On my way to take our two Huskies for their late afternoon walk on Wednesday, April 15, 2026! Lars the male in the foreground, Misha the female is right behind. As usual when walking the two sled dogs, I'm hanging on for dear life!
So, this is a little recap of what it is like to live with
two Huskies in the beautiful little beach town of San Clemente, CA. Consequently, this little blog post is all about Lars
and Misha, our two Huskies (and by the way, my background music for writing this post is Time Out, by the Dave Brubeck Quartet. What a stellar album!). We have had Misha since 2017 and Lars since 2018, and they are both rescue dogs, meaning that they were
either strays (like Misha) or given up for adoption (like Lars). But the story really starts with the loss of
our previous two dogs, Sydney and McKenzie, who we lost within six weeks of each
other back in early 2017.
Sydney, who was a Border Collie / Australian Shepherd mix
that we got as a stray from the Irvine Animal Shelter, was arguably the best
dog ever, and we loved her sooooo much.
Unfortunately, when she was about twelve (since Sydney was a rescue dog,
so her background was not really known), she got severe pancreatitis and she
also had a tumor enveloping her Vena Cava, and she got really, really sick, especially from the pancreatitis. In order to end her suffering, we decided to
euthanize her, and it was terrible, but in the end it was the right decision.
Sydney, our Australian Shepherd / Border Collie mix, the best dog ever (just don't tell our other dogs, ha, ha!)
McKenzie was also a rescue dog who we got from the Irvine
Animal Shelter when she was just four months old. We got McKenzie as a companion dog for
Sydney, and she was a great dog.
McKenzie was supposedly a mix between Husky and Smooth Collie, but that
was probably as much of a guess as fact.
Well, just a couple of weeks after we had to put Sydney down, we were
out walking McKenzie, and out of the blue, she just collapsed. She had been coughing a bit for a few days
before, but we didn’t think much about it, but after she fainted, we rushed her
to our veterinarian. Our vet told us to
take her to the animal emergency right away, since McKenzie’s heart rate was
300 beats per minute. We drove back up to the animal hospital in Irvine, and
she was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy, which is the technical term for
an enlarged heart. Long story short,
after three days at the animal hospital, we got her home, complete with
prescriptions for seven medicines for her heart. The medications made McKenzie lose her
appetite, which was very unusual for McKenzie, since she was usually a
voracious eater. Unfortunately, after
about five weeks after her stay at the animal hospital, she suffered a heart
attack and died at our house. She was
just eight years old and it was terribly sad, especially losing our two beloved
dogs within six weeks of each other. A
real heartache for sure, and after that, I didn’t think I would want any more dogs.
Puppy McKenzie; here she is probably about eight months old. Eventually she grew to be quite large, at about 78 lbs, and she was sooooo cute!
Nevertheless, even though we were done with dogs, we were even
sadder not having dogs, so at the end of August 2017, Kathy started looking on the
internet for another dog, and lo and behold, she found this little scrawny female
Husky at the Riverside, CA animal shelter, and it was love at first sight. So, we adopted the little Husky, and named
her Misha Neva (little Snow Bear in Russian).
She is a great dog, a little on the petite side for a Husky, but a great
companion. And as it usually happens, after
a few months after getting Misha, we wanted a companion for her. Again, Kathy started looking on line, and she
found Lars (which is the name we gave him) at a local animal rescue called the
Little Red Dog, and she fell in love with his picture. He was a lot bigger in person, but it didn’t
stop us, and we adopted him on the spot, and we love him!
Fast forward to Wednesday, April 15, 2026, and the taxes are
paid, hurray! So, I thought it was time
to do another blog post, and what better subject matter than dogs! Now, as most of us dog owners know, dogs LOVE routines, and Lars and Misha are no different.
Of course, we humans love routines too, and having dogs will constantly
reinforce that peculiar behavior! So,
the little story below is a day in the life with our dogs, and as you will see,
it is indeed all about the routines!
Enjoy!
Caveat: When you see my old Casio watch, don't pay attention to the date and the day of the week. Being that the Casio is an analog watch, I never could figure out how to set the date and the day, so I just leave it alone. For the date and day of the week, I (like everybody else) rely on my smart phone, my trusted old Samsung S10+...
It
is almost 7 AM, and we are getting ready to get up and take the dogs out.
