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Changing Tundra Landscapes

Hi Cathy, I have been enjoying your journals and you did great with your webinar. I think Pi is adorable and I miss my Hooch doggie too! It has been 6 weeks since I have seen him. Still think it is a hoot that your name is the same as my other two (who went on to doggie heaven) Catharine and Campbell- I mean the odds of me meeting someone with those 2 names are off the charts! So what happened to all the people on Sunday? I am so curious! Sunday's were kicked back in Barrow too! Have fun- Elizabeth

I attached photos of my dogs for you to smile about. Hooch- well his name fits him Catharine was the blank and white and Campbell is squinting!

Thu, 07/17/2008 - 19:12

Catherine Campbell

Hi Elizabeth,
It was great hearing your voice on the webinar today.  It sounds like you and Rob are having a fantastic time during your stay in Alaska.  It's weird how different our PolarTrec expeditions have been, and Frank's is so different from both of ours also.  I really am amazed at the diversity of science being done both here and at Barrow, not to mention the other LTER and ITEX sites.  
 Sundays really are days for people to relax, connect with home and enjoy the location.  As I said on the webinar, the Field Station is IT, there is nowhere to go but to the Brooks Range for hiking across Tundra and exploring unnamed rivers, valleys and mountains.  There is a birder here, but I haven't gone out birding with him yet, he usually takes a group out on Sunday.
I think Hooch is adorable, in a different way from Pi, though.  What kind of a dog is he?  He looks a little like a boxer or pit bull mix.  How big is he?  Pi weighs about 8 pounds and is full grown.
Talk to you soon, 
Cathy

Fri, 07/18/2008 - 05:54

Elizabeth Eubanks

Hi Cathy,
 Is it safe to wander the Brooks Range alone on a Sunday? If you do choose to do this do you let someone know you are hiking?
 Hooch was adopted from the Auburn Vet School - we worked together a long time ago. He got food and testing and I got a pay check.
He was used by a program that tested chemicals for bomb testing dogs. This is because they had found that some of the chemicals used in cleaning these dogs cages were depleting their smelling (some long term, some short and some permanently).
 So Hooch was placed in a chamber and exposed to certian chemicals. Then he went to the "table" in which he was blindfolded and his brain was hooked to electrodes that read brain waves. We then would administer various scented chemicals of various dillutes  and distances from his nose and record his every move! 
He was a puppy then and HATED IT! He wiggled and squirmed and was not apt to have a long career in that area. (Some of the Beagles were funny - they would just fall asleep!) He loved to get treats and still does. 
He had a one way ticket to junior surgery- which they usually don't come back from.
I fell in love with him and sort of snagged him. The people in charge wrote him off as DEAD IN CAGE! He even has a USDA ear tattoo!
Now I have years of Hooch stories to tell! Trust me the stories are crazy - he is obsessed with food. He has even opened the fridge and ate half of what was in it! --- More than once!
I know way more than you asked for - not sure what the mix is - we always say  beagle - bull dog or sometimes we just make up a breed and call him a short haired, mini - St. Bernard!
Hooch is about 50 pounds and use to be pretty solid back in the day. 
He likes little Pi dogs - my brother and his family have two, but they are red colored and black marbled. 
Thanks Cathy,
Elizabeth 

Mon, 07/21/2008 - 13:22

Catherine Campbell

Hi Elizabeth,
In answer to the Brooks Range question, a few people who are really familiar with the area go out alone, but it is not encouraged.  There are no trails, so whoever goes out must be really good at reading topo maps and GPS coordinates.  There are also bears so people wear bear bells and carry bear spray.  
It sounds like you were Hooch's guardian angel.  What an interesting story that is!  My brother has a beagle mix who also is a food hound,  he counter surfs and has eaten an entire ham and loaves of bread.  Pi probably would like to do that, but of course he's way too short :)
Take care,
Cathy