HO 2012 Yearbook; How did you end up with a husky in your life?

[AttilaVikingsDemon]

My story starts, I moved here from Germany in 1966, and I thought how cool it was that people owned "wolves". Not speaking the English language, it took a bit for me to understand that they were Siberian Huskies. I had fallen in love with the breed at that time in my life and it has been the breed I have always loved. Because our family moved often from the States to Abroad, a dog was not possible. Then one day in 1996, where I worked I saw the cutest picture of a Husky puppy with a phone number and puppies for sale. I called the number and made the arrangements , so on a Saturday in November I closed the Bakery and picked up my Sasha. I felt like a parent coming home from the Hospital with a new born saying to myself, what do I do next and how do I raise this little one. Then my life went from Sasha and me, to Sasha, Me and my OH. A year went by and along came our first rescue, Dakota. He was a year old, and he fell head over heels for Sasha. Sasha really liked Dakota, but she was one of those "independent" girls who didn't need anyone but herself, with the exception of Me. A little over a year had passed and we received a phone call from where we bought all of Sasha's and Dakota's toys, supplies, etc..(Pet Food Warehouse) they asked how would we be interested in a third Siberian. We replied, " a third Siberian?" we must be crazy. So crazy as it was, and spur of the moment we took Sasha and Dakota for a ride, without them realizing they were soon going to have a little brother. Kayak was a rescue situation. People had moved and left him in the back yard on a small rope attached to a very beat up wooden dog house. He was very dehydrated and malnourished. He was only 4 months old. We immediately took him to our vet to have him properly examined. For many years the five of us remained a cohesive pack. The saddest day came for me is when Sasha had to say good bye (6/28/2010) and then nine months later we had to do it again and say good bye to our Dakota (3/14/2011). After March of 2011, it became a pack of three. Kayak is King until his last day with us.:heartbeat:

Husky Lovers in Vermont:doglick:

The photo on the left was the picture hanging "Husky puppies for Sale with phone numbers and that was Sasha's only sister" if you look into the upper right corner, you will see Sasha, barely. The picture on the right is Baby Sasha, 1996. The picture is further down at the bottom.

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Awww-what a little cutie:wub: she is, the lovely Sasha-how adorable! What a beautiful story and very touching! Poor Kayak being abandoned like that-but it turns out it was the very best thing that could have happened to him, because look at how he lives now!!! He deserves it-so glad for them you all :doglick:rescued them:grouphug:!! The way you described picking up Sasha really describes when you first pick up a pup:bouncy:-hard to capture that moment, but that does take me back!

[AutumnAlicia]

My Happiness

AutumnAlicia

Growing up my family has always had a dog. We are dog people. We have had all sorts... border collie, poodle, rottweiler, black lab and many more. I seem to get very attached to dogs pretty quickly. Since I have lived on my own at age 16, I have not had a dog of my own. I have lived with people with dogs, but they weren't mine. The last person I lived with had an all white husky named Jack. Jack was my shadow. He followed me everywhere I went and preferred me to his actual owner. His owner turned out to be a really crazy person so I had to get away from there. So I have lived in my place for almost 2 years now and I have a cat here and always thought it was too small for a dog, especially with my new love and passion for Siberian Huskies. I started dating a guy and his nickname is Wolf. He really wanted a dog and loved the idea of having a wolf type dog so I was super happy to hear about that. So I started browsing rescues on craigslist of all places as well as going to local shelters. I have always been one to save a dog instead of buying one, I know of way too many dogs getting put down because they aren't adopted. One day I saw a simple small ad on craigslist about a husky free to good home. No picture, just an email address. I immediately emailed her and waited for days for a reply. Finally one day I received an email and text message saying that he was still available so we set up a time to meet him. We were both super excited. She sent me a picture of him and we went that day to see him. It was love at first sight! The woman who was getting rid of him just couldn't handle a husky. She had 5 children under the age of 10 and not much time to walk him. Since she took him to a farm to run he had been acting up and always tried to get out of the house. So she thought it was time to re-home him with someone who had the time to take him out and let him run. She said right then and there we could take him right now so she gave us all of his stuff. His pedigree, vet papers, dog bed, dog bowls, and a huge bag of food. I was super happy, I finally had a dog of my own. And he is def a mommas boy. I have only had him since December 20th, 2011 and it has been the best few months I have had in a long time. I look forward to coming home to him everyday. He is my world and am happy everyday that I get to spend with him.

