Thanks Renee. I kinda think Ami did more for me than we did for him. But, Wayne has been saying he looks like he has filled out. I just can't believe how much. Or how emaciated he was.

Liz, the shelter director said his coat was gone due to malnutrition and exposure, not shaved. I wonder if that is why Ami seems so grateful all the time. Hard to explain, but he really does, just melts my heart when he looks up with that grateful look on his eyes.

I agree, it looks like previous owners possibly shaved him

He is such a handsome boy, I always enjoy seeing his fluffy face

Now that I have seen him in more pictures, a long while back you said he and Okami make a lot of the same facial expressions... I totally see it now. They have a lot of the same features.

Edit: of course after I post I see your comment of malnutrition being the reason for his coat being so short. That is so sad :'( I am so happy Ami is loved now.

I never saw those videos Amy...your house/yard is awesome!!! Now I have a better picture in my head for when you tell your stories of Ami and wow, Ami...I just love him. He is a beautiful husky for sure. When you say he is taller than standard, I personally don't see it, but I realize they are pics and things like that can be deceiving. He is a stunning dog, he has some of the prettiest blue eyes I've ever seen. I enjoyed his "baby pics" at first glance I thought wow, Kohdi is fluffier than a wooly, lol.

Btw love your ticker picture Amy

Thanks, Lucy. I'm a little frustrated with it - it's supposed to have a transparent pale green background but it's not showing up no matter what I do with it

Jimmy - thank you, we love it here. Most of the time. Winter was a little rough this year with an all time record low average high for Feb - I think it was 9 or something like that. I'm not sure my pool survived - it looks like the liner is floating underneath the cover. And, since it was only used, I think twice last year, once by Josh's son and once at the wedding by all the kids, husband is saying he's not willing to put another liner in Problem is, our season is so damn short - I used to use a solar cover but found it really complicated algae control. Without adding heat, the pool only begins to approach a comfortable 80 by the last week in June and it abruptly cools off after the first week in August. Last year, I think we reached 80-82 maybe for a week - most of the summer was 74-ish. Too cold for me!

Ami is only 1-1.5" over standard (if I'm measuring him right - he's kind of squirrely when the tape or the rule comes out.

When I told the vet about his skin/coat condition when he was "surrendered" (the shelter director gave and ultimatum - surrender or be seized. He was pissed.), the vet thought maybe he had flea dermatitis but I had specifically asked about fleas when we got him and they said no - he had no evidence and his paperwork showed no flea treatment. His neuter was done at Cornell Vet school and there was no mention of skin stuff in his exam paperwork. The shelter did tell us they had to wait a month to get him in adoptable condition.

Fortunately, we were at a gas station 10 minutes away, early in the morning and I was reading the paper while Wayne filled the tank. So we got to the shelter before they opened and were the first to ask about Ami - they had 3-4 calls about him while we waited. I have to believe there was an unseen hand guiding us - we never get up that early and this shelter is about 20 miles from our house. And I think we give Ami as good a life as he gives us, at least I hope so.

I believe in that "unseen hand guiding us" Amy, I've experienced too much of it to ever be doubtful...even in the case of Kohdi, I had a deposit down on another puppy and it "fell through" it was going to be my birthday the next day and it would have been my very first in my entire life there wasn't a husky with me...next day on my birthday I'm driving nine hours to pick up Kohdi even weirder is I put down a deposit on Mishka unknowingly on the one year anniversary of Anuschka passing away...and when did I go pick her up from the breeder? On my birthday, haha. And in all honesty, I don't believe Ami could have gotten any better a home than yours. I've read so many of your posts that I can actually "see" the love you have for him and him for you.  You and I are a lot alike in that we want our dogs to be trained and have boundaries, etc. but we also want them to be able to enjoy just being a dog, and we get our own enjoyment in watching that

Ok, Al, this is for you.

Z'ev... We were at a concert in the square. After waking the dogs all over Market St, the park and the grounds around Corning headquarters I finally got to sit. I was listening to the music when I heard chuckling behind me... Looked to my left and this is what I saw:


Ami after pre-dawn thunderstorms. He was pacing the room, panting, I sat up to see what was going on, he hopped onto the bed, altered behind me into my pillow, got grumpy when I touched his feathers trying to find a spot for me. Which left me sleeping with legs hanging off the bottom of the bed and head kinked to the side on Wayne's knees. Yes. It is possible to sleep Twitter into a pretzel. Sort of... This pic? Even after the storm ended, he was not about to leave his safe place!




Z'ev. Oh yes, Z'evi... Z'ev does not sleep quietly in the car. Wants to see everything. Most particularly... where's that ice cream shop!!!

I like Z'ev!! That picture of him on the table, looking at you waiting for whatever comes next ... says it all, you've done a really great job with him!! (( Now if we could just get rid of that muzzle - but I understand, while Sasha's okay at home there's not a chance that she isn't going to be muzzled at the vets! ))
In the bottom picture, he reminds me of Avalanche in the Jeep. Sasha and Sky will both crash - "Wake me when we get somewhere!" - while Avalanche is right over my shoulder watching *everything* If there's a big dog (a cow) or a bigger dog (a horse) or even a little dog (a wabbit) he wants to get out and play!!!

In part I can relate to the thunderstorm, if there's any 'noise' in the neighborhood, all three are as close to being under my computer stool as they can be.

Cool pictures ma'am, thank you!!

And, lest we forget Archer... At Josh's birthday party. Archer still thinks he's a lap dog

As for the muzzle. Let's see. Last week, Evelyn tripped over him and, except for the muzzle, would have received a bite.  He lit into Archer cause Archer tried to come in the door.  And, into Ami cause any tried to use the water bowl.

Now. These episodes are free and far between these days but they are totally unpredictable and once he starts, he keeps going back even after we break up the fight and the other dogs have settled.  I just don't see it happening, unfortunately.

No, as I said, I do understand. While Sasha is much better about "expressing her disgust" than she once was - and I can pretty much get away with anything - a sudden pain (like a shot given wrong) at the vets is apt to "draw blood" if she weren't muzzled.
Mary, the primary vet, simply refuses to have anything to do with her if she isn't muzzled; her son (also a vet) is more apt to work with her unmuzzled for simple things (temp, etc) but I agree with them, it's a lot better to be safe than sorry.
Unlike Z'ev, I can break up a dog fight between Sky and Sasha (haven't had one in a LONG time, knock on wood!) send them to their unlocked crates and they'll cool down. Unless it's particularly aggressive, I also tend to let them "duke it out" and I know from your comments that that's not possible with Z'ev - poor boy must have had an awful puppyhood.

Archer - lap dog or lap warmer?? Thankfully, mine prefer to keep all four on the floor (most of the time)

Picture of Z'ev on the table.

like the pic of Z'ev laying on the table .

A random doggie pic. Z'ev and Archer enjoying Daddy time.

Day doesn't like his picture posted so I cropped him out:roll: