Little Boy Blue: The Running Husky...

Over the past few weeks we have seen a huge change in Little Boy Blue [Spike].  

He now looks like a typical young husky, albeit with legs and ears too big for the rest of his body!  He is still a little underweight, but has good muscle development and gets stronger by the day – this is most noticeable when running down hills and he realises that he can run faster than me…

His little personality is shining through and his love of life and humans
is lovely to see, especially when you consider the trauma his mind and body must have endured prior to his rescue.

Spike is now very respectful of the boy huskies, who are all proving to be brilliant role models with regards to their laid back and relaxed attitude to life 

He is abiding by the house rules - well, most of the time….  Some leaflets inappropriately stored in the hallway were converted to confetti when we left him alone with Krofti and forgot to give him his toys!  Fool us for not thinking like a puppy!

He still has a huge appetite with table manners that need a little refining...  Last night he demolished 6 chicken wings in the time it took Kez and Kroi to munch two chicken wings!

  

Unfortunately this style of eating does sometimes leave a nasty odour in the room a short while later, Spike is certainly an accomplished bottom burper….

This little boy loves all humans and wants everyone to hold him and cuddle him.  Most people shy away from his requests, but there is a male human not too far away that will happily satisfy this puppy’s on demand cuddle requirements – it makes a change from the three grown up boy huskies that only like being cuddled by the female person that runs with them!

Running with his favourite human

Spike ran his first 5k race with Ian last week.   Not a proper race, but an organised event with lots of other people.  Ian had fun guiding him around the trees and geese on route – Spike still needs to learn a few directional commands!   Great fun was had by both of them and it will be interesting to see how he progresses in these events.

I have been running him every day, sometimes twice per day, but only very short distances.  Mostly he runs either alone with me or with Krofti -at a pace that can best be described as “leisurely”.

I started running him in harness a few weeks ago as part of his progression into the “working world of Huskies”.  The first time he wore a harness I attached him to Kez hoping that he would naturally run beside Kez and copy his behaviour.  Kez is a highly focused worker and nothing will distract him from his “job” - including an over enthusiastic and irritating puppy trying to bite his ears….  

Running with Kez

It worked very well and after a few successful runs I decided to run him in harness attached to me while Kez and Kroi ran ahead of us on long collar and lead.  The plan was that he would run after them and keep moving forward in a straight line.  When I run him on his own or on collar and lead he wanders from left to right and has a tendency to stop right in front of my feet!

Our first few runs as a threesome were less than perfect, but Spike is now starting to understand what our runs together mean and I don’t think it will be long until I will be running properly with all three boy huskies.

In the meantime I decided yesterday that I would run him with Kroi in harness.  The difference in Kroi’s behaviour when he is running in harness versus collar is nothing short of amazing.  He has phenomenal strength and enthusiasm and when in full flight we run run sub five minute miles together.  He is still young and sometimes his enthusiasm his hard to contain….

Starting out on our adventure with Kroi

However, I need not have worried.  Kroi was an absolute star and very tolerant of Spike’s attempts to bite his ears and trip him up as we ran.  Spike soon gave up as his playful behaviour was ignored and every time I asked Kroi to speed up he leapt forward beside him and pulled into his harness.  

Kroi guided him around corners and obstacles and we ran along at a rather fast pace.  Careful not to get carried away, I frequently stopped and walked.  We ran beside the river so that water was always available, Spike wasn’t convinced about standing shoulder deep in water and watched by the side as Kroi happily bathed.

We also stopped to “talk” to the ponies, some nuzzling and gentle nose touches between husky and pony always a delight to see – although I think Spike preferred eating horse poo and left the socialising to Kroi!

The Huskies Running Team...

Little Boy Blue is a pleasure to share time with and someday soon when he finds his forever family, they will also understand what a special little boy he is :-)

(Photos thanks to Paul Hammond, Ian J Berry & me)

Little Boy Blue: one month on...

The Huskies Running Team

Spike has now been with us for 4 weeks, nearly a full month.  In that time he has changed considerably in physical form and his loving personality has become even more loving!

He continues to be very well behaved and also challenge authority of humans and boy huskies with great enthusiasm and tenacity.

