(If on mobile, tap each dog to read!)
Scroll to the very bottom to find the beautiful cartoon illustrations of our Sonia’s Snowdogs (and friends!) team.
Bear and Arctica are not related but had lived together for 5 years before they arrived here, aged 5 and 6. Bear is a year older than Arctica. Their family circumstances involved full-time work for both mum and dad, one young child and another child on the way. Mum was also studying for a qualification. Bear and Arctica spent their days out in a yard with a shelter, perhaps being allowed in the house in the evening after the young child had gone to bed. They were walked once, maybe twice a week. Mum decided to bring Bear and Arctica here after several email conversations with us.
The two huskies settled in quickly at Snowdog Shelter. They have a strong bond and we tend to keep them together often. They are out in one of our paddocks (with two shelters) at nighttime and they spend the day in the house. Our original aim was to find forever homes for these guys, after a settling in period of 6 months. However, by the time Bear had recovered from a castration and Arctica from a spaying, we decided they would be best as permanent members of our pack. At 6 and 7 years old, it would be difficult for us to find a home that would take the two of them; both middle range for their energy. Like all dogs with a strong bond, it would be a shame to separate them.
Blade and Shadow are full brothers from the same litter. They went to what should have been their forever home as young puppies and had a good life with owner, Mike, who adored them and tried to do the best that he could. Sadly, the challenges of this particular pair of huskies, coupled with Mike’s life circumstances, did not match.
Mike was working away from home a lot, and while he was away, Blade and Shadow kept escaping from the home and having husky adventures of their own! Mike decided they may be better kept as outside huskies so moved them to a home where they had an outside pen and shelter. But they kept escaping from there too! No matter what Mike tried, Blade and Shadow would keep escaping, managing on two occasions to get into a neighbour’s chicken coop.
Ghost and Mischief are brother and sister from the same litter. Their Mum is Skye who came to the shelter alongside Wolf. Skye no longer lives at the shelter but with Tasha a friend of Sonia. Ghost and Mischief are the lucky ones who have only known one home from being born. They are two very easy huskies being equally happy outside playing with the other family member or relaxing inside the house, being contented house huskies.
Ghost has a very sensitive nature; always wanting to please but becomes easily upset or intimidated. Outwardly, he seems very confident, but he is actually low on confidence and tends to worry a lot. We have worked hard over time to raise his confidence and encourage him to adopt a more optimistic attitude to life. He adores running and pulling and is incredibly strong and fit. He is capable of pulling 17 stone on his own while still achieving a speed of 25 mph for up to 2 miles!
Ghost is, by and large, a ‘mummy’s boy’ and will lots of fuss. He has great recall (unusual for a husky) and will choose to remain near Sonia even on the beach off lead. When mushing, he generally partners with Rosie as she also likes to run fast, to the point where she will tell her partner dog off if she feels they are running too slowly!
Mischief is more independent than Ghost although she may appear to be more nervous and timid. We believe she has worked out that she will receive more cuddles and attention when people feel sorry for her and believe her to be frightened. While she does enjoy mushing, she prefers to trot along rather than race. Ghost prefers to be a house husky at night-time while Mischief generally chooses to remain outside with her friends and will let us know if she wishes to be inside.
Luna and Ice are brother and sister from the same litter. They left their mum and other brother and sisters to go to their new home together as young puppies. Luna, although sad to leave all that she knew – her pet parents, mum and litter mates, was also very excited to explore her new home. Ice was a bit worried and frightened but because he was allowed to snuggle up with Luna, especially at night times, he was managing to cope.
Now, Ice and Luna had a good home with kind pet parents, but they were very worried by the arguments between their loved pet parents. There was a lot of shouting, slamming doors and tears, which made both Ice and Luna quite anxious. Luna found that she wanted to just run and run to help ease how she felt. Ice wanted to hide away when he felt the bad mood of either parent. He would sometimes have an accident in the house because he was too frightened to leave his hiding place. This made things worse because he was told off for weeing inside. Then the arguments would become even louder which would make him want to hide even more.
After the two pet parents divorced, Ice and Luna were sent to a new home. They were 10 months old by now, had lots of energy and were very strong. In fact, they were too strong and energetic for their new home and so, after just a few months they went to a husky rescue kennel. This was a scary experience for Ice. It was very noisy at the kennels; they were surrounded by barking dogs who were all very stressed and worried as they had all been sent away from their homes.
