I know alot of you have mentioned how you came to be owned by your pups, but there are quite a few members on here I don't know your story. So, I thought it would be entertaining to see what made you decide to bring home the pups you have. Was it a planned decision? An inpulse? Did you rescue or go to a breeder? I will start...

I was intrigued by the breed, too many years ago, when I saw a pair at the covered bridge festival in Indiana. After buying a book and reading up on the breed (didn't have interenet at the time) I decided the Siberian Husky would be my breed of choice. Many years later and exactly one year after I bought my first home I came across an ad for Siberian Husky puppies in town close to me. I made a trip to just LOOK and fell for Dakota instantly. I never wanted a male dog. We had male dogs growing up and they always tried to hump everything! The breeder had two females and one male, so I had my choice of females... but after watching the breeder's kids chasing Dakota, I felt like he kept looking at me to save him! LOL! It was the best decision ever! He is my dog!

Willow came last year. She was a planned choice. I joined this forum to find out what the pitfalls were with having two verses one and was encouraged by the responses. I orginaly was going to rescue but had problems finding a rescue that was good with cats. This time, I really did want a female since I had always heard it was best to have opposite sexes. I have since learned on this forum that opposite sexes doesn't really matter. Anyway, since I didn't know how long I would have to wait for a female to come along that was good with cats, I decided to go the breeder route again. I had a choice of three black/white females and one red/white female. I have always like the red/whites

Here goes....I've ALWAYS had dogs at my parents house (3+ for the most part) and when I moved in with my boyfriend (now hubby) we automatically started talking about getting a dog. He mentioned that he'd always wanted a Siberian Husky.Mind you, he'd NEVER had a dog and knew nothing about owning one. Me on the other hand, had lots of experience with dogs, but NONE with sibes. I looked up a few websites and after not much research (to be honest) we were on the search! About 2 weeks later we found an ad for black/puppies, called, they had 2 left, and we went straight there. Two adorable puppies came running out and Mya automatically ran up to my hubby and started licking him everywhere while the other puppy paid not much mind to us. She won our :heart:s and the husky journey began!

When Mya was about 4yrs old I started having the itch for a 2nd. Hubby was against it for months! Finally, around August of last yr he agreed! We searched for the right one for MONTHS! I wanted to rescue, but I knew that with Mya's personality it had to be a puppy. On Dec 4th we made the drive to Weston and found our little Kody. We had seen the ad for him floating around for about a month, but hubby didn't want to drive so far (plus they were asking more than what we were willing to pay). One day we were so fed up with searching that he said let's just go see the Weston puppy. We got there, once again fell in love, and he came home with us!

Now ask hubby who his "little baby son" is? LOL!!!

My stories aren't very exciting.. Jarod and I had been together all through high school and October of my sophomore year my dog I'd had since I was 3 passed away(though we had other dogs at my home, but this was 'my' dog and the one I had almost my whole life), and end of summer before our senior year his dog he had since 4 or so had to be put down. I still had my chi + the other dogs but Jarod was a dogless house after Effie passed and I told him we would get a puppy when we graduated. I saved all the money to get a dog, vet bills, the luxuries (toys, bed, etc) and around February of 2008 we began talking about what breed to get and whatnot. I won't lie, have NO idea how we came out with a sibe, I can't remember for the life of me. We did research them some but not majorly (thankfully we never had any issues really and I joined a forum by the time he was 6 months since I got so interested in them) and started looking at breeders. Took a lot of effort to find a non BYB breeder in AZ since I didn't know how to track down breeders back then, but we found one 4 hours north of where we lived and I contacted them and was told one of their dogs just got pregnant and should be delivering late April/early May. Our preference was a girl with amber eyes, lol. I got an email on April 26th that 3 little boys can been born.. no girls! Whatever though. Later on we got 3 pics, 2 wolf gray boys who should have blue eyes and one pale pale pale red that should have blue eyes. We picked one of the wolf grays, and when they updated pics next on their website they put sold on "our" dog's photo.. a few weeks later we notice the dog we originally chose (the first set of pics weren't very good) their web designer didn't put our name on, it was his twin brother pretty much (their mask was very slightly different). We figured it was a sign and said we want the one the webdesigner messed up and put our name on. Glad we did, because Koda was definitely the one for us! We picked him up in June and he's been the best puppy ever since.

