[Eremite]

Baltic Winters Sled Dog Association: Rescue Round Up

This girl was also found in R8 and appears to be around the same age! She has a fear of loud noises, they cause her to shut down and try to hide.

owner;; aecian
full name;; cbk's last one standing
call name;; may
age;; 7 yeas
gender;; Female
colour;; Copper Pinto
genotype;; kk/asaw/Bb/dd/eem/gg/II/SOSo/tt
have all the tasks been completed?;; Complete
Stats;
speed- 21
stamina- 21
strength- 16

No posting until aecian has posted their claim! You have until 8th April 2016.

[oakfire]

I am claiming my Baltic Husky!

full name;; cbk's last one standing
call name;; may
tasks;;

Task 1 - Welcoming your new dog home - Complete

I truly tried to keep it quiet when I brought May home. I parked on the road outside my driveway and walked her up the length of it myself, hoping that the trek wouldn't set off the other dogs. Her rescuers had warned me that she was skittish to sounds, and never failed to shut down and hide when subjected to banging and barking. The poor thing had been isolated to keep her calm. I hoped that I could successfully integrate her into the pack at my kennels and reduce her fear of noises.

Halfway down the driveway, the wind changed. Barely a moment passed before the baying started. I heard Ryker first, his distinctive bark set off with a deep howl that escalated in pitch until it was a whining bark. It was quickly followed by the quick, deep bursts of Sonny, and then the cacophony of every other dog. May panicked, nearly yanking the lead from my grip. I grabbed her walking harness and pulled her back, upset at how easy it was. The husky was so thin and malnourished that she weighed nothing compared to me.

"Sh, shh," I soothed, trying to calm her down with gentle pets. May whined pitfully, refusing to look at me. Her tail tucked between her legs, and her hips shook with every breath. I gently tugged, trying to push her forward. She didn't move.

"It'll be ok," I whispered, watching her with worry and thoughtfulness. She didn't seem inclined to bolt. In fact, I doubted that she would be able to get away from my hold. Gently, I wrapped an arm around her chest and the other around her rump, heaving her up into my arms with the gentleness of a mother holding a baby. I murmured a silent thank you when she didn't struggle. The rest of the driveway passed like a breeze. Once inside my house, I set her down, panting at the effort. Sure, she was skinny, but carrying her so far was still an effort.

In here the baying of the dogs was much quieter, but I knew I would need them to hush before I could get May settled in comfortably. With profuse apologizing, I locked her inside a spare room and ran outside. I quieted each of my current dogs with a tiny handful of treats in their dog bowl and a quick pat on the head before jogging back inside.

May had huddled up in the corner of the room, still shaking. Murmuring soft words, I apologized again, offering her a treat that I had saved. She sniffed it, but seemed too distracted to care. I didn't mind, instead I sat down on the floor and gently pushed it forward. After several long minutes she had calmed enough to sniff it again. This time she gulped it down. "That's a good girl."

That night, I put a new dog bed by my own bed, near a space heater that warmed my room. She slept there for a while, getting up a few times to pace or whine at the sounds of Ryker doing his hourly bark at nothing. Needless to say, I didn't get much sleep until two in the morning, when I finally made her lay down on her bed, stroking her shoulder. It comforted her enough that we both fell asleep on the dog bed until my phone silently buzzed my alarm.

[Word Count;; 570/250]



Task 2 - Bonding - Complete

Last One Standing. I had walked into the association with the song "Last Man Standing" by Pop Evil repeating over and over in my head. When asked to name my rescue, I had spit it out without thinking. The woman helping me with paperwork had giggled, and gently reminded me that my rescue was female. I changed it to "CBK's Last One Standing" with a sheepish grin.

Now, I watched over my cup of coffee as May moved away from her food bowl, staring out the sliding glass doors by the kitchen. She could be a scared little thing, but I figured the name appropriate no matter her fears. The husky was already shaping up to be much more confident then I realized. Sure, I had dropped a pan last night and she had bolted, but she had recovered much quicker, even sniffing the pan for a moment before hiding again.

