Animal Welfare Professionals

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Hi Jean,

------------------------------
Kelly Duer
Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist
Maddie's Fund

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Hi Kelly 

Thank you for replying to my post.  You listed really good suggestions. 
The huskies or northern breeds in general aren't the easiest breeds .  They are dumped right and left now because many people didn't do research about them and later realized they were not ready for these wonderful dogs.  

It will be great if there is a comprehensive list of foster network out there with their breed experiences so rescue group like NorSled can benefit  from it .

I will definitely like to follow up with a zoom session with you.  NorSled and our rescued huskies need any help we can get.

Hi Jean,

------------------------------
Kelly Duer
Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist
Maddie's Fund

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Hi,

Seeing that you are Volunteer, I highly recommend you consult with the board or whoever can make changes within the organization and discuss what CAN be implemented and read up on the link that Kelly provided to get an idea, you might face pushback on what can be done or the lack of resources to implement those changes. Yes, there is a crisis, it's everywhere. Due to the pandemic, it has changed animal welfare and pet ownership, and shelters and rescues have to adapt it's not just about getting more fosters if the current program is no longer up to date. If Kenneling is a high cost, the priority might be to adopt out the dogs that are in the kennel or move them into a foster home so they can be adopted out, so that the resources can be shifted to another program or uses. If finding a foster is an issue maybe finding walkers for the dogs in kennels might be an option, take them for outings so they can have more pictures and videos and exposure to increase their odds for adoptions, who knows maybe the walkers can become fosters a lot of fosters started off as volunteers. Kelly posted some great links and do browse older discussions using the search function, lots of rescues have shared some great tips, and check out Maddie University for many amazing courses!! Best of Luck!

Hi Kelly 

Thank you for replying to my post.  You listed really good suggestions. 
The huskies or northern breeds in general aren't the easiest breeds .  They are dumped right and left now because many people didn't do research about them and later realized they were not ready for these wonderful dogs.  

It will be great if there is a comprehensive list of foster network out there with their breed experiences so rescue group like NorSled can benefit  from it .

I will definitely like to follow up with a zoom session with you.  NorSled and our rescued huskies need any help we can get.

Hi Jean,

------------------------------
Kelly Duer
Senior Community Solutions Initiative Specialist
Maddie's Fund

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

Jean, it's not just northern breeds.  German Shepherds are being dumped in droves.  Even Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds, which used to be "rare finds" in shelters are now quite common where I am.   I wish there were an answer other than "transport north and east," but that's all I've got.

Fosters have dried up for us too since the pandemic -- our string of hurricanes didn't help either.  We're shifting more into supporting transports rather than fostering locally.

If your org is open to transports, try reaching out to Alaskan breed rescues.  Your dogs would be in demand up there, and they're small enough to be able to fly in crates on Alaska Airlines.

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

How sad. Thanks for sharing Maggie. 
I am so involved in the northern breeds and was told that huskies are the highest killed breed in shelters. I am aware of other breeds but not to the severity you described especially Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds. 

We do try up north to Washington and Idaho states but northern breed rescues up there are also as overwhelmed as we are in California. 

Thanks for suggesting the Alaskan rescues. I will definitely find out who they are and their rescue situation. 

In the meantime, I am wishing for a miracle to happen where there's a sanctuary which all these wonderful dumped animals could have gone to and been saved without worrying about euthanasia or limited funding. 

Thanks again Maggie. 

Jean, it's not just northern breeds.  German Shepherds are being dumped in droves.  Even Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds, which used to be "rare finds" in shelters are now quite common where I am.   I wish there were an answer other than "transport north and east," but that's all I've got.

Fosters have dried up for us too since the pandemic -- our string of hurricanes didn't help either.  We're shifting more into supporting transports rather than fostering locally.

If your org is open to transports, try reaching out to Alaskan breed rescues.  Your dogs would be in demand up there, and they're small enough to be able to fly in crates on Alaska Airlines.

