Meet Winston! Winston ended up on the euthanasia list at the Maricopa County shelter after being adopted and returned one too many times. According to his notes, none of those returns were his fault. Reasons for his return included another dog in the home not getting along with him, separation anxiety and howling when left along, and even after a week for no reason at all. In our evaluation of him, we couldn’t see any reason why he was deemed other than him being returned so many times. He has no history of biting or other aggression and seemed to be just a big, happy puppy. Luckily, a volunteer at MCACC who had met him a few times agreed that he didn’t deserve to die and stepped up to foster him. We are so happy to welcome this sweet boy into rescue and help him find his forever home.

Now that he is in a more husky-savvy home, Winston is adjusting very well. His foster is taking the time to understand him and has found him to be a smart and confident dog. They have been working on socializing him in a variety of environments, including hikes around water and livestock, and Winston has had no problems being exposed to new things. He has the high energy you would expect from a husky, so he absolutely loves going on walks and hikes. After some good exercise or some zoomies, he’s content to relax at home and play with his toys. He does not currently live with other dogs but seems to do alright with them. He did well on a hike with another dog, and one previous adopter reported that he enjoyed going to the park. His current foster, however, did note that he was unsure of her daughter’s great dane and that he wants to be the alpha dog when playing. They are working on giving him more positive interactions with other dogs, so we do think that he could be a good fit for a multi-dog household. As always, we recommend a meet-and-greet with any dogs in the home before adopting.

We do not believe Winston received much training in any of his previous homes, but he picks up on things quickly. He learned how to use the doggy door and walks nicely on leash. He responds well to redirection with treats when he’s around distractions and sits nicely for meals and treats. He also knows “leave it” and “no” for when he’s misbehaving (counter-surfing, jumping on people, mouthy play). Like many huskies, his recall is a work in progress. Winston’s biggest challenge right now is his separation anxiety – he gets very attached to his people and howls on and off in his crate when left home alone. This is not terribly surprising given how much he has been shuffled around, and we believe it’s something that he can work through with the help of a loving and dedicated family

Last but not least, Winston is a big sweet boy who loves to cuddle. His notes say that he has lived well with kids of all ages, including a 2-year-old. He would make an excellent adventure buddy for any family willing to give him the patience and enrichment that he deserves. He has been failed time and time again by people who didn’t know huskies; we can’t wait for him to find a home that understands the unique needs of the breed. If you’re ready to finally give Winston his forever home, please fill out our adoption application.