I Heart Siberian Huskies!

I truly love this breed! Since we've been married, my husband and I have adopted five Siberian huskies or, should I say, they adopted us? The first three grew old with us and eventually passed on. Jasmine, Chip, and Misha will never be forgotten and we know we'll see them again someday. Our current two are Misty and Jazz.

Misty is a 3-year-old grey and white beauty. She's a lap dog and her idea of a good day is being picked up and petted a lot. Jumping on the bed is a nightly pastime of hers. Even though she's not supposed to be on the furniture, we let her climb up on the bed with us where she sweetly sleeps at our feet. Sound peaceful? Not exactly! All through the night we end up twisted like pretzels so as not to disturb Sleeping Beauty. She's pretty quiet, except for when she starts dreaming. Her paws will start moving rapidly as she's chasing the elusive squirrel. The bed starts shaking, we say "Misty, no!", and then we're ALL awake for the next hour.

Our latest addition to the family is Jazz. He's our little 9 month old boy. There are so many Siberian husky names to choose from, but it didn't take us long to come up with our own. We named him Jazz because the name reminded me of New Orleans (one of my favorite places to live) and my husband's affection for Jazz music (he likes the funky stuff).

Jazz came to us on April 1st, 2010. The fact that we picked him up on April Fool's day should have been a clue that life with this little guy would be one adventure after another.

Jazz was born on Halloween. He has a beautiful mask which, of course, hides the devil within. We describe him as brown and white with red highlights. Another characteristic of his is that his left front paw turns out a little. He may not be perfect in the dog show world, but he's perfect to us.

Getting him in the first place was an adventure. The night before we were to pick him up, we got a call from the breeder that he had been bitten by a copperhead snake. We were horrified that he wouldn't make it. It was a tense 24 hours. However, with a lot of love from my husband and me, a great vet, and the right medicine, the swelling disappeared and Jazz fully recovered.

He still has the little fang mark on his nose, but we tell him all the time it's a mark of distinction and that he's beautiful.

Speaking of looks, he does know he's gorgeous. I've caught him looking in the mirror at himself and trotting away very pleased at his reflection.

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Jazz is the most affectionate dog we've ever owned and he has the sweetest disposition. If my husband and I are exchanging a bear hug, Jazz butts in and tries to get in the middle of us.

He's also a clown. He knows when we're sad and he knows when it's time to play. He's all puppy, all the time. Having raised other huskies, we know this puppy stage continues well into adulthood.

Thankfully, Jazz will show us when he has found a new "toy." Some of his finds include an umbrella, a toilet brush, pieces of paper, missing socks, and underwear.

What is it with dogs and exercise equipment?
I was so proud of myself this morning. Before the real work day began, I decided it was high time to jumpstart my New Year's resolution and get on that EFX machine at home. I climbed on top of it and started working my leg muscles. After about 5 minutes, cue puppy. Guess who walked in?

In trots one of the cutest little Siberian puppies I've ever seen, Jazz. (Okay, I admit it, I'm a little biased). Jazz was very curious about the big machine since, for almost a year, we kept that room closed off with other forgotten exercise equipment. He decided it was time to get closer and check it out. I warned him, but his little puppy ears have selective hearing at times. I totally lost all concentration as I was more concerned about him getting hit by one of the flying pedals. One win for the puppy.

I gave up on the EFX and lay flat down on the floor to try another exercise. Hmmmm, the ab roller was always good. Jazz had other ideas, however. That was his cue to trot over and stand almost on top of me. He should have stuck a flag in me 'cuz I was done. Hmmmmm. We'll see what tomorrow brings in the exercise room. Hate to put up a baby gate, but I still have those 10 pounds to lose!!! The moral of this story - It's a good thing he's cute.

My little Jazz is now two years old. He is so sweet and affectionate and I love him to pieces. One of the most endearing things he does is to come and tell me good night.

Every night, when the lights are off and we're all settled in, us in the bed and my two sibes in their little pads at the foot of the bed, I hear the pitter patter of little paws. Jazz walks over to me and sticks his nose on my pillow. Sometimes he surprises me if I fall quickly asleep and then, suddenly, there's a wet little nose touching my face.

When it first started happening, we thought maybe he was trying to tell us he needed a bathroom break and wanted to go outside. It dawned on us that he just wanted to see that I was tucked in and tell me good night. He stays for about a minute allowing me to pet him. Sometimes he turns around so I can scratch the side of his belly and then he trots back over to his pad and goes to sleep.

Jazz and Misty are truly angels and I thank God that they and all of our former dogs have come into my life. They are best friends and valued members of our family!

P.s. I love this new picture of him. First of all, he looks like he's sticking his tongue out at the camera! Secondly, there's the vaccuum cleaner in the background - an ode to a full time sport in our house. Thank you Siberian huskies!

Jazz and Misty have endeared themselves to our hearts.

We miss them when we're gone. In fact, my husband and I judge how long we can stay out at night by how we think the dogs are coping back at home without us. I can't even count how many times we've said, "We'd better go home, the dogs will be mad!" So, here we are - one happy family. With a lot of patience, determination, and a sense of humor, two Sibes have trained and blessed US and called us their own.

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