At last, a kind, friendly man called Dave came to pick Ice and Luna up. He put them in a van and they traveled together for many hours. Their new home was shared with 2 other huskies and a German Shepherd. Luna and the German Shepherd girl, Bea, did not like each other much but Luna soon established that she was boss. They found out from Bea that this was a foster home and they were not there to stay forever. Then, a specialist husky rescue stepped in to help find a permanent forever home for them so that they did not need to stay in kennels.
After they had been in this home for a few weeks, we found out about them and Sonia traveled to meet them. Sonia learned all about their characteristics and their likes and dislikes from Dave. Then after another long car journey, they landed here at Snowdog Shelter; their forever home. Ice and Luna were the first snow dogs that Sonia had rescued, so they started the Snowdog adventures.
Kio, also known as our ‘Duracell Bunny’ was just 9 months old when she was brought to us by her breeders. They had found a home for her as an 8-week-old pup with a relative. She was now an only dog, having left her litter mates behind. This is hard for all pups. Many huskies really do insist on having company. Their genetic makeup consists of them having a strong desire to live and work together as a group.
While some manage to cope as an only dog, especially if they have plenty of human company, some are simply not happy. Kio is a very high energy Snowdog and is very strong minded! When she came to us, she was very full on – most pups at 9 months old tend to be this way.
We found with Kio that she was unhappy to be left in a crate and would soil it on a regular basis. If left out of the crate, she would become destructive of clothing and household objects. She was very strong on walks despite being quite small. Initially, she was a little under-weight and her coat condition was inferior.
She was also put on the best food, recommended by the vet for sensitive tummies (a common husky issue.) It was likely the stress of being home alone that was at the root of her behavior and physical condition. As with many dogs that are re-homed, she was much loved by her previous owners, but it was believed that she needed a home that could better meet her needs.
As she is such a full-on little girl, it is felt that her current lifestyle of playing with lots of other huskies and going running and pulling will fulfill her needs and keep her very happy.
Rosie is our blue-eyed girl. We believe she was rescued by the RSPCA and taken in by a rescue in Cumbria. She was rescued along with a male Siberian husky called Novak. They had both been used to being outside in a back garden for a large part of the day, possibly no longer being allowed inside. The man who had owned them from puppies needed to go and work in Japan, so he organised some pet and house-sitters to take care of Rosie and Novak in exchange for long-term rent-free accommodation. What a great deal for them – a house complete with two lovely huskies! Sadly, the people renting the house did not honour the requirement to care for the huskies.
Rosie and Novak were then sent to a rescue that wasn’t quite capable of coping with huskies. Many rescues do not accept huskies owing to their high demands – often the fences are not secure enough. Now, if a husky is not happy, they will probably let you know about it via their determined attempts to escape, which can cause a lot of damage in the process. They are also very likely to howl. Sonia was contacted and she made the journey to pick them up and bring them here to Snowdog Shelter.
Rosie and Novak both settled in quickly with our other snow dogs. Rosie was especially confident and enthusiastic about the change in lifestyle, while Novak took a little longer to warm up. The change of homes seemed to have unsettled Novak more than Rosie. After 6 months, a decision was made that Novak would be fine with an ordinary, domestic lifestyle but Rosie was best staying here at Snowdog Shelter, as she loved, and needed to have regular opportunities to run and pull. Novak had settled and was more outgoing and confident but was much happier going for a steady walk and sniffing the great outdoors rather than running. When establishing the energy of these two huskies, after half a mile of running, Novak was ready to stop, and Rosie would shout at him to ‘get a move on.’
Snowdog Shelter have a permanent family of snow dogs introduced here in this book, and we continue to rescue, rehabilitate and find the perfect forever home for huskies and snow dogs. Regrettably, we cannot take on all of the dogs offered to us, as like other rescue homes and centres, we have limited space available. There is a continuing problem of people buying puppies without taking into account the commitment involved, and the years ahead together. Many times, circumstances, and a lack of knowledge and skills can make people feel they need to re-home their dog. Novak now has the perfect forever home, which he shares with a Staffie girl, and we receive regular updates on him. In making the decision to separate Rosie and Novak, it was seen that they were happy to spend time apart, and did not seek each other out, even though had been together for 5 years.
