Sarah Ause Kichas | saussie.com » Haley

dogs, in a nutshell

Sarah — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:32 +0000

Haley meets llama

Sarah — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:33:46 +0000

The look on her face is priceless…

Jemma

Sarah — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 20:31:47 +0000

I got a foster dog. It came out of nowhere. Terrah called me about her a couple days ago, I met her this morning, and now she’s sleeping next to me. I’ve been wanting a second dog for a while, but have been afraid to take the plunge. I’m still not really taking the plunge though, so I shouldn’t worry… I’m just fostering her, and we’ll see what happens. When I fostered Haley, it was with the intention of adopting, but I think now I can actually foster for the sake of fostering… until they get their own home. And well, if it turns out that I end up being the home, that’s okay too, but let’s just take it day by day. There are still a lot of hurdles to overcome…

She didn’t really have a name, so I’ve decided to call her Jemma. She’s a chubby little Aussie mix who was found in Fredonia, the shoddy little town just across the border. Fredonia Humane Society picked her up last week, and Terrah, who volunteers there regularly, gave me a call.

She really does look a lot like Haley. That’s probably why I fell for her. The two are getting along well. Jemma is very submissive and hasn’t quite gotten the playing part down, but she likes Haley. She’s scared to death of the cats, but the cats aren’t of her, so I’m sure it won’t be long before she calms down around them. Anyway, we’ll see what happens…

ps: top right photo by Terrah.

how Sarah got her groove back

Sarah — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:38:55 +0000

Hiking has always been my zen. It’s the only time everything makes sense, the only time I can really get my head clear. When I get outside in the middle of nowhere, away from people and noises, I can tap into those thoughts that are otherwise too small and quiet to be noticed. It’s the only time I really get relief from everything. And so, over the past six months, when I have not been hiking very much, my mental well-being has really suffered.

Last year, I hiked over 300 miles… closer to 400 actually. Half-way through this year I was at maybe 30. It’s so low I lost count. It’s not that I’ve lost my passion for hiking, I’ve just been busy with other things, and for a while, they were worth it. But then I started to lose myself… a little more with each day. And then I went to Jackson, which was so clearing to the head in so many ways, and I went on four hikes. I felt good again… well, a little sore, but happy, and peaceful. Then I got back home, where it’s so easy to fall back into routine, and I wasn’t going to let routine keep me from feeling good. So I kept hiking, and it’s kept me sane, happy actually, in this time when I probably shouldn’t be feeling happy or sane.

I’ve always wanted to hike around Navajo Lake. So rather than make excuses not to, like I’ve always seemed to do the past few months, I decided Friday night that I’d wake up and do it in the morning. So even though I went to the bar that night, and got drunk while playing pool with friends, I woke up bright and early and headed out. Haley and I did a nine-mile loop around the lake, putting us at over 40 miles in the past two weeks. I officially got my groove back. I guess it’s not just the hiking though. It’s all the other things that got pushed to the backburner with my hiking… all the things that I’ve brought back, all the things that keep me happy.

more creek

Sarah — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 00:22:52 +0000

If there’s one thing that’s definitely worth bug bites and pond scum in your underwear, it’s beating this summer desert heat. It’s officially hot out. After an unseasonably cool and awesome June, July has settled in like an unwanted relative coming to visit. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. It just keeps getting worse. So, what to do in times like this?… go play in the water, a lot. Considering the bulk of my recent posts have all been about playing in the water, it might surprise you how many creek and river trips (and assorted other water fun) I don’t actually post. But I am gonna post this one.

Last week, dog trainer Whitney and I took Haley, Rio, Chevy, Chase, Gabby, Desi, Sundance, Simone, Sarge, Sylvie and Major out on a hike. And when we got back near the cars, we detoured for some water fun in the same spot featured in the previous post. I once again stripped to my skivvies (we all know I don’t do pants) and joined the dogs in the water. I am now covered, ass included, in bug bites. Oh well…

Unfortunately, a few days later, two of Haley’s friends, Rio and Desi, went missing during a hike up on the Kaibab. I believe Rio has now been found, but Desi is still out there, so please send all your good vibes toward the Grand Canyon, and hopefully we’ll get her back soon.

