Light flurry snow falling at the moment (Thurs. 22 at 10:40 AM). A little heavier on it’s way they say, up to 2 inches. I can handle that! Oh, I am in Missouri.
Have a great day and stay warm! Bring your dogs in, unless you have a Siberian Husky, they love the snow and cold. They were born for it.
This beautiful Siberian Husky was my best friend for many years. Her registered name was Black Hawk’s Gray Sky, I called her Sky. She passed away about 3 years ago, she was 17-1/2 years of age when she took her last breath. I found her one morning in her dog house in the exact position I normally saw her sleeping (when she slept in the dog house); one paw always hanging out the door with her nose resting on her leg. She went peacefully, obviously in her sleep. The night before, we were on the back patio, she acted like a puppy, which was normal too. She went back and forth between me and Jo Ann, to be petted and hugged, seeking a bit more attention than she normally did; though she always loved attention. It was as if she knew she was enjoying her last day with us. At the time, it wasn’t apparent to us. The only time I ever had her to the vet was for her shots and annual checkup. I never saw her ill, if she ever was she never let on. In her last couple of years, she slowed down, but just a bit and breathing got a little heavier, especially when she ran, and she loved to run. She was after all an escape artist!
I was given Sky as a gift from my mother shortly after she was born. She was a stunning pup. She was extremely intelligent. Once an elderly neighbor of ours (in his 90s) was doing some yard work. I was further up in the yard planting some flowers and other plants. Sky was over by the fence watching our neighbor. She started barking. She very seldom barked, almost never (she howled). When she barked something was wrong. At first I ignored her, but she kept it up. I looked up and asked her “What’s wrong with you”, she looked at me barked then would look at the neighbor, and looked back at me again. She had been trying to get my attention. I looked in the direction she was looking and saw my neighbor passed out on the ground. Sky barked as I was getting up off the ground ( I had been kneeling on the ground as I was planting). I started to go over to check on him, when he rose up, Sky was still focused on him and still barking. My neighbor set up and said “Are you looking out for me girl?”. The man’s wife came out onto their upper deck, to check on what was going on, as she heard Sky barking as well. I told her she should take him to the hospital, as he had passed out. Later that evening, we learned my neighbor had in fact had a heart attack, but was going to be okay. He told his wife, he wasn’t sure what happened, but that he had heard Sky barking , he opened his eyes and he was lying on the ground. He believed Sky had saved his life.
Sky was an amazing animal. She was family. She was good for me, as she helped me through a difficult time. We were good for each other. The love was unconditional, and it went both ways, and I miss her. I could write a book on her life, it wasn’t boring, not for me, us or her.
What I like about this painting is………..I got the face right. Anyone that ever knew her would recognize her in this painting. That I am quite proud of, and I believe I got it right because of my emotional attachment to her. I think, for me, there is something to learn from that and I have.
I called her Sky. We lost her this past May, she was 17 1/2 years young. To the last breath she pranced around like a puppy. Many who saw her for the first time, during her escapes, thought she was a pup. I don’t have a photo of her here on this post, I’ll have to find one and submit on a future post. The link below reminded me of her.
Every time I step in our fenced in back yard, Sky’s yard, I think of her; it brings a smile even on the crappiest of days.
Check the link below of this beautiful wolf.
Her registered name is BlackHawk’s Gray Sky, a Siberian Husky. I called her and she would usually answer to Sky. I went looking for her yesterday morning (May 24, 2018), to see if she had once again escaped, as a gate was left open by an air conditioning serviceman. I found Sky in her dog house, in a position she often slept (half in-half out) having taken her last breath of life somewhere in the early morning hours .
Sky was born in January of 2001, nearly 17-1/2 years ago. The average life span of a Husky is 12-15 years. She went peacefully, no suffering, no pain. Breathing had become labored a bit in the last year, after a good run in the yard, or during play. Her time had come. God bless, I was never put in a position to make a decision to put her down. She was very healthy; she went to the veterinarian only for her annual shots. Never did I have to take her for an illness. During her entire life, I never saw her ill. I believe that is true because she never ate table scraps. I wouldn’t allow it. Siberian’s do not over eat, they eat only what and when necessary. A good diet, a great deal of exercise, a great life. This last year, we would occasionally give her bones with some meat left on it as a treat for a long life. I knew she was nearing her final year(s), so, why not!
Sky wasn’t just a dog, or just a Siberian Husky, she was a companion, a friend and family. She was a gift from my mother. I remember the first time I saw her, only a few weeks old. I walked through the front door of my mother’s house, this little furry pup pranced right up to me. My eyes met her stunningly beautiful blue eyes, Sky Blue eyes.
