A stray dog wandered up a long, gravel drive in Pittsboro, North Carolina. He heard the sounds of other animals and hoped to find food, companionship, and shelter from the freezing rain. Although he had just one cloudy eye, he could make out the shapes of a garden with dogs, guinea hens, chickens, cats, and goats on the other side of a fence. He pawed to get inside.

The skinny stray had found the home of an italian artist and animal lover, Siglinda. The artist came out of her house with food and a leash, intent on helping the little lost Husky. He was already wagging his tail at the other dogs and did not hesitate to approach Siglinda and take a treat gently from her hand. As she attached the leash, Siglinda noticed a buckle that must have kept the little Husky on a chain at one time. He followed her quietly to a pen where she was able to give him fresh water and food. After that he really wanted to be with her and her dogs, but she was concerned for the safety of her birds and cats. He didn’t like being penned, even though there was a warm, dry place to rest in there.

Later that morning, Siglinda took the stray to Dr. Terll at Hill Creek Veterinary Hospital. While waiting for the doctor, Siglinda took a bunch of paper towels and started to dry the little Husky and take away all the clumps of fur he had hanging all over his body. At one point he stopped her and licked all over her hands and face. That day she found out he was heart worm positive and in need of vaccinations and deworming.

At night the dogs and cats gather inside around the wood stove to sleep. Siglinda lined a big crate with a blanket where the little Husky could spend the night without troubling the cats. All the cats understood and immediately found high places to perch while observing the wild creature Siglinda was holding and pushing into the crate. Siglinda could not close her eyes that night in fear for her cats and knew she needed to find another place for this homeless dog to stay. She sent messages with photos to every person and organization she knew that might help a little Husky in need.

A friend found a place to board the little Husky until they could find a better solution. For the next two weeks, Siglinda received an incredible number of e-mails, and it became clear that groups from California to New York were trying to find a home for this little Husky. Then one morning the phone rang and it was Kathryn from MaPaw saying she had a foster home for the little Husky. From the boarding veterinarian, the little Husky stopped at Siglinda’s home for a kiss of gratitude and farewell before going quietly with another friend to begin his long journey.

Through the entire day the little Husky rode in different cars, stopping at rest stops along the highway to get a breath of fresh air before going off with someone new. He rode quietly, looking out the windows to see how quickly he was traveling from where he had been to wherever he was going. He rode late into the night meeting new people and loading into new vehicles as snowflakes began tumbling from the darkened sky. Along the way some of the people started calling him Jasper, in memory of Jasmine, another one-eyed Husky who had touched so many hearts.

It was after midnight when Jasper reached his foster home. He was exhausted and anxious when he met his foster siblings, who had climbed out of their warm beds to see who arrived in the middle of the night. After a quick sniff of his new surroundings, he went directly to his new crate and sank into his dreams.

_{Thank you to the network of transporters and volunteers who made this journey possible. Special thanks to Siglinda, not only for reaching out to a dog in need, but also for her beautiful messages that were paraphrased throughout this post.}

We pulled together all our Siberian powers to make it snow for Mama’s birthday. Freddie was not focusing as best he could, but we did get a little snow.

I am not a morning puppy, but Mama insisted on taking pictures before sunrise, when the little bit of snow was sure to melt.

Time to go back to sleep.

Hey puppies, Magnum here. Mama and Papa have been doing the foster dog shuffle again. Papa found a new foster family because they use the same groomer as Ananya. This is Cloe, who goes to the groomer to have her ears cleaned and claws clipped. Cloe and her family used to have a big Fila, who they miss very much. They also missed being able to play big dog games, so they thought fostering would be fun. Rocky, Buck, and Chena all went to visit their home. The kids were very excited about welcoming new puppies to their home, and although they were very gentle with Chena, she was a bit frightened by the commotion. Rocky and Buck, on the other paw, thought it was wonderful!
So that was that. Rocky and Buck decided to stay there until they get adopted. Mama and Papa said that for a week we were going to have just Chena before we started fostering a new dog, but you know how it goes.

