I am so sorry to hear about your misfortunes with your previous dogs from that breeder. How old were your poor babies when they passed? I can not imagine having to experience that or watch my poor babies suffer.  Were there other owners affected by the same health issue that and what did the breeder say about it?  It just doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me.  

Shila’s mother was all white with a little bit of a longer coat but not wooly and with blue eyes. A little more of a slender build I say.  Her dad was a husky, husky. More masculine stalky built, wider face, blue eyes, mostly white, dusty red ears/head, shoulder and back but, what red he had was very little and the same color Shila has on the back of her ears. Shila is taller, and is 65lbs. I absolutely adore her and she is my baby. She knows it too haha.  Shila was dark when we picked her out and had a mask at birth so we were surprised at how much she lightened up. I will attach pictures at the bottom. It is crazy to me how much their coats can change.  

As for collars. We try to take the collars off throughout the day if they are not outside, and especially at night they do not wear them.  They only wear them when they are outdoors that way their poor necks are not getting extended wear in that one area.  We know it cannot be entirely fun or comfortable but, we thought it would be better than fencing off a section of the yard and confining them, they love running and we love to see them sprinting laps. This is the biggest yard we have had since we just left the military and have always lived on post. We got Shila just before exiting service since we knew we were getting ready to have space for her. We too have our animals chipped.  I hope they do not grow masses. Were the masses your dog’s grew benign or did the vet have comments on what they were?  Even growing up my huskies wore a standard dog collar with a name and address tag but I have never had issues. Or did you have issues with a fence collar?

I have a DSLR camera I am just lazy about getting it out lol. I try to get pictures with my phone a lot of the time however, it seems my animals know when I am coming and stop doing all cute things when I come with my phone or camera. OR they come running to me and get right up on the lens, way to close for a picture hah.   All your pictures are so fun and I enjoy seeing your pups. It’s like a doggy comic strip.  Your pool looks amazing too.  Do your dogs like to swim?  Shila loves to swim when we go to camp in the summer. I am excited to take the new little guy too.  I’m off of here for now.

Shila at 8 Mo, trying to show a good side view. Her gray has recessed more since this and she has grown so much more.

Shila's Mom

Shila's Mom

Shila 4 or 5 weeks old

Shila 4 or 5 Weeks old

Lovely pictures When you say perimeter fence, do you mean an invisible fence type of thing? We put one in around 4 acres - the dogs love it. I have not found the collars to be a problem - they go on first time they go out in the morning (for us morning begins sometime after 9 - we're retired and husband is a total night owl!) Their collars come off when we go to bed - which can be any where from midnight to 3-4 AM.

Whereabouts in Maine are you? I was born in Bangor, lived in Old Town and Castine. My Mom is Hallowell, one sister near Portland and another is building her own house, and I mean literally, building her own house with her own hands, somewhere outside of Damariscotta.

Good Morning Amy,

Yes we have an invisible fence for the dogs. Collars on around 0600 and off between 10-11 at night. We knew we would have space coming here and did not want to do a fence again. We lived on post and always had fenced in yards. When we knew that time in service was coming to an end ( I got out a few years ago and my husband retired 20 years this past summer) we got Shila May of 2016 and we moved to Maine March of 2017( we didn't want her having to be fenced for a long time, lots of long walks, runs and dog park visits daily) We have family here, we live in Raymond. We were going to have a home built but, we were having trouble finding a lot of land that we liked in the area we desired. We bought a home and figured we'll stay here for a little while and may build in the future.

Just looked it up on the map...I got royally lost near there one time driving from Mass to my parents. Listening to music on a beautiful day, started day dreaming and didn't come to until way up north on rt 93 (I was supposed to go 1 exit ) Tried to make my way east without turning back...what a disaster of a trip that was.

Beautiful country where you are.

LannA89 wrote:

I am so sorry to hear about your misfortunes with your previous dogs from that breeder. How old were your poor babies when they passed? I can not imagine having to experience that or watch my poor babies suffer.  Were there other owners affected by the same health issue that and what did the breeder say about it?  It just doesn’t seem like a coincidence to me.  

