Pack Pics

Shiloh was found as a stray in Benoni, and was taken in by the SPCA. He does have a chip, but the person whose details were registered no longer wanted him. I went to see him after seeing a post on Facebook about him, and despite many shares, he had not had any enquiries. I took an instant liking to him, despite his attention being all over the place. He really did not enjoy being in kennels. He was really a handful at first, as he was still young (my vet put him at under a year old). He certainly earned his first nickname ‘Wild Child’. He’s matured into the most magnificent guy, and still gets hyper when walking . I later gave him the nickname TOGA which is a flying acronym for ‘Take Off Go Around’. Try and get on a bike with him harnessed and you will quickly find out why!

Rusty was rescued – twice – from a bad situation in an industrial area of Johannesburg. I was asked to foster the Husky (no info given), and went to collect him from the vet. The fostering lasted until I saw him. That was that, he was staying with me! Rusty is a typical ‘Red’ as he is very vocal, and loves giving me backchat. He was initially wary of the lead and harness, but soon took to it. He pulls like a tractor, hence his nickname ‘Rusty Tractor’. Rusty has a very impressive – and loud howl, which he lets loose – often!

Daemon was adopted to me from Anita Mills and Candace Classen, of East London. He was with them from a pup, and even had a Jack Russel companion. All went well until his friend got out one day and sadly was run over. Daemon would not settle, and the hard decision was made to try and find another home. Through a friend of my sister I contacted Anita, and after a lot of questions, she decided to let him come to me in Jan 2018. Daemon is very reserved, a typical Husky, but loves going on walks. He does very well with bikejoering as well, partners with Shiloh and Bingo.

Atka (an Inuit name meaning ‘king’) was gifted to Judith De Wet as a pup. He grew up with her, but as he is a big, strong guy, quickly became too much to safely handle. In addition he was getting into trouble with neighbours, so Judith decided to look for a home. Another rescue org, based in Hogsback, came to hear of him, and put the two of us in contact. Atka has let the ‘king’ label go to his head and (mostly) rules the pack here. He is an escape artist of note, and I have had many stressful times searching for him after yet another breakout. He is very typical Husky, ‘wickedly clever’ to quote a rescuer from a DSTV series, when speaking about Huskies. Judith and I stay in regular contact, and we ‘share’ him.

Blue was rescued by Louise of Spay-a-Stray East London, from neglect and abuse in the East London airport townships. He had a name which no-one could pronounce, so when he came to me, he was very quickly named Blue. This is due to his stunning blue eyes, which everyone who meets him notices. His name should have been ‘Uki’ – a Siberian/Inuit name meaning survivor, which certainly would have fitted. He walked into the pack, and immediately bonded with Atka. They are about the same age. He does share Atka’s pechant for escaping, and especially on the farm we are on now, has caused me lots of stress. But he has the really sunny nature Siberians are known for, and just loves people. Of the whole pack his howl is the most impressive, only Rusty beats him in sheer volume! Have a look in the gallery for his ‘solo’.

Bingo was originally owned by Thabisa Panda, who had him for many years, from a pup. She loved jogging and Bingo would always go with her. She was then appointed to a senior position, involving a fair commute every day, which left Bingo alone all day. He started causing problems with the neighbours, and she was forced to keep him on a chain. A chance discussion with Anke from Hogslife, convinced her to rather re-home him with me. Despite being our most senior Husky, he still loves walks, and took to bikejoering as if he had done it for years. When it’s his turn to walk, he will excitedly jump around in circles, so putting the harness on is quite a challenge! When we start a walk, he lets out loud howls. Our neighbours in Hogsback always knew when he was going out, hence his nickname.

Levi and his brother Leo came to me from his previous owners, who were battling to keep them contained in their yard. Following complaints from neighbours and SPCA, they tried keeping them on running chains, which triggered further complaints sadly. They agreed to adopt to me rather than SPCA, so along they came. Levi is a young boy, and full of energy. He also has the sweetest nature, and always stays very close to wherever I am. He is getting used to walking on a harness, although he still gets very distracted by anything and everything while we are out. Running with a bike – not…just…yet. He is a typical Sibe – goofy, very vocal and talks. Lots. And let’s not forget he loves to give hugs! Often without warning!

Phantom is our first ‘official’ rescue under the Husky Rescue EC banner. He was left roaming the streets of an East Coast resort town, and concerned residents banded together, sponsored his nuetering, and I then took him in. The initial idea was to put him up for adoption, to a properly vetted home, of course, but for the time being that will be on hold. He is settling into home life, however, probably due to being rather streetwise, and only recently ‘fixed’, he developed aggression issues with Atka. This probably is due to him not being used to taking orders from another pack member. So for the time being, we will let him settle further and continue to work with him, in hopes that with time he will be a good candidate for adoption. If not, then he will simply stay as a permanent pack member. He does enjoy going for walks, and is very good with people, so he will certainly have a purpose, going forward.