Rogue most people know about since I got her this July. I had been b*tching on FB about how I wanted a 2nd dog and was tired of waiting.. another military spouse told me about a military family with a 9 week female that they just got prior to finding out they had to go overseas, so they made the hard decision to try to rehome her. A lot of the ladies who have husbands in the mil know I am a husky lady and I got told right away and contacted the family at 11PM on a Thursday night! They emailed me back in the early AM and said we could meet her at 4:30PM that day (Friday). We met her and there was no turning back. She was perfect. Koda instantly loved her and she instantly loved Koda. Literally, got them in touching distance and they were kissing each other, chasing each other, and wrestling. She immediately took to me as well and Jarod even said, "well, pretty sure we can't say no now." So we went back to their house to discuss the details.. and when we drove there Rogue(then named Lucy) wanted to stay with me so they let her drive with me. After figuring everything out, I went to go get the $ for her(I did compensate about 80% of what they paid since they only had her a week and I got all her stuff). They had a 3 year old daughter who made it so hard to take her, I felt so bad, but I made sure to tell her we'd love her puppy and send pics (which I do every month with an update). Worst timing with a broken ankle and being in an apt til Feb, but she is the PERFECT fit to our family and has been an angel and I would never regret getting her. Koda and her were made for eachother.

Christmas 2009 my boyfriend and I had been living together for a while and he asked me what I wanted for Christmas, a puppy! I knew I wanted a Husky, knew nothing of the breed except they had gorgeous eyes and were fluffy lol. But I read about them and cats, and being off leash for weeks and I found a breeder 15 minutes from me, Looked on her website and picked boy number 2! He was perfect, cute mask with those gorgeous blue eyes! That Friday I went and picked up my baby, he was 10 weeks old, but was way smaller then I expected. We had a night filled with screeching cries and were woken up to a phone call from the breeder asking me to check the sex of my puppy, it was a female, and from the wrong litter! Her husband had sold us the puppy and he doesn't do puppy stuff and had no idea what he was doing, she was with her daughter at the hospital after a car accident. The puppy never felt right, she was terrible, and I couldn't handle her. We packed up the car and headed back for the puppy exchange, the second I got my stinky wet smelling Embry I knew he was mine LOL

Zoey was kiiiiinda planned. We knew we wanted a 2nd as Embry had just turned 1. We put a deposit down on a 5 year old girl named Karma from a breeder 5 hours away. Her and Embry were identical and that's what made me fall for her. She had just had a litter of 11 puppies through C-Section and was spayed afterwards. After putting down my $100 deposit the woman told me Embry wasn't allowed near her home because he could have diseases and things, I was taken aback and found her completely rude. I had been staring down Zoeys ad on puppyfind for weeks since she was 30min away and was gorgeous, house trained, crate trained and still a puppy! I emailed the woman and we went to her home and met Zoey with Embry the next day. After watching her play around with Embry, her mom and sister I knew she was coming home that day! I still never got my deposit back from Karma though....Crazy woman.

So a few years ago my ex and I started really talking about getting a dog. His parents were moving away to NC and since we usually took their dogs to the dog park and all that stuff it was kind of sad since we couldn't do that anymore. We looked online at shelters and found 1 dog in particular that I was in LOVE with. Humane society said no way- your house is too small. Dog sat in a kennel for a month after that until it was either adopted or PTS- I don't know which. So I was mopey and upset. We began looking at animal control and there was a male German Shepherd that had arrived that day we jumped in the car and went down. We never even made it that far. Mickey was in the first set of kennels curled up in a ball at the end of his run. I stuck my hand in there and he walked over and put his head down so I could rub his neck. Fell in love right there! Took his card up front and walked out with him 20 minutes later.

After having Mickey for a few weeks we had to watch a neighbor of ours dog for nearly a month it ended up being. When she left- I knew we had to get a 2nd. He was mopey and depressed. Seriously! We tried probably about 3 different dogs everything fell through. I was starting to just say whatever he's fine alone. I was driving somewhere about 2 weeks after our last failure and some ugly car pulls into the break down lane and drops a crate off and then drives off! I figured it was some cat or something so I pulled over to save the poor thing. Cue Cheyenne! There my baby was. In a crate. On the highway. Fate? Me thinks so.





So now we're a 2 Husky household. My ex and I break up and he moves back to NH. So about a year and a half goes by and while I have no desire for another dog someone else is clearly making other plans... On the way to the dog park there's a short cut by the airport which is actually right next to animal control. I see a big SUV parked on the grass, I drive by and something made me check my rear-view mirror. I see 2 guys toss something out of the back of the SUV and take off. I'm pissed. Like really? If you're going to get rid of your dog at LEAST grow a set and walk the dog into animal control (people ALWAYS dump dogs near the airport fencing because they know animal control will come get them.) Turn around and oh hello Mishka.