Shila’s mother was all white with a little bit of a longer coat but not wooly and with blue eyes. A little more of a slender build I say.  Her dad was a husky, husky. More masculine stalky built, wider face, blue eyes, mostly white, dusty red ears/head, shoulder and back but, what red he had was very little and the same color Shila has on the back of her ears. Shila is taller, and is 65lbs. I absolutely adore her and she is my baby. She knows it too haha.  Shila was dark when we picked her out and had a mask at birth so we were surprised at how much she lightened up. I will attach pictures at the bottom. It is crazy to me how much their coats can change.  

As for collars. We try to take the collars off throughout the day if they are not outside, and especially at night they do not wear them.  They only wear them when they are outdoors that way their poor necks are not getting extended wear in that one area.  We know it cannot be entirely fun or comfortable but, we thought it would be better than fencing off a section of the yard and confining them, they love running and we love to see them sprinting laps. This is the biggest yard we have had since we just left the military and have always lived on post. We got Shila just before exiting service since we knew we were getting ready to have space for her. We too have our animals chipped.  I hope they do not grow masses. Were the masses your dog’s grew benign or did the vet have comments on what they were?  Even growing up my huskies wore a standard dog collar with a name and address tag but I have never had issues. Or did you have issues with a fence collar?

I have a DSLR camera I am just lazy about getting it out lol. I try to get pictures with my phone a lot of the time however, it seems my animals know when I am coming and stop doing all cute things when I come with my phone or camera. OR they come running to me and get right up on the lens, way to close for a picture hah.   All your pictures are so fun and I enjoy seeing your pups. It’s like a doggy comic strip.  Your pool looks amazing too.  Do your dogs like to swim?  Shila loves to swim when we go to camp in the summer. I am excited to take the new little guy too.  I’m off of here for now.

Shila at 8 Mo, trying to show a good side view. Her gray has recessed more since this and she has grown so much more.

Shila's Mom

Shila's Mom

Shila 4 or 5 weeks old

Shila 4 or 5 Weeks old

Thank you. It was tough. Malukhai and Anuschka died only 2 weeks apart. It was surreal. The 5th anniversary is coming up next month Malukhai died at home, right in front of my eyes, Anuschka died at the emergency vet when the seizure stopped her heart, and 4 years earlier, Anuschka's brother, Blitz, died from a seizure, in my arms, right as I carried him in the doors to the emergency vet. All 3 had epilepsy, but all were also related. Blitz and Anuschka were brother and sister, and Malukhai had the same dad, but a different mom. Blitz was 4 1/2 years old when he died, Malukhai was 5 1/2, and Anuschka died on her 10th birthday. That still freaks me out, to die on the actual birthday. The breeder...she told me none of her dogs have ever seizured. Could be true, could be a lie, I'll never know. When Blitz passed away, I let her know, I also let her know I would be wanting another puppy because Anuschka, I felt, needed another dog in the house. That's how Malukhai came along. She let me have pick of the litter, and I chose him. He was AWESOME. And Anuschka loved him. Anyways, the breeder "blamed" it on a few things, mostly having to do with nutrition, which probably holds some truth to it. Id explain it but it'd be super long, lol, and I'm sure other people reading this would find fault with my theory so I'll just leave it at, my dogs ate decent food (Natures Domain) but having had parents who were fed raw (like freshly killed deer and stuff, not these frozen entrees made these days for now) and their grandparents, etc. (breeder was breeding for 47+ years, her lines were well established) that it's *possible* that their pups systems just didn't get the nutrients they needed, from the kibble out on the market today. It's just a theory of mine, no fact to base it on, and I'm sure others would find fault with my theory but...I still think it's possible. And your other question, as to whether other litters/littermates had succumbed to the same fate...I honestly don't know. The breeder was "older", she didn't use FB or things like that, so I never knew where the other pups went. It's the ONE things that I really wish I would know.

Beautiful dogs! I love her mom and dad! I'm also shocked how "dark" Shila was as a puppy! Anuschka and Blitz were light even from a puppy. I'll post a pic of them at 9 weeks or so (I don't have many on my iPad so not sure how great a pic I can send yet, but they were pretty light, almost white. Their mom was a white, just like Shila's mom, but their dad was a grey and white, however I know they had red and white in their grandparents side. Anyways, love the pics, thanks for sharing them!

