Dogs are everywhere. Bam Bam, a big black and white female, keeps track of her human children all around town, (She waits outside the post office), while JoJo is a party-going socialite. Rupert (see photo left) is a Yorkie mix with an extremely high personalty per pound ratio. Yesterday, I saw a handsome pit bull and what must have been a part mastiff part Great Dane.
There are mushers here - John Baker won the Iditarod in 2011 and finished in the top ten 13 out of 17 times. I passed the house of a “sprint musher,” Paul Cook, whose smaller, dark dogs seemed ready to go at a moment’s notice. This photo is a trailer full of champions. While waiting to cross the runway on the way home from a tundra ride we caught up to the man himself - John Baker - towing his grinning dogs to Kotzebue. I wish you could see their faces better! Most excellent tongues.
The dogs who aren't "from America," the ones who grew up here, live in wooden houses. The one across the street has his own car. I have tried to get a photo of him on his car, but I think he went hunting this weekend. Most local dogs stay tied up in town, but there are a few who wander. Some even go shopping.
I have not met a single cat, but there are little piles of what the students tell me is chinchilla poop in my classroom! (I decided to not include a photo of that!)
I saw this beauty lazing in the sun with the grasses blowing...
Love the theme of this post! So, have you had any dog put in an official request to cohabitate with you yet? And to what do you attribute the absence of cats? Your site is a joy, and it sounds as if you are doing exceedingly well in your new biome. Love to you from all of us in the Pennington-Guthrie household!
~Leona
Reply
Julia Malcomb
9/23/2012 04:27:04 am
It is exciting to know about famous people and animals. You may want to get a cat...and start a new fad...I guess they are not as useful as a dog but it may give the chinchilla a run for its life.
Reply
Elizabeth
9/26/2012 09:53:12 am
If there's chinchilla poop in the classroom, can we also presume there are chinchillas? Do they run wild in Alaska??
Reply
Angie
1/22/2013 07:44:04 pm
I love the dogs. Can they survive outside in the winter, there?