When I tell this story no one believes that I seriously got my girls this way. But you have no idea! I pick up stray dogs ALL the time. I mean probably once a week? I just happen to keep the Huskies So anyway... Last October I was contacted by a lady who found my information somewhere through rescue. She had picked up a male shaved Siberian in homestead, Miami. He was infested with ticks and was just generally gross. She was looking for someone to take him. Her hubby was not keen on the idea of having this other dog around. So we went down to meet him and the plan initially was to foster him. It really REALLY was. He had been home a few months and he certainly had some problem behaviors but by January/February I had fallen in LOVE with him. And so had my pack. Ugh, what's one more??



And for Rodeo... Well. There was no "real" reason for getting him. I love reds. LOVE reds. One of the failed adoptions before Cheyenne was a red/white female from animal control. When I saw his sorry ass picture on their website and I saw his precious cute little butt in person... I couldn't not adopt him. LOL But tell me- could you say no to this?

I love reading everyone's stories! Especially Kristina's! Crazy!

We lived with Grandma on the same property the first few years and she had a beloved dachsund who I thought was mine. After that I wanted a dog forever, Mom didn't want all the fur in the house. Same for hubby's mom. As a kid, I spent half my summers with Grandma and at some point when I was 9-ish a Old English Sheepdog breeder moved in next door(it was a farming town, big properties). I spend all my days stalking them until she invited me in to help. Imagine letting a 9 year old kid walk 2 or 3 giant OES through town. hehe They were like huge teddybears!

Fast forward to meeting hubby and hiking every weekend in places where almost everyone else had dogs. We loved spitz-type working dogs - but did our research and realized it would be a bad idea with our 2nd floor tiny apartment and work hours. Even looked into Klee Kais before I found out they have the same exercise requirements.

We eventually buy a house with a nice size yard and fix it up - we're living in one room while the rest of the house is gutted and this DOG keeps waking us up at 5 or 6 am HOWLING! I'm sooo mad that I don't care if it's a cute husky. One night, an earthquake shakes us all awake and all neighbors congregate on the corner - including the husky folks. I meet the husky and we become good friends with the owners - who invite us over often. The 9 month old husky never gets walked and is a little menace - eats the house, digs holes in the yard, jumps on everyone, steals food, etc. At a get together, I tire of her behavior and ask to take her for a walk. Hey! This is fun! Neighbor breaks her ankle and the dog gets out even less so I end up taking her for walks and hikes on a regular basis. We dogsit too, and socialize her by taking her out to the farmer's market, long walks, etc. Lo and behold, she stops eating their couch and digging their yard! She's a perfect dog when she's with us, listens well, behaves, etc.

I'm like an addict wanting a fix texting them after work every day "Ummm...can I take your dog for a walk?". After a while, the neighbors get busy and we can walk her less and less - and we decide it's time to go look for our own dog. If we can take such good care of someone else's dog - we're certainly ready for our own! We do the research again. We had it narrowed down to white shepherds, jindos, belgian malinois, huskies - some medium/large spitz dog. After looking at the rescues and double-checking temperaments - we decide a husky is the best family dog for us.

We looked online and decided we wanted to go through a rescue (definitely wanted to adopt and did NOT want to go through the puppy years). Hearing all the husky horror stories, we felt we needed someone experienced to evaluate the dog. We also volunteered with a rescue to get to know all their huskies and find out what personality type we wanted. After brushing woolies for hours in the hot 115 degree sun and filling up 5 gallon tubs with hair, my husband vetos any future woolies. We look everywhere for dog and fall in love with one at that rescue - but we're told we can either take 2 dogs now or be limited to a couple of dogs she'll deign to let us have because we both work full time.

We keep looking because we're not ready for 2 - and get to know huskies a lot better at each rescue event (other rescue). We walk and play with dozens and dozens of dogs. We decide we'd like a smaller size girl like the husky we dog sat, 45-ish pounds. I hated when boy dogs marked, so was looking for a girl.

