Puppy Pen
Watch out! Puppies everywhere... As you might have guessed Polar Husky puppies are huge, wild and incredibly cute. They love attention, they are very curios and when they get into gang mode they think they can overcome a mountain. All excellent trades for the trail ahead.
On June 26, 2007 eight new Polar Husky Superstars were born by their spirited mother Xena. The father of the five females and three males is none other than the mighty Polar Husky veteran Peto, for whom this year's journey to Chukotka, Russia was his last adventure learning expedition.
(Given the noise level in the puppy house we can assure you that it is not the last we heard of Peto's signature noises on our expeditions!)
June 25 2007: A Puppy Diary...
For 61 days we watched Xena grow bigger and bigger. Finally, on June 26th, Paul could yell out with pride "eight puppies are born."
This is Xena's first litter of puppies. Checking on her frequently, we would sit with her for long periods of time. Not because she needs any help - she handled herself as a real pro! Shortly after a pup was born, and when Xena was done cleaning it, we touch the puppy so that they feel and smell us - human touch - right away. It is not really something you do with other breeds of dogs, because it might make them nervous. But Polar Huskies don't mind.
The pups are born inside of a very large dog house that is located outside in a 'puppy pen' seperated from the rest of the kennel. It took about 24 hours from the first puppy was born untill the last little guy had arrived. Xena was obviously tired, but very busy keeping everybody warm, clean and drinking her top notch milk. We were thrilled with excitement. Five female (girls) and three male (boys) Polar Husky wonders had been born.
The first three weeks, Xena feeds the puppies with her milk. We spend time with them every day, checking that they are all healthy and growing and making sure that they get to know us. We weigh each one of them every day to make sure that they gaining weight as they should to grow healthy.
Puppies are born with closed eyes, so they can not see and they also can not produce any body heat themselves the first 10 - 14 days. While their eyes are closed we make sure to talk a lot, touch them and hold them close when we handle them, so they stay nice and warm. At 10 days old the first ones started opening their eyes.
As the puppies grow bigger we begin to support in feeding them, first with milk replacement and then with soaked puppy food, to slowly get them weaned from Xena. At four weeks old, we are now feeding them three times a day, and Xena gets to have long breaks from the kennel. We spend lots of times with the puppies, they get to play and explore, listen to music and loud noises, and meet new people. It is a blast!
On Thursday, July 26, one of the little females will go with Beacon, Paul, Aaron, Mille and Teacher Explorer Jeff Sipper to the KARE 11 TV-Station for an interview! Meeting new people is very good for the puppies. Positive experiences with new people is part of how they get to love and trust people. Which is important for the trail ahead!
..See even though it will be almost a year, before these puppies ever see a harness, their training to become mighty Polar Huskies has already begun.
Puuuuppiiiies - What they are named!
By now all eight little Polar Husky superstars respond to the 'puuuuppiiiies.' That said, six of the eight littermates have been given names selected from the 3281 names submitted as suggestions for naming the KARE 11 Polar Husky pupppy. She has been named 'Sunrise' and her sisters have been named Kinupok, Luna, Sisu, and Qannik. The three males in the litter have been named Pingo, Chukchi and Yoik. Thank you to the many people that help give names to the latest Polar Husky Superstars!