Misha
is still sleeping in her crate in our bedroom. By the way, both of our dogs sleep in our bedroom, so we know where they are!
Lars seems to be a light sleeper, so he is usually awake before us.
Gotta get the dog leashes from downstairs!
Mustn't forget the doggie poop bags! I usually go through 6-7 bags per day!
It is a little past 7 AM, and we are ready for the first walk of the day!
Lars got his harness on, and he is as ready as he will ever be! It is a brand new day!
Misha is ready for a brand new day! Let's go!
On our way! Let's go Mommy!
First
dog poop of the day (there will be more for sure)! For those of you who may not have dogs, you
will be surprised at how much a dog owner pays attention to dog poop; we want a
nice firm poop, which is a signal that the dog’s intestines are in good health,
and they are also easier to pick up! It is a little past 7:30 AM, and we are about half-way through the morning walk. This is what we call the Summit, the half-way point at the corner of Calle Onice and and Corte Amatista in our little neighborhood. We are fortunate to live in the hills of San Clemente, so we get some extra exercise when we walk the dogs!
Half-way there! Now it is all downhill from here!
The view from the Summit. Such a nice view, and such a nice day! On the way back to the house, we walk down our little path that we call "Snake Alley" due to the Rattle Snake warning sign. However, in over 4.5 years of walking this little trail, we have never seen a snake (yet)...
The view of San Clemente from Snake Alley. Soooo nice! Our little doggie poop bag station on Snake Alley, with it's own waste container. We always wanna be good neighbors, and pick up after our dogs. Second poop bag for the day. I think this was Misha's poop...
8:05 AM, and we are almost home from our first walk, but we gotta stop and enjoy the view!
We are almost back home, but it is time to stop for a little while and enjoy the view of the Pacific Ocean! On a clear day, we can see all the way to Santa Catalina Island.
Back at the house; they are soooo excited to leave in the morning, then they are equally excited to come home! They know that breakfast is right around the corner!
Almost 8:15 AM, and we are back at the house. This walk is usually an hour, give or take a few minutes.
First trip to the garbage can of the day. There will be more dog poop as the day goes on, believe me! Misha getting some fresh water after the walk. And then there is Lars' turn at the water bowl! Gotta make sure they have fresh water all day. After they have had some water, they usually want to go out in the backyard, to see what's going on outside. Misha in the backyard, checking it out. Lars is inside, waiting waiting by the front door. You never know when there might be an exciting delivery, or a neighbor's dog walking by!
Time for a little pre-breakfast treat! They are soooo spoiled! It is almost 9:00 AM, and time for breakfast! The best meal of the day! Lars
and Misha’s breakfast, kibbles mixed with a little rice and pumpkin. They are both on prescription dog food; Misha
gets Digestive Care i/d, and Lars gets Gastrointestinal Biome for his sensitive
stomach. Lars' bowl is in the foreground.
Lars
gets the Gastrointestinal Biome food for his diarrhea. This food seems to be really helping; since
he got on this food, he is pretty much diarrhea-free.
Misha
gets the Digestive Care i/d for her sensitive stomach.
Lars
also gets an Apoquel every day for his allergies and sensitive skin. Lastly,
they usually share a little packet of FortiFlora Probiotic Digestive
Supplement. Yum, breakfast is served!!!!!
It is 9:15 AM, breakfast is over, but now Lars is upstairs in or little office / guest room to check out what I'm having for breakfast! Maybe a little piece of bread will fall on the floor!
Lars, always on the lookout for a little leftover! Sorry Bud, not much this morning! It is almost 10:00 AM, and the dogs are outside, taking a break after their breakfast. They both love being outside! The dogs enjoying the beautiful morning! 11:15 AM, and the dogs are still outside, napping, which is what they usually do after breakfast.
First nap of the day, soooo nice!
It
is 11:35 AM, and it is time for the late morning / early afternoon walk, which
is the second walk for the day. I
usually walk them around noon, give or take half an hour. Yes, I’m pretty well trained by our dogs… This mid-day walk is usually 30-45 minutes, depending on the route we take.
Time to grab more poop bags!
We are ready for the second walk of the day! Who needs clocks, when you have Huskies! They know what time it is!
Third full poop bag of the day (I think this one was Lars'...)
