First time post

The past few years I've been strongly considering adopting a dog, but the timing had not been right. Recently, things have changd and it became time to follow through. I had in mind an age and size dog I wanted to adopt. (2-6 years old and medium-largeish). Through a rescue organization, I found a beautiful 3-4 y/o husky (most likely a Sibe) who had been taken in by a good samaritin who was looking for a forever home for her. At that point I began researching everything I could about huskies (which ultimately brought me to this awesome forum) and decided that this was a breed for me. Although I have never owned a dog before, through research I discovered that I had alot of qualities that a husky owner should possess (patience, commitment, active lifestyle, compassion, sense of humor, etc). But unfortunately I do not posses alot of the material possesions often befitting of a husky owner (fenced yard, large open home, multiple dogs for company).

Within 8 hours of my first contact with the foster family they informed me that they decided to keep the husky (Ava). Although hopefully untrue, the pace of the desicion somewhat leads me to believe that they were so offput by my flaws that they simply decided to keep Ava. This is so ever discouraging, as I thought I'd be able to give her a more than amazing lifetime home and companion.

Now, i'm usually not detered by things like this but it got me to thinking:

If I pursue attempting to adopt another adult Husky, will they see me only for my flaws? For that matter. If I try to adopt any larger and active breed, will I have to jump through hoops just to be considered?

Thanks for listening.

PS: This forum is awesome, seems like a lot of friendly people, beautiful animals and quite useful information.

I'm a very new husky owner myself, but from what I've researched and read on this forum, your "flaws" shouldn't matter.

As for a fenced yard, I think most people here view it as a conveniene and not a a necessity. In fact, unless it's a rather tall privacy fence, it won't keep a husky in for long.

Same goes for the large house, convenient, but not necessary. The dog won't get the majority of its exercise in the house, so as long as you exercise it properly, the house size doesn't really matter.

And while it's true that some huskies, or any dog really, might do vest with other dogs in the home, some dogs don't do well with other dogs much at all. When looking for a rescue you could maybe search for ones that need to be in a one dog home.

Just my two, inexperienced cents! I'm sure others will chime in with more great advice!

With my experience with adopting huskies, I know shelters and rescues with Huskies usually try to put them in a "husky experienced" home.

When you fill out an application for a husky, instead of saying i don't have a fenced yard, you say, even though i don't have a fenced yard my dog will always be kept on leash and supervised on a tie out. Same with a smaller home and no other dog company, you say that you will take the dog to fenced in dog park or daycare to keep the dog socialized with other dogs and so they'll have room to run around on a regular basis.


good luck on your search..

To be bluntly honest I find it highly doubtful that a "rescue" will help you since they close their minds once they find out you don't have a large fenced yard. I've have Huskies since 1985 and was turned down by an area rescue because of the fenced yard requirement (I'm assuming). During the day I keep my 2 in a kennel about 20 X25ft. The fun begins though when I get home from work and we walk hike whatever for at least an hour a day. My major complaint about Husky rescues is the large yard requirement as they seem to think people are couch potatoes once they come home from work.

My most recent Husky (Biko) I acquired off of www.Craigslist.com give them a try. Also if you really want a Husky then notify your local SPCA's of what breed your looking for, most will put you on a list for specific breed.

Also you might consider an Alaskan Malamute, if you don't consider them to large.

Rescues are often pretty strict and some unwilling to be lenient with their requirements for a potential home. While we understand their reasoning it does prevent dogs from going to good homes, but at the same time it also prevents them from going to a home where they are not a good match. It can be discouraging but keep in mind rescues have those requirements for a reason, even if it does mean a few really good people get passed up.

Shelters are generally more lenient about who they adopt to. When I adopted my sibe I was living in an apartment with no fenced yard. No rescue would adopt a dog out to me which was very frustrating. Ultimately I ended up rescuing my sibe from a shelter whose only concern was that I knew the high energy of the breed and exercise requirements, plus had to have written permission from my apartment community that the breed was allowed. There are plenty of great huskies in shelters in need of homes, so keep that in mind if you are having difficulty with rescues.

You really need to check out shelters in your area. We adopted our second Husky from a shelter she is about 2 years old and the shelter's only requirement was that we bring our dog and introduce her to him before we could have her.

Check out shelter in a wide area and also check out petfinder or craigslist we got the first husky from someone on craigslist that needed to re-home him.

I second craigslist! I see adult Huskies on their all the time in need of a good home.

I know of two Huskies in our local shelter that aren't as strict with adopting out. Where are you located? If you're near DC, VA, or MD you should check them out!

I do volunteer for a rescue, and I review a lot of the adoption applications. While I do keep an open mind and take the time to interview the applicant, the person that runs the rescue and a couple of people on the board for the rescue are not as open minded. The dogs that ended up in rescues and shelters are there for a reason, and sometimes we do not know if they have had multiple homes or not and as a rescue, we try to make the next home, a forever home. We do make mistakes and that does mean we ended up denying an application when it could've been a great home. Unfortunately, it does happen.

If I were you, I would keep trying. It took us almost the whole summer until we were finally approved to adopt and yes, we did have to make 'repairs' to our fence when it was only a year old and in excellent condition.

As others have said, shelters (vs rescues) will also have huskies that are looking for a good home. You'll also find a few on Craigslist, however, beware of the 're-homing' fee which can be outrageous.

I have fought for applications that did not have breed experience that live in apartments, so there are exceptions.

Good luck! And don't give up...