I had made sure this morning to feed her earlier then the other dogs. Now, I shrugged on my carhartt jacket and went out to the feed the other dogs. While they were busy chowing down, I put May's walking harness on and took her outside. She was given quite a long leash, so that she could sniff excitedly at every bush and tree. She disappeared briefly into a thick section of shrubs and, worried, I jogged over, calling her name.

The bushes rustled and she popped out, her curled tail high over her back and swaying in delight, a tree branch clamped proudly in her jaws. Frowning, I glanced over my shoulder at the dozens of other tree branches littering the area. Apparently, this one was the best of them all. Or maybe it smelled better? I had no way to tell, and it didn't matter. She seemed very proud of her stick. "Can I have it, sweetie?" I asked, holding out my hand. She eyed it dismissively, prancing to the side when I tried to grab it. I shot her a look, and she wagged her tail again, trotting away with it proudly raised. Laughing, I moved after her, crouching down and holding my hand out again. "Trust me. I'll make that stick ten times better."

She watched me suspiciously, creeping over. I stared back expectantly until she lowered her nose to the ground and dropped the stick. Moving forward, I grabbed it. "Watch the stick, girl," I encouraged, slowly waving it back and forth. Her eyes locked on it, tail wagging stopping in her focus. "Go get it!" I said, throwing it a few feet away. She bounced after it, scooping it up and prancing further away with it.

"Oh, oh no," I giggled, walking after her. "I guess you don't know how to play fetch, huh?"

[Word Count;; 461/250]



Task 3 - Gaining Confidence - Complete

The pot dropped, clattering to the floor with a loud bang that hurt even my ears. May bolted as if she had been shot, disappearing down the hallway in a flash of white and copper. I sighed, picked up the pot, and walked after May. I found her at the end of the hallway, trying to hide under the inn table. Crouching down, I extended the pot that had caused her fears, showing her that there was no harm. She hid her head, but it was okay. I had patience.

While I waited for her to calm, I wondered about activities that I had planned tonight. It was about time that May met the other dogs, and so I figured that my calmest girl, Misty, would be the best option for her. I expected Misty would only sniff her before promptly laying down. Besides, Misty was the most mothering dog I had ever met. Maybe she would set an example for May.

Now, May had turned her head, reaching out her nose to sniff the pot. Once she did, I offered her a treat and was rewarded by the sly wag of her tail. "That's a good girl. See? It's not a dangerous pot."

After another sniff and a treat to follow, I hurried outside to grab Misty from the kennels. She followed me eagerly into the house, promptly disappearing down the hallway as soon as the door closed. She didn't even take a glance at May. In fact, May seem perplexed from her position on the living room rug, brown eyes staring after Misty. I would have been just as confused, if I didn't know where the other dog had gone. I found Misty sitting in front of the heater in my room, watching the fake flames with already sleepy eyes.

"Oh, no you don't missums," I huffed, gently pushing her up and out the door, shutting it softly behind me. Misty whined pitifully, but stopped a second later, ears perking up. May had come down the hallway, tail tensely wagging over her back. She seemed unsure, but Misty did not. She strolled right up to the rescue dog and sniffed noses, then along her back. May remained stiff, her curled tail flopping from side to side nervously. I only had to hush one growl before Misty decided that the new dog was alright, and padded off to sniff around the kitchen.

The next morning, I "accidentally" dropped a pot again. May bolted, and Misty stayed to give me a weird look. May came back by herself, and I held the pot out to her. Upon her sniff, I rewarded her with a treat. The process was repeated every morning and night, until I began to notice a difference. May came back sooner and sooner, staring at Misty curiously. Misty didn't bolt. Misty sniffed the pot without hesitation.

