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Tamarack


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I have seen photos of other dogs with the grey under black, but it's not super common. I read somewhere that the gene for sable markings (the ticked hairs, light undercoat, gradient coat, etc) is independent from the coat color itself. I think most, if not all, AIdogs are genetically sable. Whether or not all the black AIdogs have the same coloration as T... I don't know. It's hard to tell from pics. I suspect they do but that there is a variation in the shade and T just happens to be on the lighter side.

 

I'm fairly certain that T's color is genetically the same color you see in both black wolves and coyotes. I've seen pictures of black yotes in their summer coats that make me do a double take because they look SO much like him.

 

http://blogs.bootsnall.com/bertha/files/2007/08/black%20wolf%20web.jpg

I think that's a wolf, but either way it's the same color, though lighter. T would probably be lighter if he was loaded with undercoat like a wild thing. He has practically none right now cause it all flew away in the breeze a few weeks ago - he's predominantly guard hair right now and his guard hairs are black at the tips, red in the middle, white at the base.

 

Isn't Willow a dainty little thing? I would love to see them side by side. Someday! Doubt we'd be able to get them to stand still for a picture though ;)

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Stunning picture! I googled black coyotes and found a thread where a taxidermist was trying to figure out if he had a black coyote or a black dog. The other fellows recommended checking the guard hairs because coyotes have 3 colors and dogs only two. Thought that was interesting. Here's another interesting read. Oh those naughty AID ancestors....http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/02/06/evidence-now-suggests-that-black-wolves-in-italy-and-north-america-got-that-coloration-from-interbreeding-with-dogs/

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I've heard of that black wolf theory before, though I don't know that I necessarily believe it yet. I can see it being the case in coyotes (either that their coloration comes from crossing with dogs or wolves), but I'm not convinced that wolves couldn't have had the black mutation show up in their own populations without the influence of dogs. They are technically the same species.

Retrieverman is an interesting fellow; I follow his blog because he's always on top of new research that comes out in canine genetics and he's very smart about the whole subject, but I don't agree with him on everything. He's got some pretty choice things to say about Kim and his dogs.

 

I read a taxidermy forum relatively frequently and one thing I've noticed is that on top of all the black coyotes that show up, it seems like the most common color mutation is some variation of red or blonde coloring. They look a LOT like the AIdogs and I believe variations of red are one of the most common colors within the breed as well.

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I can't wait to see what T will look like when his coat gets nice and thick for winter. It was starting to fill out a little while ago until all of a sudden summer came and he started shedding it all out like crazy. He's nearly a year and his coat is still changing ever so subtly; almost like his lights are getting lighter and his darks are getting darker. He used to have a funny racing stripe of dark top coat down his back before he started shedding, but now it's more gradual.

 

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He got neutered on Wednesday and I was concerned that it would ruin his relationship with the place and the people there. Silly me to worry; I was told he was very well behaved and everyone loved him. When they brought him back out to me at the end of the day I was anticipating the 'save me from these monsters' effect, but instead in his groggy state he gave one sweep of the tail in my direction and promptly turned around to enthusiastically greet the vet tech who'd just led him into the room. :rolleyes: I'll admit my feelings were a little hurt - here I was having gone all day without him and anxious to get him back to fill the empty space he'd left - and he wasn't even excited to see me! I realize now that his lack of reaction was because he didn't associate any negative feelings from the neuter with the vet techs - he didn't need me to save him, and I'm with him all day every day so why should he be overjoyed to see me? Here was a New Person he'd barely even gotten a chance to sniff yet, no use wasting an opportunity like that!

 

He is, for the most part, back to normal despite being frustrated that I have to keep him leashed or baby-gated at all times. He never once touched his incision site so we haven't had to deal with cones or any of that hassle.

He's such a good boy :wub:

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T is breath taking. I love that last shot with the grass on the nose. Shiva use to play with Grape the Cat too. Love the cat-dog love. Still amazes me that T and Willow are from the same litter. Such a difference!

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When the stitches start to heal, they can also start to itch. Watch him. The worst accidents are a few days after you think it's alright.

 

Ha! Fun of him and the cat jumping. He is really beautiful.