Hahaha, thank you...watching these two is often like watching cartoons, haha. They are HILARIOUS! First, thank you for the compliment kn the pool! I love being in the backyard, I spend almost all my free time there. Kohdi and Mishka are not swimmers, haha. Kohdi seems to keep himself a safe distance from it, always has, while Mishka will lay herself right on the edge, but as far as going in, both have only stood on the first step....except Mishka, Kohdi had bumped her in a couple times as a puppy she instantly swam too! I kinda wish they'd be more the swimmer type, but at the same time, I'm kinda glad they're not. They have no trouble walking into a lakes water or a beach, the pool is different though.

The collar thing. Vet only said the growth was not painful, and didn't seem to bother them either. That they might fall off at some point (it did on my malamute) and that it might be messy (wasn't really) both dogs lived very long lives for the breed, the Husky died at 17 and my malamute, at 16. I still had my malamute when I got Blitz and Anuschka! And the collars were the simple nylon (I think that's what they're called) collars, about an inch or two wide and not *that* thick. Both dogs had pretty much zero health issues their entire lives as well, seriously! Only vet visit for Nikita, besides routine vet visits, was for one of those testicle things not falling, as a puppy...and my malamutes only health issue his entire life was a deteriorating disc in his spine. And that was it! For their entire lives! So in my mind, it can be argued that the growths were from this or that, but I seriously think if that was the case, whatever the reasons one may come up with (example, the food they were eating, or...something environmental, etc.) that it would also have manifested itself somewhere else in their overall health. Am I saying I know 100% the collar was the cause, no...it's just a feeling I have and I'm ok with that.

LOLOL, see! I think had I gotten a DSLR, I'd be lazy about using it too this camera I have is even a little too big! Hahaha, my last digital camera would fit in my pocket, this one barely does and has knobs and stuff that get in the way. I love a DSLR's end result, but I doubt I'd capture half of what I do now, if I was using one. And yeah, I feel you on the pups reactions once you have your camera out. My two have their own reactions, like closing their eyes or sticking their tongue out, once I have my camera, lol. I have to be slick!!! Hahaha

Jimmy, have you thought of joining the fb h2m2 groups national and for the region the breeder was located, maybe a fb canine epilepsy group or two. Ask about docs from your breeder and any history of epilepsy.

I actually have thought of that Amy. However, had my dogs lived long lives, Anuschka would be 15 about now so not sure how many dogs I'd find, Malukhai would be 10 so there's a more decent chance. I feel though, that if people lost their dogs early, like I had, they probably wouldn't be on any sites. For me to post any questions pertaining to that breeder, may look like I'm looking to cause trouble, maybe?

I think of myself, at the time their seizures were going on, and I was up nights on end researching anything I could find on how to help my dogs, and not once did I stumble across any FB pages or things social media related. Of course they probably existed, but that I didn't find them, means others probably havnt either, which in my mind, just narrows it down even more, the chances of finding someone who got a dog from them. I should try though still. The way these dogs lives ended, is a constant thought in my head to this day. I always felt I needed to know if I was the only one who went through it, so I'd know if it was something here that contributed or caused it, but both Kohdi and Mishka are from a different breeder, and both are past the point, in age, that my last three were when their seizures started. Kohdi will be 5 this month, Mishka will be 4 this month, although still possible, if indeed something here caused it, my last three seizures started at the "typical" age of epilepsy diagnosis at the 1-2 year range, with Malukhai and Anuschka both at the 2 year mark. I do feel now, that it was in the line and nothing  in their environment. Thank you Amy, I may still do it, atleast see if there are any archives I can look thru.

Is the breeder still breeding? To me, there is rather strong evidence of epilepsy in the line, despite what she told you. Maybe you could lurk on the canine epilepsy pages and see if she comes up...if she is still breeding

She retired in 2009 I believe, Amy. She sold her kennel to someone else who continues to breed huskies, and from what I've seen, doesn't know wth she is doing. When Anuschka passed away, I contacted her to try and talk to the original breeder...instead, this new breeder offers to sell me one of her latest creations

I'll still investigate, Amy.