Boreas joined AZ Husky early March and quickly charmed us with his puppy antics. For reasons unknown, he ended up in the county shelter. Like many dogs in a new environment, he struggled and was placed on the euthanasia list for being fearful. Thanks to our foster network we were able to get him out just in time.

After a few days of settling into his foster’s house, we quickly learned that he is actually a pretty fearless guy! His foster reports that he has never met a stranger and is always ready for hugs and snuggles. He is curious and loves watching birds or chasing leaves blown by the breeze. In his foster’s home he is currently working on perfecting potty training and other manners. Boreas is dog-friendly, but not always aware of boundaries. He has not shown prey-drive towards small dogs, but again with no knowledge of his boundaries, he would probably play too rough and be too much for dogs that are much smaller than he is. As with all our pups, a meet and greet with any pets in the home is a must.

We estimate Boreas is somewhere around 2 years old, but he still has a lot of puppy tendencies. He walks nicely on a leash with his foster sister, but sometimes decides to “attack” her instead. He explores the world with his mouth and sometimes during snuggles or playtime, he’ll try to sneak in a nibble or two. Boreas doesn’t realize his size and sometimes those enthusiastic hugs he loves so much can knock you off your feet if you’re not ready! For these reasons, we think that the best home for Boreas would have either adults only or a family with older children and who can reinforce good behavior and work with him further. He’s come a long way and we want to make sure he joins a home dedicated to continuing his training! Boreas does not even know how to sit just yet, but he is very treat-motivated and will pose for photos – just without actually sitting. Being treat-motivated will help immensely as he learns all the behaviors he will need to thrive, he just needs to find the right human(s) to put in the time with him.

Boreas also needs a home where he will not be alone for long hours regularly. He has so many puppy tendencies, including counter-surfing and chewing on things, and unfortunately did not come to us with any prior crate training. He has already bent the wires on a crate when we have tried to crate him, and has peed in his crate – not great signs for an initial assessment, but with short durations and a lot of patience he could become crate trained… did we stress a lot of patience??

Last but not least: brushing. Boreas came to us shaved, with a few remaining mats. We have had him groomed and he is now so soft and snuggly! His foster is working with him on getting comfortable with a brush, as we believe he will have a lot of hair once his fur grows back and will need an adopter committed to keeping it maintained so that he doesn’t lose his beautiful coat ever again.

If we had to rate Boreas on a scale of 1-5, with 5 being high maintenance, we’d put him at a 4.5 due to current behaviors, training needs, and coat maintenance.

Despite being high maintenance, he is still just the most endearing guy – always happy and trying to win over every human and dog that he meets with his charm. Please be prepared to put in a lot of time and work to help Bo be his best self if you think you may be a fit! Fill out an app to start the process!