Was it seven or eight years ago? I do not recall.
A young man and his girlfriend drove up into the hills of Malibu. They walked awhile and upon returning to their car they came upon a female Malamute puppy. They opened the car door, the puppy jumped in and the couple drove off, claiming the dog as theirs.
I had moved to Northern California, but once a year I drove down to Los Angeles. My first time back, I was invited for coffee to the family who had “dognapped” the Malamute. Seeing the abuse this dog was subjected to, I immediately asked for it as a gift or a purchase. The answer was “no.” Every year thereafter I visited the family to see about the dog and on my third visit luck was with me as I was allowed to take the dog for a month.
I left at five the next morning with the Malamute in my car. I gave her a new name and swore to her that she would never go back. The thought of the abuse I had seen still nauseates me so that I cannot describe it here.
We have nine acres fenced — plenty of room for dogs to run. The Malamute, who had been spayed while with that family, made friends quickly with my neutered Spaniel.
We invited breeders and a trainer to look over the Malamute and assess her. When they saw the result of the abuse, they refused payment, warning us that it would be a difficult task to bring our beloved KT back to being a dog again. The veterinarian confirmed this and suggested we give it a try for 18 months.
It was six months before she even lifted her tail up over her back, but we were encouraged. She sat every day all day with her nose pointed into a corner and would not move. It was nine more months before she socialized with us and played with the Spaniel. She is now an affectionate, intelligent, playful and happy dog. She will never be able to run well, since her back legs suffered from her being chained so many years. She can run some and we are glad for that.
I hope the original owners of the Malamute puppy will see this article or if friends do, they will tell them. I thank The Malibu Times most sincerely for printing this and bringing some belated comfort to the original owner of that beautiful puppy.
Elizabeth Binstock