I second shelters and Craigslist. When I got my first own personal dog we were living in a 5th wheel with no yard or other dogs. Obviously insta denial from rescue. Animal control adopted to us no problem. When the park founder died they didn't like large dogs, we moved to an apartment, and proceded to adopt from shelters and dumped dogs.

My husband and I live in a small house on a main road without a fenced in yard. Our 7 month old puppy is walked 2-3 times per day and plays in our yard on a 30 foot lead (only when we are in the yard with him and he's supervised). He's an incredibly happy puppy and extremely well cared for. I hope you find your pefect match soon!

I also do Siberian Husky rescue and it's very dependent on your location. What state are you located in? States like Oklahoma and Texas have an abundance of huskies in kill shelters. The rescues in these states are typically very lenient especially if you are willing to foster to adopt first. States where there are a shortage of dogs in shelters tend to be more restrictive as there are more homes than dogs.

It's about selling yourself and putting in the effort to alleviate any fears the rescue may have. Don't be afraid to discuss your situation over the phone with them, even offer to meet face to face.

As for craigslist that is also very regionally dependent. Here craigslist is full of puppy mill dogs that usually have lots of temperament and health issues.

Thanks for the responses everyone!

I live in the panhandle area of Florida. Craigslist activity is sporadic at best here, but I've kept my eyes open. Doesn't seem like huskies are a very abundant breed in this part of the state, but I've set up an alert for my area's animal shelters to notify me daily of husky availibility. Did it through PetHarbor.com, which has most the same listings as PetFinder but allows you to set up alerts.

I'll definitely try to sell myself pretty hard the next time I try with a rescue.

There are actually a lot of Sibes in Florida, but Siberian Husky of Florida I know can be difficult.

Yeah, it really depends on the rescue. Some are very strict and ones like my mom's all breed rescue aren't as long as you sound like a good home. I'm in Central Florida and there are other members who are up in your area who have helped out with rescue, so hopefully they will chime in.

I would check your local shelters often and put in applications to rescues and just try to sell yourself to them. There's the siberian husky rescue of florida and husky haven of florida, but huskies end up in a lot of other breed rescues too.

You might try the Alabama Siberian Husky Rescue:

http://alsiberianhuskyrescue.com/

FB

https://www.facebook.com/AlSibeRescue

I have not dealt with them but from their application it looks like they at least consider those in apartments and those without fences.

Also considering driving to Miami to go to the shelter, I work in rescue and see a ton being circulated around on FB - check the "posts by others" on the facebook page of the rescue near you. You'll find out about other dogs. As well, ask to be a foster first with a rescue - they are usually more lenient since they need to get a dog out of the shelter by a certain time. That will build trust with them that you can handle a dog. If the husky rescue won't allow you to foster, considering foster a similar northern breed in the area for a few weeks. It'll be good practice, plus you can put the reference on your application.

Good luck!

FYI - there's a gorgeous husky in Fort Lauderdale that's being circulated for a foster home/adopter right now.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=4625472240430&set=p.4625472240430&type=1&theater

Scroll down, there's a number in one of the posts. I know Rescue is trying to get him out by Friday, since the owner threatened to take him to the shelter by then (owners that bought him at a puppy store then got tired of him. <sigh>).

EDIT: see Meredith's post below - you're in good hands there!

Siberian Husky Rescue of FL *can* be tricky, but Nikki and I are the home visitors for the Panhandle and we are working with them on becoming more reasonable.

If you don't mind me asking, which part of the Panhandle are you in? I'm in the Pensacola area and we have another member down in Ft. Walton. If you're around this weekend, we're doing our monthly meet up at the Niceville Dog Park. I may or may not be back in town in time for that, but there will be a good handful of Huskies and a few forum members there as well.

If you want to send me a PM we can talk more about Siberian Husky Rescue of FL, and I can see if Nikki knows of any Huskies in shelters in our area.

Sent you a PM Meredith

Just replied

Found this girl at the local shelter today






When i first approached the cage, she knew how to stand up so that i could be able to rub her belly and chest. She didn't bark much until i walked away. She even stepped outside to let out a big howl. When I took her out on the least, she definitely pulled, but when we were in the kennel and had run around a bit, I put the leash back on and walked with her on it a bit. She actually walked by my side for about 20 feet total and constantly looked back up at me, maybe she already had some leash training? Overall she was a spitball of energy, she came a few times when I called, didnt really understand sit, but would when i gave her a gentle push on the backside. She didn't pay a whole lot of attention to me, as she seemed more concerned with the dog in the adjacent kennel and the possible structual weaknesses in the corners of the kennels. Do you think she wasnt attentive because of the stimulation? Should I try to play with her in an indoor room with less stimulation? Anybody seeing any red or green flags in here that indicate the action I should take?

She sounds wonderful to Me. She doesn't sound aggressive whatsoever, do you know how long she had been there? I would say there was a lot going on and that is why she couldnt keep her focus. Leash training will come with time and so will sit. It will be much easier to teach her commands at home, personally I think it's a lot to ask when there is so much going on and she has no doubt been through a lot to get to the shelter. Do you know if she was a strayor owner surrender? She's a beauty!

She is a pretty girl, I doubt she will last long in a shelter. If you feel you are ready, and if you like her then take her home. Do they allow a 30 day trial? A lot of shelters around here do that

If you ponder taking her to long don't be surprised if someone else beats you to her.

Pretty pup, looks like a walking fuzz bomb.

If you are ready go get her, she is in need of a furever home and you will be able to get the training done once you have her at home on a one and one basis.