Farewell to Ace

A final farewell to Ace, who introduced the adventures of living with a Siberian to one of MaPaw's volunteers.

May 29, 1992 - March 28, 2007 Ace was our introduction to Siberian Huskies and fully embodied the spirit of the breed. He was goofy, stubborn, and so very smart with a mischievous look in his eye. A counter surfing expert, he also liked to stash stolen food in the sofa cushions and bed pillows for a snack later. No loaf of bread or cupcake was safe.

His age finally caught up with him at age 13, and he lost his hearing and started moving more slowly and less often. He grew from a cute little fuzzy puppy into a beautiful old fart who was loved dearly. Ace was 14-years and 10-months-old when he finally needed to rest.

Free from pain, he can now run again with his sister, Piper, at the

Rainbow Bridge.

Fare Well Ace, we miss you so much.

Plenty of Rest

Hi Puppies, Magnum here showing my support for Jasper's recovery. Someone recently donated this giant bed and, since I am a giant Husky, we got to use it at our house.
After my demonstration Jasper gaved it a try. He is a natural at sleeping on the giant bed.

Jasper visited the vet this week for his second round of heart worm treatment. The vet said his coughing will probably get even worse now, which is hard to imagine. For the next month he is supposed to do nothing but rest. That means no walks for a month. Poor Jasper. Actually, it is nice for the rest of us because we can walk at our pace instead of slowing down to Jasper pace.

Jasper got right to work sleeping. He likes to get up, cough, get a drink, cough, and find a new spot to sleep just for variety.

Keep your paws crossed for him. This is the toughest part of recovery.

Pet Expo

Hi Puppies! Last weekend MaPaw made a big appearance at the Greater Philadelphia Pet Expo. I did not make a personal appearance, but plenty of MaPaw dogs hung out there howling, shedding, and generally drawing a crowd. Plenty of people came to pet Huskies, talk about Huskies, buy Husky merchandise, and donate to rescue Huskies. Below is Meeka modeling our new donation vests. Meeka, like me, was rescued through MaPaw and now helps the dogs still looking for forever homes. He was quite pleased that people were paying him simply for being his wonderous self.

While there, the MaPaw folks got to visit with a bunch of other rescue folks, and Rocky and Buck even met a couple Alpacas! It was a great way to kick off our meet and greet season. We can only hope they will all be so successful.

Puppy Pictures

Hi puppies, Magnum here to succumb to the peer pressure of posting puppy pictures. Here is a picture of me shortly after Mama and Papa adopted me. I like swimming, but this water was a little scary and it tasted bad. We visit Island Beach State Park every year because puppies are allowed there throughout the year and it is never crowded. A lot of people go fishing there, so we just make sure we are not too close to them and then we sit (or dig) in the sand and chase a ball into the ocean.

If you are thinking I do not look much different in these pictures than in current pictures, you are right. Mama and Papa adopted me less than a year ago last May. Since then I have helped several actual puppies through MaPaw. When I first arrived, I helped foster Eli, who was just under a year old. He was there with me at the beach.

In the fall I helped foster Kashmir. She and her sister were both very sick when they came into MaPaw, but they both recovered nicely. In this picture you can see Kashmir's party eye. Like most small puppies, she was adopted quickly.We took care of Freddie for just a week until a space opened at his foster home. He is still there learning some manners, but getting along well.Meg never stayed with us, but we transported her from a shelter to her foster home. The shelter later told us they had a few more puppies who looked just like her turn up over the course of a couple weeks. They suspect someone had a litter of puppies and did not want to pay the surrender fee, so just turned them loose in the streets. I would like to bite people who are so irresponsible and selfish. Meg now has a happy home.Willow was one of Jenna's puppies who we took to her new home. She was the gentlest in her litter and loved kids, so she joined a family that had young kids and were very excited to add a Sibe/Shepherd mix to there family. The best part of fostering is getting to meet so many different dogs from the very young to the very old. I am very glad that I have a family of my own and still get to help other puppies find their new families.

Maximus

Hi puppies, Magnum here. Those of you who have been following for a little while know that when one puppy gets adopted, another quickly fills the void. There are always a couple puppies on the waiting list to come into MaPaw. So of course when Chena joined her new family (I have heard she and Kenai are doing great!) less than 24 hours passed before I got meet Maximus.

Maximus is an extra large Husky, just like I am. He got along with everyone here right from the beginning. He does have something in common with Jasper though, he has only one eye. Maximus lived with a family for six years before glaucoma caused his right eye to become swollen and sightless, at which point they dropped him at the local shelter. The shelter called MaPaw about this beautiful Siberian in need of medical attention, and we jumped to take care of him. As you can see, his "special need" does not slow him down at all.

The Light & Love In Laska’s World

Laska 31 January 2007

On the 22 June 2003 a very special girl made her entrance into the world. She was the last born in a litter of five girls and was easily identified by a large white diamond down the back of her neck which also encompassed her shoulder blades.

Laska (far right) at 3 weeks with Mum Kreevanka & litter mates

From the time Laska opened her beautiful blue eyes her human family knew something was not quite right. On the 12 September 2003, Craig Irvine (New Zealand eye specialist for dogs) diagnosed Laska as having uveitis. The uveitis involved inflammation in the front part of the eye, causing massive scaring, gradually clouding the eyes. The inflammation caused a restriction to the supply of fluid which maintains the shape of the eye. As Laska rapidly grew the fluid supply could not keep up, causing her lovely lashes to fold in and brush against her eyes.

Laska at 11 weeks

There were two permanent solutions available, euthanasia or eye removal. Temporary solutions gave time for a decision to be made and brief pain relief for her. Eye removal was decided upon, a chance for a life in a form that now, one may at times forget the existence of her disability.

The surgery was performed on 4 November 2003. I have been told it was heartbreaking to see Laska when she arrived back from surgery – blue eyes gone, eyelids stitched, debraided with bloody tears running down her cheeks. Her family’s first thoughts were ‘what have we done’ as their hearts dropped. Laska was warm and cuddly as always and she gave them a kiss as if to say ‘I’m okay’. The start of her new life had begun.

Laska is very close to her sister Quiquern & loves being part of the pack. At present there are 15 sibes in the Iceberg pack, including Laska’s mum, dad, sister and uncle. Two four month old pups have recently joined the pack (same father as Laska) and Laska’s mum gave birth to another litter of five 3 weeks ago.

Double Trouble - Quiquern and Laska

Mum (centre) and her 4 girls

She is a very friendly, laid back girl who does not like being fussed over. Laska has the most amazing dense coat - I can only compare it to the feel of velvet. She gets around so well without her sight, very seldomly bumps into things. Laska heavily relies on her acute hearing, sense of smell and memory. She finds it very disorientating if she is surrounded by noise.

Laska runs in a sled dog team (she was part of a winning four dog team in 2005). When she runs in the team she listens to the commands given to her and is guided by the other members of the team. She has extra commands like ‘narrow’ and ‘bumpy’ and is extremely responsive to them. She takes everything in her long sure footed stride, a very strong and willing worker.

Laska and friends on 15km beach run

Laska and friends on the snow

Laska never ceases to amaze me. Her adaptability, self confidence and the trust she has in the people and dogs closest to her is simply amazing. I feel very privileged to have met and spent so much time with Laska, she is without a doubt the most special dog I have ever met.

A truly loving and treasured K9 friend who has no limits