My New Family Member..cont'd!

Well, I've finally made up my mind as to what this white fluff will be labelled with...'Nantuc'...for some reason even after I was given some beautiful names from that Native American name site, I chose this one. About a year ago, I watch a dvd on Geronimo, and I heard this name , and thought it would be a good name for a wolf..guess it stuck in my head and so..that is her name now.. Nantuc !

She sure has come a long way rather fast, for she is bonding with me, ever chance that she can. I've been given kisses, have had my hands constantly chewed upon , not in an agressive fashion but in a playful manner. She has decided that when I go to sleep, her place is on Nikita's blanket next to my bed. This is great, exactly what I was hoping for..she also jumps up onto the my bed but only after we wake up, this is a reinsurance bonding time, where I pat her, kiss her on her snout and rub her belly.

Oh look..her ears are now standing up, sure didn't take as long as I expected..

 

 

 

Not only her ears but her height and weight as well.. instant growth in just 10 days..

..to be continued..

My New Family Member..

I needed to fill the void that my Nikita left me in, and so inquiries were being made..called quite a few places , only to be disappointed once again. Finally one of my contacts that I placed a call to several months ago before my loss of Nikita, gave me a call. I was asked if I was still interested in getting a wolf pup..guess that call couldn't have come at a better time.

We chatted for sometime, and made arrangements for me to see a pup plus the father of the litter. Now I was informed when I first contacted this breeder that there was a female wolf puppy left from a litter of 5..4 males and one female. This pup was an Arctic Wolf of 93%, meaning that with the mixture of the father..timber/tundra, and the mother who had 89% Arctic in her with malmute making up the rest, gave this litter a greater chance of being almost pure wolf.

I had in mind that she would had taken my interest and I would like to see her, now, when first told about her ,she was 3 months old, now she was 4 1/2 months, getting into an area that I wasn't to comfortable with. I've learnt already that raising a wolf pup up until 6 months is find, a bit hard having them learn to 'trust' you, but so it takes a bit longer...however after 6 months you have your hands full, for they are already geared to follow their instincts.


There they were, both the dad and the little pure white wolf! Now the dad, well, he certainly is a handsome brute, just a typical two year old gray/silver/white timber with the longish ears of a tundra. But that little white fluff of fur is not to little by any means. She has long legs, and paws that can be found on an adult, however, she is lean giving the appearance that she has not been fed quality food. During the conversation with the chap, I found out that she was fed can dog food, scraps of food, pork of all things [this is no good for wolves IMO], she was not house broken, had not received her shots, was an outdoors animal [I think he just had her in the garage at night].

Well this young lady, was very timid, giving off certain signals IMO..I've had 5 wolves before this one and I can see/tell that she was miss treated..not socialized , was afraid on men, hated the leash, was wearing a collar that was extremely tight, in all I believe that she was 'kicked' several times and half starved.

I bought her! And right now as I'm writing this, she is sleeping by my feet..here is a pic of what she looks like...

She weighs around 30 odd pounds, when I got her, and as of 6 days, today being the sixth, she weighs just over 45 lbs and growing fast.

It is said that the Arctic Wolf is the tallest we have here in Canada, which can reach well over 7' long. When she gets to her full size, she should be able to drape both of her front paws over my shoulders with ease, and I stand a good 6', here is a pic of a full grown Arctic Wolf...

 




 As a pup,she is very cautious of strange sounds, movements no matter what has caused them, and of course People, with dogs she just stands her ground , not moving towards them but faces them head on. She has displayed her agression twice now with two separate dogs, a male pup living quite close to us and the other a full grown retriever, a young male. Her behavior towards dogs will be quite interesting as she is growing up, now I'm not in the habit of going places where people bring their dogs for an outing, an 'off leash' area, and over here in Calgary, there are plenty of them. I will be taking her to the Bow River in places that there are the least number of canines, simply because ..dogs seem to go to wolves as if they are a beacon of strange oder to them, just like dogs go to coyotes...it's their strange oder they emit.

Been watching her very closely, and have noticed several actions of her's that indicate 'abuse'. The first is quite obvious, for the moment you approach her with a lead in hand..she bolts! This says that the breeder was very aggressive when he put her on display, could have been tied up in a compound for long periods of time , thus causing apprehension when seeing a lead/rope/leash. She was Not around people as a real puppy should at her earlier weeks, and showed tenancies of being 'kicked', when coming over to her..

