WOLFDOG - CHEROKEE HAS A DATE

Well, the time has come for Cherokee to have a date. She is going to meet up with Freedom. Freedom is a wolfdog/husky mix that belongs to our good friends Lisa and Steve. Let's all hope for a successful date and the joy of puppies in a couple of months. I love puppies as long as they don't hang onto my tail. They have such sweet puppy breath. A friend of mommy's once said they had "bologna breath" lol.

WOLFDOG DEN - DOG PARK JULY 2008

As you can see from the slide show below, we had some good food and lots of fun. Quinn had the dogs running with him, everyone except Sundance. Sundance wanted to stay in the picnic area, wonder if it had anything to do with the food available there. Cherokee came over to me, laid down and let me pet her. That was a great moment for me. I thought I took more pictures and missed getting pictures of many of the humans. But, this was a day for the dogs and I got their pictures. Cubby had a great time with a new friend, Ginger. I had a great time and hope we can do this again.

Wolfdog

WOLFDOG DEN - DOG PARK SLIDE SHOW

WOLFDOG - CHEROKEE'S COMING OUT PICNIC

The reason for tomorrow's picnic is two-fold; first of all it is going to be great to see everyone again and second, we are exposing Cherokee to more people in the hopes of giving her comfort in the knowledge that we love her. Wolfdogs tend to like staying within themself and their immediate pack and the comfortable surroundings of their den. When at a vet's office, you may notice other dogs sniffing each other; that is their way of saying hello and memorizing scents. They give off a tremendous amount of body language and, for the most part, it is friendly. Wolfdogs sit and observe, they are not as quick to go up and "sniff" someone else. This leads people to incorrectly assume they are not nice and some may think they have been mistreated. They are different and require a lot of socializing. I noticed when we were at Ritter's for dog night, Sundance was not as open and happy to meet people as he had been in the past and that is my fault for not continuing to expose him to people and socialize him. Cubby on the other hand has never met a stranger, she could be the poster dog for a campaign on helping people to understand how gentle and sweet these animals can be. I am hoping for some really good pictures tomorrow; some with Cherokee being touched and hugged by someone other than her immediate pack family. If it does not work out, we will try again, sometimes these things take time and patience. One must have a lot of patience when owning a wolfdog. Enjoy this picture of Cherokee and her new toy. To see more great pictures and read some informative articles, check out wolfdogqueen's blog by clicking here.

Spirit

WOLFDOG DEN - PICNIC IS SHAPING UP

Hey there. Tomorrow's picnic is really taking shape. Mommy bought a couple of new toys to take along and there is going to be some yummy food for all. Cherokee and her family will be there, Cubby and her family will be there and Sundance and his family will be attending as well. Can't wait to hear about it and see the pictures upon their return. Check back tomorrow evening for the new picnic slideshow.

Have a howling good day, Spirit.

WOLFDOG - WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO A PICNIC

Hey there. Our daughter Cherokee has invited us to a picnic at James Holland Park in Palm Coast, Florida. Grab your hoomin and come to the picnic. It is this coming Sunday, the 27th starting at 11:00 a.m. If you are going south on I-95, take the Palm Coast Parkway East exit. Go East on Palm Coast Parkway to Florida Park Drive, make a left on Florida Park Drive. It is not even a mile down on the left.

Hope to see you there, Spirit.

WOLFDOG - HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SECOND LITTER OF PUPS

Hey, it is a BIG day for my second litter of pups. Today marks a year since they came wiggling into our lives. Mommy's furniture is still feeling the pain lol. Love to all.

Spirit

WOLFDOG - NEXT RITTER'S FROZEN CUSTARD DOG NIGHT

Howl everyone! The date for the next Dog Night at Ritter's Frozen Custard is August 4th, which is a Monday. Ritter's holds this event the first Monday of every month, between 6 and 10 p.m. Come and join us! The dogs get a free bowl of ice cream topped with a tasty dog biscuit. Yummy! Even though it should be my turn to go, I think mommy is taking Sundance again because I have seen her try and get him into the car, practicing for the big event. If he would just jump into the car, he could go more places like I do. As you know, many drive-through windows have pet friendly people manning them and they are always shoving something in your face; for instance, I have had a munchkin, a chicken tender, a couple of dog biscuits and an ice cream of my very own. He won't even jump into the car for his favorite "cookie". We can't say that word out loud here as he gets very excited when he hears the word "cookie".

That is it for now. As the 4th of August approaches, I will send out some reminder posts and see who all might be attending. Mommy loves to see you there. Enjoy the picture of Cheyenne and her grandpa.