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

We face the same problem with Great Pyrenees - dying in droves in shelters and people want to surrender left and right.  They, too, are a more difficult breed and people have low tolerance for their idiosyncrasies. Even when they foster, they often don't foster the breed again (but will others) and talk about the work they have to do with the breed, regardless of how much we work with them and tell them ahead of time (we're very forthcoming)...so I get where you're coming from. And yes, right now every breed and mixed breed is in abundance, and it's heartbreaking.

I'm following this, as well, checking out all suggestions, but if you find yourself making progress or find something that works well, please let us all know. Wishing you the best! 

How sad. Thanks for sharing Maggie. 
I am so involved in the northern breeds and was told that huskies are the highest killed breed in shelters. I am aware of other breeds but not to the severity you described especially Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds. 

We do try up north to Washington and Idaho states but northern breed rescues up there are also as overwhelmed as we are in California. 

Thanks for suggesting the Alaskan rescues. I will definitely find out who they are and their rescue situation. 

In the meantime, I am wishing for a miracle to happen where there's a sanctuary which all these wonderful dumped animals could have gone to and been saved without worrying about euthanasia or limited funding. 

Thanks again Maggie. 

Jean, it's not just northern breeds.  German Shepherds are being dumped in droves.  Even Belgian Malinois and Dutch Shepherds, which used to be "rare finds" in shelters are now quite common where I am.   I wish there were an answer other than "transport north and east," but that's all I've got.

Fosters have dried up for us too since the pandemic -- our string of hurricanes didn't help either.  We're shifting more into supporting transports rather than fostering locally.

If your org is open to transports, try reaching out to Alaskan breed rescues.  Your dogs would be in demand up there, and they're small enough to be able to fly in crates on Alaska Airlines.

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Long-time husky owner and husky foster here, so I have feelings about this. :)

Yes, they are a unique breed with unusual characteristics that people used to labs and yorkies may be surprised by.  Haha. (the fur, omg) But requiring fosters and adopters to have breed experience is severely limiting options and preventing huskies from going into good homes. Instead of cutting people out because they were never lucky enough to grow up with a husky in their house, we need to tell them what caring for a husky is like so they are prepared. How will they get breed experience if no one will adopt to them because they don't have breed experience?

I often see husky rescues putting up so many barriers that they cut out virtually every possible new home. Things like requiring fosters/adopters to have a fenced in yard (often specifying a six foot solid fence), or they exclude families with kids, and/or exclude people with cats. Huskies as a group have a cat problem, yes, but it's not universally true. Older huskies in particular can do fine with cats. All of my huskies have been good with cats and small kids. (My current husky is not so good with humans of any age but she's great with cats!)

Huskies don't need fences: they need exercise and entertainment. An active family can provide that no matter where they live or what kind of yard they have. I've never had a fenced in yard. I used to walk one of my huskies for three hours a day.  Another one we went to the dog park every.single.morning in addition to hours of walking. My current husky and I live in a small downtown city rowhouse with no yard at all, only a patio, but there's a massive park across the street and we go there about five times a day. (and we see lots of other huskies happily living the city life!) Someone who runs or hikes would be a great husky owner whether they've had one before or not. And with so many people working remotely now, people have more free time!

To get and keep fosters, make it as easy as possible. Make becoming a foster easy, and make being a foster easy by providing all the supplies/food, have back-ups available for when fosters need a dog sitter, and give them first dibs on adopting their foster. A private foster Facebook group is a fun way for fosters to chat with each other and share photos about the shenanigans their dogs are up to. Evaluate each dog individually instead of implementing blanket rules and restrictions about who can care for them. Talk to people about caring for a husky and what to expect in POSITIVE way. Someone who knows and is prepared to walk a foster husky for two hours a day can be just as good a foster as somebody who has actually walked with a husky for two hours a day. Give people credit. People are smart. They can learn! And the rewards for learning to care for huskies are amazing! 

------------------------------
Maria Saucedo
GIS Analyst
Pets for Life at HSUS
Baltimore, MD

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Thanks for sharing your experience Maria. 

