03/09/2023
Please check out Ada & all the wonderful pups & cats at the Oakdale Animal Shelter🐾
❤️UPDATE! Ada has been adopted to a loving new home!❤️
Ada is crying.
Long, mournful howls, singular in their misery. They puncture the air and can be heard even over the din of many barking dogs at the animal shelter.
Ada is a Husky. Scarcely a year old and gorgeous, she is essentially growing up in the shelter. She has been in and out of the shelter since December. She was adopted once and brought back for having "too much energy". That energy is both a curse and a blessing, but it is what Ada has in abundance. Along with other qualities prized by dog owners like extreme intelligence and fierce loyalty. And yet, she finds herself confined to a small concrete kennel for months, her mental health and young life in peril. Her plight is all too common.
Ada is the face of a canine crisis that is overwhelming animal shelters everywhere.
"Huskies have been surrendered to shelters in record numbers in recent years with many not making it out alive," said Debbie Kopilow, a canine coaching expert.
It is the same story in every shelter, all over the country. Stunningly beautiful Huskies, leaping and lunging at the steel bars that confine them to their kennels. Wailing and howling at the injustice that keeps them there. Probably no dog breed is less able to survive the stress of an animal shelter.
Kopilow says she believes the staggering number of Huskies is partially due to them being featured in recent TV shows and movies. Adorable puppies that are the product of backyard breeding, a cash-cow enterprise, grow into unmanageable dogs for the average pet owner. They can jump and climb over fences and out of yards, run like the wind and need regular, vigorous exercise to keep them happy. They can be great escape artists.
"Huskies were bred to run long distances and have great stamina," she said. "They are very intelligent and have a lot of energy, more than most people can keep up with. Left to their own devices they can be destructive."
She goes on to say that she believes most people have good intentions when adopting a Husky puppy, but once the dog is home and grows up, it can "prove to be too much for the family and the dog ends up in a shelter."
Once at a shelter, it is a race against time to find the Husky a way out, before their mental health deteriorates.
"The longer a dog stays at the shelter, the more difficult it is to find them a home as they can become depressed and anxious," said Kopilow.
With busy lives to juggle, there aren't nearly enough knowledgeable pet owners that can successfully manage a Husky. Rescue organizations that take Huskies are overwhelmed with the sheer numbers arriving almost daily at community shelters. Even with dedicated volunteers and caring staff, there simply is not enough attention and exercise time available to keep a Husky from deteriorating mentally.
"We are truly at a crisis level," she said. "The need for adoptive and foster homes is great and is the difference between life and death for these beautiful dogs."
She feels with commitment and training, Huskies make fabulous family pets. "They are generally very good natured, getting along well with most people and other dogs." She urges families to consider fostering a Husky before making the decision to adopt. If you have an active family or runners, a Husky could be a wonderful addition."
"Once you decide to bring a Husky into your home and commit to its needs, it will reward you with years of companionship and entertainment."
Ada currently resides at the City Of Oakdale Animal Shelter and is available for adoption now. She is pictured here with Debbie Kopilow of Canine Coaching with Debbie K.
