We have a web site!

Tala and I are thrilled to announce our new web site! -mukki
Monkey Junction
We named it in honor of our simian caretakers, Cris & Rich.

Best Wishes River

River, who have have been fostering, is a great pup, very loving and full of energy, we've had no problems with him. In the short time we had him, he became a happy and healthy husky and we wish the very best for him and hope a loving family will find and care for him soon.

For a siberian husky contact the one we recommend: Southern Siberian Rescue!

Day 7: "Passing" Training

We went up to the New River trail again. Its a fun trail to run the dogs on. Robin had a crappy day but she still found time to come out and play and help us train Mukki and Tala. We owe a lot to her.

We ran the dogs up to Fries Junction, crossed the old railroad bridge and went through the tunnel. The tunnel was pretty fun, it gets very dark in there. The pups handled it very well except for one small part where they stopped in the darkest part of the tunnel just long enough for me to run over the gangline and get it caught in the tire -which is really fun to untangle in pitch dark.

We had to make one sharp turn each way, Mukki and Tala still need to learn haw and gee. On the way back we practiced passing and moving over with haw over and gee over commands. Its funny how the dogs like to be out front and will run harder to get there but once in front of the other teams they slow down a bit. Overall they did pretty good, but they still need a lot of training.

We passed a couple cows on the path, Mukki did good keeping Tala from going to say hi. The cows then began following us and headed towards the road. While Robin and I packed up, Cris went off to herd some cattle and get them out of the way of traffic and back towards the farm house, I wish I had pictures. She did good.

Day 6: The Quick Run and Dog Party

Today is the Southern Siberian Rescue 5 year anniversary party in Raliegh, NC. In an attempt to to make the pups tired before the party we decided to make a quick run up the walking path in near the house.

The Run:
The walking path runs along the river and is about 4 miles total. We ran half the path; the part where we figured there would be less people. Mukki and Tala got hooked up and we took off down the path, little did we know that River had decided he wanted to go too and made a loud "WEEEeeeeeeee" sound slipped out of his collar and started chasing us leaving Cris behind in the dust. It wasn't till he passed by Mukki and Tala did I realize I had another dog with us. I yelled up to Mukki and I felt the rig jolt as we started moving faster. The chase was on! We rounded a few corners and luckily saw someone walking and I yelled up to "Please grab that dog!" he didn't have to try hard, River ran right up to him and sat down to get some attention. I pulled up along side grabbed Rivers scruff and moved over to grass thanking the man for his help. I waited for Cris to walk about a mile to catch up to us :(

After the excitement Mukki and Tala and I went to the end of the path and turned around to head back to Cris. We decided since River wanted so badly to run we hooked him up with Mukki and took off down the road, Mukki kept him in line, but we were taking it easy. We went about a mile then turned around and headed back. Tala didn't care she wasn't running she sat next to Cris like a princess.

The Party:
Afterwards we went home. River was picked up to go to a dog fair and we packed up for the 2+ hour drive to Raleigh. The pups slept on the back seats. The party was fun. There must have been about 100 Huskies all wanting to meet everybody. There were games, food, and a Silent Auction.

River

We're fostering River, a Siberian Husky who's about 1 year old. He's a sweetheart, very gently and submissive. He gets along great with Tala and Mukki and spends most of his time following Tala and Cris around. Tala and River talk to each other too which is pretty funny :) So far it seems like a pretty good experience for Tala and Mukki. Mukki is establishing himself more as the dog in charge and he gets a little break from Tala now that she has another playmate.

Tala, Mukki and River. River is the pup on the right.

River is a great pup and we don't think we'll be fostering for long :(

Day 5: The Long Day

Day five was one long adventure. Time and distance can become hard to judge when running sometimes. This trip we traveled 1 mile too far. It certainly didn't feel like 5 miles. but once we realised we found a nice patch of grass on the side of the path and hooked up the picketline.

We brought chicken salad and Cris made some delicious wheat rolls. Robin baked wonderful red velvet cupcakes so it was pretty good picnic. We did however forget the dog bowls for water and had to use the container the cupcakes were in. A few people stopped by to meet the dogs and say hi while we relaxed.

