The Kind-Hearted Smart Aleck

I have a 5-year-old Siberian Husky rescue named Lexi. She's my third husky, fourth dog overall, and although I might be a tad biased, I think she may be the best dog ever. Huskies are typically great dogs. They're: Full of energy; always in the puppy stage; great with kids; force their owners to give them exercise and attention, improving their health in the process; and tend to see everyone as their best friend. Having said all this, though, huskies are also typically not the most loyal bunch of dogs and are rather notorious for being escape artists. My second husky, the biggest of the three, still found a way to work her Houdini act on numerous occasions, where she'd dig under the backyard fence and roam about the neighborhood. My first husky wasn't so eager to leave the backyard, yet if a strong wind knocked the gate or a door open, she was off to the races. They had starkly different personalities, as one was fearful of walking down to the basement and ran outside...

Through my 35 years, I've owned four dogs, one cockapoo (cocker spaniel/poodle mix) and three Siberian Huskies. My current dog, Lexi, is a 3-year-old husky (rescue dog). In case you or someone you know is thinking about buying a husky, here are some things you should probably know: Pros - Friendly : No matter what you've heard about huskies in the past, they are some of the friendliest dogs you could ever meet. If they're not running around and looking to play, you know something's wrong. My dog, Lexi, will play with anyone or anything. There are nights I have to remind her it's 2 o'clock in the morning and time to sleep. If she could play 24 hours a day, she would, and even then, that still wouldn't be enough. - Energetic : Until they reach older age, huskies tend to act like puppies. This is why they're fairly common "therapy" dogs. Even on the worst of days, my dog just has a way of cheering me up. They require a lot of exercise, so wit...

Up until about 2.5 months ago, I had owned at least one dog for 25 straight years (I think 28 to be more precise). The one I had put down 2.5 months ago was my favorite of the lot. She was an all white Siberian Husky, and while she wasn't void of her share of quirks, she was a bundle full of joy and energy, always seeming to have a big smile on her face. It took 2.5 months before I thought I may be ready to research and potentially get another. A couple of dog shelter volunteers stopped by Saturday morning with a 1.5-year-old Siberian Husky (a combination of white, black, grey, and red), and unless she has a bad check-up which confirms an earlier doctor's worry about cataracts (a later check-up countered that belief, and from what I can see, she doesn't have any problems with her sight), she's found herself a new home.  To this point, it's honestly been a rather surreal and draining experience. I was so busy with my college courses when my first husky was a puppy...

The saying goes that "a dog is a man's best friend." That was definitely the case for me with my Siberian Husky, Tara. She was born on April 14th of 2001, was all white, with blue eyes, weighed in at 45 lbs. during her middle years, before reaching 60 lbs. in her later ones. She never barked, but liked to talk, as huskies have a tendency to do. She had a great amount of energy. There were times we'd go in the backyard, would line up across from one another as if we were about to square off playing football. She'd get into the play position - with her head down, eyes looking straight at me, butt up in the air, and tail wagging. Then once I said, "hike," she ran around the yard like a cheetah, I'd give a half-hearted effort of chasing her, before she finally stopped by my side for some attention, and then would get back into the play position for another round of fun. This high energy was great for both of us, as after I moved to Ohio from Nebraska and...