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Quote Kim Laflamme:

I’m so happy to see young people able to, recognize a real dog! Let alone want to help & learn -

Hello!

My name is Chad Griffiths. I am a recent college graduate who just started living. I met my first AI dog two weekends ago while visiting my friend Nick, in Asheville CO., to do some trail running. He has an 8 month old AI dog.

The presence of the dog was so powerful. As a barefooted ultra-runner and recently student of meditation and exploration of spirit, I was in awe of the awareness of the spirit of the AIdog he has. It really felt as though I was in the room with the spirit of the past Native people, a spirit that is self-aware and connected or rooted in its place on this earth.

As I move into my adult life I am compelled to accept this dog as my rock and reminder of the earth and her amazing grace. Honestly I met the dog and immediately thought, "man I wonder if he needs any extra hands out there". My girlfriend is all, "Chad, what would I do in Oregon".

So...I am hoping to get more information on AIdogs and make a choice to be on the waiting list. What is the list? How long until the next round?

Thank you so much for keeping these dogs sacred.
Peace, love and gratitude,

- Chad & Elii Griffiths

 

This is Elli

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This is me posing in Texas.

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Here we are together!

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  • 1 year later...

I have found people who are more in touch with the spite world alway have something positive to say when they meet Nakoma, these dogs really do have something about them that is unique!

 

One of the most common things people say about Nakoma is "It feels like he is looking into my soul"

 

At first I thought is was a weird thing for them to say but then more and more people said the same thing. For so many random strangers to say the same exact words I have to believe there is some truth to it.

 

And the fact that I swear he can read my mind at times only adds to my belief there is a lot more to these dogs!

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Sounds like the perfect fit for an AI!!

 

They are incredible dogs, but I rarely recommend them because I believe there are few people who are able to truly recognize and respect them as deep spirits. My own boyfriend struggles to see what I see many times and he is a very spiritual person...he is just used to interacting with the average dog (labs, pugs,etc.). I think some people have trouble finding peace with the more primitive breeds because these dogs are true free thinkers. This is why love love Zeph and my huskies so much, they have their own wants and desires....it takes mutual respect to develop a relationship with them. The connection becomes so much more meaningful and rooted.

 

I believe these dogs belong with people who will understand and appreciate their gentle spirits :)

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  • 2 months later...

To be honest, that is how I became so interested in the AIDog - when I met Willow, Janessa's pup. There is something so earthy and grounding.

 

In the past, I've always used my gift of sensitivity and intuition to pick my animals and they would become my familiars. We are connected on a very deep level. I'm putting much faith in Kim as this is the first time I've not picked the pup coming into my home. I've seen him do amazing work and I'm happy to be part of this process.

 

My husband and I are so excited to have one of these amazing spirits in our lives. It has been too long since we've had a dog in our home. It is not complete without [at least] one!

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Willow is also the first AI dog I've met! Janessa is my best friend, we are close in personality so Willow and I have a great relationship. She is attentive and eager when I give her a command and very intuitive. She is definitely the reason I knew this was the breed for us.

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Willow is also the first AI dog I've met! Janessa is my best friend, we are close in personality so Willow and I have a great relationship. She is attentive and eager when I give her a command and very intuitive. She is definitely the reason I knew this was the breed for us.

 

I wonder how many people ended up with an AIDog due to Willow alone! ;)

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I tell everyone that asks about Tayamni & Coffey the website so the can see and read if they want.

 

I do agree, expecially after seeing a lot of people with the wrong breed of dog for them down here in South Florida. These people pick the dogs because they are cute but don't research the breed, it's energy level, needs, etc. Then there are those that don't even want to take the time to socialize or fully train a pup, or a rescue that needs adjustment and acclimation time.

 

Tayamni (AI Dog) didn't bond with me as a puppy, as she was reaching one year it really started and it had gotten stronger. She is now yr 7 months. Some pups bond with their people immediately it seems. I was disappointed and upset because I keep reading every one else's pup bonded almost immediately. Even Sri, who's pup to a bit to bond with him, bonded in a few months, all of a sudden one day.

 

I let it go and let it be. Then, one day when she was ready it happened, a little bit at a time.

