Kong action, too! Enter a the traditional Kong® Classic. Oh, how many times this gem kept a crying Husky pup busy! Filled with treats or peanut butter and those frozen, kept our little furbabies busy for hours when they were being crate trained or when it was bed time. Now, the treats for filling have the addition of tubes Yogurt or Cream Cheese fillings from Kong® that the FiveSibes™ have all deemed extremely yummy! They had a blast testing out the new flavors, and Wolf snuck off with is own tube (but not for long!) Did they have a favorite? They sure did - both!

Love is: Sharing a Kong®!

If you're still not sure what Santa Paws can bring for your furbaby this year, check out your nearest pet store's Kong collection, and visit the Kong® website to see all the pawsome items they have for your pet! It even kept our resident rock chewer, Bandit, busy!

Interestingly enough, do you know the story of the Kong came to be? It originated from a rock-chewing German Shepherd named Fritz! Check out his story from Kong®:

"Fritz, a former police dog, enjoyed chewing rocks. This activity wore down his teeth and frustrated his owner, Joe Markham. One afternoon while working on his Volkswagen van, Joe noticed Fritz dining on rocks once again. Out of desperation, he started disassembling the van he was working on and threw parts near Fritz to see if he could be coaxed away from his destructive dinner. Radiator hoses didn’t work--neither did anything else until he pulled off a rubber suspension part and tossed it to Fritz. Right away, Fritz was ecstatic.

The KONG was born! While Fritz invented the KONG, it was Joe Markham who saw the potential of this odd-looking toy. Markham refined the toy’s design, developed a proprietary, super-strong rubber formula and began production in 1976."

Thank you, Fritz and Joe, for some great, durable toys! The FiveSibes™ give them a Five-Paw Rating!

And just so you can see how enthusiastic the Sibes were about playing and tasting their new Kongs, and to see the actual size of the Wobbler, here's a little video!

Pssssst...woooo, Santa...did you get all that? We know a lot of furpals who would love a Kong® toy under their trees! Hint-hint!

Newsy Tuesday! Coffee with a Canine Interview! And Part II to the Social Media for Social Good Pet Event

2011-12-20T00:01:00.004-05:00

"Woo! Hey, Mom, what flavor coffee are you brewing today?"

It's another Newsy Tuesday and today we want to send out our sincere woos and thank yous to Marshal Zeringue who writes the Coffee with a Canine blog for inviting the FiveSibes™ and I in for a coffee break and chat that was posted last Monday! Stop over to say "hi" and check out all the great folks and their pets featured on Coffee with a Canine and let them know we sent you! Oh, and don't forget to bring your mug with you!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is also Part II to the Social Media for Social Good: A Holiday Event for Pets hosted by Two Little Cavaliers and Pamper Yourself in Pink, where you can win $213 cash prize for a pet charity of your choice AND receive $112 cash prize for yourself via PayPal. Today, it's the rafflecopter for following Twitter folks! And remember, this pawsome holiday event runs through until December 28th, so spread the word to all of your friends, too, to have a chance at winning a little money for both a pet charity and yourself. What a great way to kick off 2012!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you missed out on the Facebook portion, click HERE to go to that post. You can also read all about our charity, the UCSPCA.

Wolf Waits for Christmas

2011-12-18T00:47:00.000-05:00

I've Been Waiting for Christmas

I've been waiting for Christmas,
And it's almost here.
I've been waiting for Christmas,
Santa's getting near.

Can't you hear the sleigh bells ringing?
Reindeer up so high.
Can't you hear the children singing,
As they watch the sky?

~Author Unknown

Many thanks to our new hosts of the newly revamped Shadow Shot Sunday 2!

Remembering FurFriends

2011-12-17T03:28:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week, I thought I'd prepare some posts ahead of time for the week as the time for holiday hustle and bustle increases...and then there was news of a loss of a furfriend...and then another...and then unbelievably and shockingly so, today I've learned of one family's devastating loss. Add this to the recent passing of some other petpals, it's very difficult to shake the sadness when the news hits. It envelopes us like an ill-fitting coat. I believe the pet world is a close knit, caring, and compassionate world. When one of us hurts, we all hurt. And today, we are all hurting.

