Introducing Mika!

[Lou]

Hello everyone, my name is Becky and I'm a mother to a wonderful Siberian Husky puppy named Mika.
Our old dog Bingo had to be put down last November so we started our hunt for a new dog (we found we couldn't be without a dog for long).
On December 14th we randomly decided to go to our local SPCA and see what dogs they had and an hour and a half before we got there, a woman dropped Mika off (previously named Angel) and once we saw her we fell in love!

She's about 8 months old now, very frisky and hyper, she's also very caring and maternal, she loves to clean people's ears and give us kisses.

Here's a few pictures:




She sleeps in strange positions.

[Toby's my baby]

Welcome to Pet Talk! Mika is beautiful!! Great photos, I hope we get to see more of her soon!

[Lou]

Wolf_Q, now that I have my own thread I will answer your questions!

I have a problem with bathing Mika, she gets scared and shakes when we try to bathe her, and she moves around a lot making it difficult to bathe her.
What shampoo do you recommend? I also have a difficult time trying to rinse all of the shampoo out of her fur, but I guess that might be easier now that it's warmer out and I can wash her outside (I had to do it in the tub in the winter).
I don't have a high velocity dryer, I have a regular hair dryer, which I guess won't really do the job. Where could you get a high velocity dryer, and how much would that be?

Mika is inside a bit, but she really loves being outside, she likes to dig and chew on plants (I think I might have to dig up our rose bush if she doesn't stop chewing on it, she got a piece stuck in the roof of her mouth two weeks ago and we had to get to the vet to take it out, it stayed in because of the thorns on it), I have a hard time keeping her inside, she just really loves to be outside. I don't know what to do with her when I am inside.

My neighbor has a german shepherd lab mix, and they play together daily, we took them to a dog park and Mika really seemed to like the creek and all of the other dogs, so maybe a kiddie pool would be a good idea.

Do you have any other advice for me? I could use all the tips I can get.

[*LabLoverKEB*]

Welcome to Pet Talk! Your Sibe Mika is beautiful!

[luvofallhorses]

Welcome to pet talk!! Mika is gorgeous!! more pics please!!

[wolf_Q]

Mika is GORGEOUS!! Thanks for the photos!

You may have a hard time washing her outside unless you can use warm water...at least I've tried to wash Nebo in cold water and it didn't work very well. I use Tomlyn brand Milk Shampoo (sold at Petco, maybe Petsmart too, also through Pet Edge) on my dogs. I can use it for free which is nice, it makes their coats very soft. There are lots of good dog shampoos on the market. You can buy a dryer through Pet Edge, they are pretty pricey though...$100+. It works really well to dry them fast and it blows out lots of the undercoat, it is loud though and some dogs get scared by the noise...my dogs are fine with it but huskies in general don't really like bathing and blow-drying. Do you have a self-service dog wash near you?

My dogs love being outside too, and Keva really loves to chew up plants and dig. I think letting them be outside is fine as long as the yard is secure, they just need to be able to go inside and spend time with their family as well. It sounds like Mika has lots of fun playing with your neighbors dog. If you have any husky questions feel free to ask me or others on this board, there's lots of "husky" people on here. Oh, and yes all huskies sleep in weird positions lol.

Wolf_Q, now that I have my own thread I will answer your questions!

I have a problem with bathing Mika, she gets scared and shakes when we try to bathe her, and she moves around a lot making it difficult to bathe her.
What shampoo do you recommend? I also have a difficult time trying to rinse all of the shampoo out of her fur, but I guess that might be easier now that it's warmer out and I can wash her outside (I had to do it in the tub in the winter).
I don't have a high velocity dryer, I have a regular hair dryer, which I guess won't really do the job. Where could you get a high velocity dryer, and how much would that be?

Mika is inside a bit, but she really loves being outside, she likes to dig and chew on plants (I think I might have to dig up our rose bush if she doesn't stop chewing on it, she got a piece stuck in the roof of her mouth two weeks ago and we had to get to the vet to take it out, it stayed in because of the thorns on it), I have a hard time keeping her inside, she just really loves to be outside. I don't know what to do with her when I am inside.

