[noreptiles_]

Baltic Winters Sled Dog Association: Rescue Round Up

This girl was dropped off at Heritage Kennels as a pup, where she has grown to become anti-social and wary of others.

owner;; allerleirauh.
full name;; Stormclouds over England
call name;; Storm
age;; 2 years old
gender;; Sterile Female ((Mixed breed therefore cannot breed))
colour;; Grey Merle w/ Small White Face Mark
genotype;; Kk/aa/BB/dd/Ee/Gg/llii/Mm/Sm/tt
have all the tasks been completed?;; Yes

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

[gently]

this is not the form i want used for the judging. please judge this one instead.

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I am claiming my Baltic Husky!
full name;; stormclouds over england
call name;; storm


tasks;;
Task 1 - Welcoming your new dog home - Incomplete/Complete- 488 words
i could feel an uncomfortable lump in my throat as my own eyes locked with the frightened blue ones staring back at me from the very back of the crate. i had sort-of wanted to have her in the cabin of the truck with me for the drive home but she seemed reluctant to be in such close proximity for an extended period of time so we'd had to opt for the dog crate on the flat deck. it seemed that every time i looked at the poor, beautiful creature - who was now a part of the family - i was reminded just how awful her condition was. her ribs were very prominent under her coat but of course that could be fixed over time with a bit of love and care. what was going to be the most difficult to overcome was the way she looked at me with those big frightened eyes and shuffled her way back further as i came close; like she thought i was going to hurt her or something. she wouldn't come anywhere near me to let me get her down off the truck and i certainly wasn't going to let her jump down on her own with those spindly-looking legs. after a lot of beckoning i was left to ask a couple of housemates to help lift the whole crate down and carry it into the house. even then she refused to come out.

we set the crate a small distance from the fireplace so she wouldn't get too hot but could still feel the warmth. a soft mink blanket was laid out in front of the crate with two little dishes filled with water and food off to the side. i tried to get her to come out and eat for a little while but she didn't seem interested. it would be for the best to just let her see for herself that she was safe here and could come out when she felt comfortable. of course i couldn't sleep, not knowing if she had eaten or was still shaking in the corners of that crate. i tossed and turned for about an hour before deciding to go and check on her and what i found was the most heartwarming sight. there she was, curled up in the center of the blanket, both bowls empty beside her. i could see the movements of her breaths and she appeared to be sleeping. i took a quiet step to approach her but her head shot up quickly. i raised my hands like a surrender and stepped back again, but she didn't get up; instead she just lay her head down again and watched me. deciding not to push her any more tonight i turned to head back to bed. see, girl? i thought to myself. you've had it so rough for so long, it's finally time for you to find your silver lining.

Task 2 - Bonding - Incomplete/Complete - 549 words
as the weeks went by, the shy husky seemed to be getting used to life here. she was still extremely wary of people and wouldn't let us get too close yet but she had learned her way around the house and where she could and could not go. every day i tried to get a bit closer to her and maybe give her a little pat or a gentle scratch behind the ears, but whenever i or anyone else made an attempt to approach her she'd start whining and scamper away. it was disheartening to say the least that she was still so uncomfortable, but it also made me more determined to make her understand that we were her friends and would never dream of harming her. so far i'd just been leaving her alone when she made it known she wasn't in the mood for socializing, but today would be different. i wanted to make some progress with her.

i found her peacefully sleeping in front of the fireplace. naturally she liked going outside to play in the snow too but with her coat in the thin state it was in right now, it probably wasn't much fun for her to be out there for too long. she didn't run too much either. i was aware that her breed was a very active one so she should have been really in to exercise - but it seemed that it didn't take much to drain her energy as of now. i was sure all of that would change as she got healthier. i approached her quietly whilst calling out a little bit. i didn't want to alarm her and wake her by surprise. her ears swiveled as she heard be coming close and her head shot up. i held my hands up as i had on that first night but kept getting a little closer. she seemed wary and got up from her lying position. "easy does it," i told her soothingly and got down on my knees. she cocked her head to the side, like she was wondering what i was up to. i shuffled closer still, probably ruining the knees of my jeans, but the dog didn't move. i held out a hand to her and called her gently. she arched her neck out to smell my hand but didn't take a step closer. i strained to reach out even further and brushed my fingertips against her muzzle. she made a confused sort of snuffling sound but didn't back up this time. i continued tracing little lines on her muzzle, under her chin and on her cheeks. she kept eye contact the entire time but eventually she backed away. it didn't bother me this time. we made progress.

i repeated this process every day, she gradually let me pet the rest of her head, then her shoulders and her sides and back. i discovered that she loved having her shoulders rubbed but wasn't fond of having her tail touched. it got to the point where instead of me looking for her, she'd come looking for me and look up at me with those lovely blue eyes, waiting for a loving pat. those eyes had come to sparkle, if only a tiny bit, when she looked up at me.

