She just showed up... dog content

Our 'hood is pretty rural by "Big City" Standards. We are 9 miles from the nearest store, outside the city limits, and lots are between 3/4 and 3 acres. It's nice out here. So people dump dogs back here.

Sunday, the boy came in and said there were two dogs out front. One belonged to a neighbor. The other was the above pictured Husky. She had a collar but no tags. Her teeth and ears were clean. She was/is very thin and she was very dirty.

We walk/bike our neighborhood and have never seen this dog. We ask around. Someone said they thought they'd seen her at this house that was for sale and the owners just moved.

It was for sale by owner, so I called. They said no, they have their dogs, but someone further down has a Husky. I go down the house she described and the people there have a big Alaskan Malamute.

I posted an ad on CL - but the only respodants were people trying to find male Huskies.

I'm going to take her to the vet Friday to see if she is tagged and get her a checkup.

Once we decided to let her stay I made sure the kids knew if we found the owner, that we had to do the right thing and give her back. I asked my daughter last night if she was glad that Bella (we had to call her something) didn't belong to the lady I called. She said "No" I asked why. She said we need to find her owner, because they might be sad and looking for her. But she would miss Bella when she leaves.

I told her if she's not chipped and no one else responds to the add then we will decide that Bella picked us to be her new family. "Really, Dad? I hope she did pick us."

I've found a lot worse on the side of the road. Looks like a great dog.

Good work so far. You're doing the right thing. We get strays/escapees showing up at least once a month at our house. The last ones looked malnourished and abused. Its sad, if we didnt have our 2 dogs already my wife wanted to take them in.

Maybe its just our husky, but she can be a real self centered bitch sometimes. Usually she is sweet as can be. Behind those sweet blue eyes, I am fairly certain she is evil and is plotting our demise. She likes to kill things. She has jumped up and snatched birds that swoop down too low on a few occasions.

And she sheds like a motherberkeleyer. Hope you're ready for that.

Here's my guy Dexter. Showed up at my in-laws' house about a month before I got married. They live in the country. Was pretty young, VERY thin, collar but no tags. Badly wanted to play ball, but really didn't have the energy to fetch more than once. I threw the ball for him the first time, so he decided I was the best thing since sliced bread. Tried to find his previous owner, as he acted like a young working dog, but no luck. Or all luck, as the case may be.

He loves him some popsicles.

JohnInKansas wrote: Badly wanted to play ball, but really didn't have the energy to fetch more than once. I threw the ball for him the first time, so he decided I was the best thing since sliced bread. Tried to find his previous owner, as he acted like a young working dog, but no luck. Or all luck, as the case may be.

Same thing. She was really lethargic, odd for a Husky, but she is absolutely getting her energy back.

I really do hope someone wanted her to find a new home and did it the wrong way. Everyone will be sad if she's chipped and they are looking for her.

That's a beautiful dog. I had two Malamutes as a kid. They were good dogs but dumb as posts. The first was a male. He didn't want to be in the house. In the summer when mom would throw us out of the house in the morning to play and he would hang out on the front porch with a block of ice and a beach umbrella. The second was a female. She would wander but had no sense of direction. We would usually find her waiting a few blocks away.

I used to live on the edge of Memphis, in an area that was vaguely rural...but still in the city limits. I found strays wandering along the street in front of my apartment complex at least once a week. Several were the sweetest dogs, but all had no collars or tags, so I figured they were just dumped. My apartment management only allowed dogs smaller than cocker spaniels so it really broke my heart to have to take one dog in particular to the pound. He was a black Lab/Pit? mix and must have been a well trained dog once because whenever I took him his food he would do a "happy dance" but he would never jump up like most untrained dogs do. The first time I tried to play fetch with him, I misjudged the distance and threw the ball right to his nose. He gave me a look, like: "I thought we were buds, why did you throw that thing in my face?" Apparently, he had never tried fetch, but once he figured it out, he wouldn't stop.

Same friggin story with our dog Sandy, except she was clean and well fed. We've had her for six happy years now, and she's somewhere near 15-16. I would suggest a trip to the vet for a thorough checkup - Sandy was clean. Ours just ran off during a late night thunderstorm and was gone for eight days - we thought she was gone, but she found her way back to us.

Funny story, she arrived when I lived in New York, in the winter, and my parents would not let her in (allergies). I built her an insulated dog house with leftover stuff from building the house, and the only way she would stay in it was if I left it on the front porch. I gradually moved it away, a few inches at a time, every night. Once I moved it a few feet and she was back on the porch. Finally got her to the side of the house out of the way. After a few weeks we got her a collar and tags.

Gods wedding gift. We seriously think someone took their dog out to the country to a good-looking house and said "stay" and took off. Jerks. worked out for the best, I suppose. Glad to hear of your addition.

Since fetch and huskies have been brought up, do any of your huskies play fetch?

We have a husky/golden retriever mix and he loves to play and has actually caught squirrels while on his leash in the small park near our house. we can bring out a toy and he's all about it for about 2 minutes then doesn't care any more. I'd really like to be able to get him to play to fetch but I don't know if it's a husky thing cancelling out the golden or we just haven't really taught him.

he's pretty smart and obedient and we've taught him a few other tricks so I know he can learn.

oh, he'll snag an rc helicopter out of the air though! that was fun!

Bella looks awesome, m4ff3w. If she does end up back at a previous home, maybe it's time to add a different dog? Sounds like your mini-m4ff3ws are handling it well.

Both our dogs are about 10 years old.

