Christmas Card Exchange Was So Much Fun!

 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

♥ Bandit ♥

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

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

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!

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!

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:

1. Preheat oven to 250°F.
2. Wash the sweet potato or yam (the very orange type).
3. Cut down the middle lengthwise.
4. Then cut long lengthwise slices about 1/3 of an inch wide and place on a cookie sheet in a single layer.
5. Bake in oven at 250 F for about 3 hours.
6. 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!

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

"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!

Wolf Waits for Christmas

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

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 packMayzie'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

 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!

 

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

Newsy Tuesday! Book Update!

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

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

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.