There is no "good" time to lose a pet. And having such a terrible loss around the holiday season just seems to magnify the pain. It's certainly been a sad week of loss in the pet social media world. Through social networking, as we have all discussed before, we have forged some lasting relationships with other pet parents - sharing the tribulations, trials, joys, and sorrows that come along with raising and loving a pet. We have lost too many it seems recently with The Thundering Herd's Kodiak, Rottover's Gizmo, Help Save Zen's Zen, Tails from the Pack's Bruno, Scooby Star, a personal friend of mine's Nico, and others who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge.

The passing of our beloved pets hit hard and deep. A hole is left that feels as though it can never be filled. We are shaken hard while facing daily activities without a familiar cry, nuzzle, lick, or push of the hand. These recent deaths certainly do weigh heavy on our minds and makes us pause to realize we never really know how long our loved ones will be in our lives. Hold them tight. Give them extra hugs and kisses. Take time to toss the ball one more time. And thank God everyday for bringing them into our lives.

Run free, sweet furbabies. You will never be forgotten. Our thoughts are with your hu-families.

Today, let's take a moment to reflect on these wonderful, loving animals and their families. Today, this blog is in memory of them.

Earning their furangel wings this week, we bid a sad farewell to:

BENSON
(@BensontheHusky on Twitter)

Age 3 Years & 7 Months

KEVA
(Blogger & Facebook furpal who has been in a #pawcircle of strength)

Age 16

And to the FIVE PITTIES from the Houston, Texas Kissa-bull pack Mayzie's Dog Blog has organized a Chip-In who perished in a house fire. The hu-family and two pitties were lucky to have escaped, but they lost their house and five of their beloved rescue babies. The Blogger community is gathering together to help this family out. for anyone who would like to help. No amount is too small to help this family.

Run free now, Benson, Keva, and Pitties...and frolick and play with all the friends who have gone before you, waiting there to greet you and escort you beyond the Rainbow Bridge.

Tribute To A Best Friend

Sunlight streams through window pane
unto a spot on the floor....
then I remember,
it's where you used to lie,
but now you are no more.
Our feet walk down a hall of carpet,
and muted echoes sound....
then I remember,
It's where your paws would joyously abound.
A voice is heard along the road,
and up beyond the hill,
then I remember it can't be yours....
your golden voice is still.
But I'll take that vacant spot of floor
and empty muted hall
and lay them with the absent voice
and unused dish along the wall.
I'll wrap these treasured memorials
in a blanket of my love
and keep them for my best friend
until we meet above.

~Author Unknown

Dreaming of a White Christmas

2011-12-16T15:56:00.001-05:00

Gibson is dreaming of a White Christmas...

will we have snow???

Ring in the New Year with $213 for Your Pet Charity of Choice AND $112 for Yourself!

2011-12-15T13:27:00.001-05:00

Why not ring in the New Year by helping pets in need and having a little extra spending case for yourself?! Well you can! We have joined Two Little Cavaliers and Pamper Yourself in Pink and other bloggers and businesses in a great way to kick off 2012 - by joining the Social Media for Social Good Holiday Event for Pets where you could win a $112 cash prize via PayPal for yourself and $213 cash prize sent directly to a charity of choice! Now that's pretty pawsome!

How can you participate? Very simply. All you have to do is fill out the rafflecopter below for your chance to win! The event runs until December 28th, so you have time to let your friends in on the fun too, while raising awareness for pet charities!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Furangel Chelsey

Furngel Sandy

I thought about what organization I would give to if I won. There are so many great Husky and animal rescues and organizations out there that are so deserving and I whole-heartedly support, but this time around I've decided I'd like to give it a little closer to home to the independently operated UCSPCA, and do a little "pay it forward" for the two beautiful souls I met as pups there and immediately fell in love with and adopted, and had the pleasure of having them in my life until they crossed the Rainbow Bridge years later. So if I win, I'm donating the shelter portion to the UCSPCA in honor of my beautiful furangels Chelsey and Sandy.

Please watch this video by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) supporter Sarah McLachlan. The beautiful dog at 1:23 bears such an uncanny resemblance to my furangel Sandy. I knew this was a sign that I selected the right organization to benefit. If you're not sure where you'd like your donation to go to if you win, please check to see if you have an SPCA shelter in your hometown, or check out the ASPCA. You can also check out the other blogs listed below to find some very worthwhile places in need of donations and support. No matter which pet charity gets the $213 donation (or even if you decide to also donate your portion of the winnings to pets in need too!) it's such a worthwhile event and what a wonderful way to launch the New Year with a little cheer for some pets in need.