On our mid-day walk, we usually stop and visit Mimi, who is the cutest little Samoyed girl that we usually see around noon. She is usually outside her house, waiting for
dogs to walk by so she can say hello. There is plenty of
shade and a nice breeze for Mimi, and she is really well taken care of by her
owner. (Sorry, Lars' big tail is blocking the view...)
Here she is, the sweetest!!!!!
The view from the noon walk. Gotta love that Pacific Ocean!
Our
little neighborhood free library; I’ve found several books there that I like! One
of our neighbors is getting a new roof.
We just had a bit of rain, and given that our houses were built in the
late 1980s, they pretty much all need new roofs. By the way, we had our roof replaced in
2024… Had to do it! Not
all of our neighbors like dogs… Their
loss of course, since dogs make the best companions!
Second
trip to the garbage can! Gotta throw
away all that dog poop!
One
of our neighbors is getting a new driveway!
It is always exciting when people spend money on their houses; keeps the
neighborhood nice!
Just about 12:10, and we are back at the house after our midday walk!
Misha
relaxing after the midday walk, enjoying the cool floor.
Lars
enjoying a cool drink of water! It is almost 1:00 PM, and the dogs are just hanging out!
Lars
is enjoying his favorite spot on the couch!
For whatever reason, he always seems compelled to rearrange the
blankets!
Misha is outside, enjoying the afternoon breeze! It
is 2:00 PM, and we finally decided to go out and do some shopping. Can’t stay around the house the whole day,
retired or not!
Before
we leave the house, we usually give the dogs some Cheerios, so they don’t miss
us too much. Lars is looking for his Cheerios. And Misha is looking for hers!
It
is 3:35 PM, and we just came back from our little shopping trip. As usual, the dogs hang out in the living
room, looking at the front door and waiting for us to come back… The
guilt…
The dogs hanging out in the living room, waiting for stuff to happen...
It is almost 4:00 PM, and the dogs haven't moved much...
Just
about 5:45 PM, and it is time for the last walk of the day!
Yup, you guessed it! Time for more poop bags! Gotta be ready!
We are leaving for the late afternoon walk!
The
fourth (or fifth) poop collected!
Our
neighbor Scott’s crazy lemon tree. Must
love that spot! In a couple of weeks, it
is time to make lemonade for sure!
A
nice Harley Davidson parked outside one of our neighbor’s house. If you are into riding motorcycles, no place
better than Southern California, where you can ride pretty much every day of
the year…
The view. Gotta love it! We
got to visit with Mimi again; she is usually not out in the late afternoon, but
today was an exception. Always great to
see her, she is sooooo cute! It
is almost 6:30 PM, and we are back from the late afternoon walk. Now it is time for dinner! Besides breakfast, this is the dog’s favorite
meal!
Misha
getting some water after the late afternoon walk.
Dinner time! Lars gets the bigger bowl. Pretty much the same food as breakfast, but the dogs are always excited no matter what! Dinner is served, yea!!!!! It
is almost 6:45, and it is time for Kathy and I to have our dinner, and watch a
little TV. This involves a whole another
routine with the dogs!
Lars
is ready to take his place on the couch while Kathy and I eat dinner. Yes, we are couch potatoes, and we eat in front of the TV, I admit it! Misha
is ready to take her spot on the couch as well.
Lars
is very comfortable on “his” couch, right between us!
It is 8:10 PM, and we are all still on the couch! Four couch potatoes (with me taking the picture), enjoying each other's company! Lars is sooooo cuddly, he is like a giant lap dog, and he loves being petted! It is almost 9:10 PM, and it is time to get the dogs ready for bed.
Taking Misha out to pee before she goes to sleep. We have a little grassy area out front that I call "the dog toilet", just large enough so that the dogs can do their business. Last pee of the day for Lars. As a little treat before they go to sleep, they get some more Cheerios, one of their favorite little snacks!
Misha eating her Cheerios in her crate.
And Lars is eating his Cheerios as well. They love their routines, especially if it involves food!
It is 9:15 PM, and the dogs are in their crates heading to dream land. I'm sure they dream of chasing bunnies and squirrels, and eating treats!
Misha
is ready to go to sleep! She loves to
curl up against the crate.
And here is Lars in his crate, all cozy.
And so another day with the dogs and their routines (and ours) have come to an end. No worries, tomorrow will be pretty much the same, with all of the routines that we all love and live by! Dogs are the BEST!
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