Questions and Comments – Beach

We are finally catching up on blogs and comments and Facebook and all of that good stuff after a great holiday period.  We realized that we received a number of questions and comments during our beach excursion that deserve some answers, so consider this a special Q&A post.

First, unrelated to the beach, but related to our recent website update – we were asked if we would set up the website to take comments on the stories just like we can on blog posts.  After all, the stories were all written prior to The Herd having a blog.  Fair deal, done.  The way the website is built, ANY page has the ability to turn on comments, so we just turned them on for the story pages.  So each story now has a comment section that works exactly like a blog comment works.  Feel free to leave comments at any of the stories.

On to the beach –

Wild Dingo asked about our picket line blog – When your herd is on the drop line, do they go crazy and bark a lot when dogs/people pass or are they as polite as the photos show?

Depends on when they are on the drop line. Since the pictures you see are after we have been on a long walk and in an RV camping area, The Herd is actually very well behaved. Of course, A tired Sibe is a good Sibe is the trick to that one.  If we are hooking up to go pulling, they are a leaping, crazy, wooing group – but that is a different setting – usually out in an area away from people – and different time – we are hooking up to go exercising, not coming back from exercising.

Sonic asked – What’s that picket line for? Is it like a game or something? I’ve never seen one before.

Woo, Sonic, we love our picket line (also called a drop line).  The line can be attached to two fixed objects and then there are individual lines (the pickets) that can attach to a dogs collar.  Thus, The Herd is all connected to a single line.  When traveling in the S-RV, this is an easy way for The Herd to spend some time outdoors when we don’t have fencing.  Examples are below:

Hanging out on the drop line

Standing on the drop line

KB (who captured some amazing mountain lion pictures – PLEASE go visit her blog) asked – Do Sibes like to swim? Even in the 30s and 40s, my labs would be surfing!

Complicated answer.  In general, the breed is not known for its love of swimming.  As you can imagine, if you live in cold clients, getting wet can be fatal unless you have the protection that otters and polar bears have.  BUT, in warmer climates, Sibes can adapt and use water to cool off with.  Our own Cheoah (which, interestingly, means Otter in Cherokee) is well known for her water antics and loves to be soaking wet.  Last week?  Natasha walked in the surf edge a few times, but that was it.  Too cold to get fully wet.  The rest of The Herd has never shown a desire to get wet.

Michelle R asked – How do you guys clean up all that sand and muck after each beach, ocean walk?  Our springer needs a bath each time we would come back from the lake, or else she would smell like dead fish and leave sand everywhere!

The answer is all above.  Since we don’t like to get very wet (except Cheoah) and because we spend time on the picket line before going back in the S-RV, we don’t track in a lot of dirt.  Plus, we Siberians love to clean our own coats.  Mind you, we can get muddy filthy when we want to, but left to our own devices, we can clean up as well.  Now, of course, the fun at home is to get muddy, come in the house, lay on the bed, and clean ourselves.  The humans say we have the steps out of order, but what do they know?

Steve & Kat asked – I love the portrait of the red team at sunrise! Which brings me to another questions. Do your humans match their clothes to which ever team they have? Also, is the same human always with the same team? We usually have girls against boys at our house. Mom and Kat and then Dad and me.

Laughing.  The hu-dad is accused of not matching his own clothes, much less matching to the dogs.  So there is no attempt to match colors with The Herd.  BUT, we usually walk the same groups.  Natasha and Kiska are quite capable of keeping Qannik contained (he walks in zig-zags).  And Kodiak and Cheoah are buddies, so they are not happy unless walking together.  Rusty – well, Rusty just wants to be able to do his own thing.

Everybody wanted to know about our Pirate TreasureWhat is it?


The most creative answer came from Denns the Vizsla who cracked us up with, “Is that a buried cage? I hope nobody is inside!”

Our official answer – We don’t know!  We had really hoped by posting the picture that someone would say, “Oh, that’s a whatchamacallit” and we could google it and understand.  Did not happen.

So we turned to one of our nautical experts, Kira The BeaWoootiful, and asked for a learned response.  The reply, “Woos! After studying the picture and using our nautical knowledge…. I have decided… it is three huskies on a beach looking at some re-bar or the remains of an anchor!”  Solved.

Hope you enjoyed our answers. Oh, for those of you that were worried, our snow is still here.  In fact, “they” are predicting some snow everyday this week all the way through Sunday.  Isn’t life great?

24 Comments

  1. Steve & Kat on January 15, 2010 at 1:49 pm

    We’re glad to hear the answer to our question. I figured it might be taking it a bit far to assume that your humans are always dressed in either red or black and white.

    Steve

  2. Laura, Lance, and Vito on January 9, 2010 at 6:12 pm

    Thanks for stopping by my blog 🙂 Wow, you have your hands full. I’m speechless!

  3. Ben on January 7, 2010 at 5:22 pm

    The peeps are very excited about the picket line. Us fellas are holding our opinion until we try it out.

