Facebook!

We are now on Facebook!!! It's a work in progress, but lots of pictures will be uploaded soon!  If anyone would like to share their own pictures with us, feel free to tag us or email & I will post them for you (with credit of course!)

Just look up Triple D Game Farm on Facebook & send us a friend request!  See you soon!

Spring Training!!

Spring Training has begun for America's Pastime (and MY favorite sport), BASEBALL!!!  And like a good mom, I encourage my babies to become sports fans like me!  So, Bruno is showing his support by taking comfort with his new baseball "binky."  After his many warm bottles of milk, he typically falls asleep sucking on his trendy pacifier.....and its SOOOOOOO cute!  On that note, I haven't watched any baseball yet this year because I have been prepping and prepping all of the animals for a stellar showing in Monument Valley!!!  We are leaving dark & early on Sunday and the show begins on March 31st!  For those of you who are going, I look forward to seeing you there, and for those who are not, you will be missed!  Hopefully, I'll be able to keep everyone posted while we're there!!!  Wish us luck!  See you  

Bruno & his baseball binky

Monument Valley is coming up!!!

This year's T-shirt design

Monument Valley is upon us!  The days have been filled with nonstop prep to ensure we are READY completely!  I have been working very hard on the animals (acclimation, training, behavior, health, etc...)  Jay, Jesse, Kathleen, Cassie, and even Kim have been working extremely hard on all of the rest!  (Which is A LOT)  We are excited and anxious for the trip.  It is truly going to be a once in a lifetime experience for us, for you, and of course for the animals.  I look forward to seeing the results of everyone's hard work transpire into photos, video, and even artwork.  At this point, I can only imagine just how amazing it will all turn out. 

We will also be selling T-shirts as keepsakes from this year's event.  Above is the design (created by Jeff Schiefelbein; www.sinisterpointe.com)  We will have short sleeves and long sleeves available in white, ash grey, and black.  There will be a limited amount available, but special orders can be arranged upon request.  

Well, the count down has officially begun....12 days until we depart and make the 1000 mile drive with 15 animals in tow.  Wish us luck & we will see you there!!!    

 

Meet Bruno! He's unBEARably cute!

Bruno; born January 16, 2012  Weight: 6.9 lbs

Thumb sucker???

Enjoys falling asleep in the
laps of his caretakers

Brown bear claws can measure up to about 2" - 4"

Meet the newest member of the Triple D family!!  His name is "Bruno", which is the international word for brown.  It suits him perfectly!  Bruno took a long road trip across the country with Jay and is finally at his forever home here in Kalispell, MT.  He is settling in nicely.  He is enjoying all of the attention he is getting from all of the staff, too!

Stretching out his toes while he sleeps

Heather & Bruno

Bruno, as of today, weighs 6.9 lbs and is just beginning to get his baby teeth in.  Although, his claws as you can see are ALREADY quite large!  Speaking of size, his father is quite large (about 800 lbs), so we can only imagine just how big little Bruno will become!

The Triple D has big plans and high hopes for his professional career, and with a name like Bruno, he is surely destined for stardom!

Our summer and fall filming slots are filling up fast, so don't forget to make your reservations and secure your spot to see little Bruno in person.....he won't stay small for very long!!!




Stay tuned for more news, pictures, and updates on Bruno & all of our amazing animals!  

Footprints On My Heart

13 month-old Casey bear's paw tracks 

For all of you parents out there (two-legged or four-legged), you know how bittersweet it is when your little ones start growing up.  Well, it is no different for me.  I love to see my babies grow and develop, but there is always that part of me that wants them little and sweet forever.  My goal is to keep them always sweet , but it is certainly out of my hands when it comes to their growth!  As I posted last month, my "little" Casey bear had his first birthday and we made sure we celebrated with him!  However, that one-year-old bear is now officially 175 lbs!!  He has all of his big teeth in and when he stands on two feet, his head reaches my shoulders!  My little bear isn't so little anymore....and he's only going to keep on growing for the next two years.  Just the other day, Casey was enjoying some fresh snow, (meaning he was running around like a wrecking ball and doing somersaults) and he just so happened to leave a front paw print and a back paw print right next to each other.  So like the proud mom I am, I snapped a couple pictures of his tracks.  I left my foot print & hand print next to them to give you an example of how big he's getting.  (Keep in mind, I am 5'4" and wear a size 8 shoe, but for the snow, they are bulky snow boots.)  Those tracks are going to be quite larger next winter.


Next up are my almost 8 month-old mountain lion cubs, Kali and Khia.  They lost their spots months ago and look like mini adult mountain lions!  (They have not been weighed recently, but I will do that soon.)  Khia, the runt of their litter, is significantly smaller than her sister, but still growing like a weed.  Kali, however, is quite the young lady!  When standing on her back feet, she is now stretching up to my chest!  Kali is definitely developing quicker than Khia, and has already lost her four canines.  I am so happy that I was able to recover two of them for my baby book!  (Picture below....and joking about the baby book, of course.)  While they are teething I encourage them to chew on more productive things than me, like dog raw hides.  Her big teeth are coming in rapidly and look gorgeous!  Khia is right behind her though, as her big teeth are just starting to break through the gum line.

Kali's bottom canines

Well, the babies will continue to grow and develop into the regal and majestic animals that we all respect and appreciate.  I look forward to their adult lives and to be a big part of that is truly an honor and a blessing.  I never forget that I am one lucky girl who these animals allow to be around them every day.  For those who do not know, this is the only career I have ever wanted and I would not trade it for the world.  My job is truly a labor of love and it is unbelievably easy to wake up everyday and first thing I get to do is kiss a bear on the nose.         

Work Work Work!

It has been a busy, go go go 2012 already, but that doesn't mean it's all work and no play....or...well, sleep for those really grueling days....  

After a long day of filming, I often cap off my evening with some much needed quiet time with just me and the animals.  This peaceful time is an important element in the trainer/animal relationship as it builds trust, understanding, and unity.  One of the most frequently asked questions is "How? How do you train these wild animals?!"  Typically, my response is simple, "A lot of patience!"  That is certainly true, but it takes a WHOLE LOT more than that. To successfully train wild animals such as these, I must use an elaborate recipe of time, patience, love, and positive reinforcement, also know as Operant Conditioning.  In the end, the result is mutual respect and admiration.  I love coming to work, and my long and laboring hours spent here are rewarded twofold by the relationships that I have built and maintain with my four-legged, furry babies.  I wouldn't trade them for any money or vacations in the world.            

Heather, Kali (bottom), & Khia (top) taking a "catnap"
after a hard day's work filming

A big thank you to Jeff Wendorff and sharing his amazing talent with the Triple "D" staff!  It is always so much fun to see the results of the workshops and photo/filming sessions that take place here, and Jeff generously provided some of his pictures just for our blog!  Thanks, Jeff! 

In addition to capturing the majesty of our animals, he also amazingly illustrates the beautiful habitats in which they are filmed.  Our staff continuously works diligently on maintaining our filming sites to ensure their purity, allure, and of course their safety for our guests and our animals.   

Enjoy!

Andy, a 10 year old Mountain Lion

Kali, a 7 month old Mountain Lion

Khia (Kali's littermate), a 7 month old Mountain Lion

Dudette, a 9 year old Cross Fox

Ferrah, a 10 month old Fisher

Lil' Joey, a 2 year old Red Fox

Honey, a 4 year old Arctic Fox

Simba, a 9 month old Canada Lynx

Julia, a 9 month old Arctic Wolf

Horse Roundup

Great Horned Owl