Flight Delays, Deer Chases, and New Beginnings: Summer at Dark Point Kennel
Updated: Jun 25
If there's one thing we've learned over the years, it's that dogs—and life in general—rarely stick to the schedule we've carefully planned.
Whether it's an international flight delay, a young dog making an unexpected decision to chase wildlife, a new building project, or the annual battle against ticks, there's always something happening here at Dark Point Kennel. While we certainly enjoy the victories, it's often the unexpected moments that teach us the most.
As summer settles into Maine, we wanted to share a few updates from the kennel and farm, along with some lessons we've learned along the way.
Pandora's Flight Delayed
When we first announced that Pandora would be joining Dark Point Kennel, we also talked about the realities of importing dogs internationally.
Many people see the exciting airport photos when a dog finally arrives, but they don't always see everything that happens beforehand. The paperwork, veterinary requirements, transportation logistics, customs procedures, flight scheduling, and last-minute changes can make the process feel like a full-time job.
Unfortunately, Pandora's arrival has been delayed and is now tentatively rescheduled for June 27th. At this point, however, "tentative" is still the key word.
This is exactly why we've said from the beginning that we wouldn't truly relax until Pandora is safely through customs and standing in front of us at the airport.
The reality of importing dogs is that things can change quickly. Flights are adjusted, schedules shift, weather impacts travel, and unexpected obstacles arise. While frustrating, it's simply part of the process.
Thankfully, we've been fortunate to receive regular updates from her breeder throughout this entire journey. Seeing photos and videos of Pandora as she grows into a beautiful young adult has made the waiting much easier. Every update reminds us why we were excited about her in the first place.
While we'd certainly rather have her here already, we're grateful she's being well cared for and that we're able to watch her continue to mature from afar. We know her day will come, and when it does, it will make the wait worthwhile.
Odyssey's Deer Chase
Sometimes dogs remind us that they're still dogs.
Recently, Odyssey celebrated her first birthday. She's a fun, athletic, intelligent young female who has shown many of the qualities we love in Yakutian Laikas.
Unfortunately, she also reminded us that young dogs occasionally make young dog decisions.
During what should have been a routine outing, Odyssey managed to slip her collar and found herself face-to-face with one of the greatest temptations known to northern hunting breeds—a deer.
Before we could react, she was gone.
What followed was over twelve hours of searching through woods, trails, fields, and neighboring areas. Thankfully, Odyssey never truly left the area. Based on sightings, tracks, and the information we were able to piece together afterward, she stayed surprisingly close the entire time.
In fact, we suspect she was following us more than we were following her.
Several times it felt like she was only minutes behind wherever we'd just been. Looking back, we think we may have actually been moving too quickly. While we were actively searching, she was likely following our scent trail at a slower pace, always arriving just after we'd moved on.
Eventually, she made her way back safely.
Needless to say, she was tired.
So were we.
As stressful as the experience was, it gave us valuable insight into Odyssey as she continues to mature.
It also confirmed something we've suspected for a while:
She is incredibly athletic.
If her deer-chasing speed is any indication, she will absolutely be a contender for FastCAT in the future. We'd much rather see that speed directed toward a lure than local wildlife.
Recall Isn't Reliability
Odyssey's adventure also created a perfect opportunity to discuss a topic that often gets misunderstood.
Recall and off-leash reliability are not the same thing.
A dog can have excellent recall and still not be reliably off-leash.
Recall simply means the dog returns when called.
Off-leash reliability means the dog consistently makes good decisions when freedom is available.
The difference is important.
Many Yakutian Laikas naturally possess strong handler awareness and generally better recall than many people expect from a northern breed. They often enjoy staying connected with their people and tend to check in frequently. This tendency likely comes from centuries of working closely alongside people in some of the harshest environments on earth. Unlike many primitive breeds that were expected to work independently for extended periods, Yakutian Laikas traditionally worked in partnership with their families, helping with transportation, hunting, and daily life.
However, even the best recall can temporarily disappear when instinct takes over.
Wildlife, excitement, adrenaline, and maturity all play a role.
True off-leash reliability isn't built through a handful of successful recalls. It's developed through years of exposure, experience, consistency, and trust. It requires proofing in increasingly difficult environments and teaching dogs how to make good decisions even when exciting alternatives are available.
Odyssey's recall wasn't necessarily the problem.
Her decision-making was.
At that moment, chasing a deer seemed like a fantastic idea.
As she continues to mature and gain experience, we fully expect her judgment to improve. Until then, she's a reminder that even promising young dogs still have lessons to learn.
A Barn Built for Puppies
While we've been tracking flights and chasing dogs through the woods, we've also been hard at work on another project that we're incredibly excited about.
Our new whelping barn is finally starting to come together.
We've spent a lot of time discussing what we wanted this space to be—not just for us, but for our dogs and future litters. Every improvement we make is focused on creating a safer, more comfortable, and more functional environment for raising puppies.
The building itself is already becoming a beautiful addition to the property, and we're looking forward to sharing more progress as construction continues.
One thing that has always driven Dark Point Kennel is the belief that there is always room for improvement.
No matter how much experience we gain, we're constantly researching, learning, and reevaluating our program.
Better facilities.
Better socialization.
Better evaluation methods.
Better support for puppy owners.
Better nutrition.
Better ways to preserve the incredible breeds we've committed ourselves to.
The work is never finished—and honestly, we wouldn't want it any other way.
