Kaytu's Adoption

We adopted Kaytu on October 10th, 2011. We had met her the day before at the home of her foster. There were two young female Siberian huskies we were interested in. The foster is actually part of the Coastal German Shepherd Rescue (CGSR) though she fosters huskies.

I had been searching for a young female husky on Petfinder for months. There was one I was seriously interested in over the summer but we were coming up on a month-long vacation and I decided it wouldn't be best for the dog if we adopted her right before vacation and moving into our new home. Way too much change. She was adopted while we were on vacation. After we were back and had moved in, we knew we were really ready for another dog. I saw a husky named Savvy on Petfinder and filled out an application for her and began corresponding with the foster. I lost contact with the foster over a weekend and Savvy was adopted. The foster told me she had two other young female huskies we might be interested in, Hazel and Paisley. She didn't give me many details as she had just recently gotten them but they both sounded promising. We found a day to meet and I tried my best to keep my hopes low as not much was known about either dog and I was also willing to wait for the right dog. I didn't want to jump on the first available dog just because she was available.

We brought Denali with us too to make sure they would get along. As we arrived, we walked past the covered crate containing Hazel and Hazel exploded with snarling and growling and lunging. The foster said it was typical of Hazel, she was very defense in the crate but once out was very sweet. I was already on edge and feeling like it wasn't going to work out with that dog. Then I saw Hazel through the gaps in the plastic crate and gasped. Could she be? I asked if she was red and white. The foster said yes. Oh my! The red and white is one of my favorite coat colors. By now the other crated dogs were getting agitated with our presence so the foster lead us to the backyard while she leashed Hazel. The dog she brought outside was stunningly beautiful.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

As the yard was not fenced and we weren't sure how Hazel would react to Denali, both dogs were kept leashed. We held each dog still so they could sniff butts then let them interact. There was mild snapping from Hazel but it seemed born of frustration at being leashed and pent up energy from being crated. It was not aggression. After several tense minutes while they were figuring each other out, they were playing great together. I lead Denali away a few steps so my husband could say hello to Hazel. He knelt down and Hazel wiggled into his lap, curling up and kissing his chin. At that moment I knew she had also wiggled into his heart. He then took Denali and let me have my chance to properly say hello, and I received the same treatment he did- lots of wiggles and kisses! I ran my hands over her, carefully giving her a basic test to see what she would allow. I could grab her ears, gently pull her tail, touch and hold her paws, touch her mouth, she was very tolerant. Things looked great and I was pretty sure we were all in love with her. As the dogs played, the foster told us Hazel's story.

Hazel was found as a stray by a shelter in LA. She was in heat. They discovered she was microchipped so contacted her owners. Her owners never bothered to go pick her up. They abandon her. Full shelters can only keep an abandon dog for so long before they have to make the decision to euthanize the dog. Fortunately CGSR heard about her, picked her up, got her spayed, and then handed her over to the foster.


I wanted to meet the other dog as well to make sure I wasn't being blinded by my desire to have another husky, and a red one at that with unique eyes. The foster put Hazel away and brought out Paisley. Paisley took my breath away with her striking face and markings, and piercing blue eyes.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

Foster photo, click to enlarge.

She was very loud and vocal and growling, but we soon discovered it was all just Siberian husky talk and she was getting along great with Denali. Paisley was a fantastic dog but she didn't have the naturally trusting, snuggly, friendly personality that Hazel did. She was still friendly and approachable but had a touch of shyness. With Denali already being shy, I was hesitant about getting another dog with shyness. Paisley had come from a neglectful and abusive home and ultimately was removed by animal control in LA. She could have some serious issues. I knew that I would absolutely be willing to work through anything with her. I love training and I love being challenged, and Paisley was a great dog.

We were loving both dogs though Hazel was our preferred choice. The next step was for the foster to do a home check and introduce the cats. I asked that both dogs be brought down in case Hazel was reactive or aggressive with the cats.

The next evening the foster arrived and was prepared to leave a dog with us if everything looked good. We locked up the cats and brought Hazel in on leash. We held the leash loose and let her explore the house, as the foster made sure the house itself was suitable. Once Hazel had explored a lot and was more relaxed, I brought out Zebulon. Zeb loves dogs and does very well with them. He is rightfully guarded at first with a new dog but will not strike, bite, or try to run away as most cats will. My husband held the leash while I knelt down with Zeb. I had his butt facing Hazel so she could get to the part she wanted to check out first anyway.

It's important to kneel down so that the dog will not try to jump up to investigate the cat. I present the cat butt-first so that the dog can smell, the cat's head and chest is protected just in case the dog reacts aggressively, and so that the cat is not overwhelmed by a dog's face in his own face.

Hazel was VERY interested but was not aggressive at all. I let Zeb crawl out of my lap and we carefully let Kaytu follow him. The real test is when a cat runs. A slowly moving cat is interesting, but a running cat is nearly impossible to resist. We then brought down Everest and repeated the same routine. Hazel was doing great! No initial aggression, and no signs that she would be aggressive. She was certainly curious about them though. Everything looked great! The foster got the paperwork and that night we officially added a new member to our family, changing Hazel's name to Kaytu.

Paisley found a loving home not long after we adopted Kaytu.