When we found Dakota he had on a harness that was too small and one leg was not in it correctly. After I took off the harness, he whined when I touched his chest. Thank god he did not bite! He was so skinny that the hair along his spine stood up and his ribs were defined. The first few days he moved slowly and appeared to have little energy. Dakota was also afraid of our friends, particulary males. A man must have mistreated him, in particular, a man with a body type like Tim Sulzbach's. We came to appreciate the trust he had given Bob and me.
Within a week we got to know a completely different Dakota! Dakota was a puppy, full of puppy energy just waiting to be loved. All he wants to do in life is run, play, dig and be loved. Now that he has gained 10 pounds, he looks great. Besides his need to gain weight, he was in good health!
Originally we were going to get Dakota neutered, put some weight on him and find him a loving home. We fell in love with him and decided he had already found a loving home, our home.
Dakota taught us to deal with problem behaviors. He is both dog and cat aggressive, so this gives us a challenge with our cats. During walks he trys attacking passing dogs! When we first got him. He would jump on people, jump on the couch, put his paws on the table/counter, and play rough inside. He had absolutely no manners! Unfortunately we had to leave him outside most of the time. If you went outside to play with him, he was all over you with his dirty paws and you had to change your clothes. Since he was not getting the neccessary attention, he would was more prone to escaping! After much frustration we enrolled him in an obedience class. This was time and money well spent!
Now he spends all evening inside with us and behaves! I can eat on the couch without Dakota mauling me. He has stopped jumping on everything and we don't have to change our clothes everytime we play with him. He gets to sleep in the bedroom and never bothers us while we are sleeping. He is visibly happier and there is peace in our household. Many thanks to our trainer, Lynnie Goodman of WonderDogs?! (Lynnie's page is out of date. Her prices have increased. She deserves every penny!)
Now we are trying to learn to ignore the cats. Dakota has learned not to bark at the cats, but I still need to separate them or restrain Dakota when they are all out in the house.
Siberian Huskies are known for being clowns and Dakota is no exception. Dakota loves his belly rubbed and makes us melt every time he displays his belly for some rubbing. It is amazing the amount of joy a properly treated siberian husky can bring to his owner!