Our Husky/Keeshond mix will fetch, is big (80-90lbs) and hairy so if we are playing outside he will enthusiastically bring back the ball maybe 2 or 3 times before he plops down panting in the shade. He will play inside, but again, only a few times is enough and then he goes and sits down chewing on his toy by himself. He is very smart and obedient to us but has anxiety issues, gets really nervous around new people and other dogs. Not friendly. It took him many months to warm up to me (she had them before I met her)

Our Husky (pictured in my previous post), we always joke that she doesn't know how to play. She wont fetch, wont play tug of war. I can get her mildly excited by sitting with her on the floor and "attacking" her with a stuffed toy, but once she gets a grip on it, she doesn't know what to do next and lets it go. She's smart, but is only obedient when she wants to be. Very reluctant to do something when she doesnt want to, like go in her kennell. She will mope and walk really really slow, lol.

A couple times a year she will go into a nesting phase, and carry around a toy like its a baby, and curl up and tuck it between her back legs. She gets really frustrated if you take it and throw it, let out a sigh and go pick it up and sit back down with it again. That's about the only time she will fetch something.

Got mine from the humane society. I contacted her foster and she informed me that the bitch she gave her to ditched her on the side of the road.

Couldn't ask for a better dog. I plan on getting her a sister of the non-feline variety. Probably a husky.

I love huskies. I also vacuum my living room with a shop vac every day.

I'm pretty sure none of that in the picture is actually carpet. Its just matted hair.

I tell you, I nearly adopted a husky pup (grey bright blue eyes) but two things stopped me, we had just gotten a dog, and husky + Mississippi Summer = his own AC unit.

I'll have to leave the AC on this Saturday for Izzy while I'm away. 110 index.

 Adoption approved

bluej wrote: Since fetch and huskies have been brought up, do any of your huskies play fetch? We have a husky/golden retriever mix and he loves to play and has actually caught squirrels while on his leash in the small park near our house. we can bring out a toy and he's all about it for about 2 minutes then doesn't care any more. I'd really like to be able to get him to play to fetch but I don't know if it's a husky thing cancelling out the golden or we just haven't really taught him. he's pretty smart and obedient and we've taught him a few other tricks so I know he can learn.

Bella plays fetch & tug of war.

We took her to Banfield today and she didn't have a microchip.

It's looking like she is going to stay.

Our family has a history taking in the ones that get "found".

First since I was alive, was Shyla, long hair persian cross. Poor cat had once had a nice owner, until her boyfriend moved in. Cat had to go. Poor thing was absolutely terrified, and I didn't help. Received a 6" scratch that lasted on my arm for about a year or something. She disappeared into the basement ceiling for 5ish days before finally coming out for food.

Became my mother's cat, turned into a total princess, and would only ever go outside in the backyard, if the basement door was left open. In the summer. Lived till she was 21 years old. Had to put her down a few years ago.

Following her, a friend showed up on our doorstep a few years later, on like, December 22? Anyways, she had a black ball of fuzz. Lost kitten, her mother was violently allergic. My sister and I were the only ones home..."Of COURSE! Look how cute he is!" door closes and my sister turns to me, "Now we just need to hide him!"....

Course, Christmas comes around, and my parents can't bring themselves to take the cat away, so....We now have a black and white, male short hair. Little thin, but he quickly made himself at home....but did give total respect to Shyla.

Turned into over the years, into the neighbourhood "king". Weighed 22lbs in the summer, 25-26 in the winter, and got into many, many fights. We have witnessed up to three other cats running out of our yard when we have interrupted their fight. We have seen a RACOON running from this damned cat. A couple years ago, he disappeared and never returned. My personal theory is since there was a Bear sighted in the neighbourhood, he finally met something that was more than his match. And I am totally okay with that. RIP Noel.

Non-rescue was Phantom, got her as a puppy, Corgi, Black Lab, German Shepherd cross. Dumb as a boulder, and strong as an ox. 40lbs of big dog, in a compact chassis. Would have played herself to death if we let her. Put her down 2 years ago as she was the "runt" of her litter and had deformed hips that she was losing control of, and the arthritis was finally showing as pain in her eyes.

My Sister rescued Alkey (Alkatraz) from the SPCA. Boarder Collie mix (Popular theory with some Wolf somewhere). Had been badly abused. Did NOT like me when we first met. Went wherever my sister went, and eventually accepted me as a "second". Amazing dog, sorely missed. Put down due to Cancer.

Current rescue: Kobi. My sister found this little dog at a groomers. She'd been abandoned, and had been abused by previous owners. Given as a gift to my father to help with the loss of Phantom. Don't know what breeds are in her, don't care. After several months of trust building, she has come out of her terrified past and become a gorgeous little ball of energy that finally knows what a loving home is supposed to be like. This is her second year with us, and her transformation of a scared to death dog, peeing on the floor to a bouncing, energetic dog that really, really loves to play....but doesn't know how, is amazing.

Snowdoggie wrote: I love huskies. I also vacuum my living room with a shop vac every day.

For the life of me I couldn't remember who had your avatar. I just couldn't remember your name.

doh!

Vet couldn't see her Friday, so we went today. Other than being way under weight and malnourished she's super healthy! I got her some Lamb & Rice Formula dog food - she had been munching one some kibble a neighbor gave me. She ate more food today in the 30 minutes after I got home than she has eaten all week.

She got all of her shots and tested for all the standard parasites. Everything came up no problems.

Vet said to just make sure she gains some weight and she's a really great dog.

Awesome! I'm sure the mini-yous are stoked.

That's awesome news!

Good news. Enjoy the company.