Hello everyone,

My name is Chris and I just adopted a 1 year 7 month old husky mix today. Her name is Allana and she is a total sweetheart! She loves to get belly rubs and followed me around all day. She has a few issues right now, such as food aggression with a new puppy and wanting to get my sister's bunny (not her fault, I know huskies have high prey drive.) but overall she is wonderful.

I'm very active and love to go running, biking, hiking, camping, 4-wheeling, etc. so I think she's going to be a wonderful match for me.

Her story is a sad one. A backyard breeder had her from when she was a pup and after two litters (two, before 19 months!!! Incredibly hard on her body) she caught a cold which developed into a respiratory tract infection. He was going to dump her somewhere to die when his neighbor intervened and asked to take her from him so she could be cared for. She was with the rescue for 3 weeks before I found her and is currently sleeping in my bedroom She is a bit underweight at approximately 42lb and I found a couple fleas on her but don't worry, she will be well cared for and loved by me! My mother and father have owned dogs since they were young and as long as we can remember we have had dogs. I'm not new to having a pup under my care but this is my first husky. Sorry for such a long intro but I hope to learn a lot from all the knowledgable owners here!

Howdy from West Texas Chris! Thanks for being the hero and rescuing Allana!
Like most BYB that #$%# should be shot! I'm glad someone was there to help her when she needed it.
42 pounds isn't a bad weight for a Husky - just remember that with a healthy dog you should be able to feel her ribs and her hips and backbone are going to seem pronounced compared with most other breeds, that's just the way they are.
Speaking about "the way they are", since you know that they have a high prey drive, I'll also pre3sume that you know they like to run so letting her off lead, like while you're camping, is a really bad idea - a 100' rope (I'm sorry, I'm cheap, I use 100' clothesline ropes) is a really good investment.
Now, if you would please, go back and fill out a little more of your profile. I can remember what your name and hers are - but in a few days - not a chance!! Also, it often helps us to help you if we know, at least roughly, where you are.

Welcome to the wonderful, spaztastic world of Huskies. You sound like the perfect person to give her the great life she has been missing. I hope someone reported that byb for animal abuse or something.

That poor girl. She's so lucky you're giving her a better life! She is a beautiful dog. Sounds like your lifestyle matches that of a Husky's very well, so you should have little trouble adjusting to life with one. As Al said, avoid letting her off-leash in an unconfined space, as Huskies are known to run and not come back. And once they spy a critter, all bets are off. A long lead should do the trick, or a high fence in the back yard. If you do have a fenced back yard and let her out to run, keep an eye on her, as Huskies are also known to be escape artists. I've seen Huskies climb six-foot chain-link fences and escape before!

The key to a happy Husky is consistency and lots of stimulation, both physical and mental. She will look to you to set the boundaries and structure in her life.

Good luck! Sounds already like you will do great.

Thank you for rescuing such a beautiful girl!! Can't wait to see more pics of her, and Welcome to the forum!!

Welcome to the forum. Glad to hear you rescued her

AL: a 100' clothesline rope is great...IF you are right there. Ami chewed through his long line (a retriever training line I bought at Tractor Supply) while I stood talking to someone I like the overhead trolleys that can be bought from Petco, Walmart etc. If you have trees, gives a great anchor...though we did add a turn buckle to keep it tight. I also found out from experience - put a hook into the tree if you are using the vinyl cover cable lines, don't just wrap it around the tree. I went through several (not on the trolley, just on various trees) before I realized I was kinking the lines, cold weather was making the vinyl brittle and cracking, then rust set in. Fortuanately, they are relatively cheap.

Your lifestyle sounds perfect for a husky. Enjoy your new friend.

Amy (thread hijack in progress) As everyone knows by now, Husky's are really odd ... Avalanche is on a 40' chain since he can break a clothesline rope!! Sasha, on the other paw gets her 100' rope hung up on clumps of grass and just stops! She could pull free but doesn't; not that she doesn't pull at times when we're on walks and she wants to go that way while I want to go this way but generally she just doesn't pull (sled dog ... not likely)!
I've considered a trolley but the tallest "tree" I have is about 2 feet tall, I don't think that's work too well ... and with Sasha getting hung up on everything I'd spend more time getting her untangled. Avalanche I can tell "go untangle yourself" and believe it or not, he will!

C'mon back Chris !!!!!!!

aljones wrote:

Amy (thread hijack in progress)  As everyone knows by now, Husky's are really odd ...  Avalanche is on a 40' chain since he can break a clothesline rope!!  Sasha, on the other paw gets her 100' rope hung up on clumps of grass and just stops!  She could pull free but doesn't; not that she doesn't pull at times when we're on walks and she wants to go that way while I want to go this way but generally she just doesn't pull (sled dog ... not likely)!
I've considered a trolley but the tallest "tree" I have is about 2 feet tall, I don't think that's work too well ... and with Sasha getting hung up on everything I'd spend more time getting her untangled.  Avalanche I can tell "go untangle yourself" and believe it or not, he will!

