Meet Kobe! Formerly Meko, this sweet young boy came to us from the euthanasia list at PACC in Tucson. Before that, he had found himself in and out of the shelter several times. He first arrived at PACC in December of 2023 as a stray. He was adopted, but returned to the shelter as a stray just 11 days later. His adopter did come claim him, but ultimately surrendered him after just 3 more days. He was adopted again, but returned again less than a month later. Due to his multiple returns and some behavior reported by his most recent owners, he was then placed on the e-list. Luckily, thanks to a very dedicated volunteer in Tucson, we were able to pull him at the very last minute and get him transported to a short-term foster in Phoenix. We are still evaluating his longer-term foster needs (and we’re always accepting applications to foster on our website).

Kobe’s notes from PACC indicate that he was very wary of new people. In the shelter, he was scared, shutdown, and headshy and wouldn’t even walk on a leash. As is common with nervous dogs coming out of the shelter, his first adopters out of PACC reported that they had some difficulty getting him in and out of the house and getting him to decompress; he was scared to even be touched or pet (although even then, he was careful around their young child). All that being said, he has made tremendous progress in his current foster home. He is adjusting well despite his fear. He now allows pets and chooses to hang out with his foster, and we’re sure he will continue to improve with some patience and kindness.

Kobe is a typical young, high-energy husky. He also absolutely LOVES other dogs and lit up with them in his foster home. He lives well with both large and small dogs and has interacted nicely with dogs of all sizes in other private spaces and dog parks. His ideal home would have at least one other playful, confident dog for him to play with and learn from; he really becomes attached to other dogs and will follow their lead when he’s unsure. He likes to run around the yard with them and stand on the top step of his fosters’ pool. He also enjoys going on walks, though he’s still a bit timid on leash (being around other dogs helps with this, too). He actually walks pretty nicely on a leash but will need an adopter who’s willing to continue working on his socialization. Kobe is also working on improving his house manners. Like many huskies, he has been known to counter-surf, get into the trash, and occasionally chew on things he shouldn’t. However, he does well in a crate when he can’t be supervised and responds well to verbal correction, redirection with food, and/or a spray bottle when it’s needed. He is still scared of correction and sometimes tries to run out the doggy door when he thinks he’s in trouble, though we’re confident that this will improve with some patience and love. 

Though Kobe is still easily scared, he clearly wants attention and is slowly becoming less timid. He’s more cautious around men than women. His most recent owners reported that he bit the adult male in the home once out of fear – he had gotten his paw stuck in his crate, and he bit his owner who was trying to help him get free. Obviously this was an extreme situation, as he was feeling trapped while already being afraid of humans. From what we’ve seen with him in our care, we do not believe he would bite again unless he was extremely scared. Though we’re recommending he not go to a house with young children out of an abundance of caution, both of his previous homes have reported that he did well with their children, including a 4-year-old in his most recent home. We have no concerns about him being around older, dog-savvy kids. He also briefly lived with a cat, although we don’t have any notes on how he did.

All in all, Kobe is just a shy but sweet pup who needs to learn that most humans are good. With plenty of patience as he decompresses (and a secure yard), we truly believe that he will thrive. All he needs is a person and family (and ideally a dog or two) who can help him build his confidence. If you’re interested in being that person for Kobe, please fill out an application on our website.