Daily Activities
/In the evenings, I often look back on the day and wonder- where did the day go? I feel like I’ve been running around and accomplishing tasks all day, but rarely are they the big sort of tasks. They’re often smaller and not something particularly noteworthy. In the winter, you can sum up a day with a simple statement. “We went on a 50-mile run” or “we packed Copper Basin drop bags.” In the summer it’s more rambling. “Well, we did chores and went for a walk with the reindeer, then a walk with the puppies, then a walk with a few adults, then worked on the fence, then answered some emails, then did chores, and now it’s 8:00 PM.” I always imagine finishing up big projects in the summer with all my seasonal free-time, but surprisingly the small tasks in the day quickly add up. Plus, I do try to take time for slower-paced activities like reading or playing games with friends. If this all sounds just dandy, it’s because it is. While I’m enthusiastically looking forward to the upcoming winter, the dogs and I all take advantage of the long days and warm summer weather.
This summer, we were hoping to open Chena Outdoor Collective summer tours, but due to travel restrictions and COVID-19, we’ve delayed opening. Instead, we’re finishing projects (the reindeer pen, dog pen, and making education videos). I’m also hoping to help a neighbor build a house (it’s always useful to learn carpentry skills from a professional). Derek is working long hours with the Alaska Fire Service. This year, Kalyn took a job working as a dispatcher with the Alaska Fire Service. She’ll be traveling to the small community of Galena to work for the summer although hopefully she’ll be able to return occasionally to visit with the dogs (and me). The past few weeks, Liz (she handled in 2017-2018 winter) has been using the kennel as home base while she works on her doctorate project studying ducks. It’s been fun having her back at the kennel to help walk dogs and work on the occasional project.
And now some photos to show the day-to-day activities of the kennel.
Kalyn and I have been training the reindeer to perform various tricks. We’ve been using the clicker training method. Basically we first associate the click noise with food, then when the reindeer are performing a movement that we hope to isolate, we click. The timing is key. The click noise allows us to better communicate exactly when the reindeer performed the desired behavior and that a treat is soon to follow. Eventually we add words to the desired movements. We’ve mostly been focusing on foundation movements that can be expanded on to make more elaborate tricks. Currently the reindeer know “touch” (bop my hand with their noise), “kiss” (give me a kiss), “step” (take a step forward), “back” (take a step back), “hoof” (paw in the air), and “up” (rear in the air). Pilot is also learning how to kick the ball. We’re very excited about their progress and have had so much fun working with them!
On rainy days, we try to get the dogs out in harness. We haven’t had many rainy days this spring, but when we do, the dogs are sure pumped about it.
The puppies are growing so quickly! Last night, Kalyn and I took them on a family walk with Mom and Dad (Loretta and Wingman), Uncle Crunch, Auntie Dolly, and then family friends Boone, Cartel, and Blue (Kalyn’s dog).
