A cause that we support

We have been watching the animal planet channel and every so often they air a pet adoption commercial. It makes us very happy that we adopted our Siberian Huskies. There are so many breeders out there breeding cats and dogs for a profit, only for these poor animals to be left unloved and dumped in the shelters simply because the owners couldn't take care of them for one reason or another.

This was the case with our little princess, Layla. She was reserved and bought from a breeder for about $1000 even before she was born. Breeders list a pregnancy as soon as they find out their dame is going to have a litter. Interested parties then put their names in and a portion of the fee as deposit. When Layla was weaned she was taken to her new home. 7 months later, she was returned to the breeder because the couple was going through a divorce and could not care for Layla. When prospective puppy parents purchase a puppy from a breeder they sign a contract that if for any reason one could not care for the puppy, it should be returned to the breeder and not be surrendered to a shelter.

That is how I met Layla. We thought that Lobo needed a companion he could run around with so he wouldn't try and escape our premises. I saw her picture on the internet, so happy despite her then condition. There was something about her that I just got to take her home. Right from the get go she was a little shy, even skittish. I signed the necessary papers, gave the breeder the fee and took her home. When we arrived home I noticed that she was more than just skittish...she was ON EDGE, big time! She was scared of a lot of things especially men. Later on, we found out a laundry list of things that's wrong with her. Although Layla's gene pool includes champion lineage, we found out that she has cataracts! I contacted the breeder and told her about all these and because she had a slew of other dogs, and I mean A WHOLE SLEW of Siberian Huskies in a barn somewhere in Fresno, she did not notice these problems when Layla was returned to her. How could she, she does not interact with these dogs very much I don't think. She breeds them for show, picks the ones deemed "show-worthy" and sells the rest. The breeder said that they will take Layla's mother out of the breeding program. Who knows if they really did or not. Considering all that Layla has gone through, it gave me a sense of relief that she is not in that situation anymore. I feel that now, she has a second chance to live a better life, away from screaming owners & kids throwing things at her, cramped pens where she has to share food from the trough. She literally inhaled her food the first time I fed her at home.

It's not that the home the breeder provided for the dogs was dirty or unkempt, on the contrary, but it could be a little bigger and the number of dogs per kennel could be reduced. She lived in a barn with more than enough land to build a new housing developement.

This very experience with Layla made us appreciate the rescue places such as the Bay Area Siberian Husky Rescue Referral or BASHRR. This is the very reason why we support adoption only if to give that one dog a second chance at a better life. After all, it wasn't their fault they are in this most inauspicious condition. If I could adopt all the unfortunate dogs out there, I would. If I could put all the bad breeders out of business, I would. Unfortunately, these two are both an imposibility. But you can help, one pet at a time. Adoption information is available, please click on the banner below.

Fiasco on the 4h

So the 4th of July has come and gone. I hate to say that it did without an incident.

We had one scared and nervous dog in our hands with all the fireworks going off in every direction. How about you take a guess on which pooch was this? If your guess is Layla, then you are 100% WRONG. Surprisingly, she held her own against the noise of the fireworks. Lobo on the other hand, did not quite know where to position himself.

It wasn't the 4th yet but people were already fired up with the fireworks. He tried the guests' bathroom, got behind the shower curtain and into the tub. He tried the master bathroom but he started scratching on the walls. Next stop was under our bed. He did not feel safe there either. He tried our walk-in closet. I was willing to let him stay there if he would only keep off my clothes, expensive purses and new and unused "unmentionables". He almost got to my pink Victoria's Secret bra, good thing it was still wrapped in its original plastic that he only got that far. Whew! Close call! Layla already got to my one new Victoria's Secret undergarment and new cashmere sweater. I don't want to lose another.

Anyway, we were up until 2 am because of this tense dog. Although we gave him calming tablets and Zen puppy treats it took a bit of a wait for it to take effect. He finally found peace around 3am.

Finally, the 4th of July came. Luckily, we had put on the bedskirt on our bed. After a replay of Lobo's quest for a quiet place, he finally took solace on a space under our bed...behind the bedskirt with a little piece of his nose sticking out.

What we hated most was after the 4th of July, people were still lighting their fireworks. You would think that they have had their fill but why they have to keep at after the 4th is beyond me. One more thing, it's not even legal where we live. Ugh! My poor, poor Lobo. Today is the 7th of July and SOME PEOPLE are still at it!!!!!! Ugh!

They Keep Me Fit

Yes, without these two dogs I'd sit idle and gain about 100 lbs.

Almost everyday we go walking, since these dogs love to pull, I have to walk briskly. Layla is a little more of a challenge than Lobo, aside from being skittish when other people are coming from the other direction she has high tolerance for pain. Walking a siberian husky requires a pinch collar. A pinch collar is a chain link with spikes. Contrary to popular belief, the spikes do not hurt them unless they pull on the leash only then would the pinch collar "pinch" them. Layla does not care if she gets pinched, she'll keep on pulling to get away from strangers especially screaming kids. Walking her by the playground is a pain...literally. If you were on the other end of that leash opposite Layla, you will get your arms yanked out of its socket. We tried to so hard to train her by sitting on a bench at the playground so she will get used to screaming children. I suppose she will never completely be over her trauma from her previous owner/s. She had improved a lot since we first adopted her almost 2 years ago. If we never have to see a stranger coming from the other direction during our walks, we would have such pleasant ones.

Despite the arm yanking, it has not deterred me from taking them for a 2 mile walk almost everyday. Believe me, it's better all around. They are happy and not antsy, as the breed itself has a plenty of energy and I'm fit. We all benefit!

Pregnancy and my 2 huskies

It's been a while since I last wrote and there has been a few life changes. I'm now 6 1/2 months pregnant and my dogs have been wonderful about it so far. Considering that I wasn't able to walk them for the first 5 months of this pregnancy, they've been wonderful and hardly gave me grief. Sometimes I feel that they know when I'm not feeling well.

The first trimester and most of my second has been difficult. I suffered from a rare condition called hyperemesis gravidarum. What is this?

Here are the symptoms:

• loss of greater than 5% of pre-pregnancy body weight (usually over 10%)
• dehydration and production of ketone
• nutritional deficiencies
• metabolic imbalances
• difficulty with daily activities <~~ this part affected the dogs the most.

We use to walk the dogs twice a day, then once, and in the first 5 months of this pregnancy...zip! Those 5 months were torture for them I am sure, but it was for me as well. I fainted (complete blackout) in a public place, I had irregular heartbeats and gave everyone around a scare. It was a good thing that my husband was waiting for me in the car. But poor husband of mine, in a panic, left the car door and windows open while the dogs were in the car. Good thing they did not try to jump out and go "exploring" on their own, never to be seen again. Crazy! But the dogs seem to understand that something was wrong. In a normal day, they would have jumped out of the open door. Few days after the incident the dogs refrained from howling for their walks which they normally do when they get antsy and restless. They seem to be in tuned with my feelings which amazes me still.

There are some days too that the dogs will put their heads on my lap close to my stomach as if listening for the baby inside me. I love my dogs, and I hope they'd love the soon-to-be new member of our family. Such wonderful creatures Siberian Huskies!

The Sweetest Things...

Lobo and Layla's Valentine Tribute:

♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Valentines Day Everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥

Brownie Update

Although I may think that having brownies for dogs is a great idea, those things do not last very long. After I have baked mine it turned moldy after a week. Dividing it up into small pieces to sparingly give as treats is not idea but I wouldn't give it all to them at once.

Just a thought...