Journey to Get The Lost Boys

It was a very sad time for us as  in May of this year we lost Kali our 12 year old Malamute to cancer. She put up a valiant fight and with the help of Colorado State University Vet School, we had six fantastic months with her. She was such a sweet soul. 

In July Kali's daughter Taiya tore a ligament and she underwent surgery. One night she passed away in her sleep. This was probably due to a blood clot. She was 10 years old and a very intelligent Malamute, so much so her personality was amazingly goofy in a special way. 

We sorely miss those two and not having a pup makes for an empty life for us. Yes they become part of our family and are spoiled to the max. We like the Malamute breed for many reasons, their Noble looks, their size, their personality, independence, and unrelenting love. Yes they can be a challenge and are not for everyone. They force us to take many walks in all sorts of weather conditions, as they are rarely bothered by the cold. Yes our house , clothes, cars, etc etc etc are covered in fine Malamute fur. 

To fill this void in our family we started our quest to find a couple of pups. The plan had been  to get a pup in February as we had a good deal of travel planned for late 2014. I started by searching the Internet for various kennels with available Malamute puppies. Some were rather pricey and proud of their pups, when I came upon a kennel in Mississippi. This kennels web site impressed me with their knowledge of the breed and the great pictures of their available pups. The were two litters born in late March and there were some of those pups available. As puppies get old the cuteness factor wears off and kennels sometimes have a hard time finding forever homes for these older pups. These two litters had males that were in that category. While not litter mates, They were born a day apart, and have been kennel buddies since birth and are reported to get along well together. The kennel offered these to us at a very good price and knowing they needed a good forever home who was to say no. The kennel was also gracious enough to keep them for us till we could travel to get them at the end of September. Now these little balls of fur have grown to about 45-50 pounds, thus making the cost to ship them in the $1200 range. Personally I am not a fan of shipping pups. I found a one way airfare of $98 and a reasonable one way car rental on an SUV. So plans were made for the flight and drive home. 

The kennel names for these two are Roano and Bear. Roano we understand is the leader and Bear is the follower. I quickly started calling them The Lost Boys, just seemed fitting. We have a list of names based on geographic locations and features in Alaska. We will see what fits them and the change their names accordingly.

We started to put together a large duffel bag with the items we thought we would need for this adventure.  New collars with "I belong to" information tags, bowls for food and water, a few toys, a water jug, a plastic tarp, news papers, bedding, paper towels, resolve, air freshener, leashes, pinch collars for walking, puppy poop bags, and other stuff I must be forgetting. Our plan is to pick them up on October 1st and drive straight through to Denver where we will drop the rental car and transfer them to the Jeep. 

We got up early and made good time to DEN for our flight to New Orleans. Our destination for this night is a hotel in Hattiesburg, MS. The flight is progressing well at this time. 

We arrived to a very warm New Orleans, well warm to us. Proceeded directly to Avis and checked the Preferred board and we were directed to Space H12. Found a Kia SUV, I did not remember what was reserved, so loaded our stuff and started to drive out of the lot. The nice lady at the control booth looked at our contract and car and said “you have the wrong vehicle, you should have a bigger car.  Turned around and went back to the office. It was one of those oops moments for them. They found us a Ford Explorer, go to it and start loading our stuff and setting up the back for the Lost Boys. While doing this a gentleman comes by and says the car is his rental. I show him my paperwork and he shows me his and sure enough we both were assigned the same car. We both laugh and I relate our earlier story. Off we both go to the office. He was offered a larger vehicle as he had lots of stuff to haul, we kept this one and all was well. 

We drove about two hours to Hattiesburg, MS, and find our hotel. Here we do the final set up of the car. A blue tarp duck taped in place is the first layer, next are some blankets from a whelping pen, the a couple layers of news paper. Leashes, leads, treats and toys are placed in strategic locations. We have a water jug to fill with Ice in the Morn. A quick trip to the Piggly Wiggly for some fresh food for us and then we crash at 2100. 

I am awake at 0300 and decided to go to the Waffle House for the Biscuits and Gravy with a side of smothered hash brown, and dark roast coffee. Folks at the Waffle House could not believe we came all that way for a couple of pups. I also got Lynn and Egg and Cheese Biscuit. She was very happy with my choice for her. 

We got on the road about 0500ish and made our way to the Kennel. We were met by the owner and two Malamute Pups. Roano and Bear were a bit skittish but started to warm up to us. This would be their first time on a lead and first car ride. We got a briefing, medical records, chip info etc and were soon on our way with a couple of apprehensive Malamute Pups. time was a bit after 0600.

The pups quickly found a spot and went to sleep. We started stopping about every two hours and forced them out for a walk. Roano was a bit more comfortable in getting out for a walk, while Bear had to be pretty much pulled and lifted out. Bear seems to be the shyer of the two. 

As our time with them progresses we decide on the names of Sitka for Roano and Kenai for Bear. Sitka is the larger and darker of the two while Kenai is smaller and has the forehead blaze and a snow nose. A snow nose is a partially non pigmented nose, they sometimes grow out of these.  Their shyness and apprehension is also melting away.

Our route took us from the Mississippi Delta’s cotton fields into Louisiana. Passed through Duck Dynasty’s Monroe, and noted it was a much bigger town than one would think. The we started the never ending trip across Texas. Texas is a very diverse place with some pretty country. Our route took us through Dallas and I got to show Lynn Dealey   Plaza. we made our way to Amarillo and headed north through Oklahoma, pftt!!! not so much wind whistling down the plains, they need to visit Cheyenne. Made it into Colorado and it was about  0200, Pulled into a parking area and got two hours sleep. Lynn crawled into the back with the pups and they cuddled with her and tried to steal her blanket. 

After a two hour nap we were on the road again. Sitka starts getting restless and there was no place to pull over, oh well one mess for how far we had gone, not bad at all. Clean it up and get going then Kenai get restless and yep another mess. The interior of the rental car received nary a drop. Felt bad for them it was just bad timing. 

We finally made it to the Parking Spot to get the Jeep. We transferred our bags and pups and freshened up the rental car with Fabreeze. Dropped the rental car and headed home. 

The first thing we did at home was give Sitka and Kenai a tour of the back yard. They immediately started playing with some old toys. While in the back yard a rabbit ran out from under a spruce tree. They did not see it so Bunnies are kinda safe if they stay out of the back yard. Then a tour of the house where they learned than putting ones paws on the kitchen counter was a no no. Then came a tour of the house locations for water and food were demonstrated.  

We are really surprised that these guys like toys, they chase and play with them, but as true to Malamute form they do not bring the toy to you. Sitka has decided to collect them all in one area between the plum and apple tree. Kenai likes to run in and grab one and run about. They have been doing some tug of war.

We gave them a bit of food and will start a feeding routine. These guys are not food driven (yet) like Kali and Taiya were. 

Sitting in the back yard with them, Lynn went to the big city, so when she gets home it will be time for their first formal walk. Will see how that goes. Kenai is the instigator for play/roughhousing  and Sitka plays along as needed. Yes they are ignoring the nice dog houses they have.  

The first walk: 

We fitted them with walking collars and opened the garage door. A garage door opening  is a new experience and they are a pinch put off. Sitka was first out and Kenai followed. They stayed pretty darn  and close to us and were checking out the sights of the neighborhood.  Survey flags were items of great interest at a new construction site, they did not want to walk in the area to the side of the road, other dogs barking were different for them. All was new and strange to them, time will change this I am sure. Sitka did see a rabbit and started to chase, but soon learned about the end of the 25’ leash. 

Monday will be the first vet visit.