[kerry_lapworth]

AutumnAlicia, what a beauty!!!!

[AutumnAlicia]

AutumnAlicia, what a beauty!!!!

Thank you!

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@GizMaiz&Diesel Your pic isn't showing up for me, [MENTION=6713]SA DA KA[/MENTION] Did you have a title you wanted to use? [MENTION=430]valkyries[/MENTION] your attatchment isn't showing up for me

EVERYTHING ELSE UP UNTIL HERE IS IN. PLEASE NOTE IT'S ALL IN A VERY RAW FORM. THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IS TO GET EVERYTHING IN ONE PLACE.

Thank you all for contributing, and if you haven't yet...feel free, also keep your eyes out for other bits.

[valkyries]

is thiis

Edited May 10, 2012 by valkyries

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is thiis

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Done.

[SA DA KA]

@fox tink & eponine i would like to title my post "i've finally found you"

[AttilaVikingsDemon]

:eek: :eek: Oh no! My whole post is gone except for the pictures! :eek:

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:eek: :eek: Oh no! My whole post is gone except for the pictures! :eek:

No worries I already checked and it's in the google doc hun

[Cherrie-Nanook-Indy]

Any dog will do?

I have always had pets in my life. Not my own as I was never allowed one by my mother but my family has always had cats and dogs. My OH has always had dogs in his household growing up. First of all we got a cat, then we got another one, then we started talking about getting a dog. I just wanted a dog any dog, OH had always loved Husky's his uncle has a large pack and he had grown up loving them. I wasn't so sure to start with - after reading about the bread I didn't know if we could handle a Husky. We started look on line and the more I looked at these beautiful dogs the more I wanted one of those cute faces in my life! We visited a breeder and one tubby little fluff ball came up to see us. She was absolutely gorgeous. We fell in love!! We paid the deposit there and then. The puppies were only 4 weeks old at this point so we had to wait till we could bring her home. We spent the time preparing for her and looking for names, we finally found one that means polar bear - Nanook! (I think the official spelling is different). So Nanook it was as she is all white and looked like a baby polar bear as a baby with her floppy ears and tubby tum! We brought her home and oh wow did our life's change - so much for the better!! When Nanook got to around 16 months old we started to think about getting her a play mate. As luck would have it - while at Husky Owners Camp in Wales this year we got a call about a 10 month old male that needed a new home. My OH went to visit him and he came back with Indy. Indy is a lively 10 month old red and white beautiful boy. He fit right into our lives and we have never been happier.

So to conclude any dog will do? Most defiantly not only a Husky will do!

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[Austinville]

A love like this...

Becky

AKA Austinville

Bo:

Ryn

Long ago I came to the conclusion that the husky is the only breed for me. I have my precious Bo to thank for that. He was so patient with me – teaching me everything I needed to know. Oh! The lessons were tough and there were days I wanted to give up, but giving up on any pet isn’t an option for me. I’ve always been one to provide a forever home for my pets – no matter what.

It began over 17 years ago when our home was burglarized. We had a little rat terrier who did her best to scare the burglars away. She managed to keep them out of one room of the home, scared to death and barking like a banshee from under my daughter’s bed. It was just a week after Christmas when it happened and the kids gifts, along with many other precious memorabilia was taken. I vowed that we’d get a bigger dog and began searching the newspapers.

