so much to learn from our dogs

In my life I am working hard to be more aware. To appreciate what's around me and to accept things as they are without working myself into a tizzy about it. For some people, this is an easy task, for me it's often not.
One thing I have found most amazing about Rosie is her ability to roll with whatever comes her way. For the most part, Rosie appears to be quite happy and secure in her life. It doesn't matter if she's having a good day or a bad day. Even if she isn't feeling well, she's happy to see those she loves and it shows. She enjoys nearly all adventures we take together, always taking time to stop and smell the stories that came before her. Rosie does not judge new people, she finds out if they like her by showing them she wants to be friends. If it doesn't work out, she moves on. Simple.
Here is a shot of Rosie on a recent row boat trip in Sitka. This was Rosie's first time in a row boat and she embraced it as she does most everything else. She looked around at the beauty and sniffed out the stories.

cuddle day

After what seems like weeks of sun, the rain and the wind have come
back. For those if us who live in Alaska, the long sunny days of
summer often mean frantic work outside trying to get it all done
"while the weather holds." While we nurture our gardens, split and
stack wood for the winter, hike, bike and play...the insides of our
homes get slightly neglected and we rarely take time just to cuddle up with our loved ones and a cup of tea. Today, our household is enjoying some much needed down time in front of a crackling fire as the wind blows the rain into our windows and the earth gets the good soak it has been waiting for.

happy friday!

We are all glad it's Friday. It has been a long week...Rosie is
exhausted from all the work...here she is in one of her office poses.
TGIF!

Rosie accidentally goes for a swim

Rosie's office mates look on as Rosie surprises herself with a swim.
Guess that water wasn't as shallow as she thought!

More on the joys of dogs in the work place soon.

a cruising angel

Another lovely day in Southeast! Here is Rosie Mae biking (or rather riding) to work this morning. It's been a great way to get to work and home this spring. Rosie get's goodies as we peddle and seems to be perfectly happy cruising along. Hurray for summer and 8lb dogs!

Getting it together

How do people keep these blogs up, anyway? Stay tuned as we're getting it together and hope to get back to making regular posts this week! The Chilkoot Trail is sneaking up on us and we have lots to do! Rosie is working on learning the boundaries of the yard, how to stay out of the vegetables and not bark at the other dogs cruising by the house. So much to do! Here is a shot of Rosie Mae enjoying some sunshine in the yard. Gardening is hard work!

Chilkoot Trail Here We Come!

As spring creeps in early on us here in Juneau - our thoughts are turning to what sort of fun things we're going to do with our summer. I am excited to report that we have decided to hike the Chilkoot Trail this summer - with Rosie Mae! Dogs are allowed, although they must remain on a leash. We think this will be fairly easy with Rosie. The trail is about 32 miles long, and we hope to hike it in four days - likely 8-10 miles of hiking daily, some of which we will need to carry Rosie for - but fortunately, she only ways 8.5lbs!

Why do we think we can do this with our tiny pup? Because Rosie is in good shape, I walk 2-4 miles with her everyday - but for her she's running around going back and forth etc - so she probably get's in more than that total. Remember, proper exercise is one of the most important things you can do for your dogs - and of course, it has the added benefit of getting us out and moving too.

Stay tuned as we prepare for this trip - learn to dehydrate Rosie's food (and ours), and get ourselves and Rosie out on lots of hikes to be ready for the big one! We suspect Rosie might be the first Chihuahua to hike the historic Chikoot Trail! Any advice on hiking long distances with little dogs is more than welcome! What tips do you have to share?