Opinions

Vushki RIP

Vushki was my Big Puppy. Sweetest dog, he loved everyone. He was not the healthiest dog I have had, he suffered from several ailments IBD, SLO amongst others. I managed to control the IBD with pumpkin Puree daily, and the SLO was mostly in remission. He had a stroke in November 2017, and a torn cruciate ligament about a year later. He did recover from the stroke, and he had TPLO surgery for the ligament.

He was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy a few months before he passed, he declined pretty quickly in the last few months although I think he had it before we left the US (he started to lose control of is poop just before we left, which got progressively worse). In the end he couldn’t stand up or walk, and his quality of life was not good, rather than let him suffer I had the vet visit to put him to sleep. He went very quietly.

I’ll miss my big Puppy. Love you Vushki.

Posted by morris on Feb 20, 2020

Tommy RIP

Tommy was my big, gentle, lovable, cuddly boy. He was 14 years old, and I had him since he was about 1 or 2 years old. He had been pretty healthy most of his life. He must have been the gentlest dog I ever met, and so full of love.

He loved Vixen at first sight and they were inseparable, and now they are together again.

He loved every person he ever met and loved meeting new people, he was especially loving toward children, and babies were his favorites, I never forget when he adopted a baby that was a regular visitor to the dog park, he would not leave the babies side.

He would lick my hands whenever he got a chance, but would never lick my face, which he was more than happy to do for anyone else he met :)

He was huge, when he was younger he could gently stand up and put his paws on your shoulder and look you in the eyes, unfortunately as he got older he couldn’t quite manage that as his backend had been weak for several years.

He would always be in whatever room I was in, so he had beds in all the rooms I would be in for any length of time. If I got up to go into another room he would get up and flop down in that room. He just liked being close to people.

Posted by morris on Apr 22, 2018

Shadow RIP

Shadow was infamous, he bit the dog whisperer on national TV, not that Milan did not ask for it mind you, he tried to strangle him with a leash.

However despite that he was the gentlest of dogs around me and my pack. He had the softest tongue when he licked me after scratching his ears, and he took treats so carefully from anyone who offered him something he liked. He loved cheese of any sort and when I took some cheese out of the fridge, he would be there expecting a little bit, which of course he got, and he took it so gently. I think string cheese was his favorite although he liked a good piece of cheddar.

His goal to pee on every tree and bush in the world has sadly ended, as he passed away on 27th January 2018. He had been battling various cancers for the prior 4 years, and was doing quite well, never showing any signs of discomfort. We had just returned from our normal afternoon short walk, and Nikko was playing with him. He let out a yelp and fell over and died almost immediately. I suspect one of the cancers finally got him, or his big heart finally gave out. He has left a gaping hole in my heart, as he was my heart dog, we had a very close bond, and we both suffered separation anxiety when away from each other.

He led the pack on all our walks, and was the instigator when it was time to walk, never letting me get away with skipping one.

Even though I knew he was on borrowed time it was still a shock and I was not prepared to lose him, let alone so suddenly. I am grieving and it hurts. Walks are not the same without him, and I miss seeing his head cradled in my lap and his brown eyes staring into mine when he wanted his dinner.

He instantly bonded with Vushki when I got him, and they were best buddies for the rest of his life. He was so tolerant of Nikko, who played with him and would drag him around by the scruff daily, he never once snapped at him even when it was clear he didn’t feel like playing. (none of the other dogs are that tolerant with Nikko). He was not so kind to other dogs he was not familiar with though, and out right aggressive towards unfixed male dogs. He was very good with his extended pack of dogs he knew and walked regularly with. Female dogs loved him instantly as he was a very handsome fellow.

He liked to sleep in the bathtub when we lived in California, but I usually woke up with him curled up next to my head (with his butt in my face). In the UK the last few months he started to sleep in the corner of the bathroom next to the shower (no bathtub for him to sleep in), but he very rarely got on the bed, probably because Nikko was in the way. He was very careful to never step on (or over) any of the dogs even if they were lying in the way and blocking a doorway, he would instead whine and hit the door with his paws to try to get them to move. He very rarely slept on any of the many dog beds I have scattered around (at least until the last few weeks when he started to sleep on the new one in the bed room for part of the night). He was the only one that could get up the stairs in my new house (I sleep downstairs in the downstairs bedroom because of that). It was a bit of a struggle for him in the last few months, but as the bath is upstairs he would struggle up the stairs while I was taking a bath and settle down next to the bath until I was done. He also started to lie very close to me in the office while I was watching TV or on the computer, I think he knew his time was running out.

His DNA tests said he was Alaskan Malamute, Chinese Shar-Pei, German Shepherd (White Swiss Shepherd), German Shepherd Dog Mix (I doubt the Shar-Pei bit). He was not a large Malamute though, usually weighting around 75-80 lbs for most of his life.

