01/25/2025
Nova and Charlie
We have a favor to ask, please read until the end.
This month marks 10 years since we had our very first Pomsky litter and boy it is a story to tell that we have never told before. For two years of trail and error I finally got of my two huskies pregnant. This was before the time when TCI was widely known or used and there was very few Pomskies in the whole world! We didn't know which Huskies and Poms would make the best cross yet but I had a litter coming from our big brown eyed husky with the sweetest soul and our big red pie Pomeranian, Charlie. I was so excited!
When I calculated Novas due date, she was due 3 days after my then husband's sled dog race in Minnesota. I was confident she would wait until then but just to be sure, she came with us. We set on our 20 hour drive to our sled dog host hotel. We had my ex-husband, my mom, 22 month old Eli, 13 sled dogs, Pregnant Nova, and myself. We had no idea the adventure we had in store.
Nova traveled beautifully. She had always loved the sled dogs and had done a good deal of mushing herself. She had rode in the dog box nearly her whole life and loved it. The dog box took up the whole bed of the truck and had individual crate sized compartments for each dog that would stay at about 60 degrees even in freezing temperatures. We would stop every four hours and feed/water and walk every dog. Nova showed no signs of labor.
We stopped at a fueling station four hours from the host hotel and much to my surprised I opened Nova's box and was instantly hit with the strong smell of amniotic fluid and puppies! I reeled in my small panic attack and got to work setting up their whelping bed in the cab of the truck where I could keep the puppies warm at 80 degrees. Carefully we took each puppy from the box and placed them in the whelp box. We had six perfect, beautiful puppies! Nova had single handedly whelped and cleaned 6 beautiful puppies all by herself for her first litter in under 4 hours and they were now all safe and warm in the cab right next to me. I was so in love.
We were cramped in that truck with three adults, a large car seat with Eli in it, Nova and a whole litter of puppies but we were happy! We arrived and the host hotel and went to check in. While checking in the paper work clearly stated no dogs were aloud in the hotel. What the heck! This hotel is hosting a sled dog race! We explained the situation to the girl checking us in. We needed to bring in this momma and new born babies inside. She took pity on us and helped us sneak them up into our room.
How would I take Nova out to potty for the next 24 hours? With much difficulty. I'd pick up all 65 pounds of Nova and have her rest her head on my shoulder and then would throw a blanket over her. She looked like a sleeping child. I would then, travel down the hall, go down 6 stories in the elevator, walk through the casino, to finally get outside. She would go potty and we would do the same thing to get back up to the room. On one occasion, I was breathing heavily, sweating profusely from carrying this big girl and the blanket slipped. A hotel worker saw her. She said, "Is that a dog!" In my panic, I abruptly half screamed, "No! This is my kid!" She looked at me like I had three heads and walked the other way.
Well the next day we loaded up to start the 150 mile sled dog race. Nova and babies back in the whelp box, my ex-husband on the dog sled, me at the wheel, and my mom and Eli in the back with Nova. We stopped at the first checkpoint and I had to be out helping with the sled dogs for the next 6 hours. My mom and Eli would keep the truck warm and puppies safe.
I didn't know until after, the sled dogs coming in and barking would make Nova nervous. It's important to note, that since the moment Eli arrived into the world, he was Nova's kid, Nova's person, Nova's whole world, but she didn't love my mom. A new team would arrive barking and Nova would get worried and little tiny 22 month old Eli would have to climb in the box and hold her head and adjust her puppies. All was good in the world as long as her kid was in the whelping box with her.
We made it through the race and back home with very little sleep and a lot of stories to tell. Nova was the best mom. Eli was always in the whelping box and it was so hard on all of us to send those babies to their new homes. It changed our whole world for the better and I tear up thinking about it.
Nova and Charlie spent their whole lives with us from the moment we brought them home and we miss them dearly. Especially Eli. Both dogs clearly picked him as their person and we had such broken hearts when they passed.
Now for the favor. The reason we have puppies. The thing that fuels my soul is seeing how these babies save people from the struggles of life, just like they do me. Please tell us if you want more stories like this and please, if you have any of our babies, please tell us how they've blessed your life