As we were cleaning up and attaching the dogs to the ganglines Tala flipped out of her harness and took off running, luckily i was close and dove when she ran by and grabbed her collar.

Mukki was either showing off how good a lead dog he can be or he just wanted to get home; there were squirrels running across the path, bicyclists, and horses and he stayed focused on the path even pulling Tala in and forcing her to avoid the distractions. I'm proud of him.

Overall we did about 10 miles. Tala and Mukki did pretty good although it was the longest they've ran. Looks like I might be picking up a some kind of trip computer for the scooter :)

Next weekend is the Southern Siberian 5 year anniversary in Raleigh. It sounds like there may be 100+ people and just as many pups. It should be fun.

Day Four

Today was just Tala & Mukki making a short run to the river and back (approx 4-5 miles total). No major events, the pups were well behaved and listened to some of the commands. They did excellent with oncoming bikers and passing by other distractions. Next we need to work on gee around, haw around - When they get their mind set on one direction they stick to it :)

This was the first run with the new Diggler DSK. the brakes worked great - very responsive. It also was a comfortable ride, partly probably due to the front shocks and partly being able to stand up straight. The board is a good size to stand on and it was easy to stay balanced.

Overall we had another fun day. Tomorrow we meet Robin at a different trail for a second run this weekend.

Need to be Ever Vigilant!

A heck of a way to start the day! We trained the pups to sit several feet back from door and gate when we leave. They have been very good and we've been very proud of them.

This morning, they sat quietly in the back yard while we kissed 'good-bye' and I teasingly asked for a second kiss... Tala in a blink of an eye took the opportunity to shoot out of the gate and run into our neighbor's carport. Rich went after her and I snagged Mukki as he strolled out to see what's what. Tala jumped up on the wall and evaded Rich -taking off down Worth Street! One good thing about these Siberians -they have a 'path' mentality and tend to stay on the sidewalk rather than run into the street. Rich tossed me the truck keys and took off after her.

Rich is 6'3" and runs like a deer -must be his Chreokee blood! I got into the truck without Rich's natural grace and fumbled with seat, keys and lights. Did I mention it was raining? This was another reason Tala's flight took us by surprise -she hates the rain and hates to go out into it to pee!

By the time I got on the street there was no one in sight. I assumed Tala would stay on the sidewalk and turned up the next street -following one of our usual walks. Two blocks up the hill I saw Tala forced into submissive pose (on the ground on her side) with Rich panting over her.

Back home, we told her to lie down and she did but this time with tail between legs -a first for our submissively-challenged Tala! Rich drove to work looking worse for wear and I am writing this with the submissive brat lying at my feet, trying to sneak a few quiet chews on the chair leg and licking my ankle! Mukki is strutting around looking smug and collecting all the toys -even Tala's -Mukki loves to punish her. He has taught me a few lessons in how to deal with her.

We say it all the time, "Never trust a Siberian!" and who got the last laugh? hopefully it will prove to be us! We want to share our lives for a very long time with our pups. All ends well, this time and a good lesson reinforced. Also, Cris gets kisses with door/gate closed from now on!

Scooter has arrived! YEAH!!

Tala is curious about the new delivery but Mukki is obviously upset. The FedEX man was NOT informed that all deliveries to our house must be accompanied by a cookie! Mukki is looking out the window, I guess he is checking to see if the man will come back with a treat. But, no, he just drove away! The UPS lady has spoiled the mutts terribly, in fact, she will be dissappointed to learn that the scooter came via FedEX and not UPS! LOL Well, here it is: the eagerly awaited new toy: A Diggler DSK from dogscooter.com. Surprisingly, the dogs were not that interested in the toy as Rich put it together. They are very excited when gear arrives and is unpacked -like the harnesses and the gang lines... I guess it is all about 'them', no interest in the scooter, they must consider it a Rich-toy! :-)

A Very Rare Polka Dot Siberian Husky

You won't believe your eyes but here it is...Seen here first on Sibe Tribe!!! As you can see, you don't have to be a Siberian to mush! This is an equal opportunity sport and great exercise for dogs.

