What Have I Gotten Us Into Now?

By Jennifer Stoeckl, MAT - Dire Wolf Project CEO, April 4, 2023

American Dirus puppy sleeping

At 9:00 pm, I set the alarm for 3:00 am.

Six hours.

Six hours of sleep would be enough.

I turned on my side, slid down farther into the covers, and closed my eyes, but I worried about the Miners Litter puppies.

The 4-week-old sweeties were outside for the first time and the temperatures just happened to drop below freezing this particular night… THE night I had to transition the seven of them to an outside pen.

I didn’t want to move them outside this early, but there was no other choice.

I had to be gone from Dire Wolf Project headquarters for over twelve hours to deliver Sedna to her new family.

I couldn’t keep Opal in the house that long.

I checked on the little ones for the fourth time thirty minutes ago, so I knew they were okay.

Still, my mind worried.

I clicked on the latest CBS Radio Mystery Theater upload on The Edge of Nightfall‘s YouTube channel.

Soon, my mind felt fuzzy.

When I no longer perceived the story, deep sleep consumed me.

What seemed like seconds later, the alarm went off, a little too loudly.

I opened my eyes with sleepy resolve.

Before leaving with Sedna, I needed to pick up the brown piles in the two outside puppy pens. Feed the hungry monsters. Then, make sure they had plenty of water to last through the day.

It isn’t easy being away for so long. My mind runs through all the worst-case scenarios, as I make the final preparations before any trip.

I threw on my preplanned wardrobe. Then, I grabbed the necessary trip provisions waiting near the door. After making sure I had my purse, wallet, and license information, I checked on the Miners Litter puppies once again.

They were huddled into a ball of fluff deep in the straw.

Opal waited by the kennel door to greet me.

Okay. All was well.

After completing the cleaning, feeding, and watering, I took Sedna for a run before loading her up.

Five hours to Baker City, Oregon, a couple hours transition, and five hours back again.

Sedna traveled very well.

The new family loved her. Such a soft, gentle spirit.

Sedna took to the father right away. I think his gentle, loving caresses comforted her. She melted into his lap. And that was that.

After saying good-bye to the family and pausing for one last glance at Sedna, I returned to my Chevy Trailblazer and headed home.

Somewhere just before the Blue Mountain pass, my eyes began to droop. I pulled over into a rest area parking space and closed my lids for an hour.

When my arm became tingly from lack of circulation, I woke and continued on.

I returned home at 6:00 pm, hours later than I anticipated.

The dogs were overjoyed to see me.

I felt a sigh of relief.

Everyone was okay.

First, I walked over to the Miners Litter and peeked into the cedar cabin door.

The puppies waddled over the straw to greet me at the gate.

Several pets later, I attended to the other puppies.

I repeated the steps I had completed early that morning.

Cleaning. Feeding. Watering.

Then, the rest of the dogs had their turn.

Filling the last jug of water for the last kennel, I realized the 250 gallon water tank was almost empty. The next day’s activities would have to include a run to Two Rivers Campground fifteen miles away to fill up again.

At 8:00 pm, in the dark with my headlamp on, the temperature fell. I could feel it through my jacket.

I found the Miners Litter puppies huddled together once again, snuggled down into the straw.

They just don’t have the same fluffy thick undercoat that the other puppies have.

I checked the weather on my phone.

Sure enough, a cold snap with possible snow was scheduled for the next three days.

I scooped up two of Opal’s puppies and walked them back into the house with Opal following behind.

I turned on the Kerosene heater and returned to the kennel to grab the other Miners Litter puppies.

Another half hour later and all the little ones were playing with joy-filled abandon. I got the strong impression they were happy to be back inside in their familiar den space.

9:00 pm and I realized that the Miners Litter hadn’t eaten since 3:30 am.

I opened two cans of Taste of the Wild premium canned food into their bowl and laid it down in front of them.

Just like the hungry hippos game, they ate and ate and ate and ate.

I stayed up with them to clean up afterwards and let Opal back in to be with them.

9:45 pm. Finally, time to get ready for bed.

My mind had been swimming for hours already, but I had to push on until all the dogs were taken care of.

When my head hit the pillow at 10:00 pm Sunday night, I was already asleep.

While Sunday wasn’t a typical day, it was just as jam-packed with have-to’s and must-do’s as most of them.

Here is a list of some of the activities I do regularly:

Pick-up, feed, water puppies (2x/day)
Walk a group of dogs
Pick-up, feed, water dogs (1x/day)
Service dog training
Write daily email newsletter
Capture video footage for YouTube
Post on Youtube, respond to comments
Check email
Update website
Check messenger/text
Create Facebook/Instagram memes
Collect water
Drive to laundromat for dog laundry
Drive to town for dog food
Take/enhance/post pictures of puppies
Travel to town on Thursday for dog training
Answer phone calls from owners
Plan litters
Give shots and worm medication
DNA tests
Vet appointments
Approve/deny puppy adoption questionnaires
Update health database
Grooming/medical check-ups on the dogs
Categorize expenses and other accounting tasks (state/federal taxes)

And… I’m sure I forgot a few things.

Lois said to me about a year ago now I wouldn’t be able to sustain this level of exhaustive work, and she was right.

I knew at the time she was correct, but I didn’t have any answers then.

So, any spare time I had, driving to town or on the DireWolf Express, I listened to audio books. Books on business practices, marketing strategies, business structure, and time management.

I must’ve read (listened to) over 100 books in the last year.

Many of them were super!

If you own your own business (or, more accurately, your business owns you), I highly recommend the following:

Rich Dad, Poor Dad (Robert Kiyosaki)
The Millionaire Fastlane (MJ DeMarco)
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion (Robert Cialdini)
Buy Back Your Time (Dan Martell)
Persuasion Secrets of the Worlds Most Charismatic & Influential Villains (Ben Settle)
The Go-Giver: Expanded Edition (Bob Burg, John David Mann)
How to Get Paid for What You Know (Graham Cochrane)
Unscripted: The Great Rat Race Escape (MJ DeMarco)
The Dichotomy of Leadership (Jocko Willink, Leif Babin)
How to Win Friends and Influence People (Dale Carnegie)

Well, all of that input into my psyche has had a tremendous influence on the future plans for the Dire Wolf Project.

Leaving Facebook was a calculated event.

Shifting to daily emails was planned strategically.

Returning to YouTube was not an accident.

There are many more precise ways we are going to improve our work over the course of this year.

I won’t list them all here.

You will find out about them in time as they develop.

However, one of the most important changes needs to be a way to grab back the time taken up by tasks others can do.

With an increase in available time, I will be able to do more for you than ever before.

More informational books/pamphlets/articles on the breed.