My wife and I held off owning a dog while our kids were young. We had small pets instead, most notably four ferrets over the last nine years. The last of them passed over the Rainbow Bridge just before Thanksgiving 2015.
My wife grew up with purebred dogs: Shih Tzu, and Lhasa Apso. I grew up with rescues and runaways of dubious breeding. Champ the German Shepherd was my favorite. For all eleven years of his life with us, he was an incredible friend, and he put up with his boys even though we didn’t train him beyond “gentle well-meaning oaf with giant tail he has no body awareness of.”
In college, I fell in love with wolves and hybrids, finally admitting after reading a lot of books that I could not live with one responsibly. Missing Champ, I read “How To Be Your Dog’s Best Friend” by the Monks of New Skete and their followup, “The Art Of Raising A Puppy.”
Fast forward to today. We talked seriously about the Siberian Husky, Malamute, Shiba Inu, Eskimo Dog, and Samoyed as a family, and just didn’t feel comfortable with them and our Homeowners Association or neighbors. They prefer a silent neighborhood, and we wanted a very trainable, personable kind of dog that could come to work with me every day, so we kept looking for a best match.
We discovered this video of an Alaskan Klee Kai playing with a Fennec Fox, and marveled. To our eyes, a tiny Siberian Husky was playing with a shy Fennec Fox… gently, not as if it were prey. They were playing together. The interaction was charming.
We were quickly hooked. We learned about this rare breed and studied breeders through the holidays. Finally, we asked one of the oldest kennels if we might be considered as a future forever home for one of their puppies. We joined the Alaskan Klee Kai Association Of America.
We’re dreaming puppy dreams here in Indiana, and it’s hard to say if the kids or adults are more excited, or which is which.
How did you find your family dog?
Dad