  4. Wild Dingo on January 7, 2010 at 3:28 pm

    thanks for the answer. and i was wondering about that weird starfish too!

    yes, a tired sibe is a good sibe. my sibe is going underwater walking today. and her posse gets to watch her.
    thanks for the anwers!
    wags-n-wiggles,
    wild dingo

  5. Mochi on January 7, 2010 at 1:42 am

    Great post! I’m not a big fan of water! I love to walk on the beach, but keep me far away from the ocean!

    I walk in zig-zags just like Qannik! 🙂

    Mochi

  6. Life With Dogs on January 7, 2010 at 12:35 am

    Life is great – as evidenced by this post. So much more interesting than a week laying on a beach.
    I really hope Dennis was wrong! 🙂

  7. Mr Koda MD on January 6, 2010 at 11:38 pm

    Fantastical adventures!! I wish I was there too, can I join you? I am not fussy who I walk with as long as Ma is with me…

    Koda

  8. Sierra Rose on January 6, 2010 at 11:36 pm

    Hi all! Happy New Year!
    Great to read the answers to commenters questions!

    Hugs and snaggle-tooth kisses,
    Sierra Rose

  9. Suka on January 6, 2010 at 10:36 pm

    Very interesting post! I would be absolutely embarrassed if my human dressed to match me, so I am glad your hu-dad does not do that. We have to draw the line somewhere with these humans!

    Suka

  10. Ruby's Raiser on January 6, 2010 at 10:22 pm

    Great Q&A and fantastic pix. The beach photo is just breathtaking.

  11. Twinkietinydog on January 6, 2010 at 9:43 pm

    Way to come back with great information and fun comments on … your comments. I read Sonic’s comment too, but I don’t trust him to not make the holes. Somebody better stop him. Nice try to teach him a new game though. 🙂
    Twink!

  12. Twinkietinydog on January 6, 2010 at 9:42 pm

    Way to come back with great information and fun comments on … your comments. I read Sonic’s comment too, but I don’t trust him to not make the holes. Somebody better stop him. Nice try to teach him a new game though.
    Twink!

  13. Sonic on January 6, 2010 at 8:03 pm

    Thanks for the info, guys! I think a picket line would be good for when my brother Knuckles, cousin Tails and I get together. However… since it’s usually at iGrandmother’s place, she’ll get upset that we drove a stake into her floors.

    Sonic

  14. Paco,Milo & Maya on January 6, 2010 at 7:26 pm

    WOWOOWOOOOO!!!!!
    What a great great great post dear friends!!!
    Very very informative!!!!
    We love to know much more about you and your life!!!!!!!
    Thanks for sharing with us!!!!
    We’re soo happy to met you in the past year!!!!
    Tons of love and kisses

  15. Clive on January 6, 2010 at 7:00 pm

    Great post – enjoyed all the answers!

  16. Huffle Mawson on January 6, 2010 at 6:25 pm

    I always new I was an honorary husky. I don’t like the water that much and I clean myself up too!

  17. gus, louie and callie on January 6, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    Now we have all the answers. We are so excited that some of you do enjoy the water like the heeler’s do..
    Great pictures mom…

    Big Sloppy Kisses
    Gus, Louie and Callie

  18. The OP Pack on January 6, 2010 at 3:59 pm

    The sibes here have not liked getting wet except for Thunder who just loves the rain. He has never had the chance to visit a lake or ocean or river so who knows what he would do? Glad to hear you are getting more snow. It is snowing quite heavily here right now and as cold as he is, Phantom does not want to come in. Something in the blood that just makes us love this weather.

    Play bows, Phantom and Thunder

  19. jack a-roo on January 6, 2010 at 3:40 pm

    Furry informative! About the treasure – I thought it looks like the lobster cages we see washed up beaches, but I’d hat to think of the size of THAT lobster! And I wondered if it was a cage like the ones they put pirates in & suspended from piers a couple centuries ago….if it is, I have to agree with Dennis… hope there’s no one in there!

    jack a-roo

  20. Jamie on January 6, 2010 at 3:10 pm

    Great Post!

    Where did you get that drop line from? I have been looking for one and want to get a good one. I don’t want to worry about my guys getting away, you probably understand about those Houdini Husky’s.

  21. The Army of Four on January 6, 2010 at 12:18 pm

    What a fun post!
    “They” and “I” are predicting more snow for us … sniff, sniff, sniff … in a couple hours. 🙂
    Love,
    Ammy

  22. Khyra on January 6, 2010 at 10:41 am

    Furry good on-line Siberian infurmation khourse!

    Will there be a khwiz at some point?

    Hugz&Khysses,
    Khyra & Khousin Merdie

  23. Dennis the Vizsla on January 6, 2010 at 10:21 am

    hello thundering herd its dennis the vizsla dog hay grate q and a sesshun!!! and i am glad that yoo ar stil having snow for yore enjoymint!!! ok bye

  24. Scout and Freyja on January 6, 2010 at 9:49 am

    What a fun post! It always amazes me when I see you with all of those dogs on leash and walking so well. I try to take my two and they act like whirling dervishes!

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