We drive miles around the city and outskirts - sometimes getting to animal control and the dog not being there anymore. Hubby finds one at animal control by work and takes a video - she's absolutely darling and calm. Hubby goes back on adoption day to see her again. However, I can't get out of work in time and the person who found her as a stray picks her up and promises our rescue that she'll drop her off. We tell the rescue we want to adopt her - but the lady ends up keeping her. We're heartbroken and keep looking. We go to a swap meet one morning and hubby doesn't find his car parts - so we decide to check out animal control in the area, and swing by the rescue #2 (the nice one) on the way. I walk up and it's puppy, puppy, puppy, puppy and huuuuuge brown husky. Ok - cool color, but that thing is the size of my car. The kind rescue people say "Oh, he's been here all morning - he needs a walk, do you mind?" We take him for a walk, walk him past a squirrel - nothing. Walk him past yappy dogs, nothing. He's walking well on leash. I look at hubby like "Um, THIS is our dog!!!". Hubby's not convinced (did I mention the dog is HUGE?) and we sit down with the dog. We're at an outdoor mall and all these people come up to pet him and he's so well behaved. Hubby finally gets it and says "this IS our dog! Let's go adopt him!". And that's how Chili joined our family! We were sooo nervous adopting him, but he hopped right in the truck and then fell asleep on my lap on the way to my in-laws! He even snored! I teared up with happiness!!!

Fast forward about a year. I'm dying for a 2nd dog. Hubby's not convinced. He's softening, though. We see this agouti girl at the same rescue and decide to swing by. We email the rescue and they know Chili, so they think it would be a good match. We're so excited the night before and already name her Cinnamon! We get there and slowly introduce them - and they both hate each other. hehe Rescue owner says "ok, that's not gonna work - let's go get some other girls". We tried a couple more and Frosti worked out! Until we went to leave, and Chili's all "Whaaaa? She's COMING with us? You TRICKED me!!" and howls all the way home. It was a rough few weeks - but now they're buddies.

Update:Forgot to add the dog's stories of how they came into rescue!
Chili was found by a local sheriff about 60 miles from us, he was a stray. His family kept him for 2 weeks while trying to track down his family. They never did find his owners, and he was turned over to rescue on a Thursday - and we went to the rescue on Sunday. It was meant to be! They didn't even have time to brush him or put his picture on the website, just time to get the vet to check him over. The rescue owner's did say that this was not the typical rescue dog and that "he's the perfect dog, I don't know why he's here". We suspect that he was owned by an elderly person that may have passed on, since he likes peace and quiet, and while extremely well trained - didn't know how to play. Maybe he got lost in the shuffle when the owner passed.

Frosti was owner relinquished twice to the rescue we used. The last time, she was adopted at 1 years old and was returned 5 months later. She kept running away, they said. She's definitely a jumper! She just wants to be with her people - and she bonded to me by the time we got home the first day. She tried to jump over the fence when I went to the truck on the street to get her new food bowl. She tried a few more times the first few weeks we had her - but only to get to us on the other side of the fence, and she's been ok since then (but have security beefed up to alcatraz standards just in case). She's definitely attached to Chili and goes crazy if we try to pull her away to go in a different direction. She definitely has isolation distress versus separation anxiety, because she's fine being left with most people not just a specific person.

We saved both their ads from the rescue site.


Adding pics:
Chili at the rescue event (notice the tiny looking yet average size girl in the kennel beside him!):


Fat Chili - home for only 10 minutes!


At the rescue, picking out Frosti:

I have no pack. But I have a story of how I became a husky owner...twice.

I wish I had pics to go along with this story and one day I will. But right now they are not digital and in need of being scanned into the computer. You will love my story of ignorance and will hopefully be able to use it to encourage others "who failed to do research on the breed."

I was 21 years old, in my last semester of college and engaged to be married. My roommie had moved away in December and rather than look for another roommate from December through June (when I would be getting married), I decided to live alone. Weeelllll, my fiance was a little concerned for my safety and decided perhaps he should get me a dog. (Note the ignorance here pertaining to ALL dogs.) So, one Sunday we peruse the classified and head out to look at some "free black lab puppies". ("Watch Puppies", really?!? What were we thinking??) To make the long story short, we arrive at a dilapidated house with a nasty, muddy fenced area in the back. In the fence were a gaggle on squirming black labs scrounging for food thrown to them right into the mud and one tiny red husky, all wet and covered in mud, with gorgeous blue eyes, sitting in the corner, shivering and staring at me. "She's left over from a litter my brother had and she will cost you $50." (I wish I could effectively type the VA accent!) So with no preparation to own a dog at all (no leash, no food, no knowledge), we forked over the money and left with Sandy, my Siberian "watch puppy"!! I need to finish this story sometime and memorialize her as she has been north of the Rainbow for some time now. I'm not even sure if she was a purebred husky... She may have even been "hot"... But she was my baby girl and my "guinea pig" and my reason for loving the breed like I do!