So have some fun, visit some blogs, leave some comments, and tell us what animal charity or organization you would like to donate the money to should you win!

Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Chloe, the ReinHusky Waits for Santa on a Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T00:01:00.001-05:00

Newsy Tuesday! Book Update!

2011-12-13T12:45:00.001-05:00

Gibson proofing a draft of the children's book about him!

It's an exciting Newsy Tuesday here! I just finished editing a draft of the first book in my children's series of FiveSibes™ Tales (illustrated by the talented Michelle Littler), What's Wrong With Gibson? Learning About K-9 Epilepsy! Gibson helped proof the draft and check that everything was A-OK before sending it back to the printer for final edits. If you are interested in getting a copy, they can be pre-ordered at a discount at ArcticHouse Publishing. And we'll be happy to do any personalizations, just note it in the "comment" section of the order form! And just a reminder that a percentage of proceeds from the book (post expenses) will be donated to the non-profit organization, Canine Epilepsy Resources, to help with their continued support and information for parents of Epi-dogs worldwide. As you know, this is a cause that is very near and dear to my heart, with my Epi-dog Gibson being my inspiration for the story, and we wanted to carry the message that there are those living full, happy lives with epilepsy. We should have the finished books in our hot little paws very soon!

O'Christmas Tree Sunday Shadow Shot

2011-12-11T14:16:00.002-05:00

Gibson loves the Christmas tree!

O' Christmas Tree

A German Christmas Carol

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!
For ev’ry year the Christmas tree,
Brings to us all both joy and glee.
O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree,
Much pleasure dost thou bring me!

A Christmas Package of Care for our K9 Soldiers & Handlers

2011-12-10T12:08:00.003-05:00

Harley with the Troops' gifts.

Chloe with the goods!

Okay, so the song really goes, "...greeting cards have all been sent..." and to be honest, that's not quite true here. My stacks of cards are sitting on my dining room table all ready to be written and sent...soon...BUT, our packages and cards for the military K9 handlers and their K9 soldiers stationed in Kabul, Afghanistan has indeed been sent! Wooo-hooo!

Arwen's Pack was so awesome this season by thinking about our troops and the dedicated K9 soldiers stationed overseas, that they sponsored a care gift package drive that we participated in. "These men and women, far from home and family, need all the support we can offer," said Arwen's Pack hu-mom in a blog post. "They're risking their lives each day, while caring for and working with their dogs, just hoping to make it back to their families intact. Please consider them while shopping over the next week. Along with the stress and uncertainty of living in a merciless and unfriendly environment, these handlers and their dogs deal with boredom and homesickness."

So we hope we can help by bringing a little Christmas and holiday cheer to the troops this year, too, by joining Arwen's Pack in their gift package drive!

For the K9 Handler Soldier

For the K9 Soldiers

We had tons of fun, too. Me with the shopping for items, and the Sibes with helping me fill the stocking and treat bag with all the goodies (and maybe sniffing out a few items for their own Christmas list!).


"I hope they have a nice Christmas," wishes Harley.

"I hope the dog soldiers like their gifts," wishes Chloe.

All five Huskies even gave the box a good once-over before it went to the Post Office to be shipped out. We sure hope a little box of "thanks" from home will cheer up some of our troops, two- and four-legged this season, and let them know we are thinking of them and appreciate their sacrifice.

"Are we delivering the package by sleigh???" asks Wolf.


"No," says Gibson. "Mom says the Postman is bringing it."

Thanks, Grace and Arwen's Pack, for doing such a thoughtful thing. We were very happy to be part of it! And thank you to all our men, women, and K9s serving our country. We will be thinking of you this holiday season.

A Cry for Gordon: The Story of a Husky Saved

2011-12-08T20:42:00.006-05:00

Posted photo of Gordon as he waited to die.