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OMG Woodrat, you do capture some amazing moments. AND they are all in focus. I envy your ability behind the lens. Love the green whiskers, and the shot you got of T with the cat as he is jumping in the air looking down at the feline. :lol: Priceless. He IS a handsome dude! :D

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LOL I'm not sure the feelings are mutual between dog and cat in those particular photos (not that they don't both enjoy terrorizing each other generally). When Neo (cat) is outside he's more concerned with doing cat-things - stalking bugs, watching birds, etc, and exuberant T is an unwelcome disturbance. That 'you're never serious until you REALLY mean it' mentality that T has means that Neo's irritated swats are seen as playful because he's never assertive enough to actually sound like he means it. This happens all the time when T's playing with passive dogs, too, and I always have to step in and body-block him off when they get overwhelmed. Which seems so silly because all they have to do is just let out one low growl to stop him dead in his tracks in a split second. But I guess I was the quiet passive kid growing up and still am to an extent, so who am I to talk!

 

T's incision is just about all healed save a light scab, so he's back to his usual exercise levels - or would be if it weren't over 90 degrees.

Allison - he actually didn't even have stitches; our vet uses a glue that just dissolves as the skin heals under it. I think it's relatively new? It's great stuff, because it eliminates the itchiness that stitches cause and you don't have to bring them back in to have stitches removed. And T never bothered his incision site at all, so it must not haven felt weird in the least - because generally you know when something 'feels funny' to that dog, haha.

 

It's been interesting to see which of his behaviors had been directly related to testosterone and are subsequently fading away. The marking is an obvious one of course, but there are some surprises too. Most notably the cuddle factor - he was a super cuddly puppy but when he crept into the teenager thing he got a little persnickity about being pet too much, or having someone in direct contact with him when he was sleeping. I laughed it off because it reminded me of human kids when they reach the 'eww mom don't kiss me goodbye in front of my friends!' stage, and just started reinforcing my petting him with treats and praise for being oh so tolerant. He'd been slowly getting better about tolerating being pet, but if he was on the bed when I went to bed at night, he almost certainly would jump down to find somewhere else to sleep. Interestingly, that behavior has been rapidly decreasing over the past week and I'm waking up in the morning with him directly in (or on) my face like the old days and now when I sit down on the bed he'll jump up and lie down against me and be comfortable drifting off to sleep there instead of getting up after a minute like he used to. I've also noticed him becoming significantly more gentle with and observant of the Neo's cues when they're wrestling and just yesterday I saw him pause play to try to read the cat, then walk away on his own initiative - a big milestone! I don't doubt he would have gotten to that point eventually with maturity, but the neuter definitely 'took the wind out of his sails,' so to speak. Fine by me :lol:

 

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Awesome shot. Neo looks like a Totoro. You do have to click on the photo to see the amber eyes and the yellow eyes - maybe another candidate for the eye calendar? Love the field of bluets.

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That is a cool shot! How old is T now?

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I like how they have the "Same but different" expressions on their respective species faces. :)

Gorgeous shot

 

Perhaps a month (or 2..) of the calendar with AIDogs and their non-dog buddies?

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I like how they have the "Same but different" expressions on their respective species faces. :)

 

That's exactly why I like that picture. The weird coloring is from the sunset and probably the wrong camera settings, but their expressions are so perfect together. They are totally in sync.

 

AIdogs plus friends is a great idea for a calendar page!

 

 

Tamarack and Willow are officially One Year Old as of tomorrow :D

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Yes! Happy Birthday!

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And happy birthday to Willow, too!!

 

I had intended to make a 'then and now' post yesterday but I ended up spending all my time off with the dogs. :P

This time a year ago I was making almost daily excursions through our woods to a nearby beaver pond to let Cairo get his frog hunting fix, and I would inevitably end up sitting down on a rock daydreaming about having an AI dog alongside us. In my mind's eye it was a perfectly well-behaved dog. The Perfect Dog, really.

Yesterday I took both dogs to the pond and after watching them hunt for a while, it occurred to me that my daydreams of the year before had been realized down to just about every detail. The only exception being that the 'dream dog' didn't try to sneak bites of goose poop out of the mud. :rolleyes:

 

I still want to do the then and now thing, maybe tonight when I have time. For now here's one from his first day home. He's come a long, long way!

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Haha.. That is so cute. Who (except Kim) would have realized what a beauty he would turn out to be.

 

And Happy Birthday Willow, too!

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Happy Birthday to Both of you!

You have grown into such gorgeous dogs- inside and out! :)

 

Bad Auntie- me, forgetting to say that before... sorry guys!

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A day late, but Happy birthday to both T and Willow. Woodrat, you again did the fantastic....the expression on T's face is so innocent and lovely. What a shot.

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