Running With Our Own Kind
“Home is Where Your Rescue Dogs Are.”
Twenty four Siberian Huskies reside at the Stargazer Siberian Husky Sanctuary. This journey began over fifteen years ago, when my son picked out a Siberian Husky puppy, who came to be called Sparky. What happened next, is the stuff of legend.
My life revolved on that hinge that shifts us into a brand new world. That little blue eyed puppy turned my life toward a horizon I never imagined. In so doing, eventually he saved the lives of many Siberian Huskies that came to live with me, temporarily as a foster or permanently as a Stargazer.
I discovered dog mushing via bike, scooter, cart, sled, or ski. An extreme sport, is dog mushing, but the joy of running dogs is not to be equaled by any other activity. Most of all, I discovered the Siberian Husky. I was the ignorant beginner, knowing nothing of the breed.
Siberians are a special type of dog, with special needs. They need the Ft. Knox of security as they are the escape artists of the canine world. Up, over, under or through, they will try to get out and run, run, run. While running, if they encounter a cat, chicken, or any animal considered prey, the hunt is on. This being one of the main reasons they end up in trouble.
The love of the hunt, the joy of the run; they are incredibly smart, curious, watchful, mischievous, opportunistic, independent, aloof and social. In addition to this, they are strikingly beautiful.
I have learned so much from them. First of all, like people, Siberian Huskies come in all different colors, with a smorgasbord of eye color. Yet, they are all purebred, and all lovely. All have four legs, two eyes, and a big smiling face. Loyalty, beauty in motion, they find joy in work, how to dig holes, deeper and deeper, persistence, living in the moment, live until you die, wariness, silence, watchfulness, work is fun, joy, playing with friends, roughhousing is fun, movement is good, naughtiness is fun, chewing is fun, athleticism.
Siberian Huskies enjoy being around their kind. Many people call this a pack. I don’t. I call it a group of individuals, whose dynamics are ever changing, ebbing and flowing on a daily basis. There is no alpha; there is this group, and that group. We play, we fight, we play again. We love to run. We love the snow. We love mud. We live in the moment, and that moment is forever.
This is what my Siberian Huskies have taught me. They are my friends, and my responsibility. I tend to the ones that are cast out, that have been damaged, that are ill or old. We run together, we live together, we love together. This is what I do, this is what I love. This is my light that shines out and welcomes them home.
I lost my Sparky at 15 1/2 years in September of 2015. Over the course of his lifetime, we ran hundreds of miles together, alone on the trails. We were a team, and both of us found it hard to say goodbye. The time came, and that moment came for both of us. He left me with the greatest gift of my lifetime. His legacy is the Stargazer Siberian Sanctuary.
We all have a need to run with our own kind, to know joy, to recognize ourselves in each other. We all need a place to call home that is safe, where we are fed, where we play, fight, work, and know joy. A place where we are loved and not alone.
For more information contact Susan at stargazersiberiansanctuary@gmail.com
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