Do you appreciate your dog? June 7 through 13 is celebrated as Pet Appreciation Week. Thinking about this, I sat back and asked myself, “Do my Sibes feel appreciated?” We all believe we love and appreciate our beloved furry members of our family. We give them food, shelter, kisses, hugs, and in some case, lots and lots of toys. But do they feel appreciated? In the canine world, appreciation really means love, and it pretty much comes in very simple terms. A warm place to sleep, fresh food to eat, cool water to drink, a pat on the back, and (always) a treat. They don’t really care if their cloth coat is a designer brand, if their collars have sparkling bling, if their bed is fancy, or if they have the newest toys. They would be just as happing chewing up a paper towel roll as they would the most popular dog toy. They would be content sleeping in a bed of hay, or in their kennel/crate or at the foot of our beds. They would enjoy getting brushed by our children as much as they would by ...

With Memorial Day weekend upon us, it is time to take a moment to thank all of our veterans - past and present; here and gone; human and canine; for their great sacrifices.  Since World War I, canines have played a large part in history. Known as "war dogs," these courageous canines, accompanied by their handlers, have bravely assisted our soldiers in so many ways; from tracking to bomb sniffing. For more interesting facts, videos, documentaries, stamp project information, and much more on the war dogs, visit the United States War Dog Association's website at www.uswardogs.org. Canines also played a large part in the 9/11 rescue operation. A wonderful tribute book, accompanied by some awesome photographs, of America's search and rescue dogs is Dog Heroes of September 11th.   To our veterans and veteran war dogs, we say "Thank you!" for all you've done. Pictured above ready to celebrate Memorial Day is "Wolf," our two-year-old whi...

So, we are finally done with spring grooming...all FiveSibes have now been blown, de-shedded (partially), shampooed, brushed, trimmed, and made beautiful! Our groomer came to the house and made a "spa day" for Chloe and Harley (only someone forgot to tell them "spa day" is a good thing. They weren't too happy getting bathed and brushed). Of course, with the temps soaring well up into the humid 90's, all they wanted to do is climb into their dirty mud holes, go swimming, and then climb back into their dirty mud holes. However, I have foiled their plan as they've been inside in the A/C for about two days straight, and tomorrow will be the same. So, I am still happily basking in the glory of having five clean, sweet-smelling, fluffy Sibes...at least for a few days!    While the groomer was busy blowing out their coats, the air swirled with "snow," a/k/a flying, floating Sibe fur! We gathered up as much as we could and are saving it until the Sib...

Our wonderful groomer came to the house yesterday to beautify two more of the FiveSibes. What a great job he did, as usual! My baby boy finally looks like his moniker - White Wolf - now he truly is white! However, he did not really like being in the tub...alot of scuttling sounded from there as he tried to make his escape! But alas, in the end, he realized all the fuss was just adding to his handsomeness, and ever since he and his sister Bandit were shampooed, groomed, and de-shedded, they have been strutting around knowing full-well just how beautiful they look! Now, it just can't rain or my white baby and his trusty mud-puddle lovin' sidekick sister will be Muddy Monsters once again!!!

When we (Hu-family members) hear the word "beach," what pops into mind are visions of warm white sands glistening in the sunlight reaching into deep sparkling, turquoise blue waters all surrounded by palm trees dancing in the gently blowing breeze. And maybe there is even a tropical fruity drink waiting for us.  :-)  For our Sibes, "beach" conjures up a much different scene. Sure, there may be some tree leaves blowing in a breeze, and sure, there may be a body of water to cool off in (i.e. kiddie pool or pond or sprinkler), but no there is no warm sand for the Sibes. Our Sibes' version of "Husky Beach" - as pictured here - consists of Sibe-made deeply dug holes that contain cool damp dirt that can fit a body in - well, five bodies at our homestead! While I'm sure their idea of a nice tropical drink is nothing more than fresh cold water (with some crushed ice, please), they are quite content to spend their time shade-bathing under the giant Maple th...

Happy Mother's Day to all the fine Moms out there, both Hu- and Sibe Moms alike. Hope today was a fun, relaxing day for all! Spring is a busy time for pets and pet parents. May is not only Pet Cancer Awareness Month, but the first week of May also recognizes National Pet Awareness. As part of being a Sibe (or any pet) parent, it is our responsibility to have fun, but to also be in tune with them as a parent; to know when they are feeling good and are healthy, as well as being able to detect from their actions when there may be something wrong. Sometimes the latter is easy, sometimes not so much. The key is awareness, and knowing our Sibes and their dispositions and body language. My personal opinion is if something does not seem right with your Sibes, don't wait. Naturally, it can be costly to run to the vet for every small thing, but it is our responsibility - the same as with our own Hu-children - to know when it is time to seek professional help. Keep them under a watchful...