A Family of Five

Our little Alaskan family of four has become a pack of five; Jasper Kirkland arrived on Alaska Airlines Flight #101 with Yukon early Easter morning. Though inititally (and still a bit) shellshocked at his new people and surroundings, he is adjusting well.

Yukon and I owe great gratitude to his sister, a German Shorthair afficianado, who has provided us with endless knowledge and tips for making the most of this potentially difficult transition.

One of her most valued pointers was to keep Jasper on a short leash 24/7 for this first week in order to allow him to bond with us, whether he likes it or not (fortunately he does). I must say, however, that holding an active dog on the business end of a lead all the time is proving to be a bit of a challenge. Ever try to put contact lenses in one-handed? Make a piece of toast and jam? Fortunately, Jasper is also crate-trained, and that gives us all some respite occasionally, and at night.

I liken this to adopting not a dog, but a toddler, and now we have two. Bear and Jasper seem to be kindred spirits. In fact, Jasper walked right up to him upon introduction, tail wagging. Whew.

Wolf has been a trooper, learning how to manage commands and taking short turns with the leash.

Yukon comes home in a few hours and will do his fatherly duty of the afternoon/evening walk around the neighborhood. I will get dinner ready with the full use of all my appendages (right now I am typing w/ the leash around my foot; Jasper is napping on the floor!).

A good boy coming into our lives at a good time. I will try a run later this week and see how he does. With the bears waking up, I will feel better running on the trails. At least in a general sense. I have NO idea how Jasper will react to the local wildlife.