Esme

 

 

 

Updated: 6/11/14

 

 

"Esme" was described as "a total clown" by her South Dakotan breeder. Just watching her grow via photos told me she was going to be a handful before we ever laid hands on her thick, soft, velvety coat.

No doubt recovering from all the stress associated with coming to a new home, Esme (short for "Esmeralda") nearly fooled us with her short lived laid back, sleepy-eyed demeanor. She quickly got over that, however, and has been a puppy at full force every since! 0 to 60 and not a toy left behind is her motto.

 

I cannot help but recall the adoring comments we heard as we carried this striking beauty into the vet for a check-up just a couple days after enveloping her into our family the same way we did into our arms. Oh, if those blue eyes weren't the talk of the town!

I started teaching her "Sit" and "Down" the first week she came to be with us, and within the first couple 5-10 minute training sessions, she was on to me. She has since learned to "Shake" and we are working on "Spin." I am excited to start working on the more advanced commands such as "Heel", "Stay", "Sit-Stay" (she is rather good at this one already as she has to sit and stay until her food bowl is on the floor and we give her the release cue), "Down-Stay", "Come", etc. One thing she did NOT need help in learning was how to fetch.

Believe it or not, Fetch is not a game innate to canines.  On the contrary, many dogs have to be taught how to play fetch like anything else. Emma was one of those dogs that had to be taught, so finding that Esme brought toys to me and would retrieve them as I threw them was a funny surprise.

Still a clown, Esme keeps us on our toes. Throughout this last week of December 2012, she has seen and got to play in her first snow. Like a true Siberian Husky, she acted as natural as could be, making trails with her nose, catching snow flakes, and sometimes just sitting down to enjoy the view.

Here is a history of the breed according to AKC's Meet the Breed.

"The Siberian Husky was originated by the Chukchi people of northeastern Asia as an endurance sled dog. When changing conditions forced these semi-nomadic natives to expand their hunting grounds, they responded by developing a unique breed of sled dog, which met their special requirements and upon which their very survival depended. The Chukchis needed a sled dog capable of traveling great distances at a moderate speed, carrying a light load in low temperatures with a minimum expenditure of energy. Research indicates that the Chukchis maintained the purity of their sled dogs through the 19th century and that these dogs were the sole and direct ancestors of the breed known in the United States today as the Siberian Husky.
Shortly after 1900, Americans in Alaska began to hear accounts of this superior strain of sled dog in Siberia. The first team of Siberian Huskies made its appearance in the All Alaska Sweepstakes Race of 1909.The same year, a large number of them were imported to Alaska by Charles Fox Maule Ramsay, and his team, driven by John "Iron Man" Johnson, won the grueling 400-mile race in 1910. For the next decade, Siberian Huskies, particularly those bred and raced by Leonhard Seppala, captured most of the racing titles in Alaska, where the rugged terrain was ideally suited to the endurance capabilities of the breed.
In 1925, the city of Nome, Alaska, was stricken by a diphtheria epidemic and supplies of antitoxin were urgently needed. Many sled dog drivers, including Mr. Seppala, were called upon to relay the lifesaving serum to Nome by dog team. This heroic "serum run" focused attention upon Siberian Huskies, and Seppala brought his dogs to the United States on a personal appearance tour. While here, he was invited to compete in sled dog races in New England, where the sport had already been introduced. The superior racing ability and delightful temperament of Seppala's Siberian Huskies won the respect and the hearts of sportsmen from Alaska to New England. It was through the efforts of these pioneer fanciers that the breed was established in the United States and that AKC recognition was granted in 1930. Many Siberian Huskies were assembled and trained at Chinook Kennels in New Hampshire for use on the Byrd Antarctic Expeditions. Dogs of the breed also served valiantly in the Army's Arctic Search and Rescue Unit of the Air Transport Command during World War II."

More information on the history, health, temperament, and personality of the Siberian Husky can be seen at these links.

AKC Meet the Breeds -- Get to Know the Siberian Husky
Pet Wave -- Siberian Husky Temperament and Personality
Pet Wave -- Siberian Husky History and Health
Pet Wave -- Siberian Husky Appearance and Grooming

 

Wags,
Whitney and Esme