Bailey - my sweet rescue dog

April 22, 2019

Bailey - my sweet rescue dog

Our 2nd Siberian Husky was a Red & White ball of fur called Koko which we got from a local breeder. A sweet wonderful dog, he bonded instantly with our starter husky, Bandit. Tragically, one day Bandit and Koko pushed me aside as I was opening the garage door and bolted past me and into the woods where we usually go walking. Despite immediately running after them they disappeared on me and never found them. Bandit returned several days later full of shotgun pellets but Koko was never found and we presumed shot to death.

Bandit was a typical black & white, blue-eyed husky and while we have had several Sibes in different colors and markings over the year, Maggie and I really loved the red huskies. Two of our dogs passed years later of old age within a month of each other. That left us with only one black & white sibe, Shaka. After living with 3 raucous sibes for years, the house felt empty. That's when I started browsing Sibe Rescue websites. Here I found a cute 1 year old Red & White husky female. I emailed the rescue group and scheduled a home visit. Several days later, Bailey, soon to be dubbed Psycho Dog, joined our pack. That was over 13 years ago.

Bailey, the first couple of days

While Bailey was cute and vigorous as only a 1 year old puppy could be, it soon became apparent why she was in Rescue. The story from the Rescue folks was that Bailey was a destructive and out of control dog. Chances were the original owner never had sibes before and didn't know anything about dogs other than they look cute. Probably figured they would be easy-going like Labs and the like. Nope, not going to happen with huskies. They are a proud, stubborn and independent breed. And if there isn't a firm hand in the house, they'll take over and do what they want. And that’s what happened here. Bailey wasn't a laid back puppy. Supposedly, the original owner was so fed up with Bailey that he was spotted hauling her out into the back yard with a gun where he was planning to shoot her. Knowing Bailey and how pissed off she made me over the years, I can believe this. A neighbor intervened , took the dog and contacted the rescue group. With no obedience skills and a generally out of control temperament, they shipped her off for a month of intensive training by a specialist before allowing her to be put up for adoption. The training mostly worked, but she remained a work in progress for many years.

So here we had a barely in-control dog with a habit of eating discarded cigarette butts, knocking over beer bottles and drinking the mess, and picking fights with our then alpha dog Shaka. But she was cute and funny and once she decided that this was her home, she picked me as "her human", never wanting to be more than 10 feet away from me at any time.

Alpha challenge - Shaka (left) lost and ended up with a cone collar

After beating up Shaka within a day or two of arrival, Bailey settled into her alpha dog role for the next several years. This was perfectly fine with Shaka, who retired to a cozy life of eating and sleeping. Not Bailey! Always full of piss and vinegar, she continually challenged us for control of the house. While pissing me off a lot, she especially delighted in disobeying Maggie, regarding her as beneath her in the pack, and someone who could be easily bullied. It took a month or two before Bailey and I came to an agreement on who was in charge (me!) but she kept pushing Maggie over the years.

Since I was her "human and alpha" this disagreement over status would come to a head when I would leave for several days on trips and travel. Bailey would get pissy and not obey Maggie, generally being a pain in the ass. Often she would steal something of mine or Maggie's and growling viciously if Maggie came near. She never hurt the stolen object, just used it as her expression of not being happy that I was gone. Eventually Maggie came up with the strategy of exchanging treats for the purloined item. In later years, Bailey, not a stupid dog by any means, would just steal my gloves or hats and go looking for Maggie, just to get a treat. Nope, not stupid at all.

And when she heard me finally come home from my trip, all would be forgiven. She would greet me at the garage door and flopping down on her back to get her belly rubs, and then be glued like velcro to me for the next several hours.

A "Working Dog" hanging out in the office

Like most folks, I have to work for a living, luckily I can do it from home. And since I was "her human", she always wanted to be near to me most of the time. While she loved her walks and hikes, since I was inside toiling away in my office, that's where she wanted to be. Unlike our other huskies lazing about in the side yard or back woods, Bailey preferred to be an indoor dog. Never one to be subtle in what she wanted, if she was outside 30 seconds longer than she wanted, she would bark and crash herself against the door until one of us would let her in.

Hey, Hey!! Let me in - I won't go away!

Bailey's reign as Pack Alpha came to an abrupt end several years later when we brought home a little red & white 7 week old puppy we called Coyote. From day one Coyote knew he was supposed to be in charge and didn't take any crap from this other dog who outweighed him by 50 lbs. Within a day or two, Bailey accepted the arrangement and became buddies with Coyote, introducing him to one of her passions: destuffing items.

A new Alpha is in town - Bailey, meet Coyote. Says Coyote: You're going down bitch!

Bailey has a long and proud history being a member of the SLA (Stuffing Liberation Army), a group dedicated to freeing the oppressed Stuffing Minority population. Cruelly imprisoned in objects masquerading as "dog toys" often with a squeaker as a cell-mate, the plight of them spoke to Bailey's heart. Tirelessly, probably because it would only take about 2-5 minutes, she would work to liberate these innocent souls. Dog toys, dog beds, anything with stuffing didn't escape her notice. Maximum security prisons - "ultimate protection for tough chewers" - didn't stand a chance to her determination. As part of her revolutionary zeal, she passed on those skills to our other Sibes like Coyote.

One dead boa constrictor

While Bailey was an indoor dog, she did enjoy her hikes with the pack, especially if it involved water. We often hike in the White Clay Nature Preserve, 2000+ acres of woods, hills, trails and a trout stream in the middle of it. Unlike any of our other Siberians, Bailey loved to swim. While the other dogs would get their knees wet but stay close to shore, Bailey would dive right in, swimming back and forth like an otter before coming back to the bank, and then diving in again. To her it was the perfect complement to a long hike. We had multiple swimming holes along our hikes, and while for the others, it was one & done, Bailey sampled every one.

Winter hiking with the pack. Neo in the lead

The pack at our favorite hiking place.

One happy dog

Over the years we expanded our pack. While it was originally Bailey, Shaka and then Coyote, we added Turbo our piebald after Coyote passed, and then Neo another year later. The addition of the new pups kept pushing Bailey down in the pecking order and the once Alpha became the bottom member. It didn't bother Bailey in the least. The others were the "outdoor pack", spending all their time together outside, while she was the pampered "indoor dog", hanging out in the office with me. Though getting up in years, she accepted the new pups and would often play with them.

Playing with a young Coyote

About a year or so ago, on really hot (90 degrees+) days I started leaving Bailey at home for our hikes. Her stamina was going and I didn't want to stress her out. Cool fall and cold winter days she still was a faithful hiking companion. About 6 months ago, her muscle tone and nerves in her rear legs started decaying and she stopped doing stairs. Since my office is upstairs, she wasn't happy, but I made sure to take plenty of breaks and visit with her.

Hanging with the pack downstairs

Bailey celebrated her 14th birthday a few weeks ago. She spent 13 years with us as part of our family. I have to say, she was probably the most challenging of all the dogs we have had over the years. I have no idea of her first year but I'm sure it wasn't pleasant. I used to say that Bailey when she came to us, she was a 60/40 dog. 60% good with 40% bad. Over the years she became an 80/20 then a 90/10 dog. She never was a perfect dog. She ate cigarette butts off the street, an incorrigible counter surfer - it was only 2 or 3 months ago when she stole a full loaf of bread off the counter and ate it - and taught that skill to the other dogs (sigh), and plenty of other things which pissed me and Maggie off. But overall, in the end she was a loyal and loving dog and we feel blessed that she shared our lives together.