..puppies are very curious, and friendly, it is natural for them to come over to you showing no fear, however, not this young lady, very shy, timid if you must, but not a typical puppy response that one might expect. This will change, that I'm sure of , for knowing my ability, it won't take long before she feels at 'home', here with me and the smells that my Nikita had left behind. This will be her safe haven, and here she will feed till her stomach is happy.

She has passed the stage of eating whatever she was fed before, because , from the time I brought her home she was fed raw meat, beef [red meat], and maybe now after conditioning her tummy, and the toxins have left her stomach, I'll introduce raw chicken, buffalo or elk, and rabbit of course, but most of all..deer meat. She shows that she likes the marrow inside of leg soup bones, but ..she can't have to much for it binds her up and her stools become like little rocks! Have to add veggies to the meal of meat..and that should prove easy enough cause the veggies will be blended into a thick liquid which I can pour over the meat...hopefully.


It has been 12 years since I took care of a pup, and so far she has worn me down..for the first two nights she decided to wake me up at 3 in the morning with her howling..and boy is her voice ever 'deep', it sent chills to the back of my neck till I realized it was her and not some adult wolf out side of my bedroom.


..gave her a bath the second day, just couldn't put up with the foul smell she was carrying, and she was good, didn't give me any grief at all, here is a pic after that bath..

..But the best part is the fact that she has taken to a dog 'Kato'..he is a 13 year old vet with a major disability..he is 'Blind' ! Now the pup really likes him and imitates Kato's play actions,which is quite comical to watch. Kato has a habit of grabbing stuff toys, and shaking the hell out of it when he is told to 'kill,kill'..for he was a superb mouser, and when he caught one, he would shake it so hard , it would die..

..now the pup has done the same, a very useful tool for her, in the months to come.

..see..buddies already......

She has a lot of work cut out for her in the coming months, for she must learn to hunt/kill [small animals, nothing large], to swim, to learn how to 'guard' her new location, which I sure will take awhile for that, if she gets over the timid part.

..now as she starts to grow up, I'll be entering new pics of her growth, and some of her fishing experiences, another thing I must do is to teach her how to fish..as you can see, she is waiting to have a native Indian name, hopefully in the next few weeks , the Lady who is in contact with me will send 3 names from which I can choose one, I'll post it when it is certain.

The Loss of my closes Companion...Nikita...

Today is the first day of my life being Alone! I'm writing this on the 14th. of April, 2010, 5:00 am...My  Nikita died at 9:50 pm on the 13th. of April, 2010!

Last night I had to decide to either keep my companion alive or to let her pass over without any more pain.

Above is a pic of my 'coastal tundra wolf', she has been with me since she was 5 1/2 weeks old, and during her time alive, gave people of all ages her calmness and charm. Now most people will say that she is not a full wolf, but what do they know, they were not with me when I crawled down into her den to remove her and her 5 brothers and 1 sister. No one was there to see their mother, [who was a black coastal tundra wolf], had been shot and left by the entrance, nor did they searched like I did for the father...people can say what they want, for I know better.

Nikita, was a most loving animal in her right, with me, her kisses very rarely came, no licking on my face, just my hands..but to my sons ..well that was a different story. To my oldest, she had a special bond, from the moment she heard him come home, she greeted him with howls, and kisses to his face and the special greeting of baring her teeth. She loved him a lot, she played rough and tumble with him and will be missed by him, now on the other side came my youngest, she had decided that he was her pup, and every morning when she woke up , she would walk into his room, jump up onto his bed and give him 'kisses' until he got up. She gave to my boys feelings that lead them to get their own companion.

When we, Nikita and I lived on Vancouver Island before we came to Calgary, she and her brother Lobo [who has been dead for more than two years now], roamed the island as a pack..with Lobo out in lead as many times as he was allowed [for he was a 'beta', guard to the Alphas, Nikita and myself]. For my Nikita was an 'Alpha She Wolf', who from the moment we left our home, her tail was always in a shape of a half moon..this was her way of tell every canine that came close..beware for I'm the leader of this pack! 

We would go out everyday sometimes for hours at a time, just walking in the quarry which was behind my place close to Shawnigan Lake , about 27 minutes driving time north of Victoria. This land was about 165 acres in area, owned by certain unions of BC. and opened to the public. In this area was bear, rabbit, black tailed deer and yes 'cougar'. Never seen nor heard of wolves there , not as long as we were living there, however, I have no knowledge of what is there after we left the Island.

