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pinetrekker's howling log & journal

The most majestic omega

I cannot rest tonight without adding a small tribute entry for one of the grandest wolves which my humom was lucky enough to meet.
Her name was Lakota and she was the omega of the original ambassador wolf pack at the IWC/International Wolf Center in Ely MN founded by "Dr. Wolf" himself David Mech.
She was the reason humom enlisted in volunteering for IWC and for wolf orgs across the country. The reason she got more steadily involved in wildlife conservation, rescue and naturally in animal rescue.
In human society Lakota would of ruled...she was not only gorgeous & photogenic, she was a larger wolf, largest in her litter but in wolf society, larger doesn't always equate to alpha status and she never had the attitude nor the drive/will to achieve it. She witnessed a younger , beta birth sister die at a young age and she also outlived her brother the alpha male Lucas and MacKenzie the alpha female.
I have a youtube dedication clip on my page, take the time to view and witness the wonder of Lakota... there is a shot that breaks my heart of Lakota on the defensive and frenzied surrounded by four other wolves...much of her life was this yet she played a key part in the dichotomy of the pack, even when you least expected...when a wolf was brave enough to challenge authority & alpha and the wrestling became dark, Lakota would scoot in and break the ice and become the sole victim of torment, no contest when the omega was around but most other lowly wolf members would try to find a safe corner or lick the alpha's face in submission, Lakota would break up scuffles and sacrifice herself to ensure peace in her pack.
A most amazing wolf, a beautiful creature whom humom would of loved nothing more than to coddle and to love but we recognize and respect what is wild.
I am proud to share lineage with such an amazing creature and a noble being.

Rest in peace and in knowing your spirit truly lives on in us runts,underdogs & omegas.

Like curling up in an old familiar spot

So much to share I don't know where to begin so I think it's best to start at the present, and I mean very present.
Humom came home a few hours ago and greeted me with funny smells...as in funny OTHER dog smells. I leaped around and did the husky butt wiggle, acting like I hadn't seen her in a million years and yet I smelled the weirdness. BUT as a mature 8 yr. old, confident pup I got over it (actually I recognized the smells, my girlfriends down the block Mischa, a husky lab mix & Ellie a white shepherd husky mix, both we're trying to enlist onto dogster, so if you gals are visiting my page, get on it!) Both my galfriends are rescues like me and I love how we are all living the high life now and ruling the neighborhood...yes we do gossip about the strange boy pups strutting on our territory but we are definitely a handful as a collection (a blonde, a strawberry blonde & a redhead BOL!) but none would ever hold a candle to my *Bandit*, seriously, how many male pups appreciate morning glories yet possess a stare & glare a wolf would pause at ?!!!, and a poet's heart...sigh.

Anyways, I currently have such challenging duties to attend to such as being chili taster last night and helping humom maintain the garden and greeting friends and neighbors, picking out treats and toys at the store for rescue groups and hauling firewood & equipment when we are out of town. but humom mentioned dogster and I woofed it's about fricking time! I miss my friends, I miss the camaraderie and most importantly I know there is always work to be done and never enough hands and paws to meet the requests & demands.

Now the tricky thing about dogster is love, friendship,all the paths offered and tempting, time consuming little threads, perks and whatnot and so little time. Last night we spent over 4 hours simply saying howllo and trying to catch up a little. It hurt to only be able to glimpse a friend's page for a couple moments, perhaps leaving a message or a gift because everyone has so much going on in their lives and some are major that racked us emotionally, others who had such wondrous reasons to celebrate...all that left us feeling guilty and saddened not to have witnessed or be there in the times of greatest joys and deepest sorrows.
For this I want to apologize friends because I do know how much it means to have friends who truly are compassionate and will be there to be your strength when you need it and also are sincerely happy and joyful in celebrations.

So for now I will leave you with a little something to think on,
we will pass through, come and go in so many various degrees and places but our sole duty and purpose as pups is to be there as companions and the unconditional love & loyalty humans need and have not managed to generally possess like us. We are there at first dawn and in the darkest times of unsettled rest and moments for our humans, through all of it. We were also the reason they found their way to dogster, the reason why they stay or come back after absences...through it all we are always there and it's the humans that may need to take a step back or tend to other things but friends, I have always been here, my spirit, my concern & love but I know you understand this too and are constantly taking care of your humans as well and that makes me sleep well at night. Still it's good to be back.