Fast-forward twenty-some years... We (the fiance-now-husband and two sons that we've now acquired ) have been on a self-proclaimed "dog break" and the kids are asking us to get another dog. My 9-year old REALLY struggles with death and Sandy's death was very hard for him. So after much adding and subtracting of years and ages, he agrees that we could get a puppy since it should live at least the number of years it will take for him to grow up enough to handle death. Then next we needed to decide if just any dog would do or if we should get another husky. No brainer...husky it is...and husky puppy. I found a breeder or two and began talking to them. We drove over two hours to see a black and white female (I requested no reds, to better preserve Sandy's memory and no males, to ensure a more managable sized dog.) Ladies, you will learn that you may get your way with your hubbies or boyfriends, but the kids will be a different story. As hubby and I are meeting each little girl and hearing a little about her personality, our boys are snuggling up with Sabaka.... I lost.... I hope those girls went to good homes.

Awww, I'm such an emotional dummy. All of your stories are getting me teary eyed..lol. I love this thread!!!

Kristina, seriously dude, Cheyenne and Mishka were totally meant to be with you!!! God knows what would have happened if you wouldn't have picked them up. Awww, totally going to hug your girls on Sat..lol

Well, I grew up always having at least 2 to 4 dogs around the house but never a husky.

About 5 or 6 years ago I was at our local sled dog race spectating when the pesky ol' mushing bug bit me. I decided then and there that I had to have my own team. My mom on the other hand wasn't too keen on the "my own team" part. lol The answer I got when I first asked for some huskies was...you guessed it; NO.
I satisfied my growing addiction, for huskies and sledding, by just hooking up a couple of my pet dogs to a sled, doing lots of research online, and I met with a lady who let me come to her kennel and help run her dogs.


Jacob and Salsa looking sleepy in the starting chute at a race. lol
After begging and begging my mom for what seemed like eons, she finally let me bring home Jacob and Salsa in '09. They both came from a good mushing kennel.
After Jacob and Salsa it was absolutely NO MORE DOGS! (we only had 5 at the time, geez mom lol)
And then came Jazz and Cougar...

I was on Facebook one day when my mentor (the lady mentioned above^^) told me about two sled dogs which were at the local humane society. She told me about them and showed me their pictures. At this point I was freaking out and telling my mom "We HAVE to go get them!!" to which her reply was no. I knew the lady who worked at the humane society and she said she would hold them for me while I worked on my mother. lol
Well finally my mom said that we would go LOOK at them. HA! Yeah right, LOOK at them. Taking me to a a shelter to LOOK at dogs is NEVER a good idea. Nine times out of ten I'm going to walk out with something. lol
Anyways, we went to "look" at them....and came home with both of them. That was fall of 2010.

Cougar on the left, Jazz on the right.

Char is the newest addition to the pack. She came last winter.
I was looking for another dog so I could race a 4-dog team. However, I was NOT looking for a Siberian, I prefer the Alaskan/Greyhound or GSHP crosses.
I started training with some friends of mine who have all Siberians in their kennel. They let me borrow Char (back before I got Jacob and salsa, Char was going to a have a litter of pups and I was going to take two. Long story short the pups ended up being still born (there were only two). So since we already some what knew Char, the guy let me borrow her.) so I could run a 4-dog team and I even raced with her a couple of times.
After the last race it was set in my mind; she needed to come home with us. She is my "Siberian Gone Hound" as I like to call her. She has no trouble keeping up with my hounds (it helps that they're all on the small side....hence my kennel name. lol)

Char, the first day she was home.

And there you have it! I'm actually going to bring home another fuzzy butt this fall. I'm not sure when and haven't decided on a dog yet but then I'll have to add them to the story!

I'm loving these stories too!! Mel, not only were they meant to be with me but most certainly meant to be with each other!

arooroomom wrote:

I'm loving these stories too!! Mel, not only were they meant to be with me but most certainly meant to be with each other!

Amen to that!

I LOVE everyone's story! It's funny to see how many of these pups were not the original pups we picked out for ourselves. It's so true that you get the dog you need, not the one you want!