Spirit

WOLFDOG - NOTHING WORSE THAN A RAINY DAY INSIDE

There is nothing worse than a rainy day inside. All day, we have spent inside because mommy doesn't want us tracking in the mud. The last I checked, there was nothing wrong with mud. Maybe after she finds all the things we secretly destroyed, she may change her way of thinking. I know Cheyenne pulled a pillow apart, nice fluffy stuff all over the bedroom and Sundance destroyed the pillow case it was in, Sierra is a good girl, she didn't chew on anything. Me, on the other hand, I found an old sock, got me a potholder and did not like that thick phonebook, I thinned the pages out some. Anyway, who needs a phonebook when you have the internet? Aw man! Sundance has my sock, gotta go.

Spirit

WORLD'S OLDEST BLOGGER HAS DIED AT THE AGE OF 108

An Australian woman by the name of Olive Riley died at a nursing home in New South Wales. She was 108. Since February of 2007, Riley had posted more than 70 entries on her "blob", as she liked to call it.

The site was "The Life of Riley" where she wrote about living through two world wars, raised three children, worked as a cook and a bar maid.

The blogging community is sure to miss this woman and may she rest in peace.

WOLFDOG - INTERESTING STUDY ON AGGRESSIVE DOGS

Believe it or not, Dachsunds are considered the top of the list for aggressive dogs. This study was performed by Applied Animal Behavior Science. The Chihuahua was ranked second and the Jack Russell Terrier third. The Akita and Australian Cattle Dog rank fourth and fifth respectively, while the Pit Bull ranked sixth. The Beagle ranked seventh with English Springer Spaniel eighth. The Border Collie was ninth and German Shepherd came in at tenth. These results are based on a study of 6,000 dog owners. I am very surprised to see some of these dog breeds listed here but I have heard in the past that Cocker Spaniels were considered aggressive as well although they flew under the radar on this particular study. As with everything, there are many studies of this nature and can be found all over the internet. The lists differ to a certain degree with some similarities, that being Dachsunds and Chihuahuas. I am happy to note that wolfdogs and wolf dog mixes are not on any of the lists I stumbled upon but questions remain; were wolfdogs tested? and what other dog breeds were used for a comparison study? and what methods did they use to test aggressiveness? I have searched the web trying to find a decent link to what is considered "aggressive" behavior and I am baffled by the variants in this regard. Many people think it is the owner's fault and, up until recently, I truly believed in that but, a study of Cocker Spaniels show that they have something called "the rage syndrome". You can't blame that on the owner and what about dog owners that own more than one dog, Fluffy and Fifi are very nice whereas Killer is an absolute menace, where was he when the positive reinforcement was being handed out. There are also people that say there is no such thing as a bad dog, just a bad owner. Again, I have started to develop mixed feelings about this, I know really good people who have had a "bad" dog and people who could care less about their dog, chaining it in the back yard virtually ignoring it and the dog turned out to be a very sweet, lovable dog. Go figure! Since there are so many views available out there, I don't believe Dachsund and Chihuahua owners need fret over this latest study and I sincerely hope that they don't give up their weiner dog or Chi-Chi, after all, they are part of your pack.

Check out my Slide Show!

WOLFDOG - CHEYENNE IS GOING TO DOG NIGHT

Hi, Cheyenne here. I just got my bath, I don't mind it too much because I like water but I still have to put up a fight to give mommy something to do. I don't think she feels like she accomplished anything if I don't wiggle a lot. It is my turn to go to dog night at Ritter's Frozen Custard and I get to see Cherokee, mommy tells me she is going to be there. For those of you who do not know this, Cherokee is my daughter and I can't wait to see her again. Just spoke to Amy, Cherokee's mom and they are on their way so I better get off the computer so mommy can brush me down real good, make sure I am dry and pretty for pictures. Check back later for lots of new pictures from Dog Night. Love to all, Cheyenne.

WOLFDOG - KUNA'S TRAVELING SLIDE SHOW

WOLFDOG - WHAT DO WOLFDOGS EAT

This is a good question and one that mommy was asked on multiple occasions when she was trying to find loving, understanding homes for mine and Cheyenne's cubs. Wolfdogs eat what other dogs eat; name brand dog food, snacks, etc., even table scraps if you allow and many wolfdogs lay down to eat. Some of the people were surprised to find that wolfdogs eat dog food. I think they believed that they were going to have to let their wolfdog out on occasion so they could hunt for their own food. Both wolfdogs and dogs are quite capable of chasing down a squirrel, rat, snake or anything else that makes the mistake of visiting your yard. I think that dogs tend to believe this is considered a toy, something to play with but wolfdogs on the other hand believe it is a food source. This is of course dependent upon how much wolf is in your wolfdog. Lizards and frogs make easy prey, snakes should be circled and studied carefully before getting too close. Squirrels are quick on their feet and can climb to dizzying heights and rats are good at hiding. With that being said, Sundance has caught a squirrel that thankfully died quickly without too much suffering. He also caught a rat that mistakenly poked his head out of his hiding place, before you know it, Sundance had him in his grip. Funny thing about that is, he was trying to keep his prize to himself when, in the wild, wolves eat in order of rank; the higher the rank, the tastier the morsels. Studies have shown that omega males in the pack will bring food back to the pack and feed young cubs even if they are not theirs. This is the way nature intended it to be. Sundance was not going to share his kill, even though I am the alpha male in this pack. Sundance has a lot to learn about heirarchy in a wolf pack. For now, he is forgiven; after all, he is one of my cubs and I am technically supposed to be taking care of him but as he grows older, he is going to have to learn his place in the pack. Fur may fly but I promise, no one will get hurt. I am the man!