Task 3 - Gaining Confidence - Incomplete/Complete - 440 words
the days continued to go by and with each one i could see my new friend getting much more comfortable in a home environment. she still spooked whenever she heard a vehicle pulling up outside or when the postman knocked on the door, but it had become clear to me that she would never be fully comfortable with strangers. i'd have to accept that she was simply wary of new people, but i knew she warmed up to them after some time. i'd seen it when i had family members or friends visit frequently, each time she became a little less timid and would even wander around to collect a nice pat from everyone. her small boost in confidence inspired to to go a little bit further. i bought a collar and leash that would fit her well and decided to take her on a walk. that was something a lot of people did with dogs, surely she'd love to head out and explore. or maybe not.

she was immediately curious about the leash as soon as i showed it to her. she sniffed it and swiveled her ears about, questioning. once i had it clipped on to her collar she was even more confused. had she really never been taken on a walk? it took a little while to get her used to the idea of walking by my side. she pulled a little and got the leash tangled around her legs a couple of times, but got the hang of it enough for me to get her down the driveway and on the way into the town. she sniffed at everything that she found on the sidewalk: candy wrappers, sticks, an abandoned beanie. she seemed fairly happy for the most part - that is, until we got into the town and suddenly there were people everywhere. she shied behind me whenever someone walked past and if anyone asked to pet her she backed up quickly. it got to the point where i was half dragging her, not wanting to pull too hard or force her, but trying to keep her moving a little bit. a couple of other dogs passed us in the street but she only hid from them too. i sighed and knelt down to give her a reassuring rub. honestly, she had done pretty well for her first walk, at least we'd gotten somewhere. but it was probably about time to head home and give her a break. gaining her confidence would be a process for sure but we were making progress, even if it was only baby steps. after all - tomorrow would be another day.

Task 4 - Training - Incomplete/Complete - 604 words
looking at the dog staring back at me now it was hard to believe that she was the same poor creature who had come home with me those months ago. she'd put on weight and was looking so much healthier and happier. today i was going to start training her to pull a sled. i figured it would be best to start small, getting her used to the feel of the harness first of all and then teaching her some commands that would be kind of important once we got around to the actual sledding. a friend of mine who used to race sled dogs had been talking with me over the phone for a few days and i'd been memorizing everything that my girl would need to learn. it would be a team effort of teaching each other new things and it most certainly would take some time, but i was confident we'd get the hang of it with time and patience. as with everything else that we'd accomplished so far, we'd start small and make our way to the top. she seemed eager to head out today so i was confident she'd handle the task well; her tail was wagging as i put on her harness - it didn't seem to bother her in the slightest. the next step of course was to teach her the verbal commands that she would need. pad of notes i'd been taking from my friend in hand i headed outside with the dog and began to teach her, it was a tedious process to say the least but anyone could see that she was trying so hard to get the hang of it and i was proud of her every effort. naturally it took more than a couple of days to get everything down perfectly but we made it eventually.

the real deal would be to get her hooked up to a sled and see how she went with pulling it. we got up early as usual and after breakfast she eagerly followed me out the door, to the garage and watched as i uncovered the kicksled that a friend had brought up when i told him i planned on training her. it was lightweight and would be perfect for training. i dragged it out of the garage and through the snow, husky by my side, as we headed for some open space to get started. it took a little time to get everything ready, after all the dog wasn't used to the drag of the sled and all the lines, but she settled soon enough (even though she was still clearly confused as to what on earth we were doing). i'd never really taught a dog to pull a sled before so it was a first for me too - it was kind of nice in a way that we would sort of be teaching each other. as instructed i started her off with a lighter weight - a half full sack of dog biscuits sitting on the kicksled. i called out the commands she'd been learning and she did her best to follow through in the new environment with new gear. we went out there every day for the longest time, getting a little bit better every day. soon she could pull a whole sack of biscuits, then two, then she could take my weight as i kicked along. we'd get home every afternoon, her coat flecked with snow like my jacket tired from our efforts but excited for the next day. it really was hard to imagine the way she looked when she got here first.




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[Phina Wolf]

What a beauty!! Congrats on this bae!!

[gently]

ty phina ^^

task one completed ♥

[gently]

task two completed ♥
i'm still playing around with names so i'll have one set in stone soon.

[gently]

annd tasks three and four both complete ^^
i think i will definitely end up writing the fifth, i have a story planned out but i'll wait for my muse to return from the war cx
can't wait to see my baby girl looking healthy ♥

since the cut-off date for forms is tomorrow (where i live, anyway) i might possibly rescue another bab.

edit;; not sure if you pick what the harness looks like or i do - if i'm supposed to choose could i request a navy blue chevron? or even just solid navy blue if you'd rather not pattern c: