I made a phone call to another part of the Canadian Arctic. The phone directory encompassing the entire region, over a million square miles, is barely a finger width thick.

During this period of rest, adults in my kennel are now fed on Nutrience Junior large breed puppy kibble for the summer. This kibble contains less fat and protein. It takes ten days to gradually switch diets. Water buckets are out all the time now. As a breed my dogs are very prone to bloat. Feeding dry without water reduces that risk.

I worm my kennel twice yearly with Bayer’s Drontil Plus. Administered a month after spring thaw and a month after fall freeze up, worm cycles are hit hard.

Saxon faced into a gentle breeze and lost more of his old winter great coat. White capped sparrows flitted down now knowing this stuff customizes nests. I listened to the shrill of a loon tonight. In Canada a loon is the epitome of wilderness.

I had Thule inside my place last night. I was hoping to think she’d noticed how tidy it was but she didn’t. She went busy pulling my clothes around. At least she didn’t pee on my flour sack, as is Twizzle’s trick. She was very excited lying on my bed. I flicked the radio on. She makes me giggle the way she looks mystified at radio voices. With head tilted one way and the other she’s beside herself desperately trying to reason out how and why the box talks. More grooming. Blitz and Saxon danced around in pursuit of wind blown fur. They were like kids chasing soapy bubbles. I wore a T-shirt for the first time this year.

A grizzly bear killed a woman running in Alberta’s district of Canmore at the weekend. My Outdoor Designs hydration pack has a mesh pocket handy to house bear spray when on my training runs.

I turned my cabin oil stove off this morning. Window bug netting is up and I now keep curtains drawn to keep the place cool.  

I caught a couple of Jack fish (northern pike).

Yesterday willows gained buds and purple lupins appeared.  Day and night the sun is so intense, by this morning the buds were leaves. The fine delicate flowers, miniature versions of their southern counter parts, make for fresh dog pee locations.  

First big summer swim in the Mackenzie River with Blitz, Bomber and Saxon. I later took Twizzle and Beef for a couple hours hiking.

I noticed a wolf crap baking in the sun. Twizzle’s tail dropped. He fears wolves and never forgets the day both him and his mother were attacked by one.

Happy birthday Twizzle, he’s one today. I ran for over two hours on a dusty Dempster Highway this morning. I made it to a sign telling me the Yukon border is south 160 miles away before turning back to Inuvik. It’s hovered a few degrees above zero today. I gave in and re-lit my cabin oil stove. It can snow any month of the year in the Arctic.

I ran early this morning. Sun was bright and bugs were so thick it made inhaling difficult. I walked into Inuvik to buy more wood preservative stain. I washed and repaired more kennels and finished with the brush job. The tainted wood also becomes less appetizing for individual kennel eaters like Piston.

I ran in the wind and rain this morning, got changed and walked dogs. Bomber, Piston and Blitz charged around hyper happy dogs splashing through puddles.

I noticed more flowers. Quietly we walked in on to the edge of Grassy Lake. A beaver swam towards us, its head like a shinny canon ball. The head dipped and a shovel like tail lifted and splashed warning signs on the surface. I don’t know a lot about beavers, except their fur makes fantastic mittens.

A pedicure and manicure for everyone this afternoon. I trim nails parallel to the dogs’ pads. Doing Saxon was like dealing with a flapping bird.

Later I sharpened my Gerber knives and axes.

I ran for two hours. It dawned on me this morning, the tree Saxon squirts on as his pee spot hasn’t any leaves on it this year. I think he’s killed it.

Gull eggs litter the track that leads down to the river. Birds don’t choose the brightest nest venues. I found one under a raven’s nest. The raven ‘gluk gluked’ away with egg yolk dribbling down its throat. More swimming. 

I stepped outside this morning, and it was snowing. For a moment I thought of nuclear fallout dust. No news of the outside world does that to me. In fact today snowflakes have replaced mosquitoes. I grieve for no bug. The snow settles and my dogs sing skyward as crispy edged flakes shatter inside their open mouths. Everyone looks relaxed with a respite from the futility of the mosquito.

I’m careful with straw. It costs dearly here. Everyone likes new straw in their kennel box. I cleaned Twizzle’s. He had a few willow twigs inside. I imagined him saying they were his favourites. I wash outside. I don’t have running water but swim in the Mackenzie, lakes or douse myself from a bucket. I took a picture from the same spot this winter. The water would have frozen to my hands and face. I tend to wash less during the winter.

White capped sparrows know how long the dogs’ chains are now. Encroach inside that boundary and the likes of Blitz make a rush. Individuals like Bomber save their effort. Bomber is wise knowing there’s little meat on a sparrow, fiddly to gut too.

Still up high the sun makes its daily halo loop. All my dogs have the brains to make the most of their kennel box shade to evade direct sun. They also love to dig pits and lie on cool permafrost, especially Piston and Marshall. Saxon has power tools for paws and he’s constructed a place to be cool. His pit is of rock star swimming pool proportions. I don't care about the mess, it's my idea of a dream garden and I love him to bits. 

Mauve fireweed is flowering behind Bomber’s kennel. It’s quite a crop. I walked Bomber and Saxon through patches of fireweed today. They wore Ruff Wear Palisade II packs.

We had a high of 23ºC today. I walked Saxon to the Mackenzie River. He pulled so hard I took midget steps leaning backwards 45 degrees. I just managed to hold him. Yesterday I tripped on my steps and he dragged me a few feet before halting. I like dragonflies. Their spectacular livery and livelihood of eating mosquitoes gladdens my heart. Everyone should have a pet dragonfly here.