Meet Alika! She was pulled from the e-list at the Maricopa East shelter. Like many huskies, she did not thrive in the shelter environment and was showing some behavioral issues. She has made amazing progress since being placed in a loving foster home.

As with many dogs pulled from shelters, Alika took some time to adjust to her new home. She was initially wary of the male humans in her foster home, claiming her foster mom as her safe haven. She is still more comfortable with women, but will allow men to pet her if they stay still and allow her approach at her own pace. .She has done well around the older children in her foster home. She will cower or run away if sudden movements are made in her direction, but has gotten to be much more comfortable with her foster family. She has shown excitement when they come home and has started to seek out attention.

As she has adjusted to her new environment, Alika has also become more comfortable with the other dogs in her foster home. She will now initiate play and follow the pack around. She does not display any “alpha” behavior with other dogs, and she loves doing zoomies. She also enjoys going to the park and plays well with the other dogs there, though will check for her foster mom periodically. She also walks well on a leash without pulling too much. Her foster family has described her as having medium energy.

Alika has not shown many behavioral problems in her new home – any aggression displayed at the shelter was likely caused by the stressful environment. She has the prey drive that is typical of huskies but has not been destructive. She does not resource guard, but is cautious eating around other dogs – we recommend feeding separately until she learns to trust. She responds well to commands, verbal corrections, and positive reinforcement. She has been around a cat in her foster home and has not tried to hurt her, although she is very curious. Her foster family is working on establishing a “no kitty” rule, and she responds well to redirection. She has not been crated because her foster family has not felt the need to, so her behavior in a crate is unknown. She will likely need to be introduced to a crate slowly due to her stress from being in the shelter. She is housebroken and will approach her family nicely when she wants to go outside.

Alika would do well in any loving home. After being in the shelter, she needs patience and reassurance to be truly comfortable, She not need the most active home but would enjoy having other energetic dogs to play with. Older children are fine. She’s a loving, cuddly pup who loves belly rubs and trying to be a lap dog. She has adjusted very well to being in a safe environment and would thrive in the right forever home.