C'mon back Chris !!!!!!!

continuing hijack...Yup - I've seen the pictures of your landscape. No trolley there, that's for sure. Ami used to deliberately get tangled in our brush parallel to his trolley, then sit, I swear, with a grin on his face, while I came to "rescue" him. Now, when he is on the trolley (not very often anymore, thanks to the invisible fence ) he knows which side of the trees to pass and when he goes into the brush, he backs out the way he went in. I think that is pretty neat! Ami also learned how to undo his snap shackle, so I have to keep 2 of them on his line. Once he gets the first on unsnapped and isn't free, he gives up.

Sounds like your 2 keep you busy - any kitties yet?

Hello everyone thank you for the warm greeting! We do have a fenced in backyard, it's a six foot vertical wood slat fence so no real toeholds for her to climb but I have been keeping an eye on her. So far she's been content to lounge around under the gazebo and we have a kiddie pool out there so she can jump in if she wants. I've run her a few times as well and she's great, we got up early today and went for a few miles in the canyon behind my house and she loved it.

And as far as letting her off leash I don't think we'll be doing that. Our last dog was a shepherd/chow mix and she also would take off after small animals. I have a few cables in varying lengths from 25' up to 130' (I think, been a while since I cut it) that I clip to 2"x4" set in the front yard or onto the brush guard of my truck when we are out. But around the house she really just wants to follow me around all day. Last night I was working at my desk for a few hours and she just curled up next to me, such a good girl

For those of you keeping Huskies in warmer climates do you do anything to help them cool off? I'm in Southern California and its getting pretty warm and I feel bad having her in the heat. Like I said I have the kiddie pool for her and I've been wetting her down with a damp towel but she still seems to be breathing a bit heavily.

Chris, I'm in one of the warmest places - depending on the time of the year, it's me and some of the Aussies - where it get's to around 110f (normally in the 90-100f range) of VERY DRY heat and neither the dogs nor I have any problem with it. They've always got fresh water available and normally hibernate during the heat of the day. Their fur seemingly operates as insulation as well against the heat as it does to keep them warm in the cold. Avalanche, who's an Alaskan Husky with a thin coat is quite apt to be laying out in the drive when it's only 90 or so ... keeping his tan intact, I guess.

Since southern California covers a lot of different terrain (from Rosemond in the Mojave, to the beach, to the snowed in mountains) it would give us a hand getting to know you if you'd update your profile and tell us where you are.

She is beautiful I'm in Southern California as well (San Diego) and don't worry, Huskies find ways to keep cool. Like Al said, their coat is an insulator, don't clip or shave or it will damage not only the coat, but can actually help *cause* heatstroke as the coat loses its insulating capabilities. The coat also has reflective qualities that aid in keeping them cooler, and get lost when trimmed/shaved. Mine are in the house most of the day (free to go outside when they want though) and keep cool on the tile floors. Just make sure she has access to fresh water of course

Profile has been updated, although I'm not sure where to put her name? I'll figure it out

Just a quick update but she had a playdate with a few dogs my friends brought over and she did great. Calm, collected and no snarling/growling at all. I'm still learning about huskies but can see how they are a handful. I have an appointment on Tuesday with my vet (been taking our animals to him for almost a decade now) for a routine checkup and then Friday an assessment at a local hospital to be a pet therapist. Hope she passes!

aljones - thank you very much for the information. I always make sure my animals have fresh water and some shade to escape to if they are outside. She's actually got a pretty nice patio that I put up last year

Arctic - I'm in San Diego as well! Maybe I'll see you and your puppies around sometime. As for shaving them, I never shave my dogs unless it is for medical reasons. My belief is that they adapted the coat to suit there needs and they seem to do a pretty good job. In any case she went for a short dip today after lunch, my mother saw her lounging in the pool lol

That'd be cool!

Nice!! A husky that likes the pool mine are fascinated by the pool but don't wanna go in it, haha

I threw the shaving thing in cuz so many people think it's ok to do and that they're doing the dog a favor by doing it. I have an older guy in my neighborhood that runs with his husky...and he buzzes her every summer. He thinks he's doing her a favor though anyways, welcome to the forum.

ReallY cool. what is she mixed with though, i see no mix unless... Malamute, german shepherd, or wolf dog. This fotum is the best resource i have found so far; after reading pages and pages of information on huskies. This is the only ineractive information hub, when you ask a question it evolves until it incorporates everyone's opinion, training method, and countless solutions; for a husky owner it is priceless.

Thanks for updating your profile, Chris. Now I won't have to keep notes so I know where you are (not that I do anyway, but ....)