Early in the morning, before the Sun was up, we flew to Albany, New York to meet Jim and Marilyn Butler (Helderberg Huskies and ADK – AKK Adirondack Home Of Alaskan Klee Kai).
It was a beautiful Spring day, and the best travelling weather we could wish for. However, our first flight was delayed at landing by troubled planes on the ground. After circling for awhile, we discovered we were minutes away from being diverted to an airport in Connecticut! We were grateful to land almost immediately afterwards.
We met (Kitto’s human) Grandma and Grampa Butler at their cabin in the woods, and we got to meet their dogs, ask questions, and enjoy stories from their fifty years of breeding Siberian Huskies and Alaskan Klee Kai. The Butlers were absolutely terrific!
And … we held Kitto Katsu for the first time.
Concentrated cuteness!
Kitto charmed us silly with his soft fur. I regret nothing!
We stayed overnight at The Tumble Inn, a wonderful Bed And Breakfast run by Nancy and her husband Larry. They were gracious, friendly hosts, and our stay was absolutely perfect.
After a hearty breakfast of parfait and zucchini bread, followed by stuffed French toast, and Eggs Benedict, bacon, sausage, juice, coffee, and tea, we were on our way. We appreciated Nancy’s home cooking, you can believe it! (Appreciation bordering on awe, really.)
Spring had just come to the Adirondacks, and we thoroughly enjoyed the incredible day and the bright greening scenery. Our adventure came to an end after 15 hours of driving straight home to Indiana, with minimal stops. Kitto was too young to let out onto the grass (he might get sick), and so he stayed in the car.
A few final observations while they’re fresh in mind:
- Kitto was contented and quiet the entire trip home in the kennel. He didn’t get carsick, and he used the paper (for potty).
- Having him in the back seat while we rode in front was a big help to us. We watched him carefully, and said, “Good Settle, Kitto” every time we saw him curl up and relax on his blanket. We hoped that helping him associate the word “Settle” with calm feelings would help us teach him the command later, AND IT DID. He can visibly calm himself from bouncing puppy to a calm state only a day later.
- Kitto was trained to use the kennel before we picked him up. He travelled with a blanket his mother had slept with. The Butlers clearly have put a ton of effort into helping him learn to live with humans (called “socializing” in dog training books).
- We were completely amazed at how smart, friendly, and adaptable Kitto is.
Kitto is everything we hoped he would be. Thank you, Jim and Marilyn Butler!
