Anyways...

Conker and I are booked to boogie at 2:20 tomorrow afternoon. We spent one last stress-filled sleep-deprived night at the kennel then got a quiet yet quite Republican (Rush Limbaugh was on the radio) and uncomfortable ride to Anchorage where we were dropped off at the airport then caught a shuttle to our hotel. (Intentionally done that way.)

I dinked around on the free wifi for a bit before taking Conker to the (rather expensive) vet to get a health certificate so he can fly tomorrow. The vet tech and veterinarian were very nice people and just LOVED (and also knew where it was from) Conker's name. He was not so fond of them but they still adored him anyways. The vet noticed his right luxating patella in a snap, which I told her I am fully aware of, and she reconfirmed that it is not severe. The vet tech was surprised to learn that I was also fully aware of how severe the heartworms are in the States and that since I am going to (returning) to them that Conker should be put back on (though he was never really taken off of) preventives. She was also surprised to learn that I happened to be going to one of (if not the) worst areas for heartworm infections in Oregon. But she was glad that I was not only aware but had already taken the steps to avoid Conker getting infected.
They were impressed with Conker's weight (I admitted that his condition wasn't as good as it's been before, he lost a lot of muscle mass over the past couple months much to my extreme annoyance) and complimented me on keeping him trim, especially since his knees are bad.
It was the fastest vet visit I have ever had, which was good for Conker since he was already stressed from the hour and a half ride in a cold crate in the snow-filled back of N's truck down to Anchorage, as well as the 3 mile hour long walk along the ice covered sidewalks of the city as traffic rushed past a bit close for comfort.
They were incredibly nice people, fast yet thorough, and even though we were never going to see them again, I could tell that they cared about Conker's well-being. That was pretty cool.

(Holy crap a TV show just came on that's about the Amish mafia... Watching this for sure!)

After the vet visit we walked (slower than before, my feet hurt and it got 10x slicker during that brief visit) back to the Puffin Inn where I left Conker for a short moment and hopped over to Mc Donalds where I picked up a McKinley Mac, an Angus with bacon-and-something burger, a large Diet Coke, and large coffee (with creams and sugars!) for myself and...

A double cheeseburger for Conker. Yes, giving my dog (who has a history of digestive issues) a double cheeseburger the night before a full day of airport madness was probably not the best idea in the world, but it was only $2, Conker had not eaten anything all day (nor had I, N and J refused to give me food) and I was greatly lacking in the give-a-shit department. Which I still am.
He also got some french fries which he just adored, moreso than the cheeseburger, oddly enough.

I took a nice long relaxing shower as Conker snuffled around our rather small but very cozy hotel room (seriously, it's barely bigger than my old trailer, but I like it) looking for more french fries, and nosing his head into the shower every few mintues to check-in with me. (Funny fact: If the shower has a curtain instead of a hard door, Conker will regularly stop by and brave the indoor rain for a moment to be with me, but if it's a solid door he wants nothing to do with the shower.)

Well, it's 6:30, the Amish Mafia are, mafiaing, and I am beginning to hear the calls from the frosties at the Wendy's across the street. (Remember what I said about the give-a-shit department?)  I might jump the road and get one in an hour or so.


I might write another update tomorrow morning before we jet (or propeller?) but will save the explanation post for when we are back home and comfortable again.

Homeward Bound

Conker and I are leaving this fucking place A.S.A.P.  More information coming soon to an internet near you.

Money spent in December + Year 2012 Conker total cost

Since I didn't spend any money on Conker for the month of December...

December 2012

Total: $0



So here is the complete total of what I spent on Conker this past year.


2012

• Food: $431.50
• Treats/Chews: $83.90
• Vet/Medical: $253.40
• Supplements: $47.30
• Toys: $18
• Other: $189.70

$1024.80

I do not even know where that all came from.


I am going to continue to keep track of the monthly Conker costs for this next year.

Happy New Year!

Man yesterday was a bit of a surprise. 42 degrees, a nice warm breeze, melting snow, long-hidden turds reappearing (and subsequently disappearing as the sleddgos found them...) and overall an uncomplicated and easy day.
The mushers are not happy about everything melting like it did. We've still got a lot of snow, but now since it's cooled down to the high 20's and low 30's, everything is freezing up and it's very slick outside. Gotta find the ice grippers or there might be some nasty falls here at the racing kennel.

Today is a rare relaxation day. J is at work, N has been doing computer stuff and talking to a couple other mushers (meeting one out on the trails to do something) and will be going to the dump sometime today, and I get to spend my time on the computer, reading, messing with Conker, and doing a few light chores here and there.
Tonight though, I'll have to be paying attention to the dogs nonstop since fireworks (and guns, probably, and who knows what else) will be going off like crazy around here. Two of the dogs will be brought in since they'd most likely kill themselves due to the noise, but the rest of them are generally fine with it. Still need to keep a sharp ear out though, just in case.


Anywho, Happy New Year from Conker and I up here in Alaska! May your new years parties go well and everyone who's driving places get home safely.

