Meet Ghost! This handsome young dude spent the first part of his life with one family. Unfortunately, the family’s circumstances changed, and they made the decision to surrender Ghost to PACC when he struggled to adjust to the changes, which included moving in with another family member and bringing home a new small-breed puppy. Based on the story told by his family, Ghost was placed on the euthanasia list and designated as “rescue only”, meaning that he would be released only to an approved rescue group, not just a member of the general public. When we heard Ghost’s story, we were confident that he didn’t deserve to die; he just needed a stable home and a little guidance. One of our Tucson-based volunteers offered to pick him up and foster him, and it was clear from the minute he left the shelter that we made the right choice. We are so grateful to be giving Ghost a second chance at life and can’t wait to see him thrive in a loving home.

Ghost settled in to life at his foster home easily, adjusting in just a few days. The staff at PACC reported that he had been very stressed, but he didn’t show any signs of that once he was in a safer environment. He quickly figured out how to ask to go outside by standing by the back door, and he slept through the night in his crate just hours after leaving the shelter. He also began asking for attention immediately. Though he was a bit timid at first, it was obvious that he just desperately wanted to be loved. There was a single incidence of resource-guarding his food bowl around other dogs his first night in the foster home, but he gave an appropriate correction and has not displayed any other guarding behavior with people or dogs around food, treats, or toys.

Ghost is pretty chill by husky standards and has proven himself to be very well-behaved in the home. He does not counter-surf, try to get into the pantry or trash, or chew on things he shouldn’t. The one time he tried to wander off with a sock, he dropped it nicely when he got caught (note that his previous owners did report that he has swallowed pieces of soft toys in the past, so we recommend he not have unsupervised access to those in his new home). Ghost loves people and has been very excited about visitors to his foster home. When people come in the house, he jumps in the air in front of them without actually touching them. When it’s needed, he responds very well to gentle verbal correction or re-direction with treats. He does not require harsh or physical correction and actually seems to thrive on having some guidance around good behavior. He takes treats incredibly gently and politely allows all sorts of handling by both his fosters and strangers.

Ghost has also done well with the other large dogs in his foster home, a male husky and a female German shepherd both around his age. There was an adjustment period as the three of them worked on communication. Ghost absolutely loves having other dogs around and really wants to play. He’s very talkative, making the goofiest grumbles and growly noises when he’s happy or excited. He is, however, still learning how to initiate play and to set and respect boundaries. This has led to some scuffles with the other dogs in home, although we want to stress that Ghost has never been the aggressor in these situations. It has also improved a lot as the dogs have gotten to know each other. He has not been around dogs outside of the home while living with his fosters, though he seems interested in dogs he passes on walks. His previous owners reported that he did not get along with the small dog in their home, but it was a male puppy (not neutered) that they brought home around the same time that they moved, so it was likely an issue of stress and bad timing. We believe that Ghost will have no problem living with other dogs as long as they are reasonably patient.

Ghost is really just a typical young, playful husky. He absolutely loves walks and will follow you to the door if he thinks you’re leaving the house. He does a little happy dance when you pick up his leash, but sits nicely for it to be put on. He does pull on leash, especially in the first few minutes of the walk, but his fosters are working on it. He also LOVES to play, especially with balls and rope toys. He’ll come over and drop a ball in your lap when he wants to play fetch. He also has an adorable tendency to just play by himself, throwing a ball around and chasing after it or spinning around with a rope toy. He does the cutest bouncy run when he’s playing, and you can tell he’s just a happy boy. He’s also super sweet, often seeking out attention from his fosters. He loves to snuggle and will lean into you or try to climb into your lap for pets. In the interest of transparency, his previous owners did report that he bit the family’s grandmother while she was feeding him. From what we were told, she was putting his food down while also correcting him, leading him to bite. He also bit his foster mom once during a scuffle with the German shepherd in the home, although she is confident that is was accident and that she was just standing in exactly the wrong place at the time. We have not observed a single case of aggression towards humans since pulling him from the shelter, and we truly believe that any issues reported by his old owners were due to poor management or stress from several big life changes. Due to this bite history, we will not adopt Ghost to a family with very young kids out of an abundance of caution, although he has met kids in public and has been very gentle.

Ghost is truly a special boy who fell victim to some unfortunate circumstances. In a home that gives him some guidance and understands dogs’ body language, he should absolutely thrive. He is sweet, playful, and so easy to live with (not destructive, potty trained, and perfect in a crate, although he does get antsy if he’s crated while people are home). He’s equally happy going on adventures or lounging at home, though like any husky, he does need his exercise. He would be great in a home with one or two playful and confident, but tolerant dogs who could show him the ropes, but he could also be an only dog with some devoted humans. He’s really just looking for people to love on him and give him some structure. If you’re interested in giving Ghost the second chance he deserves, please fill out an application on our website.