Our very own Jitterbug... aka Juno... aka our Husky | Journeys of owning a Husky

So back in 2010 I decided I wanted to get a puppy.  Not just any puppy either.  A Siberian Husky, must be pure bred, must be female.  I was realllyyy particular about what I wanted and wanted nothing else... except maybe a German Shepherd.  So anywho, I searched high and low, near and far.  Then after months of searching, I find the perfect breeder.  When I call them I find out I'm one of the very first people to ask to meet them so I schedule an appointment to meet the little buggers the next couple days.

Crazy excitement ensues and I can't hold back my jitters as finally I'm pulling up to their neighborhood and at last their home.  I go there with some roommates of mine at the time and we meet the family, and the magnificient family of huskies.  There were tons of them!  There were 6 puppies and 6 adults that were already in the household.  When you see these little buggers, barely able to walk on the vinyl flooring and slipping and sliding just to come say hi to you, you can't help but melt in front of them.  There were so many adorable ones to choose from and I found one that I thought was really pretty but apparently the first person already stopped by and called dibs on that little princess.  I then looked over to find a really sweet one that ran up to me and I just had to pick her up.  She instantly fell asleep in my arms and I couldn't let go of her.  The family told me that she's never done that with anyone and she usually doesn't like being held at all.... at that moment I felt that this is going to be the one.  She's gonna be my little pupner in crime.  At this time the pups were only around 5 weeks old so they weren't ready to go to another home yet, so I set a schedule with them to swing by when they were all set to go and gave em my full deposit to let them know how serious I was about coming back again.  After that, the usual farewells and a little bit of sadness of leaving the one I wanted there.  But with that also came that warm and fuzzy sensation that I'm finally getting my own Husky.

The next couple weeks pretty much flew by as I got things prepared for my new tenant, such as bedding, toys, treats, food, etc.  I spent hours into the night peering into forums about how to properly raise a puppy, certain emergency procedures in case of choking or signs of major sickness, the list goes on.  Then the day of pick up finally came and there weren't much words for how ready I felt to get her and how joyed I was for it.  I go to pick up Juno, which I decided to name her in the waiting weeks, with my roommates again and we pretty much just rush her back home.  At the same time my roommate also picked up a sister husky as well so that they'd have a playmate with each other.  The next hours were full of holding them, playing with them, and just interacting with them.  We had company over as well and they were the life and event of the evening.  The night ended really well and being an accident free day, with them already learning to use the bathroom properly outside on the first day was a sure fire good sign in my eyes.

The next weeks were all about training them, playing with them, and just bonding with them.  I know people will say it's nothing like taking care of a real baby, which I'm sure isn't even close, but it's definitely my closest experience to that so far.  Waking up 3-4 times a night at LEAST to constantly take her to go "pot pot" and the random spurts of energy she got in the middle of the night was enough to keep me awake and only being able to sleep a couple hours at a time.  The first couple weeks were definitely pretty exhausting but she started getting used to my schedule and definitely made it alot easier on me.  Within that time, some things that I found that she loveddd were Kraft Cheese for treats, playing with her plushy toys, and exploring like a little villain outside.  What I loved about her in the beginning was that she would not leave my side, and if I would walk away a short distance, you would see her little paws hopping as fast as she could to get right by my legs again... surely though, this didn't last very long(maybe 12 weeks old).

When the weeks started turning into months she pretty much started being her own little Christopher Columbus, storming the winds of the night, battered against the cold and snow... she'd push on to expand her "sphere of influence" and keep going some more.  There was this certain area that she loved in the woods that she would always love to go through, which had tons of fallen over branches and twigs that she'd had a blast just running through and of course getting messy as hell.  Also for a husky, she had okay recall as well, especially if I had some cheese on me, which I learned very quickly to always have with me.  I tend to hear about other huskies not having the best recall so I do feel as if I got pretty lucky with her.  She's a bit derpy here and there but she's my little bugger.

From there on when the months turned into years, I've only really grown more close to Juno.  I felt as if she'd always be there for me when I wasn't feeling well or upset.  Like this one time I had kidney stones and I had massive pains on my side.  I remember she came up to me in my bed and was kissing my tears of pain away and also sniffed and kissed my sides.  I thought it was pretty incredible to see that maybe she knows where I'm hurting.  In times of loneliness and sadness she was by my side to keep me company and to just be there.  There's not alot of relationships out there that can compare the bond you could have with your dog.  It's different from having a friendship.  A friend can go on and live without you, but for your pup, alot of times, they can't.  And when they have you, you are literally all they have.  It's like a mother's love I'd say.





I have to say though, taking care of her wasn't easy... and honestly wasn't really possible without the help of my loving girlfriend, who's always been there for me and for Juno.  Through my long work days where I couldn't be home to feed/take her out, to all the love and care that she shares with us both... it just shows you how lucky you are to have someone as special as that.  All I hope for is that this continues and we all make special moments with each other.  So to that, Juno and I dedicate this post to you...

We love you.

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