The Tick Battle
If you live in Maine, you probably don't need us to tell you that the ticks are out in full force this year.
Unfortunately, they're thriving.
Living on a heavily wooded property means we encounter ticks regularly despite our best efforts. We find them on our dogs, on ourselves, and occasionally in places we'd rather not discuss.
Several tick species are commonly found throughout Maine:
Blacklegged Tick (Deer Tick)
The primary carrier of Lyme disease, Anaplasmosis, and Babesiosis.
American Dog Tick
Frequently found in grassy areas and fields and capable of transmitting diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. No Maine-acquired cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever have been confirmed to date.
Brown Dog Tick
More commonly associated with kennels, homes, and environments where dogs spend significant time.
Woodchuck Tick (Groundhog Tick)
Commonly found on wildlife such as woodchucks, skunks, and foxes. While less frequently encountered on dogs and people, it is a known carrier of Powassan virus, a rare but serious tick-borne disease, and may occasionally carry Lyme disease-causing bacteria.
Lone Star Tick
Still less common than in southern states but becoming increasingly established as its range expands northward.
For our dogs, we use NexGard PLUS as our primary preventative. We've been happy with its effectiveness and appreciate the broad coverage it provides against ticks, fleas, heartworm disease, hookworms, and roundworms.
We also use Flick the Tick, a Maine-made product that we've had good experiences with as part of our overall tick management strategy. While we don't rely on any single product alone, we've found it to be a useful addition to our toolkit during the height of tick season.
Of course, no product is perfect.
Even with preventatives, regular property maintenance, and routine checks, we still find ticks. That's simply part of living where we do.
To help reduce tick populations around your property, consider:
Keeping grass mowed
Removing leaf litter
Trimming brush and overgrowth
Creating woodchip or gravel barriers between lawns and wooded areas
Limiting rodent habitat
Performing daily tick checks on both people and pets
The goal isn't perfection.
The goal is reducing risk while continuing to enjoy the outdoors.
Panda Hits the Trail
One of the things we value most is spending individual time with our dogs.
Group dynamics tell us a lot.
One-on-one adventures tell us even more.
Recently, Panda joined us for a hike on the Sanders Hill Loop Trail in the Kennebec Highlands.
The trail offered plenty of opportunities to observe him in a new environment. Different terrain, unfamiliar scents, wildlife, passing hikers, and changing surroundings all provide valuable information about a dog's temperament, confidence, and problem-solving ability.
Panda handled the hike well overall and gave us some valuable insight into where he is mentally and physically as a young dog.
On the ascent, he was confident and eager to move forward. He navigated the trail well, showed interest in his surroundings, and tackled the changing terrain without hesitation. Like many young Yakutian Laikas, he was curious about everything around him while still remaining connected to us throughout the hike.
The descent, however, told us even more.
As the hike progressed and fatigue began to set in—or perhaps as he became more mentally stimulated by all of the new sights, smells, and experiences—Panda became noticeably more cautious. Areas that he had approached confidently on the way up were examined much more carefully on the way down.
Large rocks, steep drop-offs, uneven footing, and technical sections of trail caused him to slow down and think through his movements. Rather than recklessly charging ahead, he carefully evaluated the terrain before committing to his next step.
To us, this wasn't a negative at all.
In fact, it's exactly the type of response we like to see in a young dog.
Confidence is important, but confidence without self-preservation can quickly become a liability. Panda showed that while he is willing to explore and tackle new challenges, he also possesses enough awareness to recognize when a situation deserves a little extra caution.
He wasn't overly fearful.
He wasn't unwilling.
He was thoughtful.
Like many of the dogs we've retained from our program, Panda continues to demonstrate the stable, people-oriented temperament we value so highly. Experiences like this help us better understand how our dogs process challenges, recover from stress, and adapt to new environments—all traits that are far more difficult to evaluate at home than they are on an adventure through the Maine woods.
From Woods to Restaurant
After our hike, we decided to continue Panda's day with a completely different kind of challenge.
Rather than heading straight home, we stopped at a dog-friendly restaurant and spent some time simply existing in a busy public environment.
For us, these moments are just as valuable as a hike through the woods.
A trail can tell you a lot about a dog's physical ability, confidence, and problem-solving skills. A crowded restaurant can tell you a lot about their temperament.
Suddenly, the environment changes.
People are coming and going.
Plates are clattering.
Conversations are happening all around them.
Vehicles pass by.
Other dogs appear unexpectedly.
Children move quickly.
New smells are everywhere.
For some dogs, all of that stimulation can be overwhelming.
Panda, however, settled in nicely.
What stood out most wasn't that he ignored everything around him. Quite the opposite.
He noticed everything.
He watched people walk by. He observed other dogs. He paid attention to the activity around him and took in the environment exactly as we'd expect a thoughtful young Yakutian Laika to do.
The difference was that he didn't feel the need to react to everything he noticed.
He simply observed.
When people wanted to meet him, he was friendly and social. Around other dogs, he remained calm and respectful. Even with the constant movement and noise of a busy summer afternoon, he appeared comfortable and confident.
These are the types of experiences that help us learn the most about our dogs.
Not because we're testing obedience commands or asking for perfect behavior, but because we're observing who they are when they're simply allowed to exist in the world around them.
As breeders, it's easy to evaluate structure, movement, health testing, and genetics. Temperament takes more time. It requires experiences, exposure, and opportunities to see how a dog responds to situations they can't rehearse for.
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