Happy New Year! Okiha and all my other 4-leggeds are hale and hearty. The Winter doesn’t seem to bother anyone.

I wanted to share some things about Okiha. I don’t know if they are typical of the breed so I thought to tell you, and maybe you can share your insights:

Okiha is high – energy, extremely enthusiastic, very affectionate, and doesn’t have a mean bone in his body (that’s ok, it’s the owner people have to watch out for!). He seems impervious to the cold. When its 20 below and blowing hard, I go out with him to feed and he wants to play fetch with the corral ball. If the temperature is above 40 degrees, Okiha likes to cool off by jumping in the water trough periodically. When I go inside, he wants to stay out and play with “his” donkey a while. They play chase games, tug of war with dog toys, and have learned each other’s language really well. When the little donkey brays, Okiha throws back his head and sings, and when the donkey rolls, Okiha does too. If Okiha is too enthusiastic, the donkey grabs him by the collar and throws him to the ground. Okiha sticks his legs up in the air, and looks away in submission, and the donkey lets him get up (certainly this is not donkey language). A minute later they are playing with the corral toys together. Every morning Okiha goes to greet my horse, who gently grooms him on one side, nudges him to turn, then goes down the other side. Okiha stands very still for this. Okiha’s hackles run the entire length of his back. This is evident whenever snowmobiles go by (I think the engine noise bothers his ears). His appetite is good, but food seems to come after everything else. Due to his activity level, I have to feed him “Performance” grade dog food to keep him in good weight. He does well on Iams High Performance (28% protein) and a regular worming schedule. His coat and muscle tone are excellent. At about a year old, Okihas’s eyes changed from silver to a very light gold. He is quite a natural hunter. I found the head, ears and some of the fur of an unfortunate cottontail rabbit who somehow got past the fence (this was swiftly followed by a special and rather expensive worming medication to prevent tapeworm, which is very prevalent in the local rabbit population). The starling flock has gone from 21 to 14 is the past several months. He doesn’t seem interested in the chickadees, and is happy to share his food with the local ravens and magpies (who are very large and healthy due to his generosity). Watching him stalk the starlings is fascinating. Slow motion doesn’t begin to describe his technique, and those birds don’t stand a chance when he takes a notion to add one to his diet. He’s also very quick. My goddaughter plays forward in soccer, and brings her ball when she comes to visit. He would be a world-class goalie. It is almost impossible for her to get the ball past him. Despite his high-energy outdoors, Okiha is very calm and well-behaved in the house and at the office. As you predicted, he does want to lick everyone. He understands a large human vocabulary, and is extremely comforting to my severely mentally ill patients. If I go to my Kremmling office without him, the first words out of everyone’s mouths are not “Hi, how are you?” but “Where’s Okiha?”. He loves to chew a huge Nylabone in the evenings. I’m glad, because it keeps his teeth clean. It seems this is always what he does right before going to sleep for the night. His jaw strength is amazing. If I get the one for “hard chewers” it lasts about 3 months. Okiha is very aware of what’s on TV. When a horse or donkey appears he demands to go outside and check on his friends. He is very attentive to programs on dogs, and likes to watch the Professional Bull Riders with me. If I am really insistent, he will stay at a down when I leave the room, but he really prefers to be with me. When we went on a hike with my goddaughter (a small 12-year old) he never left her side.

Needless to say, I carry him in my heart always. He is possessed of extraordinary heart and spirit.

I hope the New Year finds everyone at your place happy and healthy…sw

Susan M. Whitefeather, Ph.D.
Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor #55

shawnee and ahiga netherlands

dear kim , here a letter to thank you. For your believe in wendy and els.And send them the number for shawnee. Here some more pictures of her . she is a fine dog . So fine that we wanted a second dog. And that's ahiga . The decicion to want a second dog in the house is one of the best in my live. Now I do believe this is the best thing for a Indian Dog . They need company of another indian dog. For there mental health is that so much better. For us more work but for them more pleasure and more pleasure for the kids. Special ahiga he is great with kids. And shawnee learns this also from him . She is doing better with kids. She saw my oldest kid as a threath . I think it comes because shawnee was six months when my daughter was born. But now she sees that ahiga realy likes the kid and accept her , she also accept her. But the special clic he has with her ! Shawnee will never has that with her. But that is not important. Shawnee has that with my yongest daughter. Each dog has a special member in the household that they like So it's going very well over here. p.s. Ahiga is a real song dog each time the churchbells are going off, he starts to cry like a wolf. Like to hear something frome you.

greatings John and Sonja.

ps: Keep up the good work.

Dear Kim,

It is a sacred honor to be apart of the American Indian Dog lineage. They have an innate, natural quality that I have never felt from any other breed. All three have very distict, magical qualties. They all full of love, great with people, protectful of my property, and easily trainable. They are everything and more that you have said they are . . . It is truly a privelege to have them as companions. Thank you for your pioneering work to preserve a breed that hasn't had the innate wisdom bred out it. I am sure that many, many people will discover the magic of these dogs in the years to come, and be blessed by their healing presence. I am looking foward to my future journey with these 'spirit dogs'.

I took a look at that Northern lines. Suzy and I are open to whatever you decide. We would like a fourth pup whenever possible

I look foward to seeing how the Great Spirit will keep your journey with the spirit dogs alive.

Your Fellow Wayfarer,

Johnny in NY