Here's the cliff notes version of mine, I'm just being lazy as I've written this out multiple times before on other forums and don't feel like writing it all out again. Shame on me. lol

Dog number one, knew I wanted a husky, had fallen in love with the breed the first time I laid eyes on one when I was a young child. Researched the breed for 5 yrs before finally deciding it was time to get one. Looked at many rescues but did not fit their criteria to adopt because we lived in an apt and did not have a fenced yard. So I turned to breeders and found a litter that would be ready for their homes at exactly the time I would be ready to bring one home. I had second pick of the litter and chose a gorgeous black/white boy. However, despite my excitement at my newly picked out puppy something inside me told me not to go through with it. I didn't know what it was but I trusted my gut and backed out of the deal. And it seriously hurt to say no to a pup I was so excited about but I trusted my instincts. I went back to pouring over rescues and shelters, day after day, looking at all the different adoptable sibes within a 30 mile radius. Let me tell you, living in WA there was no shortage of sibes needing adoption to choose from. Husky after husky I never felt a connection until I saw Dakota's picture on Petfinder...or "Bandit" as they called him at the shelter. All it took was one look at his picture and I just knew he was the one. Visited him at the shelter the next day. He was laying in his kennel with his back to the door. We tried calling him to get his attention, petted him through the kennel door and he completely ignored us. Someone brought him out to the fenced outdoor visitation area so we could get to know him. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with us and spent the majority of the time at the fence looking out at all the open land beyond the shelter. I knew he longed to be out there and away from the horrible confines of the shelter. He only came to us for treats and that was it but he was very gentle and friendly when we fed him and pet him. Hubby and I knew without a doubt we were taking him home. The next day we took him to get neutered and he came home with us for the first time with a new name and a new life. And the rest is history...I knew I could trust fate to bring the right one to me and me to the right one.

My chi girls are both adopted as well. Both come from a BYB. We knew we wanted a second dog 2 yrs after getting Dakota. Hubby wanted a chi so I looked at shelters, rescues, and breeders. After weeks of no luck finding the right one at any local shelters and rescues I turned to an amazing breeder. It was perfect timing as she had a pet quality pup that fit my requirements perfectly that she would be looking to place in a home within a few weeks. Everything was going to be perfect, I'd have a pup from a great breeder with everything I wanted in a pup (female, long coat, black tricolor, great personality, raised with kids, well socialized). And then a friend of mine who knew I'd been looking to get a chihuahua tells me she knows someone trying to rehome a 4 yr old retired breeding chi named Faith and she sent me a couple pics of the chihuahua in question. Hubby and I looked at the pic and fell in love instantly. We went to meet Faith shortly thereafter and we knew she was the one. Needless to say I let the breeder know of our new adoptee and she was very happy that we'd found the right one for us and she found another home for that lovely little girl we were supposed to take.

When we had adopted Faith we met her daughter Glory who was nursing a litter a puppies at the time. With Faith in my arms I turned to mush and gushed over how much Glory looked like her mother. As fate would have it, 10 months later I found out that the person we adopted Faith from notified us that she was looking for a special home for Faith's daughter Glory. I couldn't turn down the opportunity to reunite mom and daughter and save Glory from her horrible home so off we went to collect Glory. FYI, Faith and Glory were both adopted from a BYB whom I loathe. No money was exchanged, I would never put one cent into the hands of a BYB. Faith and Glory were adopted totally free and no BYB was supported at all.

I never grew up with dogs at all and was a little timid of them. When my boyfirend and i were talking about getting a dog he really wanted a husky and i always heard the horror stories of them running away and needing a ton of excersise and i'm not a runner but love to hike. A co worker breed huskies and had a litter due soon so I researched it for a long time and was still undecided but agreed to go see the pups. What a mistake. haha I instantly fell in love and wanted them all. we chose a small female, she was cute and cuddly and a really cool color, we couldnt pass up the price and i was not leaving without one. Took her home and she was so small. Then it was trying to figure out a name, we went round and round and finally decided on Liberty Bell (Libby) because she was born on the fourth of July. within a day we noticed she had fleas so that was interesting getting rid of those little pests since she was too small to use the shampoos on and a few days later came the worms. She spent the day with grandma in a laundry basket waiting to get into the vet. Talk about a long day at work. I am amazed at her personality and her humor. There isn't a day she doesn't make me laugh. She has been there for the passing of a few cats we had and always knew how to act just sweet enough to make me smile. She is now 3 and weighs 43lbs but thinks she is a lap dog. We have been thinking about getting another one but worried that her personality will change so still undecided. BEST DESICION OF OUR LIVES was getting her. Love the breed!!!!

