Galen and Bridget sent this update on young Fern from Martha’s Vineyard, the pup with 3 legs –but don’t tell her that, she can keep up with everyone.

“Here she is in her favorite place. The raised bed gardens.
She is a cutie!
Everyone falls in love with her.
Cait is thrilled.“

Jullian sent an update on Venti (Nel x Clwyd Bob), who just turned 3. Venti is okay-ish at herding. He excels at performance sports. More amazing because he is a ‘big’ dog.

“I am obsessed with this dog. He pushes me every single day to do better and be better. …His structure, drive, and work ethic are exactly what I was looking for. I’m so happy with how he is turning out”

The three pups I am keeping from the Sue x Ormond Mirk litter

Young Fern is quite amazing. My singleton pup missing her left rear leg below the knee was out with the pack Saturday morning as capable as any 4-legged pup, registering 5 km of x-c running with an unfailing smile that lights up the farm.

Mine for just 48 hours more before she will delight the guests at Lambert’s Cove Inn, on Martha’s Vineyard, it has been my pleasure to have Fern’s presence these 7 weeks. She departs on her 8-week birthday.

I lived in Winchester, Hampshire for some time in a 3-story townhouse at the gate to the cathedral and college. From my 3rd floor window I could look over the cathedral wall right at the magnificent structure and its close. When my schedule allowed, or if I had guests, I attended evensong services at the cathedral. I get that same evensong feeling in the hills of Vermont at sunset with dogs.

This is Jet, a female from Ireland, not Strafford Jet, from Thundering Paws.

The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet.

The Arctic is heating faster than the rest of the planet. New data illustrate how dire that is

Jackie Flynn Mogensen
Mon, August 3, 2026 at 2:04 PM EDT

The Arctic is cooking. Across northern Russia—a region that is famously bitterly cold—temperatures this week have routinely surpassed 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32.2 degrees Celsius), adding to the mountain of broken heat records this summer has racked up so far.

In recent days, the Selagoncy meteorological station, near the border of the Arctic Circle, recorded 93.0 degrees F (33.9 degrees C); another station, Olenyok, logged 90.9 degrees F (32.7 degrees C), according to data collected by weather information service Ogimet and reported by climatologist Maximiliano Herrera. To put that in perspective, these temperatures are on par for Orlando, Fla., at this time of year.

“Studies in recent years have shown that the Arctic is warming much more rapidly than the rest of the planet due to feedback from the loss of sea ice—so it is not surprising that we are seeing these all-time record temperatures at high latitudes,” says independent meteorologist Alan Gerard.

It’s a dangerous feedback loop: as sea ice melts, the Arctic reflects less sunlight, and the ocean absorbs more heat. This generates even more sea ice loss. The region is warming as much as four times faster than the rest of the world.

Rising temperatures are unlikely to let up anytime soon, Gerard says, thanks to a strong El Niño expected this year. An El Niño year is characterized by abnormally high ocean temperatures in the Pacific, which can unleash climate chaos elsewhere—causing heavy rainfall in some areas and drought in others—as well as driving up temperatures.

“With the building potentially record El Niño, it is likely that in 2027 we will see even more record heat than we are seeing this year,” Gerard says.

Not that the planet needs any help with record-setting temperatures. In the U.S. in recent weeks, New York City’s Central Park reached 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C) for the first time since 2012, parts of Montana soared to 111 degrees F (43.9 degrees C), and areas in Idaho, Utah and Wyoming surpassed 100 degrees F (37.8 degrees C).

Fern tuned 7 weeks today, 3-Aug-2026, and will be going to her new home on Martha’s Vineyard in a week. This is a very, very VERY(!) cute pup. Having only 3 legs has not slowed her down a bit!

People who come to look at my pups comment on their shiny coats. They ask what I feed them.

This is what pups get for the first 3 months: scrambled eggs, with ground beef and cottage cheese over Orijen Puppy Formula. Orijen and ACANA form the base of my nutrition here. ACANA for adults. Orijen for puppies.

Andrea wrote with a 2 year update on her Jett, climbing through the agility ranks and a Top 20 AKC Fast CAT. I am not at all surprised that this youngster excels at capturing the moving bunny. Brother to the famous 3 witches, Gail x Jimmy, produced some AWESOME pups!