Instagram story viewer> @akswingley> Posts

Andrea Swingley

@akswingley

1.2K

followers

1477

following

🕎 (Slower) runner. Sprint dog musher. Been a graphic designer, biologist & professional bird nerd. Jersey girl turned Alaskan.
@bocogear ambassador

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

I never imagined I’d make this post, but here we are…

HAPPY 16TH BIRTHDAY, LENNIER! 🥳

Amazingly, the dog with megaesophagus and myasthenia gravis, among other health issues, who gets one more more pills 8 times a day, and refuses to sleep alone downstairs at night made it to his 16th birthday. A year ago I would have bet a large amount of money that his 15th would be his last. Sometimes I love being wrong 😊

We celebrated today with some of his favorite things: a short walk, lots of snuggles, and tasty treats (that hopefully he enjoys only once, IYKYK).

#retiredsleddog #seniordog #thereallifeofsleddogs #sleddoglife #sleddog taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

51

6

4 months ago

I had a small problem while snow blowing the driveway today. For reference, I was by the end of the driveway heading back towards the house.

#Alaskaproblems #moose #Fairbanks taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

100

20

7 months ago

Kicked off the new year with a group of crazy friends to get the first run of the year up Ester Dome done. It was really cold down low (-41°F at our house), so we started partway up hoping it would be a little warmer. Even so, one person’s vehicle read -33°F when we started 🥶 I didn’t make it all the way to the top, but still got in some miles, a respectable amount of elevation gain (and loss), and a beautiful view of the moon over the valley. Hopefully this is the year I get my run back 🤞

#winterrunning #fairbanksalaska #heralaskalife #ecfitathlete #TeamBocoGear taken in Ester Dome Singletrack Trailhead by @akswingley

53

5

9 months ago

I’m more than ready for a new year. 2025 brought me so much pain and grief from losing some of those who I loved the most.

We said goodbye to Monte in January. At 16 years old with leukemia, this wasn’t a big surprise, but that didn’t make it any easier.

Jenson left us unexpectedly and quickly in March at 15.5 years old. He was the last of the three littermate kittens we’d adopted together.

Piper was also 16 years old, but had been so healthy that we’d joked she would live to 30. Healthy until she developed an aggressive, metastatic hemangiosarcoma and we had to say goodbye to her in July.

Then, the day after Thanksgiving, my dad passed away also unexpectedly. I was completely unprepared for how hard his loss would be, and I’m still struggling to find my new normalcy a month later.

Goodbye and good riddance, 2025. Here’s hoping for a 2026 with more highs and fewer lows, though with one 15.5 year old dog left (Lennier) I don’t expect it to be completely grief-free.

#newyear #griefandloss by @akswingley

60

13

9 months ago

Quiet Christmas Bird Count walk today. The birds were clearly the smart ones and stayed hunkered down since it was -39°F 🥶

#christmasbirdcount #winterwalk #winterbirding #FairbanksAlaska taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

58

9

9 months ago

A new neighbor visited a birch tree next to our deck.

#borealowl #birdsofalaska #alaskabirds #winterbirds #fairbanksalaska A snowy scene showing a Boreal Owl perched on a branch of a birch tree. taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

43

8

9 months ago

Made a batch of these "Carb Load Crispy Treats" from @featherstonenutrition to take to a friend's house tonight for a pre-race dinner. I wanted to share some good carbs with folks running the Equinox Marathon & Relay tomorrow, and for those of us that'll be running around providing support 😁 Don't they look yummy?! The treats were a hit, easy to make, and had around 40+ grams of carbs per treat.

Recipe: www.featherstonenutrition.com/recipe/carb-load-crispy-treats/

#carbloading #runningfuel #marathonfueling taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

28

0

a year ago

#NationalDogDay seems like the perfect day to celebrate 15 year-old Lennier, our last dog standing. He’s somehow outlived our other dogs, the three cats, and, as far as we know, all of his litter mates. Lennier has some serious health issues, but still pulls down the road or trail when we go for walks (or hunting for blueberries like we were in the video). He can keep pulling and we’ll keep celebrating as long as he’s his happy, sweet, silly self. by @akswingley

34

4

a year ago

Piper, 10 May 2009 – 7 July 2025

One week ago, only two short months after she turned 16, we had to say goodbye to our sweet Piper.

Piper was the Queen Bee of the kennel. She loved to play, especially with her brothers Martin and Lennier, and insert herself onto whichever dog bed she wanted regardless of who was already occupying that bed. Even with all of the dog beds we had, Piper’s favorite spot in her later years was my seat on the couch. She was also an obnoxious obligate turdivore 🤢 which is why she earned the nickname of Princess Piper Poopymouth, The Foulest of Them All.

Piper was a wonderful sled dog for many years. She was driven, ran next to anyone, and could go anywhere in the team. Piper didn’t like to be in lead for every run like Monte did, but she loved to lead in a race, so she became my main race leader with Monte. I felt relaxed and confident with those two dogs at the front of any team I had the privilege to run.

Piper aged beautifully until just a couple short months ago. She had few health issues prior to then, and the more recent ones were minor and treatable like dry eye and old lady incontinence. Everyone who saw her commented on how amazing she looked for her age, including the veterinarians. But a couple of months ago she began to get a little hitch in her giddy-up then developed a lump in her shoulder that was originally diagnosed as a lipoma but turned out to be part of aggressive metastatic hemangiosarcoma. The cancer moved fast and eventually our perky, active girl could barely keep herself up long enough to move across the living room from one dog bed to another.

Piper will be remembered as a spunky, happy sleddog with a twinkle in her eyes and perpetually wagging tail. My spouse used to jokingly tell her she should be careful or she’d run out of wags; last week her wags ran out. 🐾🌈

#seniordog #sleddog #sleddogsofinstagram #restinpeace #retiredsleddog #rainbowbridge #thereallifeofsleddogs by @akswingley

61

21

a year ago

The day's almost over but Princess Piper turned 16 today! Other than starting to resemble the potato aspect of being a couch potato, I think she's looking (and doing) pretty well for her age 💖

Happy birthday, Piper! 🥳🎂😍

.
.
.
#seniordog #seniordogsofinstagram #olddogsrule #happybirthday #sweet16 #sleddog #sleddogsofinstagram #thereallifeofsleddogs #annamaetpetfoods #annamaetdog #seniorpupsaturday #sleddoglife #retiredsleddog taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

46

2

a year ago

This princess has a birthday next week. How old do you think Piper will be?
(No scrolling back in my feed to find out!)
.
.
#sleddoglife #thereallifeofsleddogs #sleddog #sleddogsofinstagram #Alaskanhusky #pointercross #Annamaetdog #annamaetpetfoods #retiredsleddog
.
#seniordog #seniordogsofinstagram #olddogsrule taken in Goldstream Valley, Fairbanks, Alaska by @akswingley

38

10

a year ago

The new @fairbanksjewishcenter hosted the lighting of a six foot ice #menorah in downtown #Fairbanks for the fifth night of #Hanukkah. My non-Jewish friend (who tipped me off about the event) and I were there with probably more than 50 others even though it was close to -20°F by the river — what a great show of peace and light in these dark days! 🕎 #HappyHanukkah
.
.
#chanukah #jewish #Alaska #winter #winterinAlaska #festivaloflights #hanukkah2024 #jewishholiday taken in Golden Heart Plaza & Monument by @akswingley

67

3

2 years ago