How To Place Your Siberian

Dear Siberian Owner:

In a perfect world, we would help place every Siberian that needed a home. However, due to resource and personnel limitations, we can only take dogs in very dire circumstances into Rescue.

But you can do for your dog what we would ordinarily do by following these steps. It will probably take you an average of one to four months to find a home for your dog, but consider how long you've had your dog already.

How To Place Your Dog

Before you begin to place your dog be sure your dog is either spayed/neutered and is up on all its shots, has been heart worm checked and has had a recent medical exam. Have a copy of your dog's medical file ready to be turned over to the new family.

Spaying/neutering is particularly important since unfortunately there are people out there looking for cheap breeding stock. You wouldn't want your pet to become part of a puppy mill operation or a research lab.

The Advertisement

· The Wisconsin State Journal under the Pet section in the classified ads, Milwaukee Journal or other Sunday newspaper that reaches the most homes in your area.

Here's a sample ad:

1 year old Siberian Husky female. Spayed, housetrained. Great with
people and other dogs. Affectionate and needs exercise. $100.00. Call 608-222-2222

· Other local publications and newspapers

· Put cards up at Vet offices, Pet Supply Stores and word of mouth. Sometimes a friend of a friend is looking for a Siberian.

· Always charge at least $75.00 for your dog, unless it is a close friend you know. This keeps research labs and other undesirables away from your dog. If someone complains they cannot afford to pay this amount, this is a red flag. You must wonder how high your dog would be on their list of priorities and whether or not they would be able to meet the financial obligations necessary to care for a pet. After all, remember that pet food, vet bills, and other routine care demands that someone have a stable source of income.

How To Screen Potential Homes

· Ask if the potential owners if they've ever had a dog before. Siberians don't make the best First pet. It's better if the person has had a dog before and preferably a Siberian. If they have had a dog before, ask what happened to the dog. Did a car hit it? Gave it away? Died of old age? Ask them to explain and don't feel bad about prying. Your dog is depending on you to screen out undesirable people in order to find him/her a good home.

If the person hasn't had a Siberian before, explain the following breed characteristics to them:

They Run Away. Explain how Siberians must be in a fenced in yard and on a lead during walks and at all times. Explain how they run away and cannot be "trusted" or trained to run loose in the yard, out in the country or lose in any other type of situation. They are not like labs or retrievers that can be trained to "come," or "stay around." They run away, and get hit by traffic or shot by farmers. This is why we have so many dogs in Rescue. It is important that any prospective family acknowledges this as a breed trait and as being the most serious drawback of owning a Siberian. The family must be willing to fence in a yard and protect the dog from itself.

Exercise. Explain to the prospective family that Siberians need a great deal of exercise. They are working sled dogs and have been bred to have high energy levels. Walks at least twice a day, bike riding with the dog on leash to run alongside is great exercise as well as bringing the dog out to a rural area to be exercised on a thirty or fifty foot leash at least once a week. If not properly exercised they can become hyper, not to mention destructive.

Other Pets. Ask if the person has cats or any other animals. If Siberians haven't been raised with cats they can harm them as well as rabbits, gerbils and other small animals. They may also harm birds, mice and other small dogs. If the prospective family has another dog, have them bring along their dog on the second visit to see if the two get along.

Escape Artist. Explain that Siberians can dig, hop over fences that are less than five feet tall and can be masters of escape. A good prospective home will accept your warnings and be willing to retrofit their yard and make changes to accommodate the Siberian. If they sound at all like they don't believe you or are balking at your caution - you're probably right and they don't believe you. This is the time to end the conversation in a polite way since it wouldn't be a suitable home for your dog. Our experience in rescue is that when Siberians escape in rural areas, they have been known to kill sheep, chase down livestock and are shot by farmers.

· Ask if the prospective family owns their home or rents. It is better if the family owns their home since Siberians need a lot of exercise and can get destructive if left home alone. Also, renters move more often than homeowners and may be unable to keep the Siberian after a couple of moves. Your goal is to look for a permanent home-one where the dog is most likely to live out the rest of its life.

· Ask how much time the person has to spend with the dog. Many people love dogs, but might not be able to give them the time they need. Siberians are very social animals and wouldn't do well in a home were family members worked 12 hours a day and had little time for the dog. All the love in the world won't make up for not enough time spent together. Ideally, a home that had another Siberian would be even more perfect. Siberians live well in twos. If your dog is not obedience trained (and even if it is), ask if the prospective owners have any interest in taking an obedience class. This is often a good indicator of how serious the prospective family will be in developing a rapport with the dog.

· Ask how the prospective family intends on "housing the dog." Will it be kept in a crate or kennel when no one is home? Will it be a member of the family and be in the house when the family is home? This is the optimal way of keeping huskies as pets. This plus having a fenced in yard. We do not allow dogs to be placed in homes where they will be tied out as a permanent means of housing. There are too many ways dogs can hang and harm themselves, not to mention slip out of their collars and we feel the quality of life for such dogs is poor.

· Find out whether the prospective family has children. While huskies are known for being good with children, it varies by individual dog. We discourage people with children under ten from adopting a Siberian (and any breed for that matter) unless the parents are skilled with dogs, are committed and know how to handle the situation. With a Siberian, the risk is high that young children will not be conscientious about keeping doors and gates securely closed, thus leading to the dog's escape out the front door or the back gate.

And with all dogs, toddlers are at most risk of being harmed by dogs. It is their unpredictability that many dogs do not respond well to. We will only place dogs in homes with young children where parents are experienced with Siberians and are fully committed to making the appropriate accommodations to keeping the dog and child safe. We don't believe in sitting a dog up into a situation where it will fail.

After a prospective family has agreed to all of the above and are ready to meet your dog, watch them carefully with the dog. How do they respond. Are they gentle, let the dog approach on its own terms. How does the dog respond to the person? Is your dog relaxed, responding in an open friendly way? Or is your dog acting afraid, shy, tense-ways you've never seen him or her respond before. These are important signs to watch for.

Does the potential family seem impatient, controlling, like they want to rush the interaction and are not willing to take time with your dog? Trust your gut!!! We've found that even when everything seems right, something about a prospective family might not sit well with you. Tell the family there are other people looking at the dog and you will call them when you have made a decision. Never let anyone pressure into taking your dog on the spot. Always let them have a "cool down" time (24-48 hours) when you and they can think about what's best for the dog. And don't be shy about asking to come over to inspect their home and see where your dog will be living.

Listen to your intuition. Your dog's life and happiness may depend on it!