Summit's Story Part 1

As some of you know, this past August (2009), I adopted a rescue dog.

I adopted an Ausky.

For those of you unfamiliar with the breed, an Ausky is an awful, glorious mistake caused by the mating of a Siberian Husky to an Australian Cattle Dog. The result...a small, compact dog, with all the wonderful goofy characteristics of a Cattle Dog and all the trouble and curiosity of a Husky.

I give you the wonder and strangeness that is "Summit"

The reason I post about this curious combination of north and south is this. Summit came to me 6 months after he had been rescued. A little chubby, shy, and terrified. He had been badly abused. Cigarette burns on his nose, concerned and skittish around all people, but especially men, he was anything but what I expected to bring home.

Day 1:
Pick him up in Lansing. We met halfway to save on gas for both of us. There in the front cab of the pickup truck is a small, chubby, absolutely terrified husky-something. We get him in the sation wagon and head out.

He get's home. We go for a walk. Then we don't go for a walk. In fact, we don't move. We crouch down and try to melt into the pavement for 10 minutes.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

After trying to coax, coerce, drag him half a block, I carry the dog home.

"What have I gotten myself into?"

He get's inside. Promptly hides behind the love seat. Won't come out. For anything...He doesn't eat for the first 2 days. Even raw salmon and wet dog food won't coax him out. I drag him out several times a day to go to the bathroom. We try melting into the grass outside. Any noise, any movement, any creature. He is terrified. He is the poster child for un-adoptable.

"What have I gotten myself into?"