There was a puppy named Freddie who came all the way from Korea to live with us. If he dug his way here, I must admit it is pretty impressive, but he is always trying to play. Sometimes I just want to sleep on the couch with no one pouncing on my head. I am trying to be the good big brother. Mama said technically we are not fostering Freddie, we are just holding him a week until he can go to his actual foster home. Anyway, her are some pictures, if you are into cute puppy pictures. Whatever. Here he is checking out one of the toys in the yard. Once in a while Mama jumps up saying, “You have to go outside?” and takes him out there. Then she has a party when he pees. Whoop-de-do. He looks like trouble if you ask me, but no one ever does.

Ace came to us food-aggressive, stinky, filthy, dehydrated, malnourished, and filled with parasites. This poor boy was only six-months-old and had spent most of his young life alone in a shelter with no home to call his own. He was just another disposable dog to the family who dumped him at the shelter.

Ace is one of the lucky ones. His food aggression made him more likely to be euthanized at the shelter, but MaPaw saw past his understandable flaws and took Ace to a foster home for the love, care, and training needed for his recovery. For several weeks Ace did not trust anyone, but he made tremendous progress with his foster family. When he first arrived at his foster home he growled and snapped around food. He ferociously protected his food from both humans and other dogs. Even a small morsel on the floor was a battle ground for him.

Day by day, Ace’s foster family worked patiently with him. After time he learned he did not have to fight for his food because he was now safe. Slowly he learned to forgive and forget his past and enjoy his days with his foster family and furbuddies, running and playing together. Ace blossomed into a loving fuzzbutt who came for treats and took them nicely. He became a typical, fun-loving, mischievous Husky pup who kept us laughing with his stunts. He had the zest for life seen only in a dog who was so close to death and given a second chance. He no longer had those empty, scared, cold eyes. They were now filled with love and sparkle. Ace made a remarkable breakthrough and was ready to be adopted.

Since Ace had a horrible past we knew it would take a special family to understand him and help him continue on the right path. He had made incredible progress and we didn’t want him to regress back to his old habits of fighting for food and attention. We patiently waited for the right family as applications came and other Huskies were adopted.

Finally, MaPaw received an application from a family who would love Ace unconditionally. They had three other dogs, including Casey, a former MaPaw Sibe. The family was knowledgeable about the breed and about how to help Ace with his new path in life. Ace met his new family and fell in love at first sight. He played and played with his new furbrothers until he wore them out. He gave his new human Mom & Dad kisses and happily ran through the house looking for toys. We made arrangements for them to adopt Ace.

On the way to their house for his big day, Ace recognized the neighborhood and was so excited he jumped all over the car. Although he always walked nicely on a leash, he pulled to get out of the car and to the front door. He quickly made himself at home finding toys and a nice bone to chew. We completed the paperwork and played for a while before saying our goodbyes. Ace gave a kiss goodbye and was off playing with his new pack, The Fantastic Four!

This ending was a very happy one for a pup who long ago was forgotten and dumped at a shelter where he had no place and no one to call his own. This wonderful pup will no longer be sad and lonely again. He will only know happiness.

God bless you, Ace, our Little Wolfie. We will always love you!

Hello Puppies! It’s me, Chena. Life certainly hasn’t been easy on me, but I’m hanging in there and holding out for a new loving forever home. I’ve been playing with Ananya, she always was my favorite, and all the other dogs here in my foster home. I may be the smallest, but I’m quick! I like to use Ananya as a spring board when I bound across the yard.

Today Mommy and The Scary Man took me to visit Grandma and Grandpa. They have a Yellow Lab named Winnie. She’s only about a year old, but I guess technically she’s my Aunt Winnie. Here she is waiting impatiently for me to get out of the car and join her for some play.

Winnie and I played in the yard a little while. She showed me a nice muddy puddle for digging and shared her toys. She also ran and ran, which is something I really enjoy.

Then I spotted something that made me forget about Aunt Winnie. Is that what I think it is?

It is! In fact, there are two! Two bunnies!

I like bunnies. Can I have the bunnies?

Seriously, let me have the bunnies.

Puppies, I did not get ANY bunnies! I’ll remember though, that Aunt Winnie allows bunnies in her yard and I’ll be prepared next time.

Hi puppies, it is me, Magnum. I have not written a blog in quite a while, what with the holiday rush and all. Yesterday my siblings and I got a special trip to Evansburg State Park.