The holiday season is a time of miracles. Before Thanksgiving, in early November, writer JeromieWilliams with the exainer.com headlined a story that highlighted “Pet Pardons of the Day,” a story about an abused Siberian Husky whose silent plea for help was voiced by many and heard around the world. In an excerpt from the article, “The Pet Pardons organization released an urgent dog bulletin Wednesday asking the public for their help in finding a home for a five-year-old male Siberian Husky named Gordon who survived extreme abuse by his previous owner and dies tomorrow unless saved from Chicago Animal Care and Control.” The story tells of how Gordon suffered from “a fractured jaw, a broken canine tooth and a painful inflammation of the gumline that were parting gifts from the owners that abused him and dumped him in a shelter to die.”

Gordon sat on death row, unloved and broken, just waiting for someone to come help him. Sad. Lonely. Hurting. And wondering what he did wrong. The clock for Gordon was ticking, and it was ticking fast. He was scheduled to be put to sleep the next day.

“Gordon sits quietly in his cell, with depression setting in, full of pain and fright, waiting for someone to help him out of his situation and lift him up into a loving and caring home. He deserves so much better than this.”

A firestorm of pleas to help this Husky spread like wildfire across the Internet, yet his future looked grim. Gordon, with his sad eyes staring up from his photo stole the hearts of people across the globe and created a frenzy. “Help save Gordon” messages popped up across social networking sites.

That was November 9th.

All looked extremely bleak. Then…enter Adopt-A-Husky (AOH). These folks – knights in shining armor – stepped up and pulled Gordon from imminent execution. Jeromie Williams started a Chip-In fund, and ultimately sent over $900 to AOH in Gordon’s name. The world of animal lovers let out a sigh of relief as he was spared the needle and brought safely into the folds of this foster care rescue and its wonderful volunteers.

But Gordon was a long way from being OK. He was saved, but now he needed to be healed. With so many folks concerned for this Husky’s well-being and wondering how he was faring, I followed up with Adopt-A-Husky to see how Gordon was doing and they gave me a wonderful update. First, they expressed their deep appreciation and were extremely touched by all the people who stepped up and were concerned about Gordon and helped to spread the word and chip in toward medical expenses. And the news is good! According to an Email letter sent to me from the Board of Directors of Adopt-A-Husky, “Gordon is safe with Adopt-A-Husky and went right from transport to the vet. At this point we are unsure of what surgery will need to be done. The most important thing is to get his fever down first-he came in at 104 degrees. He is feeling better today (after some antibiotics were given). Once we feel it is safe to sedate him, we will get Xrays of the jaw and teeth and see for sure what is going on. The good news is that upon exam, his jaw seems good. He had a shaved patch on his hip that could have been from a fentanyl patch so we are not sure how old these injuries are. We will get to the bottom of it and rest assured, any and all vet care that is needed for his complete recovery will be given."

Gordon, renamed Kaiser, is on the mend!

A week later, I received another update on Gordon, now named Kaiser, from Board Member MaryBeth, who informed me that Kaiser was on a series of antibiotics for the fever and an infection. When he felt better, they did sedate him and the Xrays showed, “a very abscessed canine tooth that looks to be the problem. It was too rotted at the root to do a root canal and save the tooth-our vet indicated that the infection/abscess was there for some time for the root to get that deteriorated. So we did have surgery to remove it. But the good news is that the jaw is good as are the orbital cavities and the entire frame. He had a sunken eye look to him that made us a bit fearful that he had something going on there as well, but all came back good. We expect him to feel much, much better soon now that the tooth that was hurting him is removed. Our blood panels all came back good on him as well so our hope is that once he recovers from this surgery we can vaccinate him and have him available for adoption in a couple of weeks!”

Kaiser out for a stroll.

As of a week ago, I have learned from MaryBeth that Kaiser “is officially released from all medical and can move to his foster home!” While she reports that he has a bit of a slope to his gait, the cause was some arthritis, but nothing serious, and he was put on joint supplements. “He is SUCH a nice boy,” notes MaryBeth. “We walked into the vet and went to weigh him and a little 5-year-old just launched herself on him, saying as she was hugging him ‘Can I pet your dog?’ And he in turn looked up at her and gave her a kiss. The entire vet staff (who knows him pretty well now) is just in love with him. I expect him to find a forever home soon.”

What a wonderful ending to what originally was a horror story in-the-making. Just like the African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," it took an international community to save a Husky. Without the care and concern of so many folks - including those at Pet Pardons and Adopt-A-Husky, examiner.com writer Jeromie Williams, and to all the animal lovers who blogged, Tweeted, and shared Gordon’s story in waves across the Internet, Gordon would surely have died. Thanks to such a compassionate networked community, he was saved. Now that’s a true holiday season miracle.