Playing with the big boy huskies

He has a huge appetite, so much catching up to do I guess!  His body is responding well and getting stronger every day.  His body is also well coated with fur now, although the fur is not yet shiny and plush like a “normal” and well-nourished husky puppy.

He runs every day on collar and loose lead.  I run short distances with him at a very slow speed, but as he gets stronger he wants to run further and faster….

Teasing Krofti...

He runs in the morning with Krofti and in the evening I run him solo, just him and I and a chance to bond.  He does respond very well, but does not know left from right and doesn’t quite understand that he shouldn’t stop dead in the path of a running human.  He also has not yet learned not to cut in front of the running human!  Work to do there, but he is learning and I am very impressed with his determination when running down hills….

This week I decided to run him in harness with Kez.  Kez is exceptionally well-behaved with a brilliant work ethos, therefore it was best to run Spike with him rather than Kroi.  Kez also has a variety of paces and will run at the speed of the slowest person/ dog, with no pulling or resistance.  He has been trained to always run in front of me, but only pull on command, therefore his default mode is not to pull.

Little Spike happily allowed me to put on his harness and bounced around as soon as we went out the door.  Jumping on Kez and trying to bite his ears.  Kez completely ignored him and gently trotted up the track.  Spike soon stopped trying to jump on Kez and bounded along beside him with much enthusiasm!   He bounds as Kez trots, but I have noticed that his trotting ability is improving as his muscles and strength develop.

Look at him go!!

We were soon running along at a nice steady pace and I asked Kez to speed up to see if Spike would respond.  Bless him, he tried so hard but he just couldn’t keep up.  As soon as Kez realised this he slowed down and refused to go faster.  Any time Spike slowed down, Kez responded by slowing down and waiting for him to catch up.  We stopped frequently to make the run fun for Spike, although I think Kez found this bit rather frustrating.  When Kez is wearing a harness his work ethic kicks in.  This is why 99% of the time I run our Huskies on collars and leads - it allows them more freedom and time to have fun and I get to run naturally.  The difference is amazing – even Kroi does not pull when running with a collar and lead.

On our return journey Spike decided that running full speed downhill was a good idea, which was awesome to watch.  His enthusiasm was definitely infectious.

Running and fun makes a sleepy puppy..

After such a good trial during the week I decided that he could participate in my run on Sunday along Basingstoke Canal path.  31 miles in total, I was going to run it all, the huskies run little parts of it before the temperatures became too hot.  I will write about this adventure in a separate blog, but I am pleased to say that the little guy most definitely enjoyed his part in the Huskies Running team event!

 (photos thanks to tz runs and me)

Little Boy Blue needs a home...

It is that time again.  Time to start preparing for an emotional roller coaster ride.  Time to share our Little Boy Blue with everyone and hope that somewhere out someone there can offer him the perfect home that he so deserves….

Little Boy Blue, also known as “Spike” is a black and white (dilute) husky with blue eyes.  He is approximately 7 months old and is going to make a super life-long friend for someone…

We have had the privilege of knowing this little guy for only 3 weeks, and in that short time I have been very impressed with his attitude and behaviour.

He is a very cuddly boy that loves people.  He loves being cuddled and if allowed…. would sit on your lap all evening as you watch television!  He loves to be around people and responds very well to them.

He is very easy to train and responds well to commands.  He is a little possessive of his food, but who can blame him when you consider how often he has been deprived of simple nutrition (based on his very underweight body condition when rescued).  His protectiveness of his food is abating and I am very confident that in the near future he will happily allow a person to share his food with him – I personally have no interest in chewing raw bones, but feel free to have a go yourself ;-)

Spike loves all people and is very good with other dogs.  His initial fear of big dogs is soon overcome when he realises that they are not going to hurt him – I have only allowed him to meet and interact with “normal” and well behaved dogs, I cannot guarantee how he will respond to dogs with “questionable” attitudes…

He is a husky and will therefore behave like a husky….  He will try to hunt furry animals, question authority and try to pretend that he knows better than humans….
He will howl for the love of howling and will run for nothing more than the love of running…

I have been running with him every day, and guess what….?  He loves it!!

