On the Joys and Challenges of Rescuing

by Eric Vrtis, LDDR volunteer

It was the middle of January, Chief’s favorite time of year. While winter is Chief’s favorite, in the author’s humble opinion, January in Michigan can be really miserable for a human. It’s absolutely frigid, sometimes below -30 degrees Fahrenheit. It snows, sometimes several feet or more. And unlike some of our canine companions, we lack the innate physical traits that make winter bearable, let alone fun. It was snowing heavily that day, and by mid-afternoon there was over a foot of fresh snow on the ground.

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photo credit: Rebecca Vrtis

Chief was a rescue, adopted from a shelter when he was around one year old. It’s impossible to know how old he was exactly. As many well know, it can be difficult to determine a rescued animal’s precise age. But he must have been young. When he was adopted, Chief weighed about sixty pounds. Now he weighs over ninety.

He's a mixed breed, possibly Siberian husky and Alaskan malamute. Like age, it can be difficult to determine breeds in rescued animals unless one is willing to pay for a genetic test. His colorations are reminiscent of a Siberian husky, but his size and his profound strength are characteristic of a more powerful breed.

Chief was difficult to train on a leash. The sled dog in him always wanted to pull, which made walking him difficult. Malamutes pulling a sled can pull up to three thousand pounds of freight. Yes, “freight” as in “freighter.” It took a long time to train Chief to walk without pulling with all his strength. Even after he was trained on lead he would get very excited when walking in the snow and want to mush.

Chief’s energy during snowstorms is infectious. I couldn’t help but feel invigorated in the blizzard. The snow everywhere seemed to muffle any noise from the nearby road, and the scene was peaceful and quiet. I was beginning to enjoy our walk, not fully aware of just how hard Chief was pulling at the lead, when suddenly the steel chain connecting the leash to his harness snapped. I think we were both surprised by the sound and the sudden lack of tension, and Chief turned his head to look at me with excitement in his eyes. He had never been outdoors off lead except in the fenced back yard. I know his kind is prone to wandering and is fast and agile. There was a chance if he took off he’d be gone forever. I made a move towards his harness, thinking I would tackle him if I had to in order to secure him. If I got any part of the harness I could hang on, even if he pulled me through the snow. But Chief was faster than me and he took off. One wouldn’t think any creature could run as well as he did in a foot and a half of snow, and quickly he was around a corner and out of sight.

I stayed calm and started following his tracks. Eventually I found him, a few blocks over, face-to-face with another large dog on the other side of a fence. Neither was barking, only looking at and mirroring one another. I walked toward him carefully and quietly, hoping he wouldn’t run for it again, and fastened the leash to his choker and walked him home.

Independence and resourcefulness are common in both huskies and malamutes, and they can have strong predatory instincts. Chief, especially, has a high prey drive, and he’s caught and brought to the doorstep many a “present” in the form of urban-dwelling raccoons, possums, and birds. He’s even gone after a deer. Had he not been on lead, he might have gotten it. He has a very evident natural intelligence, is strongly independent, and has a genetic foundation of surviving in some of the harshest environments on the planet. In the way dogs can know things, he knew he could have been free to roam au natural.

Then why didn’t he keep running? I believe he would have missed his family, his pack.

Dogs that are bred to do work—in Chief’s case, pull sleds—can make excellent pets, but owners have to give them an outlet for their energy. Chief requires at least one long walk a day, sometimes two. He has lots of toys, and many of them are quickly mangled or destroyed and need to be replaced. He loves to cuddle and needs plenty of attention, as his kind is bred to be affectionate with both humans and other dogs in the frigid northern latitudes. Many working dogs do well with obedience training. Some enjoy sports activities, and training them in an obstacle course can be fun for both the dog and its owner. It is important for a potential adopter to ask himself or herself, “Can I commit to the needs of this dog?”

One must understand the dog’s individual needs for companionship, exercise, and physical affection. Working breeds when ignored can become destructive, depressed, and noisy. If their home life is bad enough, they will attempt to escape and can prove very skillful at it. Potential owner’s should be aware of their dog’s needs and be willing to do what’s necessary to provide an appropriate environment for the dog from day one and throughout every day of the dog’s life. If you put in the work, you will learn as much from your dog as they will from you, and you will never regret choosing to rescue. Learning with and from your dog, about your dog, about yourself, is a process that will continue forever, and that’s what make’s their companionship fulfilling.

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