Kaiser post-surgery.

Since AOH is a foster rescue, the number of dogs they take into their foster homes are limited. Funds are used to help defray medical and care costs for homeless Huskies in need at the foster rescue, just like Kaiser. MaryBeth also mentions the “wonderful” organization, Save Our Siberians-Siberspace Rescue Funds “that fundraises for injured Siberians throughout the country. Adopt-A-Husky has benefitted from their donations in the past and they are truly a wonderful group to contribute to. If anyone wants to donate to them, on behalf of Gordon, we would love to have them do so. So many Siberians have been saved on their behalf that it would be a fitting tribute to him to have donations go to them as well.” There is also a PayPal Chip-In on the Adopt-A-Husky website if anyone would like to donate toward this worthy organization so they may continue to help other Huskies in dire need, like Gordon.

This is the season for caring and sharing, so while we are all writing out our Christmas and holiday gift lists this year, why not add a Husky rescue organization to it so there can be many more Husky Happy Ending stories - just like Gordon's.

Smiling Kaiser says, "Thank wooo, Everyone!"

May Santa be extra good to all those wonderful folks who cared enough to save one helpless Siberian Husky.

Miracles can happen. Kaiser is a happy boy and is now doing well enough to move into his foster parent's home!

Happy Holidays, Kaiser!

The Whole Pack is Just Waiting Around on a Rainy Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T19:09:00.000-05:00

Newsy Tuesday! Guess Who's a Featured Pet Family Parent in American Dog Magazine?!

2011-12-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

This is an exciting edition of "Newsy Tuesday!" We are so excited, we just had to share our good news! We were selected to be one of the featured "Pet Family Parents" in the Winter collector's edition of the American Dog Magazine! Page 105 just may be getting framed! TheFiveSibes™ are busy wooing with excitement to be part of such a great magazine! Many thanks to Jamie Downey, publisher and editor of American Dog Magazine for including my family in the beautiful magazine! She just made our holiday season even brighter!

A Husky Waits for Christmas

2011-12-04T12:44:00.007-05:00

Our Harley waiting for Christmastime to come...

Holistic Healing of a Husky Through Laser Therapy

2011-12-04T00:07:00.005-05:00

Gibson is checking himself out in an edition of a regional newspaper! Why is he featured? I wrote an article that was published in a newspaper about K-Laser USA Therapy and the healing effects is has on animals, and one such patient is my boy, Gibson. Gibson had been experiencing some severe hind end weakness, including inability to take stairs, splaying when he walked on floors, and having a difficult time getting up. Since he is an Epi-dog and on a medicine regiment, helping him to heal without medication was my hope. I'm fortunate in that I have a wonderful veterinarian team and a lead veterinarian who is leading the way in our area with this type of alternative holistic healing and pain treatment.

Today, a large number of us pet parents seeks out alternative, or holistic, methods to treat our own health concerns and now turn to those same methods for our pets’ illnesses and injuries as well, either in place of, or in combination with, traditional medicines. Choices include chiropractic treatments, acupuncture, therapeutic massage, and laser therapy. While laser therapy sounds like something straight out of a sci-fi movie, it actually is grounded in real-time, and is a hands-on, non-surgical, drug-free non-invasive, therapeutic practice that has been benefitting human patients suffering from inflammation, pain, and injuries in Europe for more than 30 years. The benefits of laser therapy have been well documented, and it is now widely practiced here in the United States healthcare field since being FDA approved in 2002.

Each year, moreand more medical, chiropractic, and physical therapy facilities—and morerecently, veterinarian hospitals—are offering laser therapy to treat a numberof health conditions. Here our vet has been a leading trailblazer in thisfield, with pet patients coming driving from several counties over to receivethe treatments. All of the veterinarian technicians on staff at our vets arecertified to administer the highly successful K-Laser therapy treatments.

Laser therapy, or “photobiomodulation,”according to K-Laser™USA , is the use of specific wavelengths of light tocreate therapeutic effects on a cellular level. It is quickly growing inpopularity as a preferred method of treatment for a myriad of animal-relatedissues and symptoms, including inflammation and pain from arthritis, hipdysplasia, edema, sprains, muscle strains, and post-dental care, as well as forwound care and post-op healing. It can also treat whole areas as well as targetedareas of care, sending energy into the damaged area to promote the process ofhealing.

