Puppies!

Alabama Siberian Husky Rescue rescued 5, three week old puppies from an animal shelter in Alabama. Their owner dumped them, but kept the mom. There are two females and three males. We are currently caring for them, and they are adorable!

If you would like to help out, check out our Amazon Wishlist or visit our YouCaring fundraiser. Anything you can donate will be a great help to us! Check back for more puppy pictures and updates :)

Cruz Control

Cruz: The first team is heading into Nome!
Cruz: I want to run the Iditarod when I grow up!
Daria: Lets build our own team.  I can be the lead dog.
Loki: I think I would make the best lead dog, my large size when combined with my intelligence would work well there.
Daria/Cruz: Your .... large .... size?

Loki: Yeah, in case you guys haven't noticed, I am the largest dog here.
Daria: Right, sure thing Scrappy Doo.

 

Cruz is a fun dog to work with.  Throughout his tenure at Loki University he has successfully mastered the art of door opening and getting his way by looking cute; necessary skills for any canine.  I think he wants two things out of life.  One, he wants cheese, lots of cheese.  He wants cheese with cheese topping.  Second, he wants to cuddle.  Everything else is more like a life stretch goal.

I haven't honestly taken him bikejoring yet, but I do think he could be good at it.  He has a lot of drive and energy, but he is still a bit young.  Honestly, he would be good at anything that involves you shoveling cheese into his mouth, and to satisfy him you will need a big shovel.

Touch-a fun trick to teach your dog

Touch. It is an easy trick to teach your dog, and it can come in handy. My dog woke up at 1:30 in the morning, so I let her out, thinking she had to go to the bathroom. I was wrong. She wanted to play, and started barking and running circles around me, just out of my reach. She is a smart girl after all.  I then ran back in the house, got her leash, and approached her. I was never going to catch my dog, but I had taught her the touch command. So, I held out my hand, told her to touch, and I was able to grab her and put her leash on. The lesson I learned: make sure my girl has enough exercise before bed!

So, how do you teach touch? Hold a treat in one hand (don't let the dog see it). Hold out your other hand in front of your dog's nose. Most dogs are going to be curious and approach your hand. As soon as your dog makes any approach, contact, or sniff, give your dog a treat and praise her. You want to reward any interest your dog shows in your hand. Repeat the process until your dog gets the hang of it. Then, reward your dog only when she physically puts her nose to your hand. Add the command "touch" when she is reliably touching your hand. You know your dog understands touch when she can touch your hand consistently 10 times in one minute.

Mandy looking and focusing on my hand. A piece of chicken is in the other hand. Initially give your dog a treat for just looking at your hand.

Mandy focusing on my hand again.

Mandy actually touching my hand.

Mandy touching my hand and looking over for her treat.

As mentioned above, touch can come in handy any time you need your dog to come close to you. One way I helped reinforce the command in my dog was by having her touch my hand before I threw her ball since she loves playing fetch. Have your dog touch your hand before they do something they love. I also use it as a distraction when my dogs are barking and before I give them treats. Touch should be a fun, easy command to teach, and it can help you in a variety of situations.

Have fun training your dog!

Born to Pull

Daria: It is time to go running.
Me: I think you need the morning off; you are probably still sore from last night.
Daria: I am not.
Me: Are you sure? You should definitely be sore!
Daria: Yes, I am positive; I think I would notice if my muscles hurt.
Daria: Actually, I see what is going on here; you are the one who is sore, tubby.
Me: Hey! That is not ... ok ... that is completely true.
Daria: Right, i'll grab the harness while you grab the bike
Me: Ok.

Chief mechanic Loki inspecting the very exhausted moped engine

I have spent the past two years getting my arm snatched off by a husky.  I have a leash trained Shiba Inu and a foster dog who is pretty darn close to being leash trained, but Miss Daria is in complete arm snatch mode 24/7.  In fact, let me rephrase this in the form of a graph.

After two years of pretending to be a tree and randomly changing directions when she pulled on the leash;  all I accomplished was a sore shoulder and a frustrated husky.  She now has a healthy outlet for her excess energy.  Seriously, who needs nuclear fusion; we have a husky rescue.  All we really need is some giant hamster wheels hooked up to generators.  

A few warnings, cautions, and notes for any of you interested in getting involved in bicycling with your husky.  It can be very difficult to train a husky to walk on a loose leash after training them to pull.  It is possible, and has been done, but it will certainly be a much larger challenge.  Second, asphault and concrete is very hard on a dogs feet; you should not take them very far on pavement.  Third, find a quality cross-back dog harness.  A normal harness will only lead to your husky getting injured.  Also, be warned that your dog can back out of those harnesses, and if you think your dog is one who will likely take it as a chance to escape then you should buy belly band attachments for your harness which loops around the dogs stomach to prevent backing out.  Finally, take it slow.  This should be fun, and sore muscles are not fun for anybody.

Living with Luka: A Foster Mom's Story

Every rescue dog endears itself to you in a different way. O'Brian, my malamute, can be intimidating in his stature. Yet he is a gentle giant, blind in one eye and slow as Christmas.  Tessa, my 3 year old husky, won me over with her sheepish, innocent look; a look I would later discover also contained a hint of mischief that has earned her the title "little minx." It was because of her that I started fostering for Alabama Siberian Husky Rescue. She is an alumnus herself.

