November 24, 2020

Then and Now

November 24, 2020/ Ryne Olson

Has anyone been playing with the “then and now” hashtags? For some of you, that sentence probably sounds like a different language, but for those social media savvy folks out there, you know what I’m talking about! People have been posting photos of themselves, their dogs, their children, whoever from years ago, and then a recent photo of that same person/dog/animal/child to show their transformation.

For example, here’s a middle school Ryne on her first ever dog sled ride in Durango, Colorado that set everything in motion. And Ryne 18 years later, choosing to stare at dog butts for a profession. Ok, I’ll stop talking about myself in the third person. But you get it- Then and Now.

Looking at those two photos, I honestly don’t see much change.

But do you know who does make a HUGE transformation in the course of just a few months? REINDEER.

Between the summer and winter months, the reindeer look like completely different creatures. Why the drastic change? Well, a few reasons. The winter coat of reindeer and caribou is exceptionally thick. Their wooly undercoat traps heat against their bodies and a coarse, heavy duty outer coat made of hollow guard hairs sheds water, snow, wind and everything else that gets thrown at them - keeping them completely dry and warm. They shed their heavy coats come summer and don a lighter, thinner layer for the heat. Believe it or not, the weather in Interior Alaska can get quite hot! While 90 degrees F may not seem that hot to some of you, consider that there’s a 150 degree difference between the coldest temps and hottest temps of the year in parts of Alaska! The color change can help them to blend in with their environment a bit better. So with that explanation- are you ready for some Then and Now Reindeer photos?!

Tap on the Photo to See Each Reindeer’s Transformation

Captain Kirk

Pilot

SAILOR

PEEPS

November 16, 2020

The Fire Litter's First Time in Harness!

November 16, 2020/ Ryne Olson

We recently took Spit, Fly, and Fox on their first run in harness! All three were such EASY puppies to harness. They calmly stood in place and let us place the harnesses over their heads. Normally puppies will stiffen up their legs in excitement, but the Fires willingly let us place their legs through the leg holes of the harness. They struggled a bit with facing forward (meaning they spun around and got tangled when we walked back towards the sled), but once they were straightened out and the hook was pulled, they all lunged forward and pulled! Spit was the most natural. He was completely unfazed and by the second time we stopped, he was harness banging and barking. Fly pulled hard but was a little spastic during breaks. She would spin around like a top and get in a big tangle if we waited too long. Fox was the most intimidated. He wasn’t sure what was happening. He liked adventuring down the trail but it was a little overwhelming, so he got extra love and comforting words during our breaks. He reminds me of his uncle Smoky: beautiful build, curious, and loving but also a little more sensitive.

Here’s a video of their first sled run being led by all-stars Cooke and Crunch!

November 08, 2020

Blog Post by Mandy

November 08, 2020/ Ryne Olson

I look at the black ears flop against the broad forehead, bouncing in rhythm to the jolts caused by jumping back and forth over the gang line. The dog yard is howling in excitement while the team on the line is pulling in their impatience to go. Everyone is ready but the large dog in front of me. He pauses for a moment to look me in the eye; he doesn’t know what’s coming.

I approach slowly, cooing “easy boy.” I lift his paw and a wide tongue rolls up my cheek. My other hand goes to slip something onto, a foreign object to this pup. He jerks his paw from me and the 80-some pounds of muscle slam into my legs to escape me. I trip over the gang line and almost lose the item to the new snow.

New tactic. I straddle him, tucked right behind his should blades. His head goes up to reach for my face in hopes of another lick. I can feel his body wiggle as his tail moves with energy. My hand grabs his paw—no problem. I try again with the other hand to slip the Scary Item onto his a paw—problem. I’m sliding around his back shouting at him to chill while he throws a tantrum under me. Again.

He gets away. Well, away from me but he’s still in harness attached to the gang line and we still have one last task to accomplish before we can do what his silly puppy wants to do: run.

I straddle him again and get a little farther in the process before he actually bucks me off. He’s a brute of a dog! And a yearling at that! It takes another handler to help out, but we finally manage it. Sherlock wears dog booties for the first time ever.

Kalyn looks me dead in the eye: “This is why Ryne ‘happened’ to have a vet appointment on the day we ‘happen’ to run the yearlings in booties for the first time.” We laugh hard, shaking our heads, and both tell Sherlock he’s a good boy... cause he is!

And we had an amazing run in the most beautiful environment ever.

November 04, 2020

Dogs are the Best Medicine

November 04, 2020/ Ryne Olson

I read that a dog can reduce your anxiety, so we brought in 19.

