Cutter - Again

8 October 2012
8:23 PM

Sunrise at	8:24 AM	in direction	103°	East-southeast
Sunset at	6:51 PM	in direction	257°	West-southwest

Duration of day: 10 hours, 27 minutes (6 minutes, 39 seconds shorter than yesterday)

Cutter sits on command.  He also has decided he does not like going downstairs with JayJay during the day - even if yummy filled bones are offered.  He never took to any of the dog beds lying around the house - not once.  I kept trying to place them near where he likes to sleep at night.  He would just move.  Finally, I brought up a collapsible crate, set it up with the padding that he did accept from downstairs and waited.

I saw him go in and then back out several times.  Then he lay down just in front of the entrance.  I inwardly sighed.  Oh, well - good try.  But, when I woke in the morning, he was comfortably stretched out inside.  He has a spot of his own that comes closer to the cushy comfort sought by the other three dogs.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ

It looks as though Cutter will join my son's very lonely Alaskan husky in Talkeetna over the winter.  Arlo howls and howls and howls when left alone without another dog.  He goes everywhere in Lorien's car since his closest pack mates are here in Fairbanks.  Lorien and I have talked this back and forth ever since Aliy made the determination that Cutter could leave the kennel.  For awhile, Lorien considered changing his living arrangement, which put everything on hold.  Then he decided to stay where he was and now wants Cutter to join him and Arlo.  His goal is to be able to skijor and he told me more about Arlo's reaction to skiing with him alone.

I should ask Aliy to explain more about it, but Lorien told me something about dog behavior, and especially in sled dogs, that I had not known before.  He said they do better when with other dogs because they compete with one another.  He said the competition is pulling on their innate instinct to hunt as a pack and they are pushing one another to run down their quarry.  Without that Arlo starts out happy. "Yippee.  I get to run."  But not so very long after, he is bored - there is no other to test himself against.

Cutter will get needed exercise; I won't buy a sled (sad face).  He continues to have a loving home in our family (see Photos from Yesterday's Mushing Lesson for a photo Lorien and his good friend Arlo).  Over the winter, I will still get to see him when Lorien comes up to visit and I go south - which is turning out to be frequent.  Still, he is my best dog in many regards so I want him home over the summer.  His sweetness is genuine.  His appreciation of what we give him, touching.  His stoic personality is very welcome and I might add quite the contrast from Queen JayJay, General Aria, and Covert Agent Mira Bai.