Mama and Papa know how hard we work fostering the other Sibes. They also know that the foster dogs get a lot of attention when they have to visit the vet and go to meet and greets and work on training, so sometimes Mama and Papa set aside a special trip just for those of us who are unavailable for adoption so we do not get too stressed.

We decided not to go swimming, even though it is certainly warm enough here, but we did stick our paws in the water.

We wear bright bandanas so nobody mistakes us for coyotes, bears, or Rottweilers (oops, sorry Bailey, you better just stay close.)

I found some mossy ruins of a stone house. The staircase was still standing. Unfortunately some misguided humans put graffitti on it.

After we agreed to pose for some pictures we met a nice Yellow Lab and his family. They thought I was a Malamute, but Mama said, no he’s just a very big Siberian Husky. In their defense, they probably were not close enough to see my crystal blue eyes.

I had a good time playing wolfy in the woods. Check out my wolfy shadow!

I had to stop playing wolfy because bridges are scary. Some of the bridges we crossed were missing boards. Those were extra scary.

MaPaw had to say goodbye to a true friend last weekend. Chena’s mom, Rita, passed away after suffering a stroke.

Rita loved Siberian Huskies her whole life and adopted three rescue dogs. Before adopting Chena, Rita adopted two seniors who she loved for the rest of their lives. Though Chena was only five-years-old, she was so gentle and quiet, we thought she might be a good match. When we took Chena to meet Rita at her home, Rita shared stories of her beloved Penny, her previous rescued Sibe. Rita lived alone and loved having a fuzzy companion to listen to her talk and follow her from room to room. Chena sniffed around the house and explored the yard, then our skittish, little girl settled down in a beam of sunlight that hit the floor next to Rita’s chair.

Chena came from an abusive owner in Alaska who planned to shoot her for not earning her keep as a sled dog. Chena was terrified of new situations and especially frightened of men. She had frequent accidents in her foster home related to her severe separation anxiety. While her foster dad focused on teaching her that he was a good person who would not hurt her, her foster mom tried to teach her to sit on command. While most dogs sit fairly reliably after two or three days of training, Chena took several months before she had a single success. She was just too nervous to focus.

Rita took a biscuit from one of the many cookie jars in her home and asked Chena to sit. Without hesitation Chena sat. Chena spent her days greeting the people who came by to help Rita with her daily activities and her nights sleeping in Rita’s bed. Rita even called to say how much she enjoyed watching Chena chase birds and squirrels in the yard, since her previous dogs had been too old for such vigorous activity.

When Rita fell, she didn’t go to the hospital right away because she didn’t want to leave Chena, but after two days, she realized she had to go and called MaPaw for assistance. Of course we agreed to take care of Chena until she could return home, but sadly that will never happen. Although Chena had a home for only a few months, she became a less fearful dog in that time, transformed by the patient, unreserved love Rita gave her.

Rita did make arrangements for Chena in her will, and we are waiting to find out where Chena’s tumultous life will lead. Please do not forget your animals in your will. If they ever need to face the grief and stress of losing a loved one, you want to know they will be in a loving home.

Dear Santa,
We have been very good puppies this year. We worked hard to be cute, fuzzy, and sweet all year long. All we really want for Christmas are homes with families who will love us forever, but we know that would be really hard to do, even for someone magical like you, so we made this list of things we could use at our foster homes in the meantime. You can send them all to MaPaw’s address and they will make sure we get them. Buck is watching out the window for you. We love you, Santa. Thank you for listening.

Love,
The MaPaw Foster Dogs

Rocky and Buck are both graduates of MaPaw who have had to return. They were adopted into the same home, but their dad fell on bad circumstances that made him unable to continue to care for the boys.Buck is the younger more mischievious brother. He has a lot to say. I mean a lot! He is very skilled at the innocent look, which he likes to give just after knocking down a gate or jumping on the coffee table.
Rocky is the more serious and responsible older brother. He puts a blanket on the coffee table before jumping up on it.

The boys are very close to each other, often cuddling together for naps. Their transition has been a little easier because they have each other. We know it will be a challenge, but we hope to get them adopted into the same home so that they do not lose each other after losing everything else.

