The next dog we're going to introduce to you is Aatu. He's a pomsky of 3 years old. that we rescued 2 years ago.
In the post of Darka I already mentioned Aatu. I was looking for another dog, that would be a good match for Darka and I've seen Aatu on a website for rehoming dogs. He's a pomsky, so a mix between a husky and Pomeranian. On the picture he looked like he lost a lot of hair and weight. In the description the old owners said they didn't have time to give him what he needed. But he was completely healthy and up to date on vaccines. He also had basic obedience I've read. Which sounded good!
Setting up a meet&greet with Aatu
I decided to meet up with the owners to see if Darka and Aatu would hit it off. This was in July 2022. They came over to my house. The moment they came in, Darka and Aatu started playing. In those few hours we were together, they never stopped. As I've already seen on the pictures his coat was destroyed. They've been brushing him twice a day because of the shedding. Something you can't do with their coat. Not only his undercoat was gone, but also the top layer started to disappear. After meeting up, we agreed on taking some time to think about it. Not that I needed that time, because I really liked him and most important: Darka liked him! A little over a week after the meet&greet they sent me a message that I could adopt Aatu. As long as I kept them posted about his life once in a while.
While trying to set up an appointment to pick up or drop off Aatu, it became clear what the real reason was why he had to be rehomed. He was in the crate most of the day because they didn't trust him while they were at work. The moment they came home, with two younger kids that just got out of school, they let him out of the crate. This resulted in an energy burst. As a high energy dog, he had to release that energy after being locked up for 10 hours straight. His old owners couldn't handle that energy level. He was also destructive because of it. Ofcourse, this caused more issues in and around the house.
The struggle was real
Then the day came that Aatu officially came over to live with us. Due to playing all day and longer walks, he had sore muscles the whole time. He wasn't used to it at all. Another issue we ran into was his behavior towards other dogs. He was reactive, didn't understand dog language and ended up in a few fights. Thankfully there was another pomsky in the neighborhood that taught him everything he needed to know. Also the training classes at the dog school helped this behavior a lot. We learned more about each other, we built up a bond and enjoyed all the walks we could do.
Almost 2 months after he moved in, we decided to join the competition at the dog school. We didn't expect much, since he only had 1 class so far and his training at home. With his background, lack of training and behavior it could be a hit or miss. He proved me wrong! He did amazing! We didn't win a prize, but we ended up 4th place. A major accomplishments and one I'll never forget.
An amazing dog
Even though he didn't have the best start, Aatu transformed in an amazing dog. The stubbornness and independence of a husky, the need for attention and the energy bursts makes us laugh every day. He loves to play with the other dogs, is fine with strangers now and can walk offleash without running away. It took a lot of basic and advanced obedience, going back to basics again and trusting him to try to let him run. Even though he sometimes gives me a heart attack with his actions (running after wild life for example) and he really tests my patience, I wouldn't want it any other way.
He loves his big sister Darka, plays a lot with Gator and Raven since they have the same energy level and even welcomes all fosters with enthusiasm.