All that snow on the trees either blew off or melted. It's not that pretty looking anymore.

Merry Christmas!

It's been damn cold again for a while now, finally warmed up to 20 degrees just in time for Christmas! I hope it stays "warm" and/or snows, since I much prefer shoveling snow than dealing with -20 to -35 degree temperatures all day.

Been really busy!

Like usual, the blog has been neglected due to sled dog stuff. Mainly the multiple feet of snow that we got over the past week and a half or so. Shoveling, plowing, shoveling and plowing, some more shoveling and more plowing... You get the idea. (And there is still more to do.)

Anyways...

Conker just loves the snow. He thinks it is amazing, even when he jumps off the pathway or plowed section and vanishes into the fluffy white stuff.

I haven't done a whole lot with Conker lately and it's annoying me a bit, but he does not seem to be too affected by the lack of constant attention that he was previously showered with.
He's grown an incredibly soft and thick coat and doesn't get cold as long as it's above -10 now. Colder than that and he needs his sweater.

It's been relatively warm, 20's and such, but it's going to cool down again tonight. I just hope it doesn't do what it did last time and not get above zero for several weeks straight. That was really a pain in the ass.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while, I've been super busy for a long time. With how cold it has been and with the number of dogs who weren't drinking, there was a lot to do. Loading all the dogs onto (and off of) the dog truck several times a day is a TON of work and takes up a lot of time, as does watering and feeding dogs that don't drink.

Anyways, I hope to get a better update on Conker stuff soon, maybe tonight if we get all the shoveling done before midnight. (We finally are getting some snow!)

Some Sled Dogs

Here are a few of the 60+ dogs here at the racing kennel. To start, puppies!

The Hellions. From left to right: Aleta (Mama dog), Puddle, Drought (only boy), Splash (top), Rain (bottom), Levy, and Drizzle. These are the "weather" puppies, the names based around rainy weather since this summer when they were born it rained almost non-stop.

Kubota. This guy is quiet and very polite. Doesn't exactly come when called, but he is an amazing sled dog. During a race sometime ago, his balls fell out of the ball bag thing that the males wear on really cold races and nobody  noticed until it was over, so his balls froze. An attempt was made to save them, but it was too late, so he was altered. He is not of breeding quality anyways but that really sucks for him.

 

Lark. Also quiet, kinda a one-man type dog but very sweet. A bit funny looking since her chest is very large and her legs long, but her head is pretty small. She's got real sensitive feet so care has to be taken when running her.

Makita (left) and Ryobi (right) share a house. They have two, but they think this is warmer.
Makita is quite sensitive and will flop over on her back if you show even the slightest bit of anger. She does not like the ATV (which we are using for training right now) so when she runs we strap a kennel on the back of the lead ATV just in case she won't run and has to be dropped.
Ryobi is a pretty cool dog and almost always comes out of her house to say hello to me unless it's really cold out.

Throttle. This guy just loves to eat his poop, and for a while that caused him to constantly have diarrhea and he was losing quite a bit of weight. He still eats poop, but he's doing better now and has gained a lot of weight back. Throttle is a total goofball and very wiggly.

A lot of the dogs look like Throttle, houndy in appearance with short coats. There are some husky-types but they are not the "norm" at this kennel. Most are a mixture of the two with quite a bit of variance in type.

Notes from a Sled Dog Handler

I have a new blog! It's going to be where the majority of the sled dog stuff is posted, but a lot of it will still be posted here on The Adventures of Conker. I have decided to make a new blog for the sled dog stuff since it really does not have anything to do with Conker, and I'd prefer not to have to sort through things too much in order to look back for a note on something.

Anyways, here it is!  (Needs a bit of work, but it's good for now.)
Notes from a Sled Dog Handler

Money spent in October/November

I didn't buy hardly anything this month(s) due to me suddenly out of the blue moving to Alaska, since I haven't had the chance to shop for any pet stuff (I've been to two local feedstores like, three times total), nor do I have the time, and I just haven't needed anything really.

So, here's the total for October and November combined into one post.


October 2012

• Food:  $40
• Supplements: $26
• Travel: $100
• Vet/Medical: $60

Total: $226

I originally was not going to include the travel/vet expenses, but since I didn't actually spend any money in November, I included it for the heck of it.

Food.
I bought another 13 pound bag of EVO Red Meat (review coming soon!) since I am quite pleased with the food, and because Conker was transistioned to it and it is available locally so I did not have to switch him to something else. Because we all know how fun that can possibly be with him.

Supplements.
I bought another bottle of K9 Glucosamine shortly before I knew about the Alaska gig.

Travel.
It cost me $100 to fly Conker in the cargo hold.

Vet/Medical.
In order for Conker to fly, I heeded a health certificate. I had to get a regular exam in order to get the certificate, both of which cost money, and since Jennifer was concerned about Conker possibly bringing up fleas, I also got him some Frontline while i was there.



November 2012

Total: $0

A new record low!