Bear and Arctica are not related but had lived together for 5 years before they arrived here, aged 5 and 6. Bear is a year older than Arctica. Their family circumstances involved full-time work for both mum and dad, one young child and another child on the way. Mum was also studying for a qualification. Bear and Arctica spent their days out in a yard with a shelter, perhaps being allowed in the house in the evening after the young child had gone to bed. They were walked once, maybe twice a week. Mum decided to bring Bear and Arctica here after several email conversations with us.
The two huskies settled in quickly at Snowdog Shelter. They have a strong bond and we tend to keep them together often. They are out in one of our paddocks (with two shelters) at nighttime and they spend the day in the house. Our original aim was to find forever homes for these guys, after a settling in period of 6 months. However, by the time Bear had recovered from a castration and Arctica from a spaying, we decided they would be best as permanent members of our pack. At 6 and 7 years old, it would be difficult for us to find a home that would take the two of them; both middle range for their energy. Like all dogs with a strong bond, it would be a shame to separate them.
Blade and Shadow are full brothers from the same litter. They went to what should have been their forever home as young puppies and had a good life with owner, Mike, who adored them and tried to do the best that he could. Sadly, the challenges of this particular pair of huskies, coupled with Mike’s life circumstances, did not match.
Mike was working away from home a lot, and while he was away, Blade and Shadow kept escaping from the home and having husky adventures of their own! Mike decided they may be better kept as outside huskies so moved them to a home where they had an outside pen and shelter. But they kept escaping from there too! No matter what Mike tried, Blade and Shadow would keep escaping, managing on two occasions to get into a neighbour’s chicken coop.
Diesel, known affectionately as DeeDee, was hand reared as a pup from birth by his breeder, Lisa. He then went to what should have been his forever home when he was 8 weeks old. A few years went by and the young man that owned him joined the army, leaving Dee with his mum to look after.
Dee was far too strong and energetic for the man’s mother to walk so mostly he was left in the yard on his own. Fortunately, Lisa found out Diesel needed a new home and had heard about our shelter through her sister who lives in Carlisle; a short distance away from us. Her sister had trained her two Snowdogs with Sonia in the past.
Lisa made the long journey from down South to Cumbria with DD, and he settled in very quickly with Sonia. Diesel remains the most gentle and understanding of all of our Snowdogs.
He prefers to be a house husky like Blue but will happily get involved in sledding and hiking with the rest of the Snowdogs.
Ghost and Mischief are brother and sister from the same litter. Their Mum is Skye who came to the shelter alongside Wolf. Skye no longer lives at the shelter but with Tasha a friend of Sonia. Ghost and Mischief are the lucky ones who have only known one home from being born. They are two very easy huskies being equally happy outside playing with the other family member or relaxing inside the house, being contented house huskies.
Ghost has a very sensitive nature; always wanting to please but becomes easily upset or intimidated. Outwardly, he seems very confident, but he is actually low on confidence and tends to worry a lot. We have worked hard over time to raise his confidence and encourage him to adopt a more optimistic attitude to life. He adores running and pulling and is incredibly strong and fit. He is capable of pulling 17 stone on his own while still achieving a speed of 25 mph for up to 2 miles!
Ghost is, by and large, a ‘mummy’s boy’ and will lots of fuss. He has great recall (unusual for a husky) and will choose to remain near Sonia even on the beach off lead. When mushing, he generally partners with Rosie as she also likes to run fast, to the point where she will tell her partner dog off if she feels they are running too slowly!
Mischief is more independent than Ghost although she may appear to be more nervous and timid. We believe she has worked out that she will receive more cuddles and attention when people feel sorry for her and believe her to be frightened. While she does enjoy mushing, she prefers to trot along rather than race. Ghost prefers to be a house husky at night-time while Mischief generally chooses to remain outside with her friends and will let us know if she wishes to be inside.
Luna and Ice are brother and sister from the same litter. They left their mum and other brother and sisters to go to their new home together as young puppies. Luna, although sad to leave all that she knew – her pet parents, mum and litter mates, was also very excited to explore her new home. Ice was a bit worried and frightened but because he was allowed to snuggle up with Luna, especially at night times, he was managing to cope.