Kristina I can't believe someone who leave those two girls! crazy irresponsible people! Glad they found their way to you though


Loving these stories

IDK Jennet there were many days I threatened to put them back where I found them!

This is a GREAT thread by the way, Mindy

arooroomom wrote:

This is a GREAT thread by the way, Mindy

I'm glad I was bored late last night!

Val, omg, I didn't know that Faith was Glory's mom! That's so awesome!!!

libbybell74 wrote:

We have been thinking about getting another one but worried that her personality will change so still undecided. BEST DESICION OF OUR LIVES was getting her. Love the breed!!!!

DO IT, DO IT, DO IT!!! We brought Kody home when Mya was 4 1/2 years old and I wish I would have done when she was around Libby's age. She might act weird for a week or two, but once she gets used the new pack member they'll be best friends!!! I thought Mya was majorly depressed, but she got over it. They play all the time despite their age difference.

26nikita wrote:

arooroomom wrote:

This is a GREAT thread by the way, Mindy

I'm glad I was bored late last night!

Gotta love the late night boredom!

I have wanted a Husky for a long time, but up until this summer my lifestyle was not conducive to owning any dog, let alone a Husky. I got my cats when I was in grad school back in '05, and they have been the one constant in my crazy hectic life. Being in the Military, I barely had enough time for them, and my first 4 years on active duty I moved 6 times. Great environment for a dog, right? I met Aaron a little over a year ago, and he had a little Cocker Spaniel named Lulu. Cockers really aren't my thing and Lulu has some major issues, so that really didn't satisfy my desire for a dog. Once I found out I would be moving to Florida in a non deploying job, I knew it was my time to finally get a Husky. With the cats, I knew I needed to get a puppy to ensure proper socialization so I started researching breeders. Needless to say, there aren't a whole lot of Husky breeders in this part of the country, but I found one north of Tampa (yeah, 6 hours away) that looked decent.

I started talking to the breeder and returned the application to them, and he told me he was expecting a litter to be born in July. I thought that would work well on timing with the move and getting all settled in, and I tentatively planned on getting one of the dogs from that litter. Shortly thereafter one of my cats got sick, and I told the breeder that things probably wouldn't work out with getting a dog until the cat was better. That's when I still thought he wasn't dying, that he just had asthma and we needed to stabilize his medication. 3 days before I moved, I lost my buddy. Turns out the vet had misdiagnosed him and he had a fungal lung infection. The treatment prescribed for the asthma killed my cat.

I was crushed, and cried the whole way from Oklahoma City to Pensacola. I got here, got the internet set up, and contacted the breeder again. He told me a friend of his up near Jacksonville had a litter of puppies that were almost ready to go, and I jumped on it. The timing probably wasn't great, we were still adjusting to the new place and still had boxes all over the place, but I needed something to fill the void left by the passing of the cat. Looking back on it, I'm pretty sure this friend would constitute as a BYB and I'm a bit ashamed that I contributed to the problem, but I wouldn't trade Ghost for the world. I've already got an itch for another Husky, and now I just have to sweet talk my landlord into approving another dog

Meredith, something similar happened to my mom and one of her cats. I don't exactly remember what was wrong (she has had/has so many that it's hard to keep track). Anyways, they gave her a shot that she could administer to the cat for whatever it was that was wrong and when she gave the cat the shot it killed him. My mom was a mess for months thinking that she killed her cat by giving him the shot. I mean, realistically she did, but I would never tell her that. It wasn't her fault AT ALL...it was the stupid vet's fault for telling her to give the cat the shot herself

She wanted to bury him and since their yard is fully cemented we agreed to let them bury him here. We were on a mission for a few days with Mya wanting to dig the cat out Finally, we put a tire on top of it and she get over it. Poor kitty...

He had Histoplasmosis, which is supposedly not even that common in Oklahoma. I had taken the cats to a neighbor's house one day when I had an open house, and on the way back over his carrier broke open and he ran into another neighbor's open garage. That's how my 100% indoor cat got exposed to a fungus that grows primarily in bird poo...

I understand exactly how your mom felt, because I went through that feeling before I realized it was the vet's fault. My normal vet had referred me to a specialist on the other side of town to run the tests on him, and somehow she missed the one thing he wanted her to look for. I was wracked with guilt, because I had gone off for a couple weeks on vacation and left the cat in the care of my roommate. He had been doing better shortly after we put him on the asthma meds because the steroids made him feel better, they just caused the infection to rage out of control. I got back from vacation on Monday night, he had gone down hill in one day because my roommate swore he had been fine the night before, rushed him to the E vet, and then had to put him down the next day. I thought I was going to lose my mind, it was the first time I had ever put a pet down.

