Transition, Siku Kennel, and Seals

Currently I'm sitting in my tiny, but adorable, abode listening to Inupiaq hymns on KICY. 

My little house that I am renting from Matt & Tera Roesch. The little man on my porch is Kael, a boy I babysat while I lived in Unalakleet previously - a now frequent visitor to my new home :)

I'll post pictures of the inside once I get everything organized and put away

My stomach is full from two dinners. My new neighbors, Sam & Nita Towarak, invited me over for halibut/crab stew. I then headed over to another friend's, Karl & Karen Erickson - parents to Kael, house where they offered me spicy Indian food and cranberry upside down cake for dessert - I couldn't resist.

I was filled spiritually last night when I rejoined the women's Bible study and reconnected with so many friends. It will be a wonderful winter of focusing on the word of our Lord with such beautiful women of God.

Needless to say, I am well taken care of here in Unalakleet. It has been a wonderful transition thus far and I'm enjoying every moment.

Now to get down to business: sled dogs.

On Monday I started my work for Siku Kennels

View of the dog lot from the road just outside of town across the bridge

I will do individual dog profiles as I continue to work with them ... and actually learn their names

Siku Kennels, owned by Middy Johnson, consists of 38 dogs and 17 ...

... puppies!

Puppy pile, the only way to take an afternoon nap

Working for a village musher is definitely different than for a kennel on the road system. For one, basic needs such as fresh water are not readily available on site. It must be hauled in from town in buckets. Luckily, Middy is letting me borrow a 4 wheeler for the winter so these tasks are easier to accomplish.

So what do sled dogs in the bush eat? Well, Middy just received his shipment of kibble for the winter. However, high performing, athletic dogs need much more than just kibble to remain healthy. At DeeDee's kennel, she received shipments of pre-ground beef, pork fat, etc. Since starting work for Siku Kennels, we have fed donated pink salmon, white fish, whale, and seal. The fish we can throw in whole into the cooker.

The cooker at the dog lot where we prepare all the meat

Donated white fish

The seal and whale meat on the other hand had to be cut up into chunks. That is where yours truly comes in. Daniel Soxie, an elder here in Unalakleet, caught a seal and cut off the blubber for himself to make seal oil. The rest of the seal he donated to Middy to give to his sled dogs. Middy called me up, told me to pick up the seal carcass and then proceeded to show me how to butcher it. My Wednesday afternoon was spent cutting up a seal and then boiling it for the dogs' dinner.

For those of you who don't believe me (especially those in California) this was me after the butchering of a seal. Sorry, no pics of the seal or actual butchering.

Today Middy and another musher in town got a small whale and a seal. So what did I do in the afternoon today? Yep, butcher another seal and this time threw a whale into the mix.

Seal meat, whale meat and seal blubber chunks all cooked up and ready to feed to the dogs for dinner.

By the end of the winter, I will be regular seal and whale cutting pro.

Next week we will begin training the dogs. No snow is on the ground yet and there won't be for a little while still, so we will train the dogs with 4 wheelers until the snow accumulates and we can switch to sleds.

It's going to be a busy winter, but I am loving the experience and am anxiously looking forward to everything yet to come!