Before it happened I realized that she is more of a partner than an I want to please you dog. So when I started looking at it as we are a team and I am the team leader, I think that was the key. She is a thinker and I need to let her have her way sometimes. Of course as long as the end result is what I want. She is well behaved just would not be perfect in an AKC rally course. That's OK, I don't need perfect, just the understanding of each other and we get along just fine!

 

I wouldn't trade her for the world! :wub:

 

 

 

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  • 2 weeks later...

Our first experience with an AID was with Lili. When my son found Kim's website after we lost Elsy we just decided, based on that and some lurking on the boards for a few weeks, that we wanted an Indian Dog. Both Julie & I have had dogs pretty much our entire lives but we've never known anything like this before.

 

As a kid I grew up in the inner city of Chicago, just south of the Loop close to White Sox Park (Go Sox!) and we had a Husky/Collie mix we named Corky. Big dog: 85 pounds! She was a house dog but ventured out of the house on walks, mostly with me, pretty often but, unfortunately, not daily . We had a yard but it was a 'postage stamp' as my father referred to it. It was her yard & she loved it, and us, and her life...and she did have a wonderful life filled with love & play & involvement in the entire family. She lived to the ripe old age of 16.

 

Early in my young adultery...no, that's not right....adulthood (that's it!) I went off to seek my fortune and joined the French Foreign Legion afterwards moving to the Himalayas to teach underwater basketweaving....wait, hold on, that wasn't me.

 

I was born a small black child....no, that was Steve Martin in the movie, "The Jerk".

 

Ah...I was married & moved to the Suburbs! That's it! We had a couple of kidlets and began our journey toward the American Dream!

 

Several years later (about 10 in fact) we got a puppy! Her name was Elsy. We named her after a great aunt, with whom I was very close growing up, who had recently passed on. She was all black with a little white stripe on her chest (not my aunt, the new pup). Not knowing any better (city kid, remember?) we got her from a puppy mill...in fact, the same store where we found Corky all those years earlier. They thought that she was a Lab/Collie mix (aren't they all Lab/??? of some sort?) but we didn't care, she was a cutie & smart & funny and ours. She was a suburbs dog but at least she had a much larger yard and got more regular walks.

 

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Four years after that the OLP® came into our lives, or for those new to the boards, Old Lady Puppy. We named her Ida after another great aunt who'd passed recently (there's a pattern there I believe). She was a Shepherd/Lab mix (there's that lab thing again) but she was anti-social & difficult & overbearing & overwhelming at times. That said she was sweet & fun & goofy & lovable to us but pretty much no one else. Crotchety is how my Dad described her.

 

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Sadly we lost Sanjelamaria, as Elsy's name morphed into over time, in July of 2011 which precipitated the search for a new dog. My son Nick did a search, found Kim's website and Viola (not to be confused with a slightly larger violin):

 

Enter Liliko'i:


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Squint changed our definition of what a dog is. We'd worried endlessly about how OLP® would react to the new pup based on her personality but there was no need to worry as Liliko'i came fully equipped with all the tools necessary to manage her integration into the family. It was breath taking to watch this tiny little puppy melt the heart of this giant overbearing ogre of a dog within minutes of meeting her. Ida still had her difficult moments but she was always looking out for the Squint (that is in fact where the name 'Squint' came from...she'd 'dance' around Ida seeking her attention and we named that the 'Squint Dance'). OLP® remained her crotchety old self, except she'd started to warm up to strangers after Liliko'i arrived...go figure.... She passed during thanksgiving week in 2013 which was a heart wrenching experience that I wrote about here on the boards...Look it up if you're interested.