What I learned from an "enemy", Simon/Simone the squirrel- taught me well

We lost my wild furkin Simon/Simone to a hawk 6 weeks ago but that tragic tale is for another time.
My squirrel friend (too premature to designate it's sex, thus the duel names) taught both my humom and I many lessons in it's brief life and on this morning it may have saved one of it's kind it's owns precious little life.
Humom has had an ongoing turf war with the squirrels and her garden the past 8 years, heated enough for her to acquire a slingshot (she has wicked aim but only goes for the thickest part of the body as a reminder we have territory we're willing to defend). Finally this year she forewent the numerous tomato and other vegetable plants...gardening should be a pleasure, not a basis of so much stress,strife and combat. We got very little sympathy from friends when Simon/Simone came into our lives after years of complaint but it was the sole littler mate of "little squirrel boy" that mom tried to save and we mentioned in a previous diary entry, this squirrel I am confident in proclaiming was one in a million and will never be forgotten and forever missed.

I have been patiently waiting for winter, yes at times the Minnesota cool air plays tricks on us all but isolated snowflakes here and there makes me grumble since snow is one of my favorite things in life and the true sign ushering in winter. So the first thing I liked to do after the morning potty duty walk is to be let outside on the back deck which I have taken over, especially a very famous chaise lounge that Lindsey Lohan sat on in the movie "A Prairie Home Companion". My poppa worked on the movie and purchased it from the set for my humom but once I lounged on the chaise, it became mine. Every morning I jump up on the chaise and circle 5 or 6 times and curl up into the expected husky ball and enjoy the cool mornings. This morning the temp was about 20 degrees but my winter coat has been in place for a few weeks and I set about dreaming of snow, the last great race and what humom might cook for dinner. She can see me out of her bedroom window and catches me occasionally lift my head to sniff some exotic aroma passing me by. Just now this morning, out of the corner of her eye she saw a tiny, flashing gray movement on the deck floor. It was one of the tiny baby squirrels, of the very late litter born the end of this summer. Humom has been worried they may not make it for they are so tardy in producing their winter coat and insulation, not to mention all the bullying neighbor squirrels. I think this one braved exploring our deck because there are some seeds and pods left from our garden that humom is waiting to dry out for harvest. Needless to say, being the wildlife chaser and warrior I am she was a little frazzled when it ventured to the end of my throne/chaise and hiked up on it's back legs to peek up. I lifted my head, sniffed the air which led me to see the little one about two husky tails length away. I don't know if it was the naivety or pure fear & horror that made the little one freeze and Sasha/humom gasp. She ran to the deck door and by then the little one had scampered a safe distance away and humom threw out some stale sesame crackers and called me in. I had to remind her that I learned in the brief and blessed time we knew Simon/Simone I could defer what was acceptable and welcomed and what wasn't...even when my humom changed her mind so often in regards to those gray entities. It truly wasn't some twist of fate nor fancy trick that I would recognize our friend and let it wander into our kitchen if we were late with snacks or treats. Nor was it acceptable for the others to bully it around in circles leading it to safety of our deck or Sasha's voice. Numerous times she witnessed me chasing every gray tail except Simone/Simone because it was willing to take a chance on us like I did with my human early in our own personal venture. Sometimes going against the grain or nature reaps the biggest rewards and now humom keeps a vigilant eye on the tiny, tardy squirrel babes and she knows I join her as a champion to ensure they get a chance....those others can risk my bad side/innate wild hunting skills or humom's wrath but Simon/Simone recognized a kin in the underdog role we respect and are drawn to and took a leap of faith which in turn taught us well. For her ( human and all) it may be more expected or recognized but I am constantly proving to her (even being the husky dog) I can and am on the same wavelength at the moments when it truly counts.
I learned my lesson well, I know Simon/Simone along with sibling little squirrel boy witnessed all of this somewhere up there and are proud of us and perhaps guiding those in the gray tribe that need an extra hand to deal, exist and survive in this world full of so many challenges...that a human and more surprisingly a dog may be listening for and hear the call and rise to the unusual challenges that may come our way.

RIP squirrel boy and beloved Simon/Simone.