Dog Germs™

So we decided we wanted another Malamute. We started talking about it around November or December 2008 and by early February we decided that we would really like a new Malamute companion for us and our Siberian Husky. We prayed about it, as we do with all big decisions. And I always like to put in a special order since God has always seen fit to humor my preferences in the past. So we wanted a full blooded Malamute, a puppy or an adult under 2-3 years of age, a “wolfy” look to his coloration and markings, close to AKC standard size at around 85lbs, and a very affectionate disposition which we have learned to associate with Malamutes.

We considered buying an AKC registered Malamute puppy. We had rescued three sled dogs in the past but we had never raised a sled dog puppy before. We did a lot of research about reputable Malamute breeders in Texas. We contacted every Texas breeder we could find. Most of them responded to our email or phone call. A few were helpful and kind beyond anything we could have expected, offering to answer Malamute questions for us and generally sharing the excitement of our puppy search. None of the reputable breeders we spoke to, however, expected to have any litters available before October 2009. While we were willing to wait for the right puppy from the right breeder, we were also considering adopting a rescue malamute.

Our previous experience with rescued arctic breed dogs has always been very positive. In the past we have rescued a Samoyed, an Alaskan Malamute, and a Siberian Husky. All became very special members of the family after a little love and training. So while we were talking to breeders we were also talking to the folks at Texas Alaskan Malamute Rescue Association (TAMR). TAMR has a very stringent qualification process. I joked with my friends that they wanted DNA and blood samples before they would approve a person to adopt one of their dogs. It really isn’t too far from the truth. After a lengthy phone conversation with a TAMR volunteer and lots of emails back and forth they remained concerned about the condition of our backyard fence. So they sent over a local man who runs a Doberman rescue to inspect our fence. Well after the inspection they still wanted photos of the fence and we were beginning to become concerned that they were not going to approve us to adopt one of their dogs despite our 30 years of experience with rescuing and rehabilitation sled dogs. But a funny and propitious thing happened along the way…