Shyloh stayed with her foster family in MaPaw a long time before we found someone who was willing to work with a special needs dog. She was always friendly with other dogs, but she saw people as unpredictable and capable of inflicting pain. Finally, Shyloh found someone who had the patience and skills to help her overcome her fears and join the family. Shyloh was confused about leaving her foster home and living with a strange family. She loved her new canine pal but was still trying to understand the new surroundings and new routines. While she was trying to relax in the yard, a strange man entered her territory. Shyloh was terrified and wanted nothing more than to get away from the strange man. She saw that he had left an opening where she could escape from the fenced yard and she dashed for the only exit. Shyloh was gone.

Shyloh’s new mom was horrified when she realized what had happened. Immediately she took the right steps for locating a lost dog. Her first step was to call MaPaw so we could get a group of volunteers working to find Shyloh. She followed up by contacting local shelters and the police department to report Shyloh missing. MaPaw volunteers jumped into action distributing flyers at neighbors’ houses, veterinary offices and the dog park. Several people called out of work to drive to Shyloh’s neighborhood and begin combing the woods. MaPaw would like to give a big thank you to Harnessed to Hope Northern Breed Rescue and Gimpy Dogs both of whom posted blogs calling for help in the search. As well, we’d like to thank the Phoenixville Police Department and the Harnessed to Hope volunteers who came out to join the search. On Friday there was one sighting near the dog park early in the morning and then not another word about her. We were all worried that Shyloh just kept running and we would never see her again. We were worried that she was lost in the woods during hunting season.

Saturday held more promise for Shyloh. More volunteers came out for the search. We believed she stayed in the area around the dog park because she so loves other dogs. Shyloh’s mom, Karen, brought her black, mixed-breed dog, Duncan, who had been very playful with Shyloh. A couple other noisy dogs came along to attract Shyloh. Everyone had their cell phones ready to connect in case of a sighting, and there were sightings. Someone would see a flash of brown and white fur through the trees and everyone else would gather at the spot, but Shyloh would be long gone. Again a searcher would see the flick of a fluffy tail and call to the others, but Shyloh was too quick. For hours the search was fruitless except to tell us that Shyloh was still alive and well. She used the thick forest to remain hidden. As the morning passed, the MaPaw volunteers developed a plan about what to do if Shyloh couldn’t be captured before dark. They decided on a placement for the Havahart Trap and a plan about how to continue the search on Sunday. Although they all had better ways to spend a Saturday, they just kept agreeing to do one more sweep and then one more sweep after that.

In one of those sweeps Karen spotted her Shyloh and decided to try to attract her using Duncan, her mixed breed brother who could be trusted off lead. Karen removed Duncan’s lead and let him run to Shyloh. Shyloh was happy to see her brother. She playbowed and skipped around him. They wrestled in the woods while Karen crept toward them. Karen knew Shyloh would run if she got too close, so she called Duncan hoping that Shyloh would follow. It started to work, but Shyloh turned in the other direction once she got within a few feet. Karen kept trying to stay close to the playing dogs without getting so close she scared Shyloh. She, like all the volunteers, was dirty and exhausted. If the dogs would stay in one area, the other volunteers might have time to surround them. As the searchers hurried to get to Shyloh while she was distracted with play, Karen lay on the ground to avoid towering over the skittish dog. Slowly, she moved one arm toward the romping dogs. She kept her eyes straight up at the sky and used only her peripheral vision to aim. She tried to grab Shyloh but missed. She moved slowly back into position, grabbed, and missed. The volunteers were getting closer, but they were just as concerned about causing Shyloh to run before she was completely surrounded. Karen grabbed again. This time she caught some fur and held tight. In desperation, Karen used her whole body to trap Shyloh. It would startle the easily frightened dog, but it was Karen’s best chance to catch her. Shyloh was captured.

Karen got the leash on Shyloh before trying to get off the ground. Other volunteers rushed in to help and to share in the joy and relief. Shyloh refused to walk on lead, and rather then risk her backing out of the collar, Karen just carried her out of the woods. A MaPaw volunteer saw Karen struggling to carry Shyloh, and took over for her so she could keep an eye on Duncan and begin to relax.Shyloh got a firm hug once she was out of the woods. She also got a firm talk about the dangers of escaping from both MaPaw people and Officer Gold. She was smelly, but otherwise no worse for the wear. We are so grateful that Shyloh is safe and sound and so thankful to everyone who helped relocate her.