First, congratulations to Carol on having been honoured with the Ethel Tibbits Woman of Distinction Award in the business category. It is a richly deserved honour which recognizes her outstanding contributions to the community and the important work of RAPS. Well done Carol!
Now an update on Kisu (formerly Tawny). Seven weeks have passed since I adopted her and she continues to thrive. Walking with Kisu is like escorting a super model. Wherever she goes, she draws raves: "What a beautiful dog!" "She's gorgeous!" "What a wonderful coat!" I've concluded that the best description of Kisu is that she looks like a large cappucino with extra foam and topped with cinnamon.
Kisu appears to have spent most of her previous life indoors and in an urban environment, as it was evident that she had had very little exposure to forests, creeks and the ocean. Happily, true to her husky instincts, she has taken to the great outdoors like a duck to water, and we spend hours every day, rain or shine, exploring the woods and beaches of the Lower Mainland. She loves trekking along forest trails, sniffing different plants and splashing around in creeks, and is mesmerized by the rhythm of the ocean waves. And, of course, she was in husky heaven when it snowed in February.
Because of the husky tendency to wander and run away, many websites advise against ever letting a husky off leash except in a yard surrounded by a six-foot fence. Kisu is an apparent exception to that rule. She loves to explore the woods off-trail, but is very quick to come racing back when called. The only issues have occurred because of her friendly "social butterfly" nature, when she meets, plays doggy tag with and follows other dogs. But she's getting much better about that. There is just still a lot of playful puppy in her. A watchdog she is definitely not. If a burglar came to my home, Kisu would offer to take him on a guided tour and show him where I keep my wallet.
Kisu and I have bonded incredibly quickly and strongly. So much so that the only real problem has been separation anxiety. She thinks we are joined at the hip, and becomes very anxious when left alone at home, although she is fine if left in the car while I go shopping and run errands. We are working on this. We are also working on her shedding which began quite suddenly a week or so ago. Suddenly my floors and the interior of my car looked like they'd been hit by a blizzard. Fortunately a helpful salesperson at a pet store recommended a Furminator Deshedding tool. I was taken aback by the price but have found that it is worth every penny. The amount of hair I removed from Kisu today was astounding - you could make a nice area rug from it - and she loved it. She even laid down on each side as I was grooming her, and if she was a cat she would have purred contentedly.
Finally I'm attaching 3 recent photos of Kisu, reflecting her personality and nature. One shows her contemplating beside a tumbling mountain stream. In another, reminiscent of a scene from the movie "Eight Below" about a team of huskies that survived an Antarctic winter on their own (which she has watched), Kisu is merrily chasing gulls on a mudflat. And finally, Kisu is nuzzling a tiny pink ceramic pig which she has apparently adopted. Her jaws are so powerful, she is able to quickly crunch through the hardest bones and she has completely destroyed a seemingly indestructible thick rubber squeaky toy in 15 minutes. However, she gently removes the little pig from a bookshelf and carefully carries it in her mouth to her bed. She has never touched anything else on the shelves!
All the best, and again congratulations to Carol!
Abe
