North to Alaska

I'll be in the air between Phoenix and Anchorage this time tomorrow. I hope to have some more news and information to share in a few days.At the least I will be home on the 30th and ready to upload pix and share whatever I have learned and experienced. This is a short planning and organizing trip only so there will not be too much relative to the book and mushers but I will get to meet with the Inditarod Trail Committee at their annual meeting on June 27th. This is exciting and a wonderful happenstance as I did not know the date when I booked my flights over a month ago. I think this may be very helpful for my project!!

I'll be in touch!

Our K9 Vets Need Our Help!!!

This came to my attention and is something I expect all of us have strong feelings about. Things have improved some but there are still a lot of military working dogs being left behind like a piece of broken gear when units move, they age out and are retired and so on. IMHO this is so totally wrong and disgusting! There are now bills in both the US Senate and House that will require all military working dogs to be brought back and retired with honor just like the men and women in our services who work with them. Let’s give our representatives a big loud shout out that this needs to be passed ASAP!! Call your congressional folks and spread the word far and wide on your blogs, tweets, FB page and every other venue you use!

Here below you can learn further info via the links to both bills. If you do not know your senators and representatives, shame on you!! This is a good time to find out and reach out to them!! Bring ALL our courageous vets home!!!

  

A bill has been introduced in the senate that would require our 4-legged warriors to be returned to the United States at their retirement time.  The

This is LOYALTY;
don't they deserve as much? 

link to the bill is here:   https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/senate-bill/1498/text  According to the Govtrack web site this bill currently has no co-sponsors and no chance of being passed.  IMHO, that is due to the lack of interest on the part of our senators or the public, or both.  That is pathetic.  I see daily, on social media and in e-mails the supposed support for our military and the terrible things regarding animal cruelty.  Nothing, in my opinion, can be more cruel than leaving these service dogs behind.  Service dogs should not be treated as equipment but as warriors just as are their 2-legged handlers.  I urge you to call your senators and demand they support this bill.  Senators' names and phone numbers can be found here.  https://www.congress.gov/members  .

Here is the link to the House companion bill to have our working dogs retire in the USA.  Call your reps and pass this on.  Let's get our 4-legged warriors home where they belong.
https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/2742

Terrible Wildfire near Willow, AK

I just learned of this today and am praying hard for all in the area, those who reside there, the firefighters and especially a number of mushers who live in that area and have been displaced, several losing everything except their own lives and their dogs and a vehicle or two they drove out.

I will probably have more news in a day or two but I do know other mushers such as Martin Buser who is about forty miles to the south have opened kennels and property for evacuees to camp, temporarily care for their dogs and wait out this devastating fire. I am not sure but heard a rumor that Deedee Jonrowe and her husband just got out with her dogs and have lost almost everything. Also Lisbet Norris and her grandmother are in like situation. Lisbet's parents are sheltering and offering camp space around their feed store just north of Wasilla which I visited last year. Here's a shot from the Norris store and Buser Kennel  during my August 2014 visit

The musher community is close knit despite the intense competition and will rally around those who are hurt by this destructive wildfire. But should I hear of any efforts to raise funds to assist these people, some of which I suspect may not have insurance on their homes and kennel buildings and other property, I will post it here and on my other blogs as well. I feel as close friends are at hazard here! if On the 27th when I attend the Iditarod Committee Meeting I may also learn more on what is happening in that area. I'll try to keep yuo informed. Please join in my prayers!