Chief Black Hawk of the Sac nation is an ancestor, my great, great, great-grandfather. Black Hawk roamed northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and eastern Iowa. Sky was born in Iowa. As I was processing her registration papers with her full name (that I was giving), I learned from her birth papers, a part of her fathers’ name was BlackHawk. A coincidence? I believe our coming together was fate, meant to happen. BlackHawk’s Gray Sky, gray the color of a great deal of her coat; Sky….those beautiful blue eyes, as blue as the distant sky.
What a personality, too much to describe in one post……lets just say she had a lot of character, some from the breed and much of which she developed on her own. She was all Husky.
Anyone that knows me, knows how proud I was of Sky. I have stories of her escape skills, stalking moles all night then dropping their remains at our back door to show us she got him. Possums and raccoons that entered HER YARD, were skillfully executed for trespassing. I guess they didn’t see her sign! She left squirrel’s alone, unless they were caught digging where she had a bone or food buried. She could count. When I brought her inside from the heat during the Summer, I’d bring in her food bowl. She couldn’t bury her food for a later time in the house. She’d take pieces and place them in corners of the room, or place them underneath a table, hiding her food. I noticed all the piles looked the same, the same number of pieces. I counted them, in each pile, she always had 8 pieces (Kibbles N Bits) per pile. Exactly 8 in each pile. It wasn’t just a coincidence. She always had about 5-6 locations where she’d neatly place (store) her food.
Thank goodness Sky was chipped. Siberian’s are escape artists. Houdini would have been proud. When she got loose, I’d get calls letting us know where I could pick her up. Those that held her for me would say: “Oh she’s so sweet!” She was sweet, but she loved tormenting me, putting me through hell with worry. She loved the adventure that escape runs gave her. She loved people……… Just a couple of months ago she got out of HER fenced in yard and took a run. The couple that found her thought she was still a puppy. “She has so much energy, she acts like a puppy.”
The night before her passing, Jo Ann and I set out on our patio, enjoying her company, as she enjoyed ours. There was no sign of any distress, no sign of feeling ill or injured. I am so thankful we had that time with her.
Sky would always sit and wait outside our back door every morning, by the clock, for me to come out, check her water and food bowls………and a treat or two before I left for work. We’d have a moment of play, a kiss from her and of course she loved the petting.
Sky gave and received love. I thank God for this beautiful gift through my mother.
I believe someday we will be together again. Sky will be sitting, waiting for me as she always has……….and she’ll expect me to bring a treat, after she goes on that long run she’s dreamed of. Thank you Sky for the memories and the love. You are missed!
Sky is a 12 years young female Siberian Husky. Sky was born in southeast Iowa and her registered name is Blackhawk’s Gray Sky. Sky was given to me as a gift from my mother and has been with me since she was only a few weeks old. We reside in St. Louis County, Missouri.
Sky has had a good, happy life. She is in excellent health, never being sick a day in her life, that she let on anyway. Hopefully we’ll have a few more years together. A Siberian Husky has a life span of 12-15 years.
We have a large chain-link fenced in yard, which is Sky’s domain, her territory, her country sort of speak. She has lots of room to run, which a Husky loves, to play and roam freely. The fence is Sky’s boundary, her border, she has rules, some mine and some hers, mostly hers. She stays within her boundaries, usually, which is my rule. Sometimes from curiosity and instinct she finds away out of the yard, that is another story. When she does, she spends a few hours with County Animal Control, as she has broken others trespass rights and the leash law. I get a call (she is chipped) and go rescue her, while paying the fine. However, the older Sky has gotten the more abiding she is to the rules and the law. She realizes, she has it good in her own little country.
The border surrounding Sky’s country is secure. The gates are closed and locked. There are predators out there that try to invade Sky’s home, sometimes to harm her, sometimes to take what is not theirs. The fence is a resource we provided her for protection, and it keeps some of the danger from entering, but not all. Burglars, (furry animals wearing a mask) or raccoons climb over, only to be surprised by the one dog Border Patrol. Vandals, such as possums have yet to learn they can not enter and destroy a protected border. This patrol officer has no sympathy for violators, they are eliminated. There is no amnesty……violators are not given room and board or any healthcare. Unfortunately, under Sky’s law, they are not returned back from where they came. They are destroyed, that is her survival instinct.
Occasionally Sky leaves her yard for neighborhood walks, she is however, under control. Her neighbors love her to visit, but she always goes home (of course she is on a leash). She is friendly, loving. She shares her yard with squirrels that come from the outside, they are welcome as long as they follow her rules; don’t dig where she has her belongings buried (or its adios). If you come to harm her or take (try to take) what belongs to her, you are no longer welcome.
We can learn a great deal from our canine friends. Our borders should be so secure.
ARLIN REPORT...................walking this path together 