I ran across an ad that said ‘Siberian husky pups. $100 to $150. Ready now.’ I showed the ad to my husband who asked if those weren’t the dogs with the blue eyes. I said yes and the entire family jumped into the truck and away we went. We knew nothing of the breed or of how to find a reputable breeder. To make matters worse, we assumed that it was the huskies job to take care of the mushers so they simply must be protective, right?!

We got to the home and were showed the pups. The man asked if we wanted a male or female. I immediately said ‘Male. They’re bigger.’ I couldn’t even look at the pups because I knew I would fall for each and every one of them. I walked away and my family came to the truck holding this little eight week old bundle of fur – the only male in the litter. He was promptly named Bo.

He put his feet on the back of the seat and promptly gave me a kiss. And that was the end of it. He was mine and I, well – I was his.

It didn’t take long to realize that he had a mind of his own. I seriously began to wonder if he had a hearing problem or was a special dog who had a portion of his intelligence missing. He would ignore my every command and when I got frustrated, would sit down and look me in the eye as if to say, ‘But you wanted me. You promised me forever.’ And I would melt again.

The years passed and there were countless days that he would streak past the kids as they headed outside and I’d spend hours and hours chasing him to get him back home. Thankfully, we lived at the end of a dirt road with 240 acres of corn and bean fields to the north and countless more acres of woods and the river to our south. I still feared for him – there were hunters and fishermen and all sorts of dangerous animals. I can’t begin to count the tears that fell each time he ran. But each time, he’d come back home and lay upon the deck for hours trying to catch his breath from his latest adventure.

By the time he was 10, he’d earned his freedom and would stay in the yard. It was difficult, but it was then that we moved to a home along a highway where he had to be on lead at all times. I sometimes think it broke his heart, but never his spirit. And he was so forgiving.

I’ll never forget one day when he was about 13. He’d really begun to slow down and for whatever reason, I just opened the door to let him out, forgetting the lead. He looked over his shoulder at me as if to say ‘Really?!’ and he was off, going as fast as his old legs would carry him down the sidewalk. I caught up to him before he’d gotten half way down the 20 foot sidewalk. He looked up at me and his thoughts were so very clear. ‘I knew it was too good to be true. BUT, I nearly got a run in!’ He smiled at me then.

Over his lifetime, Bo taught me patience and love, and understanding. I discovered that he responded best to hand signals and he discovered that I responded best to ‘talking’. When he needed to go outside, he’d stand at the door and say ‘Oooouuuuuuuut’ in his beautiful husky-speak. When he wanted me to know it, he’d howl ‘wuuuuuuuuuuuuv you’ and if I wasn’t paying enough attention, he’d act like a small child and repeat ‘mom’, ‘mom’, ‘mom’ over and over until I listened to what he needed.

We were one. He was my once-in-a-lifetime soulmate.

Right up to the end, he walked twice daily around our property line. In rain, snow, sleet, or summers’ heat. Not a day was missed and he’d come running as fast as his old hips would allow when he heard the snap on his lead. Even so, his last years were spent sleeping on the sofa, being hand fed because his appetite had dropped and he’d eat quite well if presented from my hand.

Even when he’d suffered his stroke, his attitude didn’t change. He was more concerned about me….would mom be ok? I had to assure him that I would be and that it was ok to slip into that silver harness and run pain-free the opposite direction of me.

It’s been said that dogs don’t cry. And I know this is true. But I also know that as I held him in my arms and helped him to the bridge that a single tear fell from my eye straight into his and rolled down his cheek. He was grieving for me, just as I was grieving for him. I promised him once again that I would be ok. The tear fell from his cheek and he settled a bit further into my arms before he took his final breath.

My heart broke that day and the blue eyed boy that I’d loved for over 15 years left me. Yet his spirit remains. I feel him here. Not so frequently as before, but he still makes his presence known.