Our rescue has been saving huskies, malamutes, and any of these mixes for 25 years now.   They came to our rescues in so many different sad situations (escaped with scars on the neck, hit by cars, shot, killed cats/ livestock, terrified of certain people including kids, abused etc).   In addition to find  good hearted fosters / adopters, the general rules have been there to ensure the safety of our huskies  and its environment for them to succeed in.   When things didn't work out, our huskies were usually the first to go or dumped. 

Our rescue does evaluate every application individually and do have fosters/ adopters with cats, kids, no yards).  

Our wonderful rescue coordinator has been rescuing all these 25 yrs and  has never seen it this bad.   Revisiting these general rules is a good idea as this situation is dire.  Thanks for your suggestion.

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled

Original Message:
Sent: 07-10-2023 01:11 PM
From: Maria Saucedo
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Long-time husky owner and husky foster here, so I have feelings about this. :)

Yes, they are a unique breed with unusual characteristics that people used to labs and yorkies may be surprised by.  Haha. (the fur, omg) But requiring fosters and adopters to have breed experience is severely limiting options and preventing huskies from going into good homes. Instead of cutting people out because they were never lucky enough to grow up with a husky in their house, we need to tell them what caring for a husky is like so they are prepared. How will they get breed experience if no one will adopt to them because they don't have breed experience?

I often see husky rescues putting up so many barriers that they cut out virtually every possible new home. Things like requiring fosters/adopters to have a fenced in yard (often specifying a six foot solid fence), or they exclude families with kids, and/or exclude people with cats. Huskies as a group have a cat problem, yes, but it's not universally true. Older huskies in particular can do fine with cats. All of my huskies have been good with cats and small kids. (My current husky is not so good with humans of any age but she's great with cats!)

Huskies don't need fences: they need exercise and entertainment. An active family can provide that no matter where they live or what kind of yard they have. I've never had a fenced in yard. I used to walk one of my huskies for three hours a day.  Another one we went to the dog park every.single.morning in addition to hours of walking. My current husky and I live in a small downtown city rowhouse with no yard at all, only a patio, but there's a massive park across the street and we go there about five times a day. (and we see lots of other huskies happily living the city life!) Someone who runs or hikes would be a great husky owner whether they've had one before or not. And with so many people working remotely now, people have more free time!

To get and keep fosters, make it as easy as possible. Make becoming a foster easy, and make being a foster easy by providing all the supplies/food, have back-ups available for when fosters need a dog sitter, and give them first dibs on adopting their foster. A private foster Facebook group is a fun way for fosters to chat with each other and share photos about the shenanigans their dogs are up to. Evaluate each dog individually instead of implementing blanket rules and restrictions about who can care for them. Talk to people about caring for a husky and what to expect in POSITIVE way. Someone who knows and is prepared to walk a foster husky for two hours a day can be just as good a foster as somebody who has actually walked with a husky for two hours a day. Give people credit. People are smart. They can learn! And the rewards for learning to care for huskies are amazing! 

------------------------------
Maria Saucedo
GIS Analyst
Pets for Life at HSUS
Baltimore, MD

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

This is the same story with all rescues and shelters, and all have been thinking and doing things "outside the box" Unfortunately the situation with your particular rescue is not unique, it is the same all across the USA.  Despite what you say about your organization's adoption process that you guys do evaluate applications a quick look at your website says different. "Please note we do not adopt to families with children under the age of 8 years old or homes with small animals or farm animals."

As someone in rescue for almost 2 decades what a volunteer sees and what behind the scenes with boards and people in charge are often VERY different. Ask a lot of questions.  I recommend you use keyword search and look around in the forum as well as Maddie University there are many resources available but someone has to take the time to learn and make changes, it's not an easy process, there is no easy way it takes a lot of time, commitment and self-reflection especially with legacy rescue which has the same person in charge for over 20 years. More money and more fostering might not always be the answer, I've seen that with large organizations and small organizations.  Best of luck to you and your rescue. 

Thanks for sharing your experience Maria. 