Little Boy Blue “Spike” is a super chap, has shown no vices in his time here and has huge potential.  If you think that you could offer him the home that he deserves then go for it.  All applications to adopt him will be processed through Siberian Husky of Great Britain Welfare organisation.  If you believe that you can offer this little guy the home he deserves, please let us know and we will help you in all the ways that we can J

(All photos thanks to tzruns)

Little Boy Blue: Week One

Little Boy Blue has only been with us for one week, but in that short time he has shown huge improvement in health and behaviour.

He is eating very well and his body is thriving on the good nourishment that he is now receiving.  We have been feeding him “proper” food, natural and wholesome in the form of raw meat, bones, fruit and vegetables.  His stomach is coping with it very well with no sign of any digestive problems.  He has a big appetite, which we are trying to satisfy!  It will be very interesting to see how much weight he has gained at tomorrow’s “weigh in”.

We were fearful that his poor start in life may have caused permanent damage to his body, but as each day passes we are more confident that he can make a full recovery.  His growth has quite clearly been restricted and only time will tell if he will fully catch up and be the size of husky his genes want him to be.

A lovely surprise this week has been the change in his hind leg movement.  Within days of free running with the other huskies his coordination and muscle development has improved immensely.  He is very clumsy and cumbersome, similar to a much younger puppy of “normal” upbringing, but everything is working well.  He has fallen over a lot, but each time he does he comes back stronger and more determined.  

When he first tried to climb stairs he only managed a few steps before his legs weakened and he had to be helped.  Now he dashes up and down the stairs at every opportunity, even managing to carry very large toys up and down them.

His skin is no longer red or irritable and his fur is growing well with very few bald patches remaining.  I bathed him today and he now smells sweet and looks fluffier.  He was very well behaved during his bath, relaxed and curious and he has become even more affectionate since!

His behaviour towards humans continues to surprise us.  He is friendly and affectionate to everyone that he meets.  He has no fear of them and is very trusting.  He shows no psychological signs of being badly treated by humans, quite the opposite in fact.

However, he is fearful when meeting other dogs outside of our pack, in particular large male dogs.  Unfortunately there are many irresponsible dog owners that cannot control their dogs and when they come charging up to Little Boy Blue it is heart breaking to see his reaction.  One large Labrador came charging over yesterday and would not leave him alone.  The owner as usual was oblivious and I had to step in to help little puppy.  We have work to do here as managed inappropriately he could potentially become a “fear biter”.  It should be a relatively easy problem to fix though as I know a lot of nice people with well socialised dogs and these are the dogs that puppy needs to spend time with.   He is also a very quick learner and is quite a sensible little chap.

This boy loves to run!  Hardly surprising being a Siberian Husky, but even when he could not move his back legs very well and his body was very weak, he was still determined to keep running.  Day by day he gets stronger and I don’t think it will be long until he is running short distances with the big boys.  At the moment he is mostly walking, with little running sessions when he feels the need to.  I use an extending lead so he run/ walk freely.  I must admit though that when he goes on one of his mad dashes I do struggle to keep up!!

When he breaks into a bounding motion, the tip of one of his ears flops up and down while the other one remains tightly upright.  He looks so happy when running, his little face lighting up with so much enthusiasm.  He has a very pronounced stripe down his back where his fur is most developed and when he raises his hackles he has the most awesome spike along the full length of his back.

We were concerned about his relationship with Kroft early this week.  Kroft is very wary of him and has being showing signs of stress when he is in the house and puppy is nearby.  This in turn causes stress for everyone.   Kez tries to defuse the situation by body blocking puppy and ushering him away from Kroft whilst Ian and I sit on the edge of our seats listening out for every little noise and trying to interpret all dog body language and eye contact.

I have been walking both of them together all week and am pleased to say that whilst Kroft is still wary when puppy is close, he has become more relaxed and is showing more tolerance of Little Boy Blue’s behaviour.  It is easy to forget that he is over 6 months old when you look at him and see a typical 3-4 month old sized body.  Kroft will know that he is more teenager than baby, and a rebellious teenager at that!

