Idaho Alaskan Malamute Rescue Resources
Cisco's Story
|
|
Cisco came to live with me in February of 2001. I had made an offer to take this 8 year old Giant Alaskan Malamute into my home, if no one else volunteered. The offer was never intended to be taken seriously on my part, but was made to try and motivate someone closer to where he was to take him in. Cisco was at that time in Seattle, Washington and I lived in Boise, Idaho. |
| My offer was taken seriously and arrangements were made through the animal transport system to get this gentle giant to me in Boise. It would take almost two weeks. Cisco had to make two stopovers at rescue groups on his way to wait until the next leg of his journey could be arranged. |
|
|
|
Cisco was born in Montana somewhere and adopted by a teenage boy. After the boy left for college, with promises that as soon as he could he would come and get Cisco from his parents. This never happened. The young man moved to Seattle, got married and decided he no longer wanted Cisco in his life. His parents had recently retired and also did not want the responsibility of caring for this older dog. One last attempt at getting their son to take Cisco involved a trip to Seattle. When the son still refused a call was made to a local rescue group in the Seattle area stating that if this group did not take Cisco, the older couple would take him back to Montana with them and turn him over to a shelter.
|
| Everyone in the animal rescue community knows that taking an older dog into a local shelter is an automatic death sentence. The rescue group in Seattle had no room for Cisco, so they put out a request on one of the animal rescue groups I belong to. |
|
|
|
I had just started getting interested in dog rescue after some good friends of mine back east, Beagle rescue humans, keep urging me to get involved. I had no intention of ever doing more than offering help to transport rescued animals. Taking in another dog at that time did not seem a good option for me to think about. I had two dogs already, a 8 year old miniature Schnauzer and an dog aggressive 1 year old female Alaskan Malamute. My female Malamute did put up with the Schnauzer but that was it. When I made the offer to take in Cisco, I really thought that someone closer to Seattle would have stepped up and taken him in so that he would not have to travel so far to a new home. How wrong I was. |
| For the first time in my life, I have to admit that being wrong ended up being a good thing. Cisco turned out to be the type of canine companion I have always wanted in my life. He was gentle, sweet, calm, loving, intelligent and oh so very stubborn. He loved life, children, other dogs, people and demanded attention from all who came around him. |
|
|
|
Cisco arrived in Boise with a huge hot spot on his back and a rat's tail (no real coat on his tail). The previous owners had stated that the hot spot was from flea bites that they thought he was allergic to, but they had never had it checked out by a vet. Within the first week of his arrival, I made arrangements to get him health checked at a vet. Cisco had no thyroid activity, the cause of his coat loss. He was put on a thyroid medicine, which he would have to take the rest of his life. Although his coat did eventually grow back, it never would become what it was in his earlier life. |
| After I started the Idaho Alaskan Malamute Rescue, Cisco naturally became the good will ambassador for this rescue. He went to any and all functions that Idaho Alaskan Malamute Rescue was involved in. He representative this group at schools with children and just loved the attention he got there. Cisco was also my constant travel companion on the long trips I took to transport other rescue animals to either rescue groups or new homes |
|
|
|
On one such transport, we were to meet the local Border Collie rescue person in Vancouver, Washington at the local dog show. When we arrived and the person had taken the dog we transported to her, I decided to take Cisco into the dog show and look for an Alaskan Malamute person who would be showing her dogs that day. I am no show person, nor did I know any of the rules and regulations about bringing in non-show dogs. You would not believe the looks I received on that day, walking up and down the aisles with a non-standard Alaskan Malamute (Cisco is what most call a Giant Malamute, something that most Malamute show people are fanatically against). I finally found the Alaskan Malamute section and was immediately greeted by some very snotty show people. They let me know without holding back their disgust what they thought of this ugly giant Alaskan Malamute being anywhere near their beautifully groomed perfect show Alaskan Malamutes. When my friend showed up, she announced that I was the Idaho Alaskan Malamute Rescue and the attitude changed almost immediately. |
| One year Cisco was entered in the local PetSmart Halloween costume contest. I took him as an angel, because that is what he was to me. Cisco was not interested in walking down the aisle so the judges could see him. No way he was going to be forced down that aisle when there were so many wonderful children elsewhere in the store. When Cisco wanted to go somewhere, he had learned that he could drag me and off he would go. On that day, it took getting some of the children to help me get Cisco to walk the judging aisle. Amazingly he took first place that day. |
 |
|
|
Sometime after the first couple of years that Cisco had come to live with me, I got up one day to find that Cisco was not able to get up on his own. It took my son and I all of our strength to get him up and then into the car so he could be taken to the vet. Cisco was now 10 years of age. After being x-rayed, we found out Cisco had hip dysplasia. He was put on pain medication and seemed to get better. Having corrective surgery for this condition was not an option at his age. In 2005, the rescue closed down for good and we moved to the Portland, Oregon area. Cisco was not doing well and getting around was hard for him. We had to give up on his traveling anywhere, it was just too hard for him to get in and out of the car. Even our walks had to be shortened, he just could not walk very far. In April of 2006, Cisco collapsed to the ground and could not get up on his own any longer. The medicine was no longer helping his pain, the hip dysplasia was getting worse. For the next month we would have to help Cisco up with using towels under his front and back, help him walk outside, then back in where he would collapse and stay until the next time we took him out. Cisco left us one Tuesday in May. I still miss this big guy. He is still the love of my life.
|
Click here to go back to the top of this page
This page was lasted updated on 04/02/2008 10:25:21 AM -0500