Now, Ice and Luna had a good home with kind pet parents, but they were very worried by the arguments between their loved pet parents. There was a lot of shouting, slamming doors and tears, which made both Ice and Luna quite anxious. Luna found that she wanted to just run and run to help ease how she felt. Ice wanted to hide away when he felt the bad mood of either parent. He would sometimes have an accident in the house because he was too frightened to leave his hiding place. This made things worse because he was told off for weeing inside. Then the arguments would become even louder which would make him want to hide even more.
After the two pet parents divorced, Ice and Luna were sent to a new home. They were 10 months old by now, had lots of energy and were very strong. In fact, they were too strong and energetic for their new home and so, after just a few months they went to a husky rescue kennel. This was a scary experience for Ice. It was very noisy at the kennels; they were surrounded by barking dogs who were all very stressed and worried as they had all been sent away from their homes.
At last, a kind, friendly man called Dave came to pick Ice and Luna up. He put them in a van and they traveled together for many hours. Their new home was shared with 2 other huskies and a German Shepherd. Luna and the German Shepherd girl, Bea, did not like each other much but Luna soon established that she was boss. They found out from Bea that this was a foster home and they were not there to stay forever. Then, a specialist husky rescue stepped in to help find a permanent forever home for them so that they did not need to stay in kennels.
After they had been in this home for a few weeks, we found out about them and Sonia traveled to meet them. Sonia learned all about their characteristics and their likes and dislikes from Dave. Then after another long car journey, they landed here at Snowdog Shelter; their forever home. Ice and Luna were the first snow dogs that Sonia had rescued, so they started the Snowdog adventures.
Wolf was 10 months old and Skye only 9 months old when they were discovered by Sonia. At this point, they were sharing a small terraced house, with a tiny back yard, along with 3 children under the age of 4. Young huskies need lots of attention, play time and sleep and in this busy household it was very difficult to meet the needs of Wolf and Skye. Sometimes, they would both do things like chew the children’s toys or forget to wait until they were outside if they needed the toilet. They were so full of energy and found it difficult to be calm and quiet in the house they were living in. If they were put out in the yard, they very quickly became bored because it was so small. This meant they were even more excitable when they were allowed back inside.
We found out about Skye and Wolf and Sonia headed out on the journey to pick them up and bring them here to Snowdog Shelter. When she arrived, Wolf and Skye were running around the room with the children and it was very chaotic! As Sonia sat on the sofa, Wolf was running up and over her, along the top and doing zoomies around the room. He was very careful of the children though and never knocked into them once. Skye was adding to the noise by dancing around and singing. Sonia decided to take Wolf and Skye on a short walk so she could chat with the lady, Sue, about their likes and dislikes including what food they were used to.
It is possible that Wolf and Skye were purchased in order to breed when they were older because husky puppies can be sold for a lot of money. However, this home would not have been a good setting for new puppies.
After a two-hour journey, Sonia arrived back at Snowdog Shelter with Wolf and Skye, where they very quickly settled in. Before long, another husky called Skye landed here. Because this now meant having two ‘Skyes’, the second one, a husky cross boy was re-named Blue, and was initially nick named Blue -Sky!
Over the next 6 months, whenever Skye or Wolf saw a pushchair with young children, they would become very excited and cry to be allowed to see them. They hoped to see their family again, but this never happened. Wolf still loves to meet children, especially very young ones under the age of 4!
Skye went on to become best friends with Tasha, one of our apprentices. Because they loved each other so much, it was decided Skye would be happiest living with Tasha who also has other dogs. Skye sometimes comes here for a visit, but she is happiest when she is being a house husky. Skye is also the mother of Ghost and Mischief.
Luka has always made an immediate impression. He is a husky/malamute with two different coloured eyes. He was just 2 years old when he came here to Snowdog Shelter and had been sharing his old home with an older Malamute.
The family felt they needed to find a new home for Luka as they were due to move into rental accommodation that would only allow one dog. They decided it was best to keep their older 8-year-old Malamute and believed that Luka would enjoy a lifestyle of playing, running and pulling with Sonia’s other Snowdogs. When Luka first came to us, he was incredibly noisy and found it difficult to keep quiet!