Seriously!

Now that I have, it feels awesome to commingle with fellow Husky enthusiasts and to learn other tips and tricks for Huskies that I haven't tried yet.

I have owned now a total of 4 huskies, 2 of which are currently puppies. The previous two have since passed away. Most recently my beloved red/white Stolichnaya "Stoli" Konstantin. He was very much my baby and loved by many in our retail store. He was the shop's mascot. Working in the shop from the age of 8 weeks to just over 2 years old, delighting families who would come in with their children, just to see him, pet him, and give him treats.

I trained him myself, and he was very well behaved. I received complements from people who work with dogs daily (groomers and trainers who would patron my shop for their favorite cigars). He was a very special dog and even had (still has, but not so active anymore) his own facebook fan page. He loved his job and did it well. He could do all sorts of fun tricks (the most loved one was my asking if he was a 'Ladies' Man' and he would bark and give me a high five with his paw) that made customers laugh and he ate up every bit of their laughter.

When we moved to our farm last year from a townhouse (which we were hardly home except at night and Stoli went everywhere with us anyway), it never really occurred to me to train him to stay away from the doors like I did at our shop. We were never really home much at our townhouse and there were only two doors in and out -the one to the attached garage and the front door--and the front door was rarely used because we used the garage 99% of the time. At the shop he was very well trained to not bolt out the door when customers came in or held it open. His job was greeter and entertainer so he was more interested in those coming in the shop than trying to get out.

Stoli ended up getting out of the house because one of the kids didn't lock the sliding door and he knew how to open it thanks to watching the cats. So he got out and almost immediately crossed the busy road that passes by our place and was immediately hit. Killed instantly, so he didn't suffer. That was Sept this year. I felt immediate regret that it really didn't occur to me to train him like I did at the shop. My lack of thinking cost my best friend his life.

It wasn't just us in mourning but a whole community of people. He touched SO many lives in his short time. Melted so many hearts and entertained so many cigar loving people.

I contacted the breeder he came from and she stated that while Stoli's father had been retired, his mother just had her last litter before being retired. Stoli had 3 half-brothers I was able to pick from if I wanted to. Their birthdate was only 11 days apart from my beloved Stoli's.

My husband and I talked and agreed to picking one out. It was hard in many ways because Stoli's death was still so fresh and I had not even come close to healing yet. But I wanted to have a living piece of him so badly. So I picked out an all-white one (there were two in the litter, the other black & white) from the photos. Then my husband brought up the idea of taking two. We had planned on adopting another dog this coming spring, so why not just do it now.

I told him he was nuts. Everything you read about puppies warns of getting two, especially from the same litter, and that is if the breeder even lets you. Huskies as puppies are already a lot of work. Two is likely asking for too much frustration and trouble.

However I chatted with him more and with the breeder. She knew my experience with huskies and was ok with us taking two. After bringing them home, I really didn't know if we had made the right choice. Since I am home during the day running the farm, I can easily adjust my work to their needs.

So far, since they have been here about 6 weeks... and they are now just over 4 months old. We picked them up at their 12-week mark. Normally we would have gotten them at 8 weeks but we had a week long trip scheduled not long after they would have turned 8 weeks and my mom would be running the farm during that time. Handing her two puppies who aren't house trained would have been cruel on all levels. So the breeder agreed to hold them until after we got back (also because it is a 5 hr drive one way to get there from our home), which made them 12 weeks.

There have been some frustrating times, yes, but not something that won't take care of itself over time. They are actually doing very well with house training and giving me cues. I think the one thing that has saved my sanity with all this is having them on a schedule and a routine.

Once they are house trained to a more consistent habit, then the individual obedience and other socialization will start. I am really enjoying having both of them (we took both white ones) and my kids are too. Two different personalities and yet, they both exhibit little traits their older brother had and it warms and heals my heart day by day. I really think they do belong together. That is just the gut instinct I have.

Trust me, I don't recommend two husky pups (let alone any kind of dog) at the same time but in this situation, I think it was the best choice for us and things are going better than the online nightmare stories predicted. I think much of that attributes to us having them at a later age than the usual 8 weeks.

Oh, and this spring, as soon as the ground thaws, we will be installing a 6' perimeter fence for them to run in, and have an Invisible Fence line installed with the professional trainers training them as a secondary safety feature near the physical fence. I have had several husky owners in my area praise that Invisible Fence being used as a secondary barrier for their own dogs' safety.

If you have read this whole thing, bless you!

I look forward to being a part of what looks like a fun place to hang out online!

Welcome to the forum. My deepest condolences on the loss of your beloved Stoli. I can empathize - my mom got a standard poodle, Pierre, after my father died. He was always either indoors or in a fenced area. Never showed any inclination to climb or jump the fence until one day a cat...suffice to say, over the fence, into the road, and that was the end of Pierre. My mom was devastated.

We, too have just installed a petsafe yardmax around 4-5 acres. The dogs are now quite reliable (even without a physical fence) and are thoroughly enjoying the additional acreage for roaming (it's full of deer, rabbit, woodchuck, etc. Actually, now it is full of the smell of critters, the critters have found it more salubrious to go elsewhere )

I can't wait to see pictures of your two growing up

Welcome! I'm so sorry to hear about Stoli. Sounds like an amazing dog.

There are so many more doors and SOOOO many temptations in my area (lots of wild critters) and while we're in a farm community, most of the houses are actually not far apart, but everyone's land is really in their back yard. I really don't know if I could fully trust my two to not just bolt through the collar's correction. Especially since one of them was lovingly nicknamed 'Devil Child' by the breeder, lol.

I will post photos as soon as I can get them on my computer. They're all on my phone, ha ha!

I am so sorry for your loss of Stoli. I coworker of mines daughter just had a similar thing happen to her husky just a few months ago. He was hit as he was returning home from a jaunt around the subdivision.

My uncle had a german shepherd that was a shop dog for 10 years and everyone loved her. It really does hit a whole community to lose them.

Welcome to the forum! We really love pictures of any of your dogs.

Thank you everyone for the nice thoughts.

I had him cremated and he's up on our fireplace mantle, watching over his little brothers. Probably whispering in their ear...likely the naughty things they like to do. What one does't think of, the other does.

I posted photos in the 'scrapbook' forum for those who want to see.