So besides sittin' around and singing the summertime blues, we've been hard at work on taking our entire kennel setup apart (in 10x10x6 sections) and turning it into one HUGE dog yard further back in the woods (to prevent flooding) but kept three kennels, and put three 'sled dog style' stakeouts up. Majority of the mushing kennels this far south are small and do not require dog yards, and if they do they usually use kennels like I had. After spending much of my winter at a friends kennel in VA (and her dog yard is all stakeouts like the ones they use in large northern kennels) I fell in LOVE with them. For some reason the dogs are always tidy about where to poop and even when it pours, little mud is made - unlike inside individual kennels. I have found in my experience that kennel panels create a wall when it rains with all the mud. In a stakeout (where the chain is lifted off the ground on a pole) I noticed there was nothing allowing the mud to build up on.. WIN!
So I had a total of something like 32 panels? Anyways, The new dogyard is 60 x 75 x 6' and the dogs LOVE it!!. I kept two kennels in the far back (temporary untill I can get more stakeouts up), kept the wood floor kennel up front and put in three stakeouts in the back. I designed and had a welder to make the swivel tops of the stakeouts for free! I am also glad I went with panels instead of rolls of fencing in the long run because I'm always moving around, and it makes things so much easier. I've lived here for 2 years but there has been slight mention of possibly moving further into the mountains next spring, but nothing is promised. If I do stay here a little longer and get all stakeouts up, then I might buy a roll of wire to make seperate male/female yards even though currently I only have 7 huskies. The pictures really don't do the area justice, it's really quite impressive if I say so myself!
Here is what the kennel setup looked like before, in early summer. This was also when we had terrible flooding problems.
This is what it looks like now-
(from inside, looking to the left)
from inside, looking upwards and to the right (wood floor kennel home to Waylon and Satin)-
the dogs' playcenter around the big 200 year old Oak tree-
Calamity's Stakeout (on far right top)-
Storm's Stakeout (in back)-
Gus' Stakeout (in back) as well as dog trail leading to far back temporary kennels-
Temporary kennels (home of Gloria and Zorro for now)-
The crew dashed around in the woods for hours-
and they just couldn't contain themselves :)
Ever since I managed to slim down my kennel I think It will be better for me in the long run. If I do decide to travel up north (not making any plans in cement yet, we are still having crippling financial problems) I can pretty much take all my dogs with me so I don't have to rush back because I don't have anyone to feed them for me. Got an exciting fall coming up, get to use the rig for a whole season (atleast when the brakes are redone), got my team picked out, and am done with school for now.
More updates to come soon, still need to do some trail scouting before it starts cooling down.
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