Kroi has been amazing this week.  When you introduce a puppy into a pack, the previous “baby” appears to instantly become a grown up.  The very sensible and mature behaviour shown by the ex Superbrat is an absolute pleasure to witness.  I even see the change when we are our running together without puppy anywhere nearby.  Kroi no longer feels the need to try and chase all wildlife he sees and if a dog tries to provoke him he just gives a “whatever” look and trots on by….  He listens to what I tell him without feeling the need to challenge.  He even ignores fresh road kill – all I have to say is “leave it” and he pretends that he never saw it!!  He is however still a full blood Siberian Husky, therefore if a mouse is going to run immediately in front of him, there is only going to be one outcome…

Little Boy Blue idolises Kroi, just like most other dogs appear to – the ones that don’t want to kill him that is.  Little Boy Blue follows him around like his shadow and tries to sleep as close to him as possible.   He has certainly chosen a very good role model to idolise.

Kez is helping teach him the house rules…. No jumping up when food is being prepared, don’t steal from anyone’s bowl and do not try and climb over the stair gate.  It is brilliant to watch Kez in action as he deals with the situation quicker than I can and then glances over to me for approval of what he has just done. 

The Huskies Running team have a lot of work to do with this little chap, but the future is looking good for Little Boy Blue.

All photos courtesy of my new phone :-)

Little Boy Blue

We had expected a very skinny and moth eaten 3-4 month only husky puppy.  What appears to have moved in with us is a very underweight, malnourished, moth eaten puppy that is at least 6 months old, quite possibly older.

He weighs 10kg, is the size of a 3-4 month old puppy, has a full set of adult teeth and has certain behaviours consistent with a male husky between 6-12 months.

When he first arrived he was very defensive towards all three of our dogs, which took us all by surprise.  Perhaps an attitude derived from the life he has led so far.  Or perhaps there is another reason, time will tell….

In the 24 hours that he has been here today the tension within the pack has settled and he has shown puppy like behaviour and respect for the big boys.  The boy huskies are helping teach him a few house rules and he is responding very well.  Kez is already taking on his “mother hen” role…

One thing that has taken both Ian and I by surprise is his attitude towards people.  He is a very friendly and very affectionate little boy.  Very inquisitive and not fearful of anything that we do.  We have already been able to start teaching him the word “no” and he comes to us when we encourage him to.

He would not settle or lie down all yesterday afternoon and evening, and I feared a very restless night for us all.  I decided to lie down on his bed and within seconds he lay down beside me and as I held him in my arms, he fell asleep.  He slept right through the night, only once awaking and asking to out for a little wee.

He was very chilled and laid back whilst in the veterinary surgery this evening, lying down to have his nails trimmed and very relaxed whilst being examined by the vet.

The only issue I had the whole time that I was there was when we exited the surgery and met four very aggressive sounding German Shepherds…..  Little Boy Blue was initially scared, but after two seconds of hesitancy he leapt forward growling and snarling like a ferocious lion!  To see such a pathetic and fragile little furry person react in that way was heart wrenching.  He certainly has a strong survival instinct, and an attitude that belies his very weak form.

Little Boy Blue was found wondering the streets in Brentwood, near the railway station.  Some lovely people were able to capture him just before he escaped under a fence and onto the railway line.  They then took him to a local lady that owns huskies and she took him into her home.  As well as severely malnourished, he had sarcoptic mange (fox mange) and all the symptoms associated with a severe infestation.  This lady has taken brilliant care of him in the few weeks that he was with her – he has been bathed, fed and shown love and attention.

Sadly she could not keep him and so his journey now takes a different path as he becomes a temporary member of the Huskies Running team.  He will not be running for a very long time, but he will enjoy all the other benefits of being in the team!

He has very poor bone and muscle development, his front legs work quite well(ish), but his back legs are very unstable.  His co-ordination is poor and he wobbles and falls over rather easily.

Little walks for now as we build up his body and strength.  It is too early to know how he will develop from this point forth.  Very stunted growth, but with the right care and attention the future is bright for Little Boy Blue and our objective is to turn this little boy into a beautiful glowing and happy husky.  When we do that he will fly this nest and find love with a forever family of his own.  We will be updating you on his progress, so watch this space to see something amazing.