[K-Laser] creates therapeutic effects on a cellular level.

Treatments arebased on the type of injury or medical issue, the animal’s weight, and thecolor and density of the fur coat in order to determine the right amount oflaser to penetrate through to the cells. The animal lies down in a relaxedstate for the treatment, which is applied by a wand instrument connected to aprogrammable computer. As a safety precaution, protective goggles must be wornduring laser sessions by the administrator and human companion. Once started,the application can last for several minutes (depending on the size of theaffected area) and is pain-free for the animal.

Gibson with his vet tech, Jessica.

Gibson’smain vet tech and K-Laser administrator, Jessica, a licensed veterinariantechnician at our veterinarian hospital for more than nine years, has beenseeing positive results in their pet patients, which is currently a total of 42pets, since the hospital began offering the laser treatments last December. “Wetreat a number of dogs with arthritis-type pain in the hips, knees and spines;hip dysplasia; injuries; and inflammation. After dentistry, in cases ofgingivitis or inflammation, we’ll do a quick little treatment to help heal thegums. In some cases, through use of laser therapy, it helps to reduceinflammation right away and healing time is faster.”

Gibson is afrequent visitor to our vet’s office with check-ups for his Canine Epilepsy andlow thyroid levels, as well as my constantly monitoring his weight. When hestarted having some issues with his hind end becoming weak, so much so that itcaused his legs to splay when he tried to stand up, resulting in his dragginghimself to move, I consulted with our lead vet. Since Gib, who is just 5, couldno longer walk up and down stairs without falling, and spent most of his dayslying down, getting up only if absolutely necessary and with great difficulty,I was quite concerned.

Upon initial examination, Dr. R. diagnosed theweakness due to a possible old injury that caused the inflammation and back endweakness. He suggested the laser therapy, and after the initial first round oftreatments, Gibson began showing signs of improvement. After each session, hislegs and hind end became stronger and he began to walk normal again. Hecurrently goes in for bi-weekly maintenance sessions and can now go on walks,manage stairs again, and even run and play in the yard with the four otherHuskies in his family – something he has not physically been able to do for thebetter part of a year.

"In some cases, through use of laser therapy, it helps to reduceinflammation right away and healing time is faster."

And laser therapyis not just for dogs. A kitten was treated by the staff for an injury to itshind leg that had an open wound. “After a few treatments, the healing was morerapid and the wound gradually closed. The laser is also very good forsuperficial wounds,” notes Jessica.

Even a pot-belliedpig was brought in for a treatment!

While the list ofailments the laser therapy can treat is long, there is an instance when itshould not be used. Jessica elaborates, “We would not want to use it on agrowth or mass that is cancer. We would not want to stimulate growth of thecancer cells.”

Gibson meets fellow laser patient Holloway & his guardian.

The proof of holistic treatments forpets is in the patients, like Gibson. Using a drug and surgical-freemethod of treatment has even more upsides than the obvious as it does not have any residual side effects. And, when used in combination withprescribed medications, adds Jessica, “the laser therapy can help to reducethe amount of medication an animal may need.”

To demonstrate what a laser session is like, I've put together a video from several of Gibson's sessions to give you an idea of what it entails.

An Invitation to a Christmas Sleigh Ride!

2011-11-30T23:03:00.006-05:00

Gibson and the Lawn Huskies have the sleigh all ready!

You are invited to join our

"Christmas Canines & Friends

Sleigh Ride!"

Our holiday invitation to our furpals!

Jing-jing-jingling...

"It's lovely weather...for a sleigh ride together...with you!"

The FiveSibes would like to invite their blog pals to send us your pet's seasonal photos with them either decked out in their holiday finest, playing in the snow, trimming the Christmas tree, helping bake (or eat) Christmas cookies, etc. Photos will be included in a video slideshow posted here, on our Facebook page, and YouTube on Christmas Day!

Deadline for photo submissions is

midnight on December 18th!

You can Email photos to FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com or post them to our FiveSibes: Siberian Husky K9 News & Reviews Facebook page. Please indicate "Sleigh Ride" in the subject line, and include your pets' names and your town and country!

