Jared is Finally Well !

             

Jared, taken today.

        Thank you for the outpouring of interest and concern for Jared.    I suppose it should not surprise me that so many people care about the life of a fourteen year old Siberian Husky.    He was a dog who probably came from a puppy mill, and who lived in a car in his puppyhood.   By almost a year he had been abandoned repeatedly, and was on the schedule to be euthanized at a dog shelter.  Fortunately, my husband felt strongly enough about this injustice that he allowed me to adopt Jared, and come what may, to care for him throughout his lifespan.  The first couple of years were difficult.  Raised in a car Jared didn't eat normal dog food and preferred instead, Wendy's drive-up window.  He also was afraid to be left outdoors and would repeatedly run off to explore. This was a dangerous pasttime living next to a couple of thousand acres of dense forest and the accompanying bears and later we learned, coyotes.  More than once our eldest son had to track Jared when he took off on an annual iditerod like adventure, most often in Winter. In that first year he howled incessantly, and even out here, some of our neighbors complained.

He is as energetic as he ever was, although a bit more obedient now.

                  It's hard to believe that it is now so many years later, and that the comfortable loving and easy going husky we so enjoy is now fourteen years old.  We had not expected him to survive the Erlichia which made him so sick last November.  It took a lot of veterinary input and a lot of work and attention, but he is well.  He has also taken his place as the alpha male in our kennel.
 
 

                  When you have a sick animal, even one who is a purebred and doesn't have the mongrel resiliency of our beloved mixed breeds, it can be hard to believe that they can prevail beyond a serious illness. Sometimes, they can, and you are not foolish for believing or for trying.   This time we won.  These are some of the pictures I took today of a fourteen year old Jared being walked by my husband. I think he looks absolutely terrific !

Updated:     https://rationalpreparedness.blogspot.com/2015/09/the-passing-of-valued-canine-friend.html