November 03, 2020

Winter Patience

November 03, 2020/ Ryne Olson

First- I hope everyone VOTED!! Either today or early or absentee- get out and Vote!

Winter has arrived in full force with temperatures hitting at least -25F at night. I say at least because whatever the weather station is reporting, we are normally five to ten degrees colder. And the Fairbanks Weather Station reported -22F yesterday, which is the third coldest November second in recorded history! Of course everything is relative. In just a month or two, we’ll probably call -22F a warm up and be frolicking outside to bask in all the warmth. However, since this is our first real negatives of the season, we’re bundling up and questioning our sanity for living in the far north.

But really the biggest adjustment I have to make to winter living is to just have more patience. Everything takes longer in winter. The simplest of tasks might drag out into a couple hours or more. Take yesterday morning for example. Goal: bring two dogs to North Pole Veterinary Clinic for a 10:00 AM appointment with Dr. Brown. I knew it was supposed to get cold the night before, so I woke up at 6:00 AM in order to give myself plenty of time to compensate for any hiccups the cold weather could create. My tasks for the morning: shower, eat breakfast, feed the dogs, start my car, and drive the one hour into the vet office. Even with giving myself FOUR HOURS I arrived five minutes late. The morning went about like this:

6:00 AM- Emerge from under the comforters where Jezzy, Sasha, Derek, and I are cocooned in warmth. By the light of my phone, walk downstairs and flip a light switch. Rats, power is out. Note to self, run the generator more often. Stumble around and throw a jacket on. Supai and Cartel do not even move or look up from their pile of blankets. Step outside to the generator shed. Try to start the generator. Oops. Needs gas. Bumble around the yard, kicking gas containers and looking for a full one. Grab a half full container and start filling the generator. Curse myself for not bringing gloves as I try not to freeze burn my fingers on the metal gas cap. Start up a generator and go inside.

6:30 AM- Cartel, Supai, Jezzy, and Sasha all still completely ignore my movements and pretend it’s not morning yet. The water pump kicks on, but no water is coming up from the well. Pipes must be frozen. I plug in the heat tape. It’ll take about an hour, but the pipes will clear up. Pack firewood into the woodstove and open all the vents to get it cranking and warm.

7:00 AM- Start breakfast. Have a delicious breakfast and drink a big mug of coffee (ok it’s really creamer with a dash of coffee).

7:30 AM- Go try the water. Success! There’s movement in the pipes. Shower time. Oops. The drain is frozen and the base of the shower is collecting water. Plug in the heat tape around the drain pipe. Attempt to start my car knowing full well it won’t start. Yep, it’s too cold. Normally, cars are plugged in, but since we are off-grid, we just heat them up with a diesel blower (or for the trucks, turn on the Webasto which is an internal heater). I go and wake up Derek and ask him really nicely if he’ll get my car ready to go. I need to leave at 9:00 AM.

8:00 AM- Head out to feed the dogs a warm broth of meat. We’re feeding about 30 pounds of beef in warm water to the dogs in the mornings. The dogs gobble up their breakfasts then curl back up in their straw beds for a bit more sleep.

8:30 AM- Shower drain is good to go. I hop in the shower. It’s been about a week since my last shower, and I have a hunch the real world would appreciate being around a clean, nice smelling Ryne.

8:55 AM- Derek has warmed up the car. I turn the key and presto! We have a running vehicle. I wait ten minutes for engine to warm up before driving. I load Cooke, Faff, and Cartel into the car and off we go to the vet! Kalyn (with Fire, Ham, Rucu, and Blue) and Mandy (with Perm) have arrived in the yard to scoop, walk puppies, and work with the reindeer.

10:05 AM- We arrive at the vet! SUCCESS!!!

So there you have it. Four hours to do morning chores and arrive at the vet office. And this is the norm in winter. Things break, freeze, or won’t start. You just have to have patience. And I should note, we are still working on the cabin. Our routines will get easier once the house is finished. Although even then, many houses have issues with frozen water pipes or septics. Many people choose to live in dry cabins (meaning no running water) not out of poverty, but out of a desire to not have to worry about leaving for a few days and their homes freezing up. Oh the joys of living in the far north! And for those wondering about the vet visit, the dogs are just fine! Cartel came along because she likes to ride in the car. Cooke has a sprained tail (his brother Smoky must have grabbed it and not let go when they were playing in the yard), and Faff has allergies. When you have this many dogs, it’s always something! Good thing winters are beautiful!