marsred

She was named ela-yona. Its cherokee and means earth bear a nod to my wifes grandfather. While she has many nicnames, little bear is the most popular. We have even experianced someone shout “its a bear” while out walking. When we have another he/she will be sky bear

I know it has been a long time since the original story but, here is the finish to the story. Ela-yona was not at fault. There was an employee, new there, who was not properly screened and was afraid of "large dogs". she was reassigned and the problem was averted. Alan

Ok, Clare's description is the closest to the actions described by the staff. She was removed from play by a staff member who is very well known to Ela-Yona and her playing habits. That being said I will contact a trainer refered by a friend and see if she can be placed in a control enviroment with other dogs to see her reaction and how we can work with her. Will keep you all informed to our results. Thank you. Alan

This is a doggie day camp. She has been there many times before and there are other huskies that do come to camp also. She has had the pleasure of playing with up to 5 other huskies at one time. The staff is very familiar with her and how she plays. There has never been any reports of this behavior before. We have no control over how they introduce the dogs into the play area. Could it be poor introduction or her just being excited or do we have a real problem? Alan

Just picked Ela-Yona from day camp. It wasn't a good day. After her lunch break they were reintroducing her to the other dogs, and she bolted to another dog with what they said was aggressive behavior. She was removed from the room and given one on one play for the afternoon. She plays with intensity but has NEVER acted this way before and we are at a loss as to how to respond to it. Has anyone else experienced anything like this and how did you deal with it? She comes home and behaves almost like an angel. A real Jeykle and Hyde. Please help. I don't want her in camp again until we learn how to address the situation. I know that the change will be with us not her. Thank you all in advance. Alan

Just an update. After trying many other devices, I finally got what must be the best product on the market. We have been using the Gentle Leader Headcollar for about a week now on Ela-Yona. At first we fitted it and only kept it on for about 5 minutes. She slowly built up time with just the collar with no lead until she was comfortable with it. Our first trip outside on lead was just a potty run, the change was suprising and instant. She still wants to try and remove it but we have been told she will adjust to it, besides she loves treats when we come back in. Our first actual walk on lead was amazing, she actually "pranced" as we walked. Contant praise and treats help for positive reinforcement. I can honestly say I was ready to give up and we were going to have to live with pulling forever. Not so now. She is now "mommy's show dog" when she walks. Alan

I knew I would get to the truth here and I am not suprised by the responses. It appears that celebreties with absolutely no time for fans,children,animals,etc. would be the target group for ownership. (sorry I am very opinionated, if I have upset anyone please bear with me) It seems to me as another attempt to have something without any of the responsibility of ownership while still "looking" trendy. Alan

I just heard about a breed started in the 1970's. I'ts called an Alaskan Klee Kai and is a minature husky. Does anyone have any information on this breed? I worry that the breeding process damages the geneology of the husky? Am I being overly concerned? Alan

Just wanted to keep everyone up to speed. Ela-yona was rescued from a high kill pound a year ago. Having her in our lives has been such a change for us (and her too). But, she is fitting in very well. Everyday we have her is another blessing. I do have a small problem. Iwant another! His/her name would be Galunadi-yona (Sky Bear in cherokee) Pronounced Ga-loo-na-dee. Am I becoming obsessed naming a new member of the family before we even have one. Oh, by the way, we are urban owners and don't have room for another furry child now. I keep looking on petfinders and other websites. I have Husky Fever and I have it bad. Alan

Ela-Yona has a Gentle Leader Easy Walk Harness. She pulls so hard even with the harness she will loosen the adjusters on the harness completely overiding the design and ignoring the pull to the side. I would like some info from others who have used the gentle leader and the canny collar. At what age did you start using the device? did you have problems with your husky pulling past/overiding the device? Have any of you tried both devices and have a personal choice? We have most recently tried a Martengale collar. She will pull while choking herself with it. I am afraid of hurting her or having my wifes shoulder dislocated. Alan

Thanks for the responses. At first we thought it was something she vacuumed up on one of her walks as she tries to eat everything on the ground. Trying to keep that from happening is hard enough, but to know we allowed this hurts. She loves her toys and will tug and fetch till she is worn out. She has a few hard rubber toys but they need many washes before she will play with them (hates the smell). Just glad she is ok. Sure is a large learning curve. Alan

Hi all, not sure if This is the right place for this thread or not, but here goes. Ela-yona was her normal self Sunday until early evening. Then she became lethargic, wouldn't eat or drink. We thought she had eaten something when we were walking at the beach in the morning. Monday there was no improvement and now she wouldn't get up or let us know she needed outside. Off to the vet we go. A series of x-rays showed she had a blockage in her small intestine. The good news was the blockage was moved without surgery. The bad news was the blockage was caused by her shredding the frayed ends of her rope toys and swallowing them. We didn't do well with our baby away overnite but, she was in good hands. By the time she came home Tuesday evening all of her toys had the ends trimmed. The question is are they ok like this? We know we need to watch when they become worn. But, what else should we be aware of? She is much better now and we would like her to stay this way so any suggestions would be helpful. Alan

Yes she is pure white and the discoloration really is distracting. It doesn't affect anything, just isn't her normal pretty self.

The yellow is hard to photogragh. Here is one of the spots

We rescued Ela-Yona at the end of her spring blowout (vacuumed the house more in three weeks than in the previous three years). Anyway it appears that her winter coat is starting to come in. With it she has dark spots at the front leg joints and yellow areas on her back. Is this normal, seasonal or something else? I am driving the vet nuts with questions and this didn't seem to alarming. She just doesn't have the pretty coat she has had since she adopted us. Alan

We first got Ela-yona a gentle leader harness. She never even noticed and can pull so hard that the adjusters on the straps loosen. I have been trying the negative reinforcement mentioned above but it really depends on my patience not hers. Not knowing her back round (rescue from pound) I can only guess but, it seems she has had no interaction with others. Maybe a "backyard" puppy. We will keep working on her and report back later. Alan

Ela -yona will run up to play/get attention then plant her head against you and do a "sommersault" to get her belly rubbed. Oh, and she still thinks the cats want to play with her. Alan

limpet

Thank you Jeff. I may wear you ragged with questions. Be prepared Alan

We can't seem to go anywhere with her without a comment about her looks. Now, it's time for obedience training to go with her looks.

Hi all, my name is Alan and my wife and I just rescued a white husky approx. 1 year old. We have named her Ela-Yona, Cherokee for "earth bear". There seems to be a very large learning curve for us, so there will be many questions but those will be later. Here is a pic to introduce our newest family member. Alan