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Allie •
Rhodry •
A Writer's Résumé •
Fellow Traveller •
Fellow Traveller PhotographsBefore he died Rhodry was very clear that I had to get another dog. So was I. After he died I was even clearer, all the more so when doglessness began to seem normal. How to find a dog? I was clueless. Rhodry was the serendipitous culmination of one coincidence after another; I never had to go looking. I put in an application at the local shelter and said I was interested in the northern breeds. I filled out the online application for the New England malamute rescue group. I joined a malamutes e-list. I sat by Rhodry's grave and asked him to send me a dog. Not since I was horse-hunting in 1999 had I paid much attention to the cyber equivalent of classified ads. Somehow I found the Masasyu Alaskan Malamute Kennels site. The dogs were gorgeous. And the homepage announced, "We spin dog hair!" This grabbed me immediately: A weaver-writer friend who lived on the Vineyard for years spun dog hair, as well as sheep wool and other stuff. Another big plus: Masasyu was in upstate New York. I wanted to pick my dog up myself, and if possible to meet its parents; nearly all the malamute kennels and rescue dogs were much farther away. I e-mailed Masasyu, telling my story and what I was looking for. The e-mail I got back from Lori started "YOU'RE IN LUCK!" Turned out they had two brand-new litters, one born late the night of February 27, the other born early the next morning. Rhodry had died on the 26th. I kept looking, but I kept coming back to the Masasyu website. I asked questions, of Lori and of my dog-savvy friends, especially those who knew something about purebred dogs. Finally I told Lori the check really was in the mail and sent it off. Then I waited for the pups to get big enough to leave home. The story of how I drove to Canandaigua, was picked by a puppy, and brought my puppy home, along with how Masasyu's Fellow Traveller got his name, is told in the bloggery: April 25, 2008, April 26, April 27, and April 29. Our subsequent adventures appear in various blog entries. We've been doing "Rally-O," which is sort of like dressage for dogs. In March 2010 we finished our Rally Novice title. We've been preparing for Advanced, which is all done off-leash -- and in June we got the first leg on our Advanced title! We've also started learning agility, a real blast and a big challenge. Someday we'll compete in that too. Rhodry was a once-in-a-lifetime dog. I think I've got another one. Thank you, Rhodry.
click on the images for a larger view and expanded description
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