I swear, sometimes vets make me a little uneasy with their diagnosis. It seems to me that they're wrong more often with cats than with dogs though Just from my experience...well not mine, my parents. Different vets a few of the times also. hmm..

I'm sorry that you lost your kitty Meredith...that really sucks! I've never had to put MY OWN pet down so I can't even imagine! I was raised with many dogs around and lost many of them, but I was younger and they were never MY BABIES...if that makes any sense. My mom was a wreck every single time.

It started 12 years ago when I was single, 36, and not having a whole luck with the dating thing. My co-worker nagged me constantly about getting a dog. She and her husband had two very sweet pups a heeler and a chow / golden mix. She knew how I loved them when I came over to visit and dog sat when they went out of town. I wasn't convinced though because I knew it would tie me down having a dog. Well finally after a particularly bad breakup in a moment of weakness I had the couple take me to a local rescue to look at dogs.

I had seen a beautiful husky at the rescue online, so off we went. I took the husky for a walk in the play area, actually it was more like a dragging with me just trying to stay upright. He was 3 yrs old and had apparently never been on a leash. He pretty much ingnored me when we were in the play area. So as my co-worker was looking at the other dogs, she suggested I come look at a female BC mix.

Her name was Elanor, I immediately felt sorry for her. I took her to the play area and she immediately brought me a ball, dropped it at my feet and wait for me to throw it. Even though I really wanted a husky or malamute, I couldn't say no to this beautiful BC. I loaded her up and changed her name to Maggie after the character in Northern Exposure as I loved the show. Here's Maggie today.


6 wonderful years rolled by and I met my wife. She wasn't sure about big dogs inside at first (cat person) but Maggie won her over, so much in fact that one day she said we should look for a playmate for Maggie. We both insisted on rescuing and I told her I always wanted a husky or malamute but wasn't sure about a second dog. Well before I could really make up my mind she had scheduled a visit by the local Husky rescue group (sadly now defunct). We tried to introduce Maggie to young female husky, within seconds the 2 were at each others throat wanting blood. I was pretty protective of Maggie and the incident totally changed my mind about a second dog. Undetered my wife and the rescue thought it would be worth trying a male husky out. He was an escape artist and ended up in the rescue because the owner didn't want to pay the pound to get him back. Maggie and him hit it off and were playing tug-o-war within minutes of introduction. Enter Mikko.


My wife and I then got into the rescue scene with the closing of the husky rescue. We fostered 5 or 6 huskies and had a hard time giving each up but were rewarded at the same time. One Saturday about 4 years ago we got a call from a high kill shelter about a owner surrender husky that was seized by animal control because he was tied to a tree with no food or water. I really wasn't in the mood to go to the shelter that day but again my wife insisted. We went to the cage and saw a very matted but beautiful male husky called Sebo. I wanted to help this poor boy as he was due to be PTS the next day but he was in really bad shape. We got him out of the kennel and he leaned against my leg and looked up at me like he knew I was his last chance. We brought him home with the intention of fostering.


We had no idea how bad he was until a Monday trip to the vet. Heartworm posititve, whipworms, tapeworms and hookworms. He weighed all of 22 lbs. Nine straight months of liquid direaha. Once he had gained some weight and had semi-formed stools it was time for heartworm treatment. During his sickness Mikko would lay by Sebo and nuzzle him. We both knew if this dog lived he wasn't going anywhere. Sebo today at 62 lbs.


Brings us to 3 months ago. Yet another late Saturday phone call. A previous foster from 2 years ago was surrendered back to the shelter for killing a cat. We both loved this dog the first time and knew he was a good fit for our pack. We hated the home he went to and cried when we had to give him up due to the liberal adoption policy of the rescue. Needless to say we knew when we brought him home for the second time he wasn't leaving. Enter Blaze.


Sorry this was so long wanted to tell the whole story. We love rescue and will foster more later but right now Maggie requires our attention and a quiet atmosphere.

So many heartwarming stories - it's wonderful! I've gotten choked up reading all of them! Great thread, Mindy!

Brian, you need to update your footer image! I imagine getting 3 huskies in a pic is like herding cats, I have a hard enough time with 2!