All hail the Queen!
aving one dog will be good enough for most dog-owners, but for some of us, that just won't do at all. So you get a second one, either by plan or by "planned fate", as we did. This is Sabakas story, our second dog. As always, expect cute pictures.
Even though Sabaka is our second dog, she was the first one we met. She was born at the Husky Lodge Thomas worked at the same year Jana joined as a volunteer. She was always shy as a puppy and young dog, not really being able to fit in with the amount of dogs and people, but once she got used to us, she wouldn’t leave us alone. Every year, there’s always one puppy that manages to learn to climb out of the puppy yard, and this year it turned out to be Sabaka. After a while, it became normal to wake up in the morning, walk outside and call her, just to put her back in the yard.
It didn’t take long for this little creature to win the heart of Jana, and shortly after, Thomas as well. She showed early signs of being a free spirit and smart, but even though she loved her freedom, she soon learned that being inside was absolutely awesome. When she got in heat the first time, we locked her inside during the night along with her sister, and, being unused to it, they screamed almost all night. But then, the next night, both of them were anxiously waiting for WHEN we would let them inside to that warm, cozy place, and she hasn’t looked back since.
After that winter, we had to make a very sad farewell with Sabaka. We moved first to Tromsø, then to Lofoten and Steigen, and about one year after the Husky Lodge, we got Stalpi. When we were discussing Stalpi, we were already adamant that we would have at least two dogs, so that they would be able to keep each other company, and about three weeks in to our adventure with Stalpi, fate decided to intervene with a phone call. Our former boss called and asked if maybe we wanted to be the new owners of Sabaka. She was apparently unhappy in the yard, and tended to hide when a lot of people came or it got noisy. It took all of 2 seconds for us to say yes, we want her, and half a month later, Thomas and Stalpi went to pick her up.
At first, Sabaka seemed a bit uncomfortable with her new situation, and to top it off, she had to contend with a puppy as well! But, as she showed with her first experience inside, she was very quick to adapt. She even started taking a liking to this annoying puppy that kept biting her ear, even turning into something of a mother-figure for him. And we soon figured out that now her character truly had a chance to shine.
Sabaka is kind of a timid, shy character, and in the yard, all the dogs and noise was a bit much for her. With us on the other hand, everything was quiet. She could go on long walks and explore, sleep comfortably on the couch, and meet people and other dogs on her own terms. Slowly, she started opening up, becoming more confident in herself, and together with Stalpi and later Varg, they have created their own, strong pack. She is as most huskies, a very strong, hard-working dog, and she loves being outside just as much as she loves the couch. She hates swimming, thunder and loud noises, but she takes comfort on the fact that she has two strong bodyguards with her (And also Thomas to protect her). In her pack she is the mother, and our lives are greatly enriched by having her with us.
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