Little by little, May began to understand that the noise wouldn't hurt her. She still flinched, and every once in a while hurried off with her tail tucked, but she was beginning to understand, and that's what mattered.

[Word Count;; 517/250]



Task 4 - Training - Complete

May had filled out over the last few weeks. The poor girl was still skinny, but deemed a healthy enough weight to do light exercises. Her personality shone even brighter than the first day I met her her. So much more confidence started to leak through. Today, I decided to progress in her training. Words had already been ran past her. “Gee,” “Haw,” and “Hike” became a part of my vocabulary that she now turned her head to.

She had yet to pull anything behind her, but for the past few days I had walked behind her with two leads, gently tugging her from right to left with the correct commands. Today, I fit the harness over her form, adjusting it to fit her small frame. Misty stood nearby, tail wagging in excitement. She thought that she would get to pull today. Sadly for her, she had been brought along for moral support. The two had become quite familiar with each other, going so far as to lay close and even playfully tug at toys together. I trusted that Misty could install even more confidence in this rescue dog.

Once outside, I pulled out a snow sled that I had long since modified to use for dogs -- to get them use to a weight behind them. With small treats and encouraging words, I hooked May up to the sled and walked behind it. She tried to follow me, and I gently pushed her back, giving her a small pat and a treat when she stayed. “Hike!” I called. After a moment of hesitation, she moved forward, pulling the snow sled about an inch. May stopped immediately, tail tucking as she stared back at the thing that had moved behind her. Her attention was quickly diverted by Misty trotting ahead. Quickly, I issued the same command, and May moved forward again. After some hesitation and unsure steps, she hurried after Misty.

I didn’t take her far, just to the middle of my driveway and back.

“Good girl!” I praised, unhooking her and slipping the harness off. I ruffled her neck fur and gave a scratch behind the ears. Delighted by this sudden burst of affection, she licked my face, tail going a million miles an hour. I could hardly wait to get her on an actual dog sled. I planned on just her and Misty and first. Once she was introduced to the other dogs, she would build up more experience and hopefully, even more confidence.

[Word Count;; 415/250]



Task 5 - A New Toy - Complete

If one had compared a picture of May at the time of her rescue to one of her now, I doubted that they would believe it was the same dog. Her fur had regained luster and she had filled out into a weight that no longer worried me. She still flinched at loud noises, but Misty had helped in the long run. Other dogs had been introduced to her. Just below Misty in the “doggy friendship scale” was Sonny, but mostly because he was so playful. The two chased each other and growled playfully over tug-of-war ropes. Misty was more of a friend for quiet times.

May had even graduated from indoors to a kennel. Although I still brought in all of the dogs when I felt the need for companionship, which was a lot. In fact, most of them scattered throughout the house most of the nights. It made me happy that May always found a sleeping spot among them.

I had decided to celebrate May’s growth -- both physically and mentally -- with a new toy. I cleaned the back patio of snow for this express purpose, and dug out a fresh tennis ball from the hidden nooks of my closet. I let her sniff it, and she took it, squeezing it in her teeth. “Let me see it,” I encouraged, holding out my hand. She stared for a long moment, then came over and dropped the ball in my hand. I immediately regretted not wearing a glove, grimacing at the slimy feel of drool.

“Are you ready?” I asked, pumping her up. May’s tail started to swing back and forth, watching as I bounced the ball once. “You gotta jump!” I threw the ball down, watching it bounce. May immediately leapt for it, hanging in the air before coming back to earth, the ball clenched proudly in her jaws.

“Good girl!” I praised gleefully, taking it back from her. We played until she grew tired, laying on the ground and chewing her new toy, full of bliss.

[Word Count;; 338/250]

She's gorgeous! You did great c:

[oakfire]

all my tasks have been completed! c:

[Eremite]

What color would you like her harness to be?

[oakfire]

I think that something similar to a rose red would look nice on her

[Eremite]

How's that?

[oakfire]

that looks great, thank you! <3