A Few Words in Warning

       so it can happen, if you are not careful enough but buy a husky
       (Finnish Siberian Husky Magazine 2/1991)

It was summer two years ago (1989). We could have left without bigger worries our two cats to a kid in neighbor and done an excellent successful trip to Borgafjällen and Kebnekaise in Swedish Lapland. We were waiting for our in good time reserved and in the beginning of October planned travel to Samarkand, Buhara and Tashkent. So it was peace in land in Peaceland (Rauhamaa in English = Peaceland).

Then at the end of July a local cat hater hit. Between two weeks both our tomcats vanished as well as other cats in our village. Maj-Lis, who had owned always during her lifetime some kind of creature, could not think to continue without a such one. "A cat we don't dare to take, but nobody has courage enough to kill a dog just like that. A dog I have hoped to have a long time in any case. A dog I should get and preferably at once" - so it was her train of thoughts.

A lively discussion was followed if this project was sensible or not. "Why a dog, we are always tied to it, we cannot even travel. Can't we wait until we have visited Samarkand." - I tried to oppose. But no, a dog must be got, there will be no problem.

It didn't help. After some days there was in my hand a paper with a name and telephone number where I should call to.

It was Seija Kuusinen who answered and so a tight exam started: "Why just Siberian Husky? What kind of conditions at home have you? How do you live? Is master decent and can he take care of babies? Should puppy be alone during the day?" And so on…, a little like I have heard it happens before a baby adoption.

May be this exam went reasonably because Seija started gradually to become eased off and informed me that they have some puppies, but they don't sell anyone before we have contacted Esa Satomaa (Puppy Agency), who can tell us all other possible sources to buy a puppy. A call to Esa and his permission that if Seija likes to sell so it is convenient for him and other management of Siberian Husky Club. Again a call to Seija and an agreement with her that we can come on Saturday to look at puppies. Oh, that eased.

So then on Saturday there to Riuttanen. The first sight was a little horrible. There were about 30 hounds fasten in a pair inches thick chains jumping against those who walked in their pen. But in the puppy pen lively creatures, whom you dared and liked to touch.

So it happened that the most lively of the pack came with us followed by excellent training advice. She slept her first night out - under our lawn swing in evening and nicely on the steps in the next morning after she had bitten her fastening rope broken. Now we need a pen and soon, we have place for it in our yard !

When about two weeks had gone I started carefully ask if it is so nice and necessary to travel there to Samarkand when we have got this puppy, too. In fact we could buy one more so that this first one doesn't need to feel so alone.

It wasn't necessary to persuade Maj-Lis very long time. Again a call to Seija who promised to us one more puppy and that we can fetch her already on the next Saturday. We were lucky when we could cancel our travel to Samarkand without some bigger extra expenses.

Zola is a little afraid of her new master

Zola and Vita like to be near

 And then it really started. A pen very soon up. Runs with dogs started. We had to go to the Special Siberian Husky Show in Merikarvia and find there all the husky people to be soundly foolish. In winter we had to look at races and learn new things all the time. Two dogs we could take on the back seat of our car, but who liked to sit there after that. We must change the car to such one which will do for dogs too. What will Maj-Lis do with her little Peugeot, she can use our dog car as well.

Then, it is a little big this VW Transporter for two dogs, there is place for some more ones. And two dogs is not enough to draw a fatty man.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now we have got four dogs, all bitches. When outsiders hear we have four dogs they react horrified - so many, other husky people look at us with pity - oh, only four. We have on the lorry ready places for six dogs and so much we could easily keep in our yard, too. We'll see. At least kids in neighbor think that when we have more than ten dogs perhaps we must move away. Before that they are waiting for a lotto prize to buy from us the nicest ones. The yard, which earlier was so green and gave us ingredients for many blackberry pies, is nowadays like after Hun Attila - there is not even a grass straw.

Here Zola had to start to clear the yard

After two years it was already quite clean

It is not necessary to plan travels to foreign countries. It is enough when we succeed to rent a suitable cottage on an island when time is cool enough for our huskies. Holidays we try to take during the winter as much as we can to our employers annoyance.

When there is enough time from playing with dogs we have to read all what have been written of huskies or sled dogs and that (luckily) exists. At the same time we have to clear up carefully if there is somewhere in the world a fiancé who could be good enough for our ladies if they some day would like to have a such one.

Irrevocably it looks like the way goes to a certain direction. We have to sell our house and move to the north, there is not even enough snow here in south. Damn it, there are still eight years to my retirement.

Oh dear, how much easier (but more boring) everything was two years ago.

Hannu Rauhamaa

 

Now I am already retired. We have changed our house and moved toward the north.
We live in forest, there is to the nearest neighbor about two kilometers and our training trails start from the yard.
It looks like our dog amount have been stabled about eight-nine dogs. There is place in our van for such an amount when we like to start out.
Our life rolls much around the dogs and they give to our life one of the most important meanings
- it is good we started then.