We sure hope to see all species of our friends on Santa Paws' sleigh this year! Ho! Ho! Ho!

To get this Sleigh Ride started, here's a little Christmas music to get everyone in the holiday spirit!

BE SURE TO STOP OVER AT ARWEN'S PACK BLOG. THEY ARE ASKING FOR HOLIDAY CHEER PACKAGES FOR OUR MILITARY HANDLERS & THEIR CANINES!
*IMPORTANT UPDATED APO BOX INFO HERE!*

Newsy Tuesday is a Tasty Tuesday: Freezy Pups® Perfect for an Anytime Treat

2011-11-29T20:12:00.002-05:00

Bandit is ready!

We've been having a bit of a heatwave here in the Northeast, with a week of low- to mid-60s! Pretty unseasonably warm for almost December. While many folks are enjoying the extra long warm spell, my Huskies are back to wondering what the heck happened to the cooler weather and that wonderful October snow we had! So naturally in the warmer temps, they kick back and laze around on the deck and try to keep cool, especially since their winter coats were starting to come in!

Taste testing.

So what's a Siberian Husky to do to keep cool? Run fans. Check. Dig a deep hole in the dirt. Check. Snack on cool Freezy Pups®. Check. Now if you haven't had the chance to try these out, I have to tell you, please do! The FiveSibes™ love them! They can't get one fast enough!

What are Freezy Pups® you ask? Well, they are frozen treats for dogs that you whip up yourself simply by adding water to the packaged all-organic powder mix and pouring them into a tray of little bone-shapes. They are like flavored ice cubes, if you will. Then just pop the mold into your freezer until solid.

"...no yucky stuff added." --Heather Klemm, Head of the Pack and Co-Founder of Freezy Pups®

They come in four pawsomely fab flavors:

Sweet Potato 'n Maple (this is the FiveSibes™ favorite!)

White Cheddar Cheesse

Juicy Apple

and Chicken Soup Recipe.

These frozen treats are low-fat and wheat, corn, soy, and gluten free. As Heather Klemm, head of the pack and co-founder says, "Our ingredients are grown without pesticides, herbicides, fumigants, or artificial fertilizers. In other words, no yucky stuff added." And there is absolutely nothing yucky about these cool gems.

I also crumble them up and sprinkle the cool bits over kibble and they just gobble it up!

So if you're looking for something healthy, green, and delish to put in your furpal's stocking this Christmas, we recommend Freezy Pups®! They get a five-paw rating from the FiveSibes™!

Bon Appetit!

Please be sure to visit our Tasty Tuesday blog hosts, Sugar The Golden Retriever and Kol's Notes, and check out what's cookin' at some other great blogs!

Exciting News! The first FiveSibes™ Book is Available for Order. Purchases Also Benefit Canine Epilepsy Organization

2011-11-26T22:12:00.006-05:00

Book Front Cover

Woooo! It's a very exciting time for the FiveSibes™ and I as we are releasing our very first illustrated children's book titled, What's Wrong With Gibson? This is the first book in a series of FiveSibes™ Tales written by me, the FiveSibesMom, and illustrated by the very talented artist Michelle Littler! Working with Michelle has been such a great experience! I look forward to working with her on the future editions of A FiveSibes™ Tale books! Her work is beautiful and she "gets" my Sibes and what message I'm trying to relay via her artwork. I am so pleased to have met her and thank Road Dog Tales for originally introducing us! Check out Michelle's Etsy store, too, at littletoad.

As many of you know, I am an author, journalist, editor, and photographer by trade; with the last 14 years spent in the educational field. For five years, I was an editor of an elementary school newspaper I started in my daughter's school where the children in grades kindergarten through fifth participated in the creative roles of writers, photographers, artists, and designers of an actual quarterly newspaper. I grew up around a myriad of pets (from dogs, cats, and horses to a bull, goats, birds, a rescued fox, a monkey, and even 77 baby chicks)! I was an equestrian in my youth when I raised, trained, and showed horses and worked with local 4H students on horse care and riding lessons - and always with a faithful adopted dog or two by my side. I like to joke I traded horses for Huskies! To be able to merge my passions for writing and animals is a true dream come true.