Which brings me to Luka, my second foster dog. What immediately struck me about him were his intense blue eyes; not just because they are beautiful but because of the soulfulness behind them. On the way home from the vet that first day he stood at attention the entire way home, looking out the windows with a anticipation about where he was going next. For such a young dog he seemed to have already experienced much. After all, every dog has a tale in addition to the one he wags. We just don't know all the chapters. But I got the feeling if he could talk he would ask the question: "Am I going home?"

You have to give him credit. Here he was, walking into a house that already had an older male alpha and a female who was my right hand dog. So the pack was already set and Luka was quick to learn his place within it. Even from the first mealtime that night, he kept to his bowl. Fortunately for him, O'Brian and Tessa are pretty accommodating to other dogs as long as they don't get pushy.  If Tessa decided his treat was her treat, he relinquished it without a fuss. But given the chance he would steal it back, as long as she had left the room.

Wrestling is often the order of the day, although they mainly keep it to outside hijinks. No leaf pile is safe when we're on a walk, Luka taking great delight in diving in and taunting Tessa until she jumps in after him. Occasionally they become enthusiastic and bring the chase inside, which usually involves circles around the chairs. Then both will collapse in a puddle of pants and wagging tails. Yes, Luka is often the instigator, but what has been interesting to watch is that he never instigates with O'Brian. He seems to understand and respect that O'Brian is older and not able to play in the same way. In fact, Luka is very gentle with him and has even come up and kissed him on the nose and groomed him. And O'Brian allows him to do it, which says a lot about Luka's acceptance by the pack.

Luka has an exuberance for life, much like a curious child. Walks are one big adventure to him, his nose to the ground the minute we go out the door. He most certainly could have been a sled dog, often showing his natural talent for pulling. But I've been amazed at his progress on leash since he's been with us and he has learned how to "ignore" the numerous outdoor cats that roam the neighborhood. He and Tessa both are great hunters, especially when it comes to chipmunks and moles, etc. Between they two of them, my varmint population around the house has gone down significantly. On any given afternoon, I can find them in the back yard, nose under a root. And if we see a squirrel on a walk and it goes up a tree, Luka has every faith in the world that he can climb that tree or utility pole and catch it. He is a very positive thinker.

 

His energy is matched only by his capacity for love. He will put his head on my knee or paw at my foot for attention, then sit on the couch with his head on my lap. Which quickly turns into a belly-up, rub my tummy flip, with paws in the air. He'll kiss on Tessa and she grooms him in return. And as I said before, he is very sweet with O'Brian. So he is definitely a dog's dog. And when it's time for bed, he retires with everyone else and sleeps through the night. And that's without a crate. I haven't had to use one with him at all.

When you choose to foster, you always run the risk of falling in love with the dog and becoming what is known as a "foster fail." It almost happened with my first foster, Branigan, who is now happily living in Nashville (with two cats, no less). And I admittedly have the same feelings for Luka. He has settled in to our family very nicely, which is both a reflection on him and my own dogs. But what I learned from Branigan is that as hard as it is to let them go, it means that someone else is getting to love them and receive their love. And if I hadn't let Branigan go, I wouldn't have had room for Luka.

I hope one day that a prospective adopter would see all the facets of him that I do and realize he is worth the time and energy. Sit with him for just a few minutes and look into those eyes and you'll be hooked, too. My wish for him is that the next time he asks, "Am I going home?" I can say, "yes, Luka. Yes you are." 

If you are interested in adopting Luka, please fill out our adoption application.

I'd Do Anything for Cheese (But I Won't Do That)

Me: Come inside Daria
Daria: Coming! Wait, why am I doing this?
Me: Because I asked you to of course.
Daria: I can outrun you. How about a game of tag instead? You're it!
Me: Daria, I am running late for work; please come inside.
Daria: This is way more fun than an exercise pen.
Me: Will you come inside for some cheese?
Daria: No.
Me: Oh, look what I found; it is your favorite toy!
Daria: What toy?
Me: The one you hid in the back yard next to the fence.
Daria: You wouldn't!
Me: I would.
Daria: Fine, you win. Give me the toy and I will come inside.

Siberian Husky Daria is usually pretty good about coming inside when I call her. This morning, however, a muse was clearly whispering in her ear. Tag is one of Daria's favorite games – a game that I have never won. I sometimes get help from Shiba Inu Loki, but unfortunately not today.

Siberian Huskies are both highly intelligent and independent and will not obey without a good reason. Sometimes that reason is a tummy rub, cheese, or their favorite toy; it really depends on your dog and how recently she have eaten. Daria is much more likely to come if I am waving her favorite toy in the air squeaking it than if she knows she is going directly to the exercise pen. If you can turn the recall into a fun game that leads to a chance at fun rewards your recalls will be much more reliable in the long run.

Looking for a family dog?

Then we have the right one for you: Isolde otherwise known as Izzy.

Izzy is a laid-back husky and likes to relax. She is perfect for the home that would like a dog but does not have the time or energy to play 2 hours a day with a dog. Izzy is nine, and she is house-trained and crate-trained and will sometimes howl when she has to go out.  She gets along well with other dogs and can act like a momma-dog on occasion. Izzy would not do well with a cat since she thinks they are food.

Izzy loves food, especially raw deer meet. Her foster mom once stopped her running out of a gate by throwing a chuck of raw deer meet at her. Of course Izzy turned right back around, wanting more meat :) Izzy also likes squeaker toys, but the toy will not have the squeaker for long.

Izzy gets along well with children and would make a great addition to any family. If you are interested in adopting her, please check out our website and apply to adopt.