 

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We made a decision almost immediately that we'd ask Kim for another dog and got on the list pretty quickly after the loss of Ida the OLP®. We didn't know at that time that it would be almost a year! During that time Liliko'i had the most difficult adjustment. She fell deeper and deeper into depression....then we took a trip out west to Utah....this is where the true spirit of this dog became evident to me. She had come back home & so totally lit up when we traveled to the mountains!
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This trip really helped her to turn the corner & sort of shake off the blues. She was just so, 'Alive', is the only word that really describes it. It was amazing and she won the hearts of everyone she met on the road. We came back home and settled in to wait for our new family member...
a short time later our little bundle of crazy was ready...
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This experience has been life changing on so many levels I cannot even begin to put it into words. They've both helped me grow as a human being & as a puppy parent. They've captured the hearts of everyone at our local dog park (oh, if only our other dogs had known a dog park) and the devotion and eager personalities of both dogs & led to them both spending all day every day with us with only occasional periods of time out of contact when we travel or have other responsibilities to attend to.
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Spirit Dogs. Truly, Spirit Dogs.

 

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Love this tale of tails!...both so lovely how much do you think they weigh?? I have yet to actually meet one but can't wait!!!

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Once you meet one........your life changes......they get into your heart, your soul and your personal being. Then you wonder what the hell just happened to me? It"s the medicine dog that just entered your life. Enjoy the journey. It's the best. :wub:

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... how much do you think they weigh??

 

In the case of my crazy ladies, Squint weighs in about 38 Lbs and 'Face', as we've taken to calling Kona lately, weighs in around 42 Lbs.

 

I think that 40 is about the average for a female & 50 for a male but I'm no authority...that's just a guess on my part.

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So when I started looking at it as we are a team and I am the team leader, I think that was the key. She is a thinker and I need to let her have her way sometimes. Of course as long as the end result is what I want.

 

 

I like to use the long retractable leash, but it leaves your dog out in front, making decisions, which made it difficult for us in the beginning. So it was a revelation to see that I could quietly tell Coyo which way to go (clicks and subtle movements of the leash, or quiet words), and then he was happy to follow my lead, even when he was leading. He looked good to other dogs, and we worked as a team. He had an ego, and he needed me to acknowledge that, but after I did, he followed my lead whether out in front or behind. It was not a dictatorship, but mutual respect that got us working so seamlessly together--I was the alpha, he was the beta, and we both knew that we needed each other.

 

Sitka and I have been growing closer. He has always been my husband's dog, but now that Coyo has passed, we have mostly each other. I feel that it is just like you said, a sort of delayed bonding.

 

I am enjoying it as much as he is. When my husband comes to visit, I see Sitka is torn. He wants to stay by my husband's side, but he will come if I ask him to. I don't, unless I absolutely need him, or there is a squirrel on the bird feeder.

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I think that 40 is about the average for a female & 50 for a male but I'm no authority...that's just a guess on my part.

 

The size and the weights of the dogs depend on the line characteristics that Kim is breeding for. The Northern lines may be up close to 50lbs. The Pueblo Southern lines will be much smaller.

 

My first male was 50 lbs. My second male is 36lbs at 5 years. I have fed both them extremely well and liberally, but both have varied only within a couple pound range.

 

That being said, I have seen litters, and we have regulars posters (feel free to weigh in), who have had large dogs out of a small-sized litter, or vice versa.

 

All the lines are there in our AIDogs.

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China, just read through your post..I love you. Your sense of humor is so fun.

 

Hope you don't mind, I sent it to Kim.

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Love this tale of tails!...both so lovely how much do you think they weigh?? I have yet to actually meet one but can't wait!!!

Say the word and you can meet Nita at the dog park

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I second that emotion. As Gib once said it's hard to remember a time in our lives when they weren't there. Literally. We've been in Michigan 8 years. Waki is 4, Cake 2. We were just in Traverse city and every trip we remembered it seemed like Waki and Cake must have been there too, even though that's not possible. The relationship continues to evolve and deepen. As our last remaining GSD fades into the sun set, both little dogs are taking up new roles. Still there are some unique oddities. Cake doesn't like doorways and to be pet on her whole body at bed time. You can pet her head and first half but don't cross the navel. In the morning she's snuggly kitty and wants spooning and full body pets. They have their own minds and their own rules, which at times can seem odd but aren't a lack of bonding so much as a needing certain amount of autonomy for eccentricities.

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Tayamni (female - more of the plains type dog) is now 49.6 lbs at almost 1 yr 8 months. Coffey at 11 months is 34 lbs today.

At 9 weeks Tayamni was 9 lbs and Coffey at 9 weeks was tipping the scales at just a hair over 6 lbs.