I’m not proud of the way I came to find that the husky was the only breed for me. But I am proud of how things turned out. I’d never change one moment of what I learned from Bo. Bless you my love, bless you!

And now, well, I have my precious Princess Omryn Borealis. She’s continuing the lessons that Bo began. While his focus was on patience, love and understanding – hers are on having fun, letting loose and being yourself. She’s a good teacher, she knows me better than I know myself. And loves me despite my flaws.

We have much to share and the lessons she will teach me are those only a husky can teach. She has big paw prints to fill…………and she’s filling them quite well, thank you!

[Chip]

This is the story of how Storm came into my life, I don't normally write anything like this so sorry if there's any mistakes and I know I haven't mentioned Shadow but that's a story for another day:D

Title: When fate steps in....

Author: David (Chip)

Ever since I can remember there's been animals in my life.

The last pet I had was a ferret, I'd had him for almost 6 years when it came to the day for him to cross that bridge.

After he'd crossed I didn't know what to do with myself, my days were filled with emptiness and I felt I had nothing to look forward to, as the days went past the hole grew bigger, the days soon turned into weeks.

I decided I had to do something and was ready to take that step and accept another animal into my life, after lots of thinking and research I settled upon getting two Abyssinian cats, I looked around, reading the free-ads and checking store's advertising boards hoping to find my next companion, all the while having a little voice in the back of my mind, will a cat be able to give me the companionship that I was looking for, but no, I'd made my mind up, done the research and bought the books, I shouldn't change my mind now.

The hole grew bigger still and the weeks continued to pass, the weeks slowly turned into months, it began to feel like I'd never find what I was looking for.

Then, one day I was headed back home from the market and I decided I'd pop in the pet store as it was on the way.

I entered the pet store and immediately noticed an advert that had been placed there, it said, Alaskan Malamute Female 14 months needs new home, I don't know why I picked the advert up, but I did, I took it home and phoned the number, asked a few questions and arranged a visit for later that day.

I only had basic knowledge of dog ownership as I'd never owned a dog before and only very basic knowledge of the breeds so I wrote down all the questions I felt I needed to ask and then waited.

I was so nervous with the thought of bringing another animal into my life that minutes felt like hours, but the time finally came when I could visit, so I set off, my heart beating like a drum.

Upon arrival I was asked to stand at the front door while they put their cats away, I waited for a few minutes and then they brought Storm out to me, beyond everything else the first thing I noticed was those striking blue eyes, I immediately fell in love and forgot all the questions I had, I couldn't wipe the smile off my face.

I asked the basic stuff like what she was like with kids and other dogs and her medical history, all the while knowing she wasn't a malamute as she was so small, but I couldn't bring myself to mention this.

After having a long talk with the family she was with, and a lot of ifs and buts, I decided I could give this girl the loving home she deserved, the money changed hands and we headed to the pet shop where she was advertised to pick up some supplies before heading back home, and to this day, it's her favourite place to go when she has a run.

And that's it, my search was over, fate had stepped in and a new adventure had begun.

In the coming months she taught me about her breed, we learned from each other and lived in each others worlds.

Without Storm I wouldn't have the confidence I have today, I owe her so much and she asks for so little.

Thanks to Storm & Shadow, life has never felt so good.

Picture:

Left to Right

Storm & Shadow

Edited May 16, 2012 by Chip

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[Sarah]

bumps - new members please feel free to add your stories and pics

[Cherrie-Nanook-Indy]

How we got Nanook.

