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!

The nine 11-week-old Sue x Ormond Mirk pups are not very hungry this hot, sultry July day, when there is a heat advisory in Vermont.

Brian sent some photos of Willow, one of the famous ‘Three Witches’ (Gail x Jimmy), as she turns two years old. What a bright and happy smile!

Willow was not endowed with great confidence in the outside world when she left the farm. Brian gave her the time, security and love to develop it.

10 week old Ash left for her new farm in Cheshire County, NH, with Izzy and Scott. Izzy is veterinary student and part-time vet tech in New Hampshire, a lifelong farmer with a passion for animals. Ash is going to have her own sheep and an entire farm to look after.

Izzy told me that she had been waiting 3 years for a pup of mine …and I gave her pick of the litter. She chose little Ash, whose intensity, smarts and physical prowess are obvious from the photo. And Ash chose Izzy. When Izzy returned to pick Ash up, little Ash left her pack and walked right up to Izzy and sat down next to her. The best matches are always mutual.

Ash is a crack pup from an exceptional litter. A smaller pup who pushed her way to being a force in her litter: no one messed with Ash. Intrepid. Resilient. The entire litter is awesome! Pups this good almost naever hit the market. Congrats Izzy & Ash! My pleasure to sent Ash your way.a

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1 Week Update: appears Ash is going to be called ‘Tulip’

Jazz’s surprise singleton, a female pup born 15-Jun-2026, now 11 days old, appears to be thriving: chubby and content, no competition for resources, beautiful markings. At this age, the pup looks almost like a guinea pig …in fact this is often referred to as the ‘guinea pig stage’ of development. Her eyes will be opening shortly, and he will be mobile. I still don’t know who the sire is, but I have my suspicions (the ‘usual suspect’). These things typically become obvious, however in case they do not, a quick saliva swab will reveal who the perp was.

The special thing about this pup is that she was born without a left leg below the knee. She will adjust and be fully mobile, because all her muscles will develop around three points, not four. And she will think it is perfectly norma.

This beautiful young pup will be offered free of charge, and registered, to the right home. An opportunity for someone who likes my lines but cannot generally afford a pup to get the same exceptional lines in a slightly different package.