Lake at the creek

Sarah — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:22:19 +0000

Since Annie left to her new home, Molly has been spending time with a dog named Lake. Lake came to Best Friends last year because she had become diabetic and blind. She had surgery to restore her eyesight, and is now just waiting for someone to come along and adopt her. In the meantime, Molly takes her for outings and an occasional sleepover. A few weeks ago, we took Lake to the Virgin River up north of here, so that she could stretch out her legs and go for a swim. Although Lake is known for not doing so well with other dogs, we figured it was worth a shot to bring Haley along. And indeed it was. Her and Haley aren’t BFF, but they can hang out together with no problems. So then on Sunday, when the temperatures were too hot to hike, but we were too bored to do nothing, the water once again beckoned us. Haley and I joined Molly and Lake at the creek up at work. Dylan and James came too, and we all had a blast with a splish-splash.

On short jaunts like this, Haley wears her backpack only because I don’t trust her. She is good off leash when there are friendly dogs that she likes around, but since Lake only tolerates her, I’d rather strap on the backpack than risk her possibly being a pain in the ass and disappearing. I put small bottles full of water on each side and it weighs her down enough that she tuckers out sooner and doesn’t run a mile ahead. Is that so wrong?

Also, my dog is dumb. Despite her rattlesnake bite last year, she’s not paying much attention…

Haley, in other mediums

Sarah — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:51:08 +0000

There is no question that I put photos of Haley’s sweet face anywhere I can. I’ve lost count of how many times she’s appeared in my work’s magazine and website. She’s even on TV and envelopes! Hell, I even tried my hardest to get her on the side of a bus! Well, I should have known it would happen, but the powers that be have now banned her from our material (I’m sure we’ll still manage to sneak her in though). So because of this, my cartoonist coworker, Marc Brown, has taken it upon himself to transfer her into other mediums, so that we may continue to bombard the world with her darling face.

Marc made me a sculpture, and I put her on my business card.

And she’s now a cartoon character!

goodbye, Annie

Sarah — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 01:58:13 +0000

Molly’s foster dog, Annie, is being adopted. Haley and I are happy for her, but sad too. It’s always hard to say goodbye to a friend, but we know she’ll be happy with her new family. So tonight, we enjoyed one last play date with Annie Dog before she heads home tomorrow. We’ll miss you, Annie. You are a strange and wonderful little dog.

Calf Creek

Sarah — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 03:56:13 +0000

I finally got to see what everyone’s talking about. Escalante really does rule, hard. The first time I went there, the dog got bit by a rattlesnake as soon as we got out of the car, and we had to get right back in it and drive all the way back home. We also hadn’t yet reached the ridge that opens into one of the most beautiful vistas I have ever seen. So this weekend, when that view finally presented itself, and the snakes were still busy hibernating for winter, Haley and I enjoyed what is hopefully the first of many glorious, snake-free weekends in the canyons of the Escalante. We joined our friends Becky, Jane, Jeremy, Steve, and Abby for camping and hiking to Calf Creek Falls, the classic Escalante destination.

PS: I’m fairly certain that Boulder, Utah, population 180, is heaven on Earth.

backyard boredom

Sarah — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 05:05:39 +0000

I didn’t leave my house today. How lazy is that? In my defense, I was actually going to go for a hike today, but as I was getting out of bed to go do it, my aptly-named cat Sammy Sumo tried to jump up. As the word ‘tried’ there implies, he failed, and got stuck hanging on the edge of the bed… by my foot. I screamed and writhed in pain waiting for him to unhook his claws, but he couldn’t. He just hung there, dangling all 18 pounds of his fatty flesh from my foot. I was finally able to get my leg off the bed and push him toward the ground. Then I started bleeding from three holes he just made (which now resemble Orion’s Belt) and soon nasty red splotches surrounded the puncture wounds. By the time it stopped hurting a few hours later, I was too lazy to go out (but whatever, I’m going skiing tomorrow).

Where this whole story is going is that instead of going hiking, I explored my backyard in my slippers. Yesterday I had pulled a bunch of weeds, so I was out inspecting my work today and playing with the dog when I noticed two little honeycombs up on my patio ceiling. I knocked them down with a broom (they were crusty and old and not in use). They fell into the grass and I was so intrigued at how nature can create such perfect shapes that I ran and got my camera. I took a picture, and then wandered around taking pictures of everything else. I’m fairly certain these photos are not what you all come here to look at, but I’m getting bitched at for not posting enough, so this is what you get when you demand quantity instead of quality.