So there is no doubt I love my dog. But I am the first to admit that she is independent.

Perhaps because she spent the first year or so of her life as a stray, she isn’t he most affectionate dog in the world. She is very sweet, but can sometimes be aloof too. That is just part of the husky way, I guess.

She loves being petted, smiles all the time and enjoys playing. If I pat the sofa she will hop up next to me (most of the time). 50% of nights she will sleep in my room, splitting the night between my bed and the foot of the bed, usually changing every couple hours. As we all know, huskies don’t usually stay in one place long. (I know most dog trainers prescribe not letting the dog sleep in the bed with you, but I’m willing to eat the consequences- it is worth it for me.)

However, Okami isn’t the type to just walk up and lay on you, or lick your face, or paw at you or things like that. When she sleeps on the bed with me she usually has her back to me and head down near my feet.

None of this really bothers me. I know she likes me, and to be totally honest, I sort of enjoy that she has her own mind and doesn’t listen to me ALL the time. This is why I refer to her as my roommate. ;p

About once a year I get what is called a complex migraine. Basically, I start to see light spots, feel dizzy, nauseous, and get very painful head pain. They usually last about 5 hours or so. If I catch it early, I can usually go someplace dark, relax and breathe, and ward it off- or at least relegate it to a light 30 minute headache.

Yesterday at work I felt a migraine coming on, and rather than explain it and leave work early, I tried to fight through it. That was a mistake. By the time I got home I was hurting. I tried to eat but ended up vomiting. After that I decided to just go to bed to try to sleep through it. I laid down at about 7:30pm (I normally have to force myself to go to bed at midnight.) As I lay there, clutching my head, Okami hopped into bed with me. I noticed something was different because she was lying right next to me, facing me.

She did not leave my side for 12 hours.

She got up two or three times throughout the night to stretch and walk around, and then got back in bed. She did not wake me up in the morning to go out like she normally does, but waited till I got up, feeling 100% better. Her food and water were untouched.

I won’t belabor the point because I don’t have eloquent enough words, but will simply say that this is why I will roll with that dog till the wheels fall off.

Awww, how sweet!!! They know when there's something wrong. About 2 or 3 weekends ago I woke up with a major hangover (migraine hangover...ughhh) and so did hubby. We're getting too old to party till 4am I guess (lol). Normally Kody and Mya are up and in my face at 630am. Didn't hear a peep from them, but Mya (who normally sleeps on the couch or her doggie bed) was curled up right next to me and Kody was right in between my husband and I.

I finally got up at like 9am, took them out and fed them. This would be the point where they start begging for their walk. Nothing. They curled up back in bed with me and didn't get up until I got up to shower.

Incredible how they take "care" of their humans!

Oh, and I feel you on the migraines. I get them often also. Excedrin migraine really helps!

That is unbelievably sweet!!! Dogs are truly special creatures...I can't imagine how people can mistreat them.

That is pretty cool - I use to have that 'just a dog' mentality and would even mock people when I saw the love they shared for their dogs... but now having my first dog (3 month old Husky) I see things completely different. Never realized just how intelligent and affectionate dogs are.

We did notice the same things with our puppy - he would know if something was hurting and would even come to lick the area that was hurting. My wife sprained her ankle a few weeks ago and Aspen would come right up to her and start licking it, but only that ankle.

Thanks for sharing this story! Awesome!

Tyler I love your story!!!

It is clear even in your pictures that she is a special dog and adores you. Huskies are smart...but I think they are also competent enough to be grateful to the humans that make their lives more fun and comfortable.

they sure know how to take care of us don't they.....

if anyone were to tell me its "just a dog" god help them, they would wish they never said a thing.

glad ur feeling better

jbealer wrote:

if anyone were to tell me its "just a dog" god help them, they would wish they never said a thing.

lol yes!

It was a concept I was never familiar with having grown up with no pets (unless you count goldfish) Different view all together now!

jbealer wrote:

they sure know how to take care of us don't they.....

if anyone were to tell me its "just a dog" god help them, they would wish they never said a thing.

glad ur feeling better

Agreed! Tell me it's "just dog" and if you're in my life you will no longer be. If you're a stranger you better believe that you're going to hear it from me!

That's such a nice story!! My dogs always know when something is wrong too. I had pleurisy a couple years ago with horrible asthma on top of it and Kobey never left my side! There were a couple nights that I woke up and could barely breath and I would look at him and he was just watching me. It seemed so obvious that he could tell I was in pain. He kept going back and forth between my parent's room and mine until my mom came in to check on me! She told me he woke her up. It's amazing how smart they are.

Tyler, I love your story. Okami is a special girl.

Believe it or not, when my ex brought Keimo home, I didn't want a dog. We've been divorced for 4 years and look who got custody. I wouldn't trade him for the world.... In fact, I love him so much that I got another husky! We've been through so much together. There's been many a night that he's licked the tears from my face. Nothing is more special than the love of a dog.

I was taking Demon out one night June 2010 and I stepped off our deck into a hole one of them had dug. I turned my ankle and went down hard. Demon came over to me sniffing, licking my face pouncing on my chest and crying...he knew something was wrong but didn't know what to do. The door into the house was closed so I don't know if he would've gone in to get Scott or not.

Dogs are amazing...I've never realized how amazing until we got these two monsters.

When I had my ankle surgery in October, Ghost pretty much didn't leave my side for weeks. She was good as gold for most of the time I was laid up, even though she got very little exercise. They are such amazingly empathic animals

Amber is over the top affectionate. She is pretty clingy as far as the husky goes. The other day I get a call from my wife and she is sick as can be. As she's clinging to the toilet getting sick in the middle of speaking to me I hear an all too familiar wimper in the background. Amber was concerned and had layed next to my wife and was wimpering when she was getting sick. I asked her about it when she got back on the phone and she said that she has been next to her the entire time. Oddly she said, it made her feel better. Being out of it the whole day she feel asleep on the couch and when I came home she was laying on the floor underneath my wife. I noticed she did not eat her breakfast even though my wife put it out. They are just amazingly intuitive and connected animals.