I remember the first time I took the 50' lead off of Nikita and Lobo, they were now almost a year old, full of spit and vinegar..it was a most crucial moment I had with them..for it was my fear that once they were unleashed, their natural instinct would be to 'run' never to return to me. Well ..they ran, and ran they did..but it was so exciting to see them 'crisscross' about 30-50 yds., in front of me! Then something took place beyond my dreams..Nikita ..stopped as she crossed the path I was walking on, turned her head to see where I was, convinced that I was still walking towards the both of them, then proceeded to go on her merry way, doing the crisscross. My Wolves accepted me as their pack leader and from that day till my Lobo and now my gone Nikita, never strayed from my side.


I did mention there were cougars in back of my place, well , it was a Sunday morning around 5:00 am, as the sun opened up the day that Nikita came into my room, howling...this never happened before or since for that matter..I got up out of bed and followed her when she lead me to the back of the house to the patio door, which faced the large back deck, over looking the bush behind . Lobo was there already, growling, baring his teeth to a shadow that was pacing back and forth behind the patio blind. I approached the blind , started to open it up when we saw that a female cougar was on my back deck. What a sight..for she was beautiful, not large , maybe a young cat of two years or so, but none the less just bloody beautiful ! She was my first sighting and wouldn't be the last, for she return several times there after, and enjoyed laying out in the sun on my deck.So after the many times of her return, my wolves seemed to calm down, maybe cause they new no harm could come between them and her , cause of the patio door being so thick glass, who knows. Nikita would lay down on the carpet, in a ready position and watch the cat with curiosity, for as long as the cougar remained there.


I know that I shouldn't have encouraged the return of the cat, but ..that's me, never did adhere to society, I used to leave raw meat out on my deck for her..in hopes that she would return...and so she did.


There was one day when the three of us went walking in the quarry , a month or two from the cougar's visits, when Lobo spotted movement about a couple of hundred yards in front of us. I called him back , leashed the both of them up just in case, and sure enough..we saw 3 cats. Two were kittens, and then the mother laying up on a large bolder at least 5-10' from her off spring. Boy..another memorable moment of being on the Island, truly God's  country. We never did see them again, nor did that female cougar ever return to visit.

Yes ..you should have guessed it by now that as I'm writing about Nikita I'm trying in my own way to let her go..it has been the hardest moment of my life to say good bye to her, sure I've had other wolves, dogs and other exotic animals all my life but None has touched my heart as my Nikita has, the pain of not seeing her anywhere in my place, just laying there close to me is truely ripping my heart in half. 

The injury she asstained several weeks ago had taken it's toil. A neibouring dog, a mixed breed of rot and pit bull attempted to attack her while we were on our morning walk. This dog tried two times before and both times Nikita was the winner of the attack. However this time , Nikita had slipped on a pine cone, spreading out her hind legs, thus causing an internal injury. We left after that moment and walked very, very slow back to my place here in Calgary. For several days , she had trouble doing her normal body functions, and I've learnt from passed problems that a wolf can cure itself without the help of man. I was convinced that she had a muscle sprain, which oddly cured up after four days from that time with that dog. She appeared to be herself again, we went fishing together, we played like she used to, rough and tumble that is, had no problem of eating, or doing body functions, everything was back to normal. Until this past weekend..Saturday morning, going down the back steps of my place, she stumbled!..almost landing on her body at the base of the steps. We walked around the building, to a grassy area, she began to shake..then collapsed on the grass. My first thoughts were that she was having a stroke, for at the end of this year , she would have been 12 years old. After quite awhile she regained her strength, we went back into the house, and stayed there all weekend, except for the time she had to go out for body functions.


It wasn't till monday, that things were not right..her breathing changed, drinking way more water than usual,sleeping for very long periods, just everything seemed wrong! I called a vet to find out what could be happening, even though all of my wolves just saw a vet only to get their shots, but never again..this really was different..the next day , Tuesday the 13th.,I got help and put her in my truck and rushed her to the vet..


..it was then I was told that there was a tumor on her spleen which had probably broke when she did the splits and now has filled her stomach with blood. The doctor made it quite clear that even though he could put her under the knife and repair the damage, she had less than 30% to live a normal life thereafter. I was given the deadly decision of either having her go through the operation, which may or may not be suscessful or to put her out of pain. 


I could not bare to see my companion suffer as she was doing so..and so, with a broken heart, I laid my Nikita to rest...........I'll never forget what you gave to me puppy, during our time together, people may think that I'm off track but until they connect with an animal that bonds with them, in the fashion that Nikita did with me, protecting me , just being there with me, doing all kinds of things with me, they will never know how much has been taken from me at that moment she closed her eyes and passed on.