Spirit

WOLFDOG - WOLFDOGS ARE ESCAPE ARTISTS

The famous magician known as Houdini has nothing on us when it comes to escaping our confines. Cheyenne is about three-quarter arctic timber wolf mixed with husky. Huskies are also known for their great escape skill. Huskies are a very curious animal, they want to know what is on the other side. Wolves tend to be a little more cautious and typically hang in packs and even though huskies are considered pack animals as well, their curiosity sometimes gets the best of them. When you mix the two, you have a great escape artist, one with the cunning ability to outsmart you at every turn. Just when you think you have us confined, we find a new innovative way to check out the neighborhood. Cheyenne and I gave our neighborhood a run for their money one morning. It took mommy and two ex-marines 4 hours to find us. We traveled several miles to a neighboring schoolyard, trekking through ditches and woods to get there. Since we don't bark or make noise, finding us was made even more difficult. If it were not for the fact that I am pure white and stand out like a sore thumb, they may have never found us. To make things worse, Cheyenne was not wearing a collar, she tends to get hers stuck in her mouth and does a crazy dance trying to get it off of her such that mommy does not leave a collar on her for fear of her hurting herself. Well, after a 4-foot chain link fence and, later, a 6-foot privacy fence did not successfully contain us, mommy resorted to the invisible fence. There is a lot of controversy regarding the use of invisible fences, some think it is inhumane. Before we were allowed to check this fence out, mommy took the shock a couple of times to see what it would feel like to us. After deeming it "not so bad", she had the fence installed. To her way of thinking, it is better for us to get a little shock every now and then, than to wind up out on the street and possibly get hit by a car, picked up by the dogcatcher or taken by individuals who do not understand us or do not love animals like mommy does, we could wind up in a very bad situation, we could even wind up being put down. As far as the shock goes, we do not even need to wear our collars anymore, we got the message after a couple of shocks and stay away from the fence. This is a good thing because, as I stated earlier, Cheyenne has an issue with collars that could prove to be dangerous for her as well. If you decide to go with an invisible fence, keep in mind that signing up for the automatic battery delivery is not always necessary and can prove to be costly when you may not need the collar after the first few shocks. So, if you want to contain us, it is well worth the money to invest in an invisible fence, they have come a long way and have an improved version available that is much less troublesome than it was in the past and more successful in keeping us safe inside our own yard. If you would like more information about the invisible fence, please click here. Thank you and please keep us safe, it is your responsibility because we don't know any better and it is sometimes instinctual for us to wander off.

Spirit

WOLFDOG - ONE VERY BRAVE WOLFDOG

I have to say that I am one very brave wolfdog. I sat half way across my mom's body and across her chest in order to protect her from all the noise from the fireworks. I guess mommy thought I needed protecting so she wrapped her arms around me and whispered soothing sweet nothings in my ear. I let her think it was her protecting me but we know the truth, I am one brave wolfdog. Sundance tried to get up here and protect mommy but I beat him to it and got the best position. I would gladly do it again even though she told me I was heavy and needed to lose weight.

WOLFDOG - HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!!!

Hey everyone, happy 4th of July to all. Please be safe while you enjoy your holiday; eat lots, drink little and don't blow yourself up. Also please remember that we are very afraid of the the noises that fireworks make. If you take your dogs to an event, make sure you have a good grip on them so they don't run away. Fireworks can be very pretty but, at the same time, very scary and our ears are sensitive. Enjoy the fireworks, just click anywhere and fireworks will come to life.

Spirit

WOLFDOG - WOLFDOGQUEEN - CHEROKEE'S MOM HAS HER OWN BLOG

Hey, check it out. Amy has her own blog. Amy is Cherokee's mommy. It is a very nice blog dedicated to Amy's mom who has early onset Alzheimer's disease. Please stop by and comment often. Let's encourage Amy to keep her blog going and give her some content and pictures for her blog. The address is www.wolfdogqueen.blogspot.com or click here. Good luck Amy!

If anyone would like to start a blog of their own and are not sure how to do that, please contact my mommy wolfdog, she will be more than happy to help you get up and running.

Spirit