Third day of training...

We started at the picnic spot in Fries VA (pronounced 'freeze') First Robin worked unloading her rigs and euipment while Rich worked on Robin's scooter to help repair some of the damage the squirrel detour caused (a twisted brake pad), While Robin worked on her 4 wheeler -a big mega rig, Cris played with the pack. We had 9 dogs and just sorting them out was lots of fun. It's funny to see the reaction Mukki and Tala have with the pack and visa versa. Old friendships are rekindled and lingering feuds still smolder. Mukki apparently had made some rivals.Cris became smitten with a new member of the pack, an 11 week old pup named yogi!He was so much fun. He hops and skips around the pack -keeping just out of nipping range. He really enjoyed the water. While the gang was out mushing, Cris took the each dog into the water for splashing fun with Yogi. Yogi is so affectionate, you can't help falling under his spell! Mukki and Tala have so much fun on the line waiting for their run, here they are watching as Cris gets out a bag of treats -one for everyone, you can't help feeling like Santa dispensing yums. Mukki wasn't interested and spit his out for Tala to eat! He had only one thing in mind: MUSHING! He is a big galoopey guy who is as happy in harness and on the couch watching NCIS!

New harnesses have arrived!

Our friend Robin has been kind enough to generously share her gear with us, our gear has been on order and is slowly arriving. The gang line arrived and both dogs were excited when they saw what was in the package! But now they have their harnesses! straight from Nordkyn Outfitters in Graham WA.

The dogs were very excited and ran around chasing each other.

Ganglines

Our ganglines arrived today from Cold Spot Feeds up in Fairbanks, AK. Unpacked them in front of the pups; we think Mukki knew what they were for, he dropped his ears back and started wagging his tail like crazy. Can't wait for the rest of the gear to arrive.

Dirt Sled Training: Day 2

Day 2 for training was very excited, everything that could go wrong did; we had gang lines snap and dogs taking off down the path, wheels falling of scooters, and a couple of "mishaps" caused my crazy squirrels running across the path. We ran a total of 8 miles and Tala and Mukki kept up their usual pace. One thing is for certain they don't like to be behind another team, they'll really push it to get out front. This weekend we had a total of 6 dogs and 3 rigs going down the path and a beautiful day. Again we had fun and this time we remembered to take some photos and video.

Dirt Sled Training: Day 1

Up until this day, Cris and I would walk and run the kids every morning for 2 miles. As soon as they started working together during the run and when i couldn't keep up anymore we thought it was time for them to try running a dirt sled, So we gave Robin their foster mom and experienced dryland musher a call. As you would have guessed they were naturals. Mukki took the lead and keeps Tala in check most of the time, squirrels on the path pose a slight problem -more on that later. We averaged about 15 mph for the first 2 miles and about 9 mph for the whole 4 mile trip, not a bad start for a first time. We still have a lot of training to do both for the dogs and for us, but It was a blast and Tala and Mukki were so happy. We had so much fun that we forgot to take pictures of the event. The pups slept good that night.

Meet Tala

Tala is a gray and white Siberian Husky with two of the most beautiful blue eyes. Tala is younger than Mukki, we estimate she's about one year old. She still has a little puppy in her and can be wild and playful, but she is extremely smart and is doing very well in her training. Tala is very curious and will follow you around the house - she doesn't want to miss any action. If you stand still too long she'll sit down leaning up against your leg, it's very cute.

Meet Mukki

Mukki is a black and white male husky with possibly a little malamute or german shepard mixed in. He is bi-eyed with one brown and one blue eye. Mukki is just about 2yrs. He's a kisser and a jumper; occasionally combining the two traits jumping up to give a quick and unexpected kiss on the lips. In the house he is the sweetest he can be, but outside his favorite activity is running and boy does he love to run and run and run...

Mukki & Tala

Tala & Mukki are two Siberian Huskies that Christine and I adopted August 19th 2007 from the Southern Siberian Rescue in Raligh, NC. Tala and Mukki were rescued from the pound and they bonded and became friends while staying with their foster mom Robin H. We were so lucky to find these two sweethearts.