Title : When Husbands Get It Right

I have always loved animals, dogs, cats, horses, rabbits everything. As a girl I would go horse riding and would offer to walk every dog on my street. When I met my husband he was the same. We would stop an talk to every dog we met on the street. He had always had pets in his home growing up and a family friend of his had Huskies. When we got our own place we decided to get a puppy to add to our family, we already had 2 cats. I just wanted a dog, any dog would do but hubby wanted a Husky, we scoured the Internet and found a breeder. I couldn't go for a visit due to work commitments so hubby went alone and picked our new baby. He took loads of pictures and showed me when he got home. We spent ages searching for a name and as she is all white and as a baby she looked liked a little tubby polar bear we settled on Nanook - meaning polar bear in Inuit. We maybe didn't follow the correct spelling and things but we were happy with it. I visited Nanook when I could and so did hubby. The day we picked her up was amazing. We drove her home and she howled in the car. We have had trials and tribulations with her including eating socks and tights!! But there is no way in this world would we have her any other way. She is our baby and we live her to bits.

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[Devildust76]

Am I allowed to reply? Our baby thinks he's a Husky.

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Am I allowed to reply? Our baby thinks he's a Husky.

Yes of course, this is for all Husky-Owners.com members. It will all go into a yearbook that will be available for purchase through lulu.com. There will be a black & White softcover copy, a B&W Hardcover copy, and a full color Hard copy for purchase. I will make the master pdf availible for download, but if I go through the trouble of making it compatible with kindle or nooks then I'll be asking for a $1-$2 donation to Husky-Owners to get a copy. Depending on public opinion when everything's all said and done the plain old pdf may be able to be downloaded for free. I think we'll take a survey when things get done. Something to keep in mind for the hardcover books, it takes about six weeks for it to print and get to your house because these are print on demand, rather than incurring the cost of preordering a bunch and then having life come up in such a way that makes it difficult for people to purchase. Last years is still out there for purchase or download, if you're interested let me know and I can send along the link.

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[tracey8]

Title: Kato & Nanook the first of many

I have always had dog's in my life prior to our first husky and i had done my research many years before we became owned by this amazing breed,

me and my husband were christmas shopping standing outside waterstone's book shop when he turned to me and said we could get a husky,as soon as we got home the search was on a few days later we went to view a litter the pups were 6 weeks old and were all boys they were all running around playing except one gorgeous boy who just sat there watching all the madness as soon as i seen him i knew he was the one ,my husband fell for his brother a little scruffy black and white boy who was equally gorgeous and a lot more playful but i had made my choice it was kato that i picked,2 weeks later we picked kato up and on our way back i was so happy i cried the whole journey back.

still thinking about the scruffy little black and white boy that we left behind made us go back a week after taking kato home and we brought nanook home with us too and they have been together ever since.

they changed our lives so much for the better and we are now owned by a pack of 8 .

[vicky4484]

That one duvet day that changed everything!

The day my dinx came into my life. It was a rainy day in June when my partner and I where abit naughty and called in sick to work. We had been talking about getting a dog for a few weeks. So I was looking on the Internet at a pets for homes website when there he was I jump up from my chair and said to my boyfriend look at this shall I call to see if he's still availed? We had called up about a few different dogs but they where all already rehomed, so I gave the number a call the lady on the phone said there was one other person interested but he was really playing them around so I cheekily said can we come and him? Her reply was of course! So off me and lee my boyfriend went I was so scared I had butterflies in my tummy. Walking up the stairs to the flat door my hands where shacking I knocked on the door she opened and there he was my dinx the most beautiful dog I have ever seen it was live at first site! So I said to lady I really have to have him and within mins we where puttin all his stuff in the back of our car I was the happiest person alive and to be honest I still am! He's my best friend and we have an amazing bond and he has made me the person I am today ! I sometimes sit and look at him and wonder where we would both be if we hasn't called in sick that day! They say things happen for a reason!!!!!!!!!!!

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My gorgeous boy Dinx he's made me the person I am today and helped me in so many ways and he doesn't even know what he's done for me! Love him millions

[vicky4484]

That one duvet day that changed everything!

