Ta-Kari Tamaskans, Colorado, USA

WOW ... Can't believe it's October already.  We had snow in Colorado Springs in September ... going to be a cold, long winter.  But, I don't mind it.  The dogs are doing great!  Takeia is still my submissive girl ... and a chicken. Although she tries at times to 'dominate' Dakari ... Dog behaviour; that's good! 

We had a close call with Dakari about 2 weeks ago with him getting out the yard.  Long story short, and an answer to prayers, he was 'led to us' (really) ... only one block north of my street, but across the 4-lane road.  My dad was knocking doors and handing out flyers, and the first door he knocked, the lady said "that dog over there looks just like this one".  Dakari had just rounded the corner and was one house away from my dad (a street he wasn't even going to go down).  What a day!  I haven't freaked and sobbed like that in 15 years (I can tell you the exact last time).  I had Takeia with me, and Dakari was so happy to see her!!!  He was uninjured (some sore paws) and VERY tired.  WE had some nice neighborhood support too in looking for him.  Turns out, he found us!

Dakari is as tall as Takeia, but not as long.  He is only 10 months, and being raw fed will take longer to reach full growth.  He'll be a big boy.  But he looks like is grandfather Magnus to me .. nice head shape and ears.

Been busy doing other things, and our big project will be done in the next two weeks.  So, I'll keep you updated!

TAKEIA TURNED 2 TODAY ... CAN'T BELIEVE IT.  THAT MEANS OUR 2-YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS COMING UP SOON.  ... TIME FLIES!!!

Today was a beautiful day!! With my parents and some friends, Dakari and I went sightseeing and walking in Old Colorado City and Manitou Springs for about 3 1/2 hours or so.  HE DID WONDERFULLY!!! He responds exceptionally on the leash, walking calmly, and was not easily distracted.  The times we sat while others went into the stores, Dakari just sat at my feet, looking around and watching, but not lunging to explore. He was not phased by people, dogs or the motorcycles on the road. IT WAS A DREAM DAY!!  And, of course, he drew much attention.  I am so excited to work with him and really see him progress (Takeia as well) so we can have many off-leash walks this summer around Colorado Springs and mountain towns. Imagine the attention two beautiful Tamaskans will draw walking down the street.  HOW EXCITING FOR THE BREED and its introduction to Colorado!!! 

Well, Dakari has been here a little over 2 weeks, and he's growing by leaps and bounds.  He and Takeia are having a blast together.  She is SOOOOOOO tolerant of him, so I am confident she will be a great mom.  I can't wait to see how he grows and what he finally looks like.  He has a lot of grey (yipppppeeeee!!!), but you can see the red too.  So, right now he's just a rainbow ...

After much scrambling, we finally received the specimen from the stud dog, Mikko, and Takeia underwent her artificial insemination procedures yesterday and today.  So, we should have a litter of pups in the next 60 days.

12/10/08 - HIP RESULTS:  While I do not yet have the official paperwork yet, I did receive a call from the vet today, who has received the OFA and PennHip scoring.  Takeia's PennHip scores came back as .50 for the left, and .48 for the right, putting her in the 50th percentile and passing.  The OFA preliminary scored as "Fair".  So, she has passed and is cleared for breeding. 

Please note that a Fair is not an indication of any lack of quality or even possibility of any hip issues.  Remember that our breed is still relatively new, so there is not much to compare against.  She's passed, and that's what matters. 

Well, we are pioneering the PennHip procedure and Tamaskans.  Takeia is the first.  I took her today for PennHip and preliminary OFA's so we have a gauge on how to compare the two.  She handled the anesthesia very well and came out just fine.  The vet showed me the x-ray that was being sent to OFA and her tips looked nice and tight (should be at least a Good, if not Excellent).  The other views for PennHip also looked good.  We should have the results back in a month or so. 

This was the first step in really moving forward with our breeding plan.  So, now we're narrowing down the stud and details for the A/I procedure.