Our rescue has been saving huskies, malamutes, and any of these mixes for 25 years now.   They came to our rescues in so many different sad situations (escaped with scars on the neck, hit by cars, shot, killed cats/ livestock, terrified of certain people including kids, abused etc).   In addition to find  good hearted fosters / adopters, the general rules have been there to ensure the safety of our huskies  and its environment for them to succeed in.   When things didn't work out, our huskies were usually the first to go or dumped. 

Our rescue does evaluate every application individually and do have fosters/ adopters with cats, kids, no yards).  

Our wonderful rescue coordinator has been rescuing all these 25 yrs and  has never seen it this bad.   Revisiting these general rules is a good idea as this situation is dire.  Thanks for your suggestion.

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled

Original Message:
Sent: 07-10-2023 01:11 PM
From: Maria Saucedo
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Long-time husky owner and husky foster here, so I have feelings about this. :)

Yes, they are a unique breed with unusual characteristics that people used to labs and yorkies may be surprised by.  Haha. (the fur, omg) But requiring fosters and adopters to have breed experience is severely limiting options and preventing huskies from going into good homes. Instead of cutting people out because they were never lucky enough to grow up with a husky in their house, we need to tell them what caring for a husky is like so they are prepared. How will they get breed experience if no one will adopt to them because they don't have breed experience?

I often see husky rescues putting up so many barriers that they cut out virtually every possible new home. Things like requiring fosters/adopters to have a fenced in yard (often specifying a six foot solid fence), or they exclude families with kids, and/or exclude people with cats. Huskies as a group have a cat problem, yes, but it's not universally true. Older huskies in particular can do fine with cats. All of my huskies have been good with cats and small kids. (My current husky is not so good with humans of any age but she's great with cats!)

Huskies don't need fences: they need exercise and entertainment. An active family can provide that no matter where they live or what kind of yard they have. I've never had a fenced in yard. I used to walk one of my huskies for three hours a day.  Another one we went to the dog park every.single.morning in addition to hours of walking. My current husky and I live in a small downtown city rowhouse with no yard at all, only a patio, but there's a massive park across the street and we go there about five times a day. (and we see lots of other huskies happily living the city life!) Someone who runs or hikes would be a great husky owner whether they've had one before or not. And with so many people working remotely now, people have more free time!

To get and keep fosters, make it as easy as possible. Make becoming a foster easy, and make being a foster easy by providing all the supplies/food, have back-ups available for when fosters need a dog sitter, and give them first dibs on adopting their foster. A private foster Facebook group is a fun way for fosters to chat with each other and share photos about the shenanigans their dogs are up to. Evaluate each dog individually instead of implementing blanket rules and restrictions about who can care for them. Talk to people about caring for a husky and what to expect in POSITIVE way. Someone who knows and is prepared to walk a foster husky for two hours a day can be just as good a foster as somebody who has actually walked with a husky for two hours a day. Give people credit. People are smart. They can learn! And the rewards for learning to care for huskies are amazing! 

------------------------------
Maria Saucedo
GIS Analyst
Pets for Life at HSUS
Baltimore, MD

Original Message:
Sent: 06-30-2023 12:07 PM
From: Jean Sutarja
Subject: Huskies In Crisis

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post. 

#FosterPrograms
#Rehoming

------------------------------
Volunteer
NorSled
------------------------------

Back yard breeders, folks who adopt with no idea of what they are doing,  and folks who wanted a "dire wolf" during Game of Thrones, then had a three year "vacation" at home during covid are ALL dumping, abandoning and dropping their huskies now. It is crisis mode. 

We've never seen anything quite like this before. There have been bad times, but never THIS bad.

Our rescue, NorSled, is bleeding out in kenneling costs. We cannot take any more dogs in unless we have more foster homes and more adoptions.

We SHOULD be out helping get dogs from shelters - where they are pouring in - we are stuck. NO FOSTER HOMES.

PLEASE HELP Norsled help the huskies in the bay area shelters.  Hope this makes a few more of us think carefully, long and hard on ways to help a husky or two in Norsled so we can help a few more outside of our rescue.

Your ideas on getting foster homes for our special dogs are very appreciated. Nothing is too silly or crazy or wild eyed.

Appreciate your time reading this post.