I will miss him terribly, and will try to remember to walk the dogs every day without his reminders.

Run free my love.

Love Dad.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Jan 28, 2018

Vixen RIP

Vixen was my alpha girl. She was so alpha she didn’t just lift her leg to pee, she lifted both back legs at the same time to pee.

She was a confident and happy girl. She passed on 9/7/2013 after about 4 days of steadily declining health. It was pretty sudden. She had developed Cushings disease a year earlier, and had lost all the fur in her tail and had a few bald spots on her back and around her neck, but she was still beautiful. Then one afternoon she got into the food store and gorged herself on the kibble, she went down hill from there.

She appeared to have developed Diabetes and couldn’t walk very well and seemed to be in great pain. The vets were unable to explain why, and her blood work was all over the place. Finally I took her back the emergency vet and they did an ultra sound and found she had fluid in her lungs and several masses on her spleen and liver. He suggested that maybe these masses were the actual reason for the Cushings and all the other complications, even though they did not show up on the ultra sound a year earlier. The gorging probably just accelerated the problems and her system could not cope with it.

The E vet was pretty certain they would not be able to stabilize her given the Cushings and diabetes complications. She was in obvious distress, and I helped her pass over the rainbow bridge with her head in my lap scratching the top of her head as she used to love.

I am devastated, she was only 10 years old, and it happened all so suddenly.

I love you my little Vixie and will miss you terribly.

Love Dad.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Sep 08, 2013

In Loving Memory of Mishka

Mishka was one of a kind dog. I never met a dog like him. He was happy and boisterous. He loved to goose people and would find the responses very amusing, and prance around afterwards. He had his own mind and did pretty much whatever he wanted. Taken from us way too soon a spark of happiness and a ray of sunshine has left us.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Jan 21, 2009

Grant RIP

Grant had been diagnosed with liver cancer. He had one tumor removed but the other was inoperable. He was on various medications which were designed to prolong his quality of life for a while.He did very well for a few months, and had a good few months.

Grant passed away Monday morning at 2am 1/21/2008. He was OK in the morning but sometime in the late afternoon something was bothering him. He seemed disoriented and was uncomfortable. I took him to the emergency vet at around 1am, they said he was going into shock, but couldn’t say why but it could be due to the cancer. I made one of the hardest decisions any owner has to make for their pet, and had them put him to sleep while he was in my arms. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer any longer, and it was pretty clear he was not going to make it through the night.

RIP my dear friend, I’ll love you forever.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Jan 22, 2008

My Foster Dogs

Here are the dogs I have fostered and are now in their own homes with new families.

Jaeger and Moose - my first foster dogs, both Siberian Huskies and they were brothers. Really sweet and affectionate.

Tundra - Another good boy, a Woolly Malamute.

Misty - A Siberian mix and a really sweet girl.

Taz - A red and white Siberian, a real character. Ended up back at the shelter and never picked up we placed him again, but was found with someone other than the person we adopted out to, and taken away from them for abuse. We placed him yet again and the new parents seem very happy with him.

Tonka - A Mal mix, great dog played well with all dogs, a little mouthy with people but very affectionate.
Ended up being returned to a shelter by his adopting parents, I thought he had been euthanized and was very upset about that, but it turned out someone adopted him from the shelter, (not sure why they told us otherwise), and so far he is doing very well with his new family.

Kodi- A 5 month old Malamute puppy, he was HUGE for his age. Really sweet puppy. Saw him recently he is a huge boy, still a sweet puppy. His new parents are very happy with him

Summit - A 1 year old Husky/something mix, really a huggable and kissey dog, loved to sleep on top of you all night! and cuddle up to you.

Kiva/Chloe - A 3 year old Siberian, very sweet and affectionate, needed to learn how to play and just be loved.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Aug 18, 2007

Rescue and Fostering

Recently I started helping a couple of rescue groups in my area BASH and MUSH.

I foster Huskies and Malamutes.

I have to say this is incredibly rewarding, even though it is really hard to let the fosters go, and can be quite stressful figuring out if the potential adopter is right for the dog.

So far I have fostered 6 dogs, and all have been adopted out.

I think it helps that I already have 4 dogs of my own and know I simply can’t cope with more on a long term basis. So keeping them is out of the question.

If you can do this I highly recommend it.

Posted by wolfmanjm on Aug 02, 2007

Snow Dogs R Us

This site was a social networking site for Snow Dog owners and friends of Snow Dogs.

It was a user contributed site where you could show pictures of your dogs, recommend places that are dog friendly, and organize events for your Snow Dogs.

Preserved for posterity here snowdogsr.us

Posted by wolfmanjm on Jun 21, 2007