PATIENCE IS OWNING A HUSKY

BY TRACEY STIGLINGH

MY STORY STARTS 12 YEARS AGO:

My son gave me a husky puppy for my birthday, after my 12-year-old Border Collie, Comet, passed away from bone cancer. I had only ever had Border Collies and Labrador’s before, and knew nothing about huskies. All I knew was that they were the most beautiful dogs created (in my opinion), and that was about it. I was very reluctant to accept this gift, but my son persisted saying: “Mom, I did not want to get you another Border Collie, as you would compare it to Comet, so this is the next best thing”. Before I received my puppy - which I decided to name Zeus - I researched everything I could about the husky breed. I am very involved in obedience and agility training, but none of my friends had ever had huskies before. During my research, You Tube videos, training manuals etc. words like “willful, stubborn, difficult to train, escape artists and noisy” were scattered throughout each article I read, as well as: “Never, ever to be let off a leash!”. He arrived late one afternoon. 8 Weeks old, with piercing blue eyes and a black, grey and white coat. He puked on the floor, then sauntered over to my border collie, Rocket, who was watching him from his bed under the table. He stared at Rocket, who relinquished his bed, and then curled up into his “stolen” bed. For the next 10 years, that became his favourite place to sleep. (It was also close to the food people were eating, so it was a big plus for him.) I decided to prove to people, and to myself, that this was not all the breed was about. Zeus started off at puppy school in Kommetjie, where he did very well! He went on to be awarded rosettes for obedience, including Bronze and Silver Canine Good Citizen rosettes. It is safe to say that we had our ups and downs, as his prey drive was very high. I was very mindful of the fact that I needed to keep him away from cats and small animals. Strangely enough though, he loved little dogs, and one of his favourite dogs was a black and white Papillon. He began mushing on the beach, once a week, with a team of huskies. It was the highlight of his week, and an awesome sight to see huskies doing what they are bred for. At about 2 years of age, I decided to try him out at agility. Oh boy...that was fun... A good round was if Zeus stayed on the course and completed all the obstacles. Agility is all done off lead, on an open field. I persisted with him and found the trick to keep him on course. I would put raw liver etc. into a plastic, sealed container at the end of the course. If he completed the course, and did not run off, he was rewarded with the tasty treats at the finish line! He would run an entire course - off lead - over jumps, tunnels, seesaws etc. and then run to his plastic container, stand there, and wait for it to be opened. He practiced, and mastered agility, and became the first husky in South Africa to qualify at competitions. He qualified up to the top grade in 3 of the 4 disciplines, staying on course, off lead, on an open field. He had an 800m recall. I trained him with a whistle. I started off with short distances and lots of treats and praise when he came back to me. There was the occasional dustbin or dead seal on the beach that caught his attention and distracted him, though! Sadly, he passed away very suddenly due to status epileptics when he was 10 years old. I was absolutely heart broken and vowed to him that I would try to rescue the “golden oldie” huskies that no one wanted anymore. He was my soul mate, my friend and one of the most awesome huskies I have ever met. Thanks to Husky Rescue South Africa, I was offered an overweight, unwanted, sad, lonely 12-year-old husky (the youngsters and puppies are snapped up very quickly). He had been kept in a tiny garden, never walked and been over fed. I named him Lupin (the wolf who howls at the moon).

Lupin flew down to Cape Town a year ago. A sad, bewildered old man. He was 40kg, and very arthritic. I was surprised that his heart could even beat around all that fat. Between my boyfriend and I we aimed to get the weight off, and make him a new, happy man. We started off with very short walks, building up the length as he got fitter. He was put on a raw diet, and the weight just started to melt away. Lupin now has a waist and a beautiful coat, and he has become very talkative and demanding. He has met horses, other dogs, and the occasional tortoise on his daily walks. He has ventured onto the beach a few times and was quite in awe of the water and waves. He has also been to watch agility and mushing, and now weighs a svelte 32.5kg. He is slowing down a bit, due to his arthritis, but spends his days strolling around our big garden, with a border collie and a husky x border collie, for company. He had 2 other older friends as well, but sadly they passed away last year. He still enjoys short walks around the neighbourhood – off lead! I am in contact with Husky Rescue at the moment, and I am hoping to welcome an 11-year-old female husky, whose owners have both, sadly, passed away recently. Lupin is loving his golden years, and I am hoping to have more golden oldies to love during their final months, or years. My motto is: “patience is owning a husky”!

“HAPPINESS IS A LONG WALK WITH YOUR DOG”

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