Local Woman Helps Foster Abandoned Siberian Huskies

By John Voket

By the time Candace Bouchard finally manages to get a leash on each of the three abandoned Siberian huskies she has either adopted or is fostering at her Newtown home, you get the idea that these bright and frisky pups could pull her around the yard like an Eskimo sled.

As they wag their bushy tails furiously and wrap their leashes around her ankles in opposite directions, Ms Bouchard just smiles, talks some doggy baby talk, promises cookies, and steps out of the nooselike configuration as she has done dozens of times before.

“If you’re going to have huskies, it’s important that you let them know who’s boss,” she said on a recent sunny morning in the front yard of her home on The Boulevard.

Although it is difficult to tell if it is the dark and furry Madd Maxx, the reddish-blonde short-haired Jojo, or newly fostered and scruffy Odin that is taking the boss’s shift today, it is hard to imagine why any of these sharp, working-class pooches were abandoned to stray until they were hit by cars or taken in by people like Ms Bouchard.

Based on the fact that Connecticut’s chapter of the Siberian Husky Club & Rescue has already located, rehabilitated, and placed more than 70 of the animals in just a little more than two years, it becomes a bit more apparent that this independent-minded breed may not be for everyone. Even if you are a die-hard UConn fan who wants a team mascot of your very own.

According to the American Kennel Club, the characteristic temperament of the Siberian husky is friendly and gentle, but also alert and outgoing. “He does not display the possessive qualities of the guard dog, nor is he overly suspicious of strangers or aggressive with other dogs. Some measure of reserve and dignity may be expected in the mature dog. His intelligence, tractability, and eager disposition make him an agreeable companion and willing worker,” reads the official AKC description.

Ms Bouchard’s experiences with her own huskies and those she has fostered since 2002, however, echoes the frequent pearls of advice that are prolific on the Internet and in numerous publications about the breed.

“They can be very stubborn, and they get bored really easily,” she said.

One Siberian husky website advises that the dog’s independent and stubborn nature may at times challenge an owner’s ingenuity. His versatility makes him an agreeable companion to people of all ages and varying interests. This is not a breed, however, that is typically recommended for first-time dog owners, as mistakes are easy to make and sometimes difficult to fix with this remarkably intelligent and opportunistic breed.

This could be one of the reasons why that cute and cuddly puppy soon becomes more than the average person or family can handle. Another reason may be because huskies bought for security as well as companionship may fail miserably at the former.

Another advice site points out that huskies typically exhibit no fear or suspicion of strangers and are as likely to greet a would-be thief as warmly as a trusted family member.

“They don’t exactly have the temperament of a watch-dog,” Ms Bouchard said.

Huskies In History

The breed also has its humble place in history. The Siberian husky was originally developed by the Chukchi people of northeastern Siberia as an endurance sled dog. They were also used to herd reindeer. In 1909, the first large numbers of these Chukchi dogs were brought to Alaska to compete in the long-distance All-Alaska Sweepstakes races, and the Alaskan dog drivers quickly recognized the ability of these small, compact dogs from Siberia.

In the winter of 1925, when a diphtheria epidemic broke out in the isolated town of Nome, Alaska, a relay of dog teams brought life-saving serum from distant Nenana. This heroic endeavor earned national prominence for the drivers and their dogs.

One of these drivers, Leonhard Seppala, brought his team of Siberian huskies, descendants of the original imports from Siberia, to the United States on a personal appearance tour. While in New England he competed in sled dog races and again proved the superiority of Siberian huskies over the native dogs.

The New England drivers and pioneer fanciers acquired foundation stock, and earned AKC recognition for the breed in 1930.

While the puppies are especially appealing, Ms Bouchard warns that it is vital to begin immediate training with the dogs, and stresses consistency above all. One slip of letting a Siberian get away with a night in your bed, or mooching scraps from the table, and you may have endorsed an indelible behavior that may be all but impossible to break. And that, she believes, is when many of these good-hearted dogs become abandoned.

The leash issue is another important component of Siberian Husky ownership.

“They have to be in a secure environment, and you can’t ever let them off a leash,” she said. “They can get loose and be in another state in a matter of hours. But they don’t think they are running away; they’re naturally curious and they can feed themselves in the wild for months.”

In fact, one of Ms Bouchard’s recently fostered huskies was living in a neighborhood in Simsbury with a stray male. But after the male was hit by a car, the female had to be rescued.

“It was like she was living in her own natural environment, and she was afraid of humans because she was living with another dog for most of her life,” she said. “We were able to get her placed in a family with two other Siberians, so that made the transition easier.”

Available To Adopt

Today, the local chapter of Siberian Husky Club & Rescue has several dogs ready to place locally. They include, Geno, a 2½-year-old neutered red and white male; Star, an all white, purebred female with two beautiful brown eyes and her brother Bear, a black and white with one blue eye and one brown eye. They also are offering Cheyenne, a white female with a spattering of sable on her back with pale blues eyes; Indiana, a neutered red/brown and white male with long hair (woolly) with beautiful brown eyes; and Jake, a 3-year-old neutered black and white male with blue eyes.

Besides assessment and assistance for potential new owners of dogs offered through the club, other benefits of adopting through the organization include access to Siberian-exclusive training and obedience classes, as well as microchipping the dogs for identification if they do escape.

In the fall of 2004 the club started a Veterinary Assistance Program to allocate funds to assist owners of purebred Siberian huskies living in Connecticut and Rhode Island who, due to economic hardship, cannot afford extraordinary veterinary expenses. Expenses covered include contributing toward treatment for heartworm, Lyme disease, cancer, and other possible catastrophic ailments as well as helping with major surgery and/or other Assistance Program-approved veterinary expenses.

For more information on Siberian huskies, and the regional husky rescue organization, visit www.siberianrescue-sne.org. Siberian Husky Club & Rescue of Southern New England is a registered nonprofit organization.