Where have we been?

Hello friends!

Now that we're back from our extended hiatus, we feel it's only fair to bring everyone up to speed on what we've been up to.  Over the past few years, we've heard from some of our past followers asking whether we'd resume blogging and the answer has always been the same....probably not.  At the time, it didn't seem as though we had much to say.  Echo was the driving voice and inspiration and we had lost our voice. But things do change as time marches on.  Inspiration has returned  (how can it not when you live with three Siberians??)  and we have a few surprises under our paws which we'll be sharing soon.  In the meantime, we'll bring you up to speed....

Soon after Meeka and Echo abruptly left our pack (that was a rough year for us!) we realized Shyla was lonely.  She had never been without her Siberian pack and needed that canine companionship. Shadow - the matriarch of our pack - was still with us but was happier keeping to herself.   So, the search was on for just the right friend.  There were some necessary qualifications of course:

• The new candidate must be a rescue or shelter dog
• Charming - the new guy (we wanted a male) must have it and know how to use it to win Shyla over
• Cool confidence - This is Shyla we're trying to impress after all.  Hurt feelings when she disses you is not an option
• The ability to mend a few very broken hearts

That was a tall order.  We decided we would screen the potential candidates and let Shyla make the ultimate choice.  Many suggestions came rolling in but one name kept coming up....Shanuk. After some conversations with his Foster Mom,  a meeting was arranged.  The previously posted video was the result.  A depressed, sad Shyla tried her best to ignore him but his infectious personality and persistence won her over.  He kept trying despite her unwillingness to pay any attention to him, as you can see in the video.  Mom got a few drive-by kisses which completely sold her (this guy's good!).  So, another meeting - just to make sure - and a couple weeks later, Shanuk became an essential member of our new pack.  He had BIG paws to fill but that didn't bother him.  He got right to work and before long we were trained to endure his endless and somewhat relentless mischievous antics.  He was young, energetic, and tall.  Nothing was out of bounds for this guy's mouth! But he was charming and even managed to win Shadow's approval.

We were assimilated (as any good Siberian owner would) and life continued.  Time passed and Shyla's laundry list of serious health issues robbed her of her physical ability to play as much as she did before.  With the support of a dedicated team of vets, we found meds that have made her more comfortable but life had changed somewhat for her.  It was apparent that our young boy needed a new playmate who could keep up and burn some of that snarky teenaged Siberian energy.  Enter a bouncing fuzzy baby - 18 week old Echo's Melee arrived on the scene.

 He came to us straight out of a filthy puppy mill and was absolutely terrified. Shanuk had a new job and adapted to his role as "Mommy" without any hesitation.  Everything Shanuk did, Melee did.

With Shyla's sweet, gentle nature,  and Shanuk's endless patience Melee's personality gradually emerged.  Our new pack was complete.  With their help we have healed from our losses as much as we can.  It's still tremendously hard.  Looking at pictures from our years with Meeka and Echo is still difficult some days.  

At an amazing 17 years of age, our Shadow left for The Bridge.  We miss her.  She tolerated numerous young, obnoxious Siberians, foster dogs, and an invasion of privacy for years.  She kept everyone in their place but was tired.  Over the years, some gray muzzle hairs appeared but she wore them proudly.  She certainly earned them.   With the greatest respect, we peacefully let her go.  Her whimsical confidence will always be in our hearts and there will never be another quite like her.

So here we are - Shyla, Shanuk, and Melee.  The two human kids are grown.  One is married which added a daughter in law whom we love (she doesn't mind dog hair!).  Our girl still has Logan and Niko - her two beloved and very  handsome horses and is a talented dog groomer. How handy is THAT?!

We look forward to sharing the new pack's antics and adventures with all of our friends and appreciate the warm welcome back.