Sashi of Stargazer Champion of the Heart 2024

 Sashi is one of my special needs Stargazers. Due to the appearance and growth of a soft tissue sarcoma on her left wrist, she had her left leg amputated in February of this year.  The mass  first appeared three years ago at a time when Sashi was still running in harness at the age of 9 years. Her doctor debrided the mass twice and this year it became time for Sashi to become a tripawed.  Post surgery, her athleticism paid off, as she slowly healed and developed a new hop to her step. Quite amazing really, how she adapted almost immediately, hopping into the car and up  five steps upon her arrival home after the surgery.  Sashi has always been a firecracker, born close to the 4th of July.  Her debut at Stargazer came following an illicit feast on a couple dozen chickens, a trip to the county shelter, and a short visit at another foster home where she terrorized the owner's dogs. She was an escape artist, and had to be tethered while acclimatizing at Stargazer. That and the fact that I had about a dozen hens myself.  In her running years, Sashi was not a lead dog, as her downfall was the sniff and pee syndrome. She was a great team dog, running with many partners over the years. Full of personality and playfulness, losing a leg has not diminished her spirit. She is one of the last of what I call the originals and along with Bella she goes back to the early days of my Siberian Husky joy. Siberians are not generally snugglers, and Sash is no different in that way. Earlier days, she would holler at me if I inadvertently touched her or loved on her. These days, she follows me around and lays near me. She still roughhouses with the boys and lets them know who is boss. Sashi is a true Siberian and is always a Champion of My Heart.

Foxfire Bellatrix of Stargazer Bella Champion of the Heart 2024

 Foxfire Bellatrix of Stargazer, Bella, Belle, or Belle Belle as she is known by her friends, which are many. Bella is one of the "Sweeties." the group of  dogs that came out of a terrible puppy mill situation 17 years ago outside of Leavenworth, WA. There were fifty plus puppies that were saved, some were not.   There have been a couple reunions over the years, and this will be the last. Bittersweet for the Sweeties.  Best dogs ever. I first saw Bella at my friend Gail Robert's home in early January of 2008. Winter in Plain meant several feet of snow on the ground and buildings.  Gail has been a rescue angel for decades and there were a couple dozen of these puppy mill pups racing around in her yard in early dark.   A carousel of movement and play. Whizzing by, every so often was this bundle of red wooly energy.  I fell in love immediately and said that is the one for me.  Gail had named her Dora after Dora the Explorer, as one time she had spotted Belle up on her garage roof , accessed by all the snow on the ground. When Dora came home, I changed her name to Bella  as in Adorabella and then her fancy name became Foxfire Bellatrix of Stargazer.  I had rescued another pup just a couple weeks before and thought the two girls might be friends.  LOL  The first thing this spicy redhead did upon meeting sweet little Aurora, was sneer at her and growl.They did become friends over a lifetime.  Belle had a bad underbite and when she first visited my vet, many teeth had to be pulled and I have always teased my vet about pulling all of Belle's teeth.  Bella was never a sled dog.  She would get excited when seeing the harness and had about a half mile of full out running, but then would slow to a trot and then a walk. Just not physically put together right for running.  She did love to carry a pack and was my hiking pal for years, always out in front of any other dogs, straight on down the trails. Bella has always kept her independence and adventurous personality, generally preferring to be outside. She has always enjoyed  vitality and is still a good eater, an indicator of her health.  At almost 17 years, she sleeps most of the day, but is interested in what is going on around her, gets up at the sound of the microwave as it heats up a pill pocket, checks out things in the house and wanders about the yard, when I carry her outside.  Normally, she would be sporting her wooly coat, now bleached out from years of laying in the direct sunlight, but we shaved her in April, after a scary event, in which she became overheated and stressed.  As you can see, these pups had good genetics despite their awful beginning which has helped them be resilient and live long lives.  Bella is one of the most special dogs I have ever called mine and I love that at 17 years she is finally receiving her Champion of the Heart Rosette.

Daisy

Daisy of Stargazer

It was always Daisy and Dancer, and now there is just The Dancer. Although, I do have their three half brothers here at Stargazer.  Daisy was the second of this family that I lost without warning.  Their sister, Cloudee, died suddenly of Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia in 2014. All of these dogs are immune compromised in some manner, which makes them super Seppala Siberian  Stargazers, some of my special needs dogs.  Daisy and Dancer arrived in a blizzard, a white snowstorm of Seppala Siberians half seen in the headlights of my Suburban, parked in the darkening night.   With a failing alternator, the headlights were shining on the unfinished kennels, containing what seemed like a dozen or more white pups, whirling, dancing, leaping in the darkness and falling snow. I saw white; white pups, white snow, white shavings littering the ground.  The only one I could identify with certainty, was Daisy, who had gone through the debarking surgery, earlier that week, and had a distinctive soft and raspy bark. I chose her, as I knew she would need extra care, and picked another, the breeder called Dancer.  The"D" Litter.  I like having siblings, so I chose two.  These were Seppala Siberians, sure to be excellent race dogs.  Well, that story had to be modified.