Meet Willow! This sweet girl was found as a stray with another husky named Meeko (who has since been adopted). Both girls were very shy, skittish and difficult to catch when they were initially found. As a result, MCACC was able to catch Meeko, but not Willow. Meeko was unfortunately e-listed shortly after for fear, but we were able to pull her and get her into foster care. 2 weeks after Meeko was trapped, Willow was finally also caught and sent to MCACC – we tried to intercept but unfortunately couldn’t snag her in time. We were very grateful to have a foster step up who ensured that we could pull this beautiful girl out of the shelter and get her safe before she too ended up e-listed too!

Willow was initially pretty shy coming out of the shelter environment, but she has made tremendous progress now that she is in a safe, loving home. Although she had some adjustment-based potty-training issues at first, she now asks to go out when she needs to and has been doing very well! She has even started going on walks and runs with her foster, which she loves. She walks nicely on leash without pulling too much. Though she still sometimes gets scared by new or loud sounds, she can usually be coaxed through it with some reassurance, and she recovers quickly. She is still timid around strangers, especially men, but she is gradually becoming more comfortable. She can become overwhelmed in particularly loud or busy environments, but we have no doubt that she will continue to improve with ongoing socialization.

As she comes out of her shell, Willow has become a typical, high-energy husky. She is very playful and has loved being around other dogs. Like many huskies, her play can be rough at times, but she hasn’t shown any aggressive tendencies; it’s more that she doesn’t know her size. Despite that, she does well with the small dog in the home and has been well-behaved around dogs of various sizes in public. At least initially, she seemed to prefer calmer dogs, becoming overwhelmed by those with more energy. Given her playful nature, however, we don’t anticipate her having any problems living with other dogs, even those that are more active. Even around other dogs, she is polite with treats, and she hasn’t shown any resource-guarding behavior.

Willow’s training is ongoing with the help of her foster. She knew nothing when she arrived, but has learned the commands for sit, down, and wait thanks to her love of treats. She still struggles with counter-surfing and jumping on people, but she is responsive to correction or re-direction (with treats). She may have some prey drive around cats. This is still being assessed, but it appears to be driven more by excitement than by actual aggression. She has met other cats while on leash and mostly just sniffs or ignores them, though she will sometimes bark. Based on our observations so far, we believe she has the potential to live with cats; we will update her notes as we learn more.

Willow initially struggled with separation anxiety when first coming to her foster home, but this has improved so much over time! Her foster is working on crate-training, and she currently eats and sleeps in her crate (with the door open). In the long run, we recommend any potential adopter have a safe, controlled environment for Willow to spend time in when she’s alone, as well as ensuring that she gets adequate exercise or has another dog to play with.

Any negative experiences Willow may have had in the past have not stopped her from being incredibly sweet and affectionate. She absolutely loves to be with her people and is very friendly despite her fear around strangers. She has shown some interest in playing with people but is also perfectly content to just relax and snuggle – she may be too big to be a lap dog, but that doesn’t stop her from trying. From what we’ve observed so far, she’s also good with children. When meeting some younger kids in public, she was initially cautious, but warmed up when she was allowed to approach them slowly and sniff their hands. We think she would be okay in a household with dog-savvy kids who respect her space while she settles in.

Willow is ready to find her new family! If you’re interested in welcoming Willow into your home, please fill out an application on our website.