The day my dinx came into my life. It was a rainy day in June when my partner and I where abit naughty and called in sick to work. We had been talking about getting a dog for a few weeks. So I was looking on the Internet at a pets for homes website when there he was I jump up from my chair and said to my boyfriend look at this shall I call to see if he's still availed? We had called up about a few different dogs but they where all already rehomed, so I gave the number a call the lady on the phone said there was one other person interested but he was really playing them around so I cheekily said can we come and him? Her reply was of course! So off me and lee my boyfriend went I was so scared I had butterflies in my tummy. Walking up the stairs to the flat door my hands where shacking I knocked on the door she opened and there he was my dinx the most beautiful dog I have ever seen it was live at first site! So I said to lady I really have to have him and within mins we where puttin all his stuff in the back of our car I was the happiest person alive and to be honest I still am! He's my best friend and we have an amazing bond and he has made me the person I am today ! I sometimes sit and look at him and wonder where we would both be if we hasn't called in sick that day! They say things happen for a reason!!!!!!!!!!!

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My gorgeous boy Dinx he's made me the person I am today and helped me in so many ways and he doesn't even know what he's done for me! Love him millions

It's abit of a rubbish story I was never any good at writing lol x

[Devildust76]

How we got Kodiak

We had lost our 2 previous dogs within months of one another and our lives had been turned upside down. We were lost without a dog in the house and spent as much time out of it as possible. After a couple of months we decided that, maybe, we should start looking at breeds of dogs that we liked (our last 2 were mixed breeds). We had always liked Huskies and Malamutes and my OH had family, who at the time had one Husky, so we started to research the breeds. During our research we came across many comparisons of the breeds and spent many evenings in 'heated' debate about which breed would suit us the best. We went back and forth between the 2 breeds. Would we get 1 or 2? Would they be male or female? Puppy or rescue? The questions were never-ending. In the end the more we looked at Mal's the more we fell in love with them, we still love Huskies but our hearts were stolen by the Malamute. It was a mammoth task then to find a breeder who had pups due or recently born. We spent evening after evening looking on the web and came across several breeders near-ish to us that had pups available or soon to be available. It was then a case of making appointments to go and see the litters. One appointment led us to our baby. We arrived on that first evening to be greeted by the owner and the mother of the pups, who greeted us in true Malamute style by 'speaking' to us. We laugh about this now every time Kodiak 'speaks' to us because we say he got his chatty side from his mum.

We went to where the pups were sleeping and our hearts melted. There were some of the fluffiest, chunkiest, pups we had ever seen. They were huge! We even questioned the owner as to the age of the pups even though we knew they were only 2 weeks old. I could tell by the look in my OH's eyes that this was the litter our baby was coming from and I felt the same way. At this point the owner asked if we wanted to meet the dad and we said of course. All of a sudden this huge head appeared at the door. I can honestly say that I had never seen a dog of his size, and I was raised with large German Shepherds! After our initial shock at the appearance of this giant we were greeted with a brisk grunt and sniff which we were told meant that he was OK with us looking at his babies and after he had checked they were all there he went back outside. The owner explained that he was big for the breed and was from a line of larger than average Malamutes. This didn't worry us though and we quickly got down to business and started looking at the pups. Immediately we both fell in love with the pup who was slightly apart from the others and when we picked him up (after the OK from mum) he snuggled right up to us both. Deal done. Sold. He was ours from that moment on. The next obstacle was choosing the name!

We visited the pups every week and every week we went armed with a list of names that we had drawn up (over 50 made it on to the list) and every week we came back from our visit and eliminated the ones that didn't seem to fit him. On our last visit before we took him home we were down to the final 5 names and went in and just looked at him running around the yard with his brother and sisters. We just called him each name in turn and when we got to Kodiak it just seemed to fit him better than any of the others. And so Kodiak it was.

We picked him up the following week and from there our lives have not been the same. He is one of the goofiest dogs I have ever known and he makes me laugh every day. I can't imagine what our lives would be like without him. He is growing, and growing and shows no signs of stopping

[Devildust76]

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Thank you! Keep em comming