My neighbor has a german shepherd lab mix, and they play together daily, we took them to a dog park and Mika really seemed to like the creek and all of the other dogs, so maybe a kiddie pool would be a good idea.

Do you have any other advice for me? I could use all the tips I can get.

p.s. Here's a pic of my two

[Lou]

I *might* be able to get warm water. What I think I really need to know, is all of the proper procedures for bathing a dog. I don't know if there's a specific way to do it, generally I just catch her and hold her there with one hand and try and wash her with the other, while in the tub (I don't even have a showerhead with a hose on it, haha), so maybe there's a more proper way for me to go about doing this?
Also, I'll have to check about the self-service dog wash, there might be some around that I never knew existed.

Our fence has holes in it (it's mostly rusted, it's a 3ft chain-link fence), so we keep Mika attached to a rope which is attached to a fence post. I'm slightly worried about it because yesterday she somehow managed to get off her line, thankfully she didn't run away, but she has gotten away from us 2-3 times in the past.

I have to say, your huskies are adorable!

+ Here's a few photo's of Mika and Zeek:






For some reason she likes to keep her front paws on him.

Mika is GORGEOUS!! Thanks for the photos!

You may have a hard time washing her outside unless you can use warm water...at least I've tried to wash Nebo in cold water and it didn't work very well. I use Tomlyn brand Milk Shampoo (sold at Petco, maybe Petsmart too, also through Pet Edge) on my dogs. I can use it for free which is nice, it makes their coats very soft. There are lots of good dog shampoos on the market. You can buy a dryer through Pet Edge, they are pretty pricey though...$100+. It works really well to dry them fast and it blows out lots of the undercoat, it is loud though and some dogs get scared by the noise...my dogs are fine with it but huskies in general don't really like bathing and blow-drying. Do you have a self-service dog wash near you?

My dogs love being outside too, and Keva really loves to chew up plants and dig. I think letting them be outside is fine as long as the yard is secure, they just need to be able to go inside and spend time with their family as well. It sounds like Mika has lots of fun playing with your neighbors dog. If you have any husky questions feel free to ask me or others on this board, there's lots of "husky" people on here. Oh, and yes all huskies sleep in weird positions lol.



p.s. Here's a pic of my two

[crow_noir]

I HIGHLY suggest getting a hose attachment for indoors! Either a shower head one, or you can also get them for regular tub faucets. (Or getting a hot water line to the outdoor faucet... and a spigot that combines the hot and cold. I haven't seen this since my parents' house, but i know it exists out there. ...but that is a LOT more expensive of a project than the $5 - $20 bath tub faucet attachment.)

I found that Koli prefers a LOT cooler water than other dogs i have bathed, but she still REALLY appreciates that it is not the freezing cold of the hose water. I'd never want to bath in that; I'd never make an animal do the same. (Unless it was a polar bear... but that's a different story.)

[Ginger's Mom]

Welcome to Pet Talk. Mika is adorable, and I see she has the Husky silly sleeping positions down pat. The nose shot is adorable.

[Freedom]

Hello, and Welcome to PetTalk! Another husky on here, oh boy. By the way we LOVE photos!

[Sevaede]

Welcome to PT! We look forward to your stay and lots more pics!

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

Welcome to PT! Mika is absolutely gorgeous. I love Sibes.

[Lou]

Welcome to Pet Talk. Mika is adorable, and I see she has the Husky silly sleeping positions down pat. The nose shot is adorable.

Do huskies always sleep in strange positions?

Also, thank you all for your warm welcome! I'll look for more good pictures of Mika to post!

[Kalei]

Awww Mika is adorable! I just love Siberians they are such beautiful dogs. Welcome to Pet Talk Lou and Mika! You will love it hear. And we will be looking forward to seeing more of Mika for sure

[Kfamr]

Welcom to Pet Talk Becky and Mika! Can't wait to learn more about you two.

Mika is beautiful.

I'm Kay and I am owned by four rescued mutts.