..............I miss you my puppy!

Some of my Art Work...

Over the years, I've trained myself to do graphic arts, I still belong to a very large community of art forums..it is from the talent that is in these forums that pushed me to learn and to express my talent, so..hopefully when you see the art, you will appreciate the pain of thought and composure it took to create them..........thank you for looking.

Now that you have seen some of my sigs, here is the other side for other people...please check out the 'Art Section'...

Black is Best!

For the past three weeks, here at the Bow River, just south of Calgary, the Browns and Rainbows have been wakening from their winter sleep..here are a few pics to show you where the fish were waking up...

On the way to McKinnon Flats..these mountains are the Rockies which are West of Alberta dividing British Columbia, from the plaines...

 McKinnon Flats...

 Carsland Dam ..still south of the Flats..

 Boy ..winter brings out the diehards...

..Despite the lower end of the Bow River, just at the edge of the city, the Bow is not covered in snow, but the brown grasses of fall is present. It is the starting point that brings out the fisherman be it gear or fly, the pursuit of trout takes place..with every fly fisher you will find an array of flies in their box, but it is a proven fact that only a small number of flies will bring trout to battle.

These flies will bring success to the fisher..

San Juan Worm in two styles..the common red worm tied with chenille..

   and the wire San Juan Worm..

 ..griffin's gnat..

 ..Black Copper John..

 these flies have been the key as of late, however,just in the past several days, the 'dry' flies down to size 16-20, [griffin's gnat] has brought many a first to the fishers around town.

 with the odd big Brown taken on a leech..

 Well, another moment in the fishing of the Bow River...
  ..tight lines amigos!

A few of my personal ties...

Every so often, I get the urge to create, and because I'm into so many  fishing forums all over the globe, where there are so many great tiers, this in it'self, inspires me to tackle the various patterns that has enticed trout all over. 

...and so, here are a few that were tied over the winter months...

..Leeches..

...Odds and Sods...

This one is a personal creation...

..as the time goes on, I shall upload more ties with their respective pattern...

The Irresistable Stimulator by Charlie Dickson

The most effective 'stimulators' going..here is the original tie and a series of colours...........

Original Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry Fly Hook or Curved Dry Hook 8 – 16
Tail: Dark Gray Elk or Deer Hair
Abdomen: Gray Spun Deer Hair
Body Hackle: Brown Dry Fly Hackle
Wing: Dark Gray Elk or Deer Hair
Thorax: Gray Dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
Thread: 6/0 Black

Orange Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry Fly Hook or Curved Dry Hook 4 – 16
Tail: Natural Gray Elk or Deer Hair
Abdomen: Orange Spun Deer Hair
Body Hackle: Brown Dry Fly Hackle
Wing: Natural Gray Elk or Deer Hair
Thorax: Amber Dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
Thread: 8/0 Orange

Olive Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry Fly Hook or Curved Dry Hook 8 – 16
Tail: Light Elk or Deer Hair
Abdomen: Olive Spun Deer Hair
Body Hackle: Brown Dry Fly Hackle
Wing: Light Elk or Deer Hair
Thorax: Amber Dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
Thread: 8/0 Orange

Gold Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry Fly Hook or Curved Dry Hook 6 – 16
Tail: Golden Brown Elk or Deer Hair
Abdomen: Golden Brown Spun Deer Hair
Body Hackle: Dun Dry Fly Hackle
Wing: Golden Brown Elk or Deer Hair
Thorax: Orange Dubbing
Hackle: Brown
Thread: 8/0 Orange

Black Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry fly Hook or Curved Dry Hook 6 – 16
Tail: Black Elk or Deer Hair
Abdomen: Black Spun Deer Hair
Body Hackle: Dun Dry Fly Hackle
Wing: Black Elk or Deer Hair
Thorax: Orange Dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
Thread: 8/0 Orange

Yellow Irresistible Stimulator
Hook: 3xl Dry fly hook or curved dry hook 8 – 16
Tail: Light or bleached elk or deer hair
Abdomen: Yellow spun deer hair
Body Hackle: Brown dry fly hackle
Wing: Light or bleached elk or deer hair
Thorax: Amber dubbing
Hackle: Grizzly
Thread: 8/0 Orange

Hope you all find these colours to suit your needs while you entice the trout of your dreams............

 

My Avatar and Signature...

Thought I'd put up a sample of my artistic talent with these pics....

..my Avatar:..  and now my Signature:... 

Can you picture yourself standing there with rod in your hand, gazing at what nature has provided...