Coffey has eaten 2 cups of food a day since the stork brought him (OK the airplane ... it has wings and it flies and carries the precious cargo to us .... ^_^ )

Tayamni was finally up to 2 cups a day at a year old.

 

Coffey (male - with Talhtan & N Huron & plains lineage) has always been smaller physically but huge in Spirit! It's like he's always at a PEP rally! :P

 

They take turns being dominant over each other (or rather who takes the lead), depending on the situation, depending on the day, depending on the moods. Maybe when Coffey becomes an adult the dynamics will change and it's OK what ever happens ;)

 

Tayamni loved this new little addition from the moment we brought the crate in the door. There were no issues and since Tayamni doesn't resource guard (OK. Only a resource growl twice in this entire time .... and that was over a beef trachea - which I promptly discarded), it's only the normal "sibling stuff". As Coffey is getting a little older, and she is teenager maturing there are corrections and pouts once in a while.

 

There are so many differences physically and in personality (I attribute most, not all, of that to the dominant tribes lineages of the native breeding programs for personality and utility) and there are so many things that are alike about them at the same time!

I can really understand why Judy has 5. :)

 

I am enthralled with their interactions with each other, other AI Dogs, other breeds, individual dogs, and also each person they meet and how they each develop from puppy into adult.

 

Tayamni always liked to sit on me as a puppy, crawl up, the flying leap, what ever .... now, she still likes that and climbs one foot at a time (not really caring where she finds a foothold - ouch :blink:)

to me when I sit down after I get home each night. She likes to get her hug. :wub: I know this is her way of asserting herself, (I don't have a retractable lead, Allison, but Tayamni always walks about half a body in front of me - much the same as Coyo - she takes cues from me from there) and I have a long lead for park hiking and she gets to wander in front through swamps and what ever else she wants to investigate but is aware of me and the direction I take. They sound very similar in this way. :D

 

 

Ohhh, back to the topic. I was on the waiting list already for a long time when I had the opportunity to meet a 12 week old AI pup up in Massachusetts, Tehya. She was dainty, probably more of Coffey size, and also she had this wisdom about her like she was an old soul. Of course I saw her puppy play but she was bonded with the family and it was one of those days that the Universe lined up to show me. Beautiful summer day, met a great family had awesome spiritual conversation and interacted with this wise puppy.

 

Funny thing though, November rolls around, I get THE call, a few more conversations with Kim, and he has found the puppy of my needs, one with personality to become a therapy dog to volunteer and help others .... I go meet the stork, she had a great ride from Oregon to South Florida, then I soon find out, I don't have this sage of a puppy like the one I met but a Tazmanian Devil (yes you can look that up in some posts). She was so cute, I think Tayamni was a REALLY adorably, cute puppy - I REALLY do, but after meeting Tehya, I thought they'd all have old souls, and OMD (Oh My Dog - I like that and plagiarized it from someone on this site - there was no trademark like China does - hee heee B)) - I didn't know what Kim did to me! Was the wrong pup shipped? :ph34r:

 

Tayamni has become a wonderful Certified Therapy Dog and even though I called her personality traits confident submissive, most trainers saw her as balanced (even though she was very submissive to older dogs than her) telling me she knew when to be indifferent. Oh and the independent streak! How can one be submissive AND Miss independence!

 

Ohhh, and now recently, miss certified therapy dog is practicing her 'work' on me! If my sister and I start bickering (OK escalating arguing), guess who climbs in my lap and gives me a "look"! :wub:

 

Anyway, to sum it up:

1. Even when you can't go to SDK to pickup/pick out your pup - TRUST Kim! Be open to what he explains he sees in the pups. You may not see it right away; I am proof that it turns out as it is supposed to.

2. If you don't get the wise sage puppy, SMUDGE it, ahh well you can do that too, but remember to "tough-love", yes, that is part of positive training, as you and pup establish relationship and learn from each other, if it doesn't happen early - it will some day, the pup / dog will open up to you - you may need to find the key (way of being alpha or team leader).

3. Have fun! and when it's time - I really recommend a second one! or two, or three

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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