Back Cover

Our five Siberian Huskies that we raised since pups, and their real life antics are the inspiration to my series, and What's Wrong With Gibson is based my boy having seizures, which I translated into a short tale that makes it easy for children who may have Epilepsy themselves, or know someone who does, to understand. The tale is about how while the Huskies are out playing in the snow one day, Gibson suddenly has a seizure. As the short story unfolds, in easy-to-understand rhymes accompanied by colorfully adorable illustrations, the three young pups discover that their big brother has Canine Epilepsy and they get a hands-on lesson about care and first aid from the pack's alpha leader, Harley.

Since November is Epilepsy Awareness Month, I thought it was a perfect time to release the book. I will be doing a continuous donation of a percentage of the proceeds (after cost of publication) to the Canine Epilepsy Rescources center, a non-profit agency "designed to provide valuable information and support to those who love and care for an epileptic dog (or cat). It is scary to watch your pet have a seizure whether it be a full blown tonic clonic (grand mal), a petit mal or something in between. You feel helpless as an owner and just want to help your pet. The information on this site is provided to do just that."

This non-profit organization, which also has a Facebook page, offers Epi-dog parents a tremendous amount of valuable information, resources, and the website is also home to the Epil-K9 List and the site is dedicated to Emma's Memorial Fund, where funds are used to help the neurology and genetics department at the Neurology Department of the Vet School at North Carolina State University with small projects or pieces of equipment.

Your purchase of What's Wrong With Gibson helps support Canine Epilepsy awareness, research, information, and valuable resources to the public through the Canine Epilepsy Resources site! If you have not checked out this awesome website, please do so! It is packed full of helpful information, articles, and also is home to the Epil-K9 List and hosts a chat room.

While a very important topic, this a sensitive and uplifting story written in easy rhyming and fabulously fun illustrations for children (of any age!) as it shows love, compassion, understanding, and care of a loved one who is afflicted by Epilepsy. For a short time, the book will be at a special pre-season discounted price of $9.50 per book, plus shipping & handling of $6.50 in the United States. Canada and other Countries, please contact ArcticHouse Publishing for individual shipping & handling fees before ordering. Since this is the launch of my own self-publishing house, I have worked with the printer in an attempt to keep the price per book at the lowest, while the quality is at the highest. Books are currently being prepared for printing, and should be available for shipment by mid-December, but can be pre-ordered now through ArcticHouse.

While I so enjoyed working on this project, I am really happy to be using it to hopefully raise funds for a cause you all know is very close to my heart, Canine Epilepsy, by donating to the Canine Epilepsy Resources center, so all purchases are greatly appreciated! Plus, your purchase does go toward a donation to a non-profit organization, so you can speak with your tax preparer about that!

If you would like your book either personalized by me, and/or pawtographed by the FiveSibes™, just make note of it on the ArcticHouse ordering form and we will be very happy to do so! The books should be ready from the printers for shipment in mid-December, but we are taking orders now over at the ArcticHouse Publishing website!

HELP WANTED: In an effort to help spread the word about this book as more sales equals higher donations, we would love to do a Blog Book Tour. If you would be willing to "host" us for one blog entry, please send me an Email with your interview questions at FiveSibes(at)gmail(dot)com, with "Book Tour" in the subject line. You can ask us anything you'd like - about the Sibes, Canine Epilepsy, writing, etc. I will also send you over a badge and link to post on your blog. Just tell me what date your blog will be posted and we will post a link on our page with the date of your post.

Woooo! Did you hear? Mom wrote a book about us!"

I hope you will enjoy reading What's Wrong With Gibson to your children - both two and four-legged ones! Please feel free to send me photos of your pets and children (or even yourself!) reading the book! And thank you so very much for all of your support!

Hint to Santa Paws: It would make a great holiday gift and stocking stuffer for children, as well as collectors of all things Siberian Husky and canine! And...the the great bonus is sales of this book will help improve the lives of Epi-dogs and their hu-families across the world. It doesn't get much merrier than that!

Please be sure to hop over to some of the other blogs or even join in this one yourself! And much thanks to our hosts, Two Little Cavaliers, Life With Dogs, and Confessions of the Plume!

A Siberian Husky Black Friday

2011-11-25T11:57:00.000-05:00

Sweet contentment after a day of visitors, turkey, sweet potatoes, hugs, pets, and kisses.