First Time Taking Our Norwegian Elkhound Puppy to the Vet
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 3 ม.ค. 2022
- By the age of 13 weeks, Skye had already been to a vet in Colorado several times for her initial examination, first vaccinations and then to get a health certificate for the flight from Denver to Seattle. One of the first things we did after Skye joined our family was schedule an appointment for her at Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital, where Shadow, our first Elkhound and our Flame Point Siamese cat, Lily received veterinary care since we moved to Sequim in 2017. Although we waited a very long time in the exam room, Skye was relaxed the entire time, and she really liked the staff and especially, Dr. Toni Jensen. Diane and I feel good that the staff at Hurricane Ridge Veterinary Hospital will take good care of our precious Skye as we watch her grow up from a puppy into an adult dog.
Background:
Skye (short for Skylette Blue) was 1 of 9 Norwegian Elkhound puppies in a litter born at the Wetmore Elkhounds ranch in Wetmore, Colorado on August 31, 2021. It took a lot of work, false starts and rescheduling to finally fly Skye from Denver, Colorado to Seattle, Washington on Alaska Air Cargo. Alaska Airlines was one of the first to again allow shipping of live animals since the pandemic. What a journey this has been for Skye.
Three months after Shadow had passed, missing our beloved pet, Diane and I decided we were ready for a second Norwegian Elkhound puppy. We searched the internet for Elkhound breeders, and found two with puppies old enough to sell, one in Tennessee and another in Colorado. We decided we wanted a female Elkhound again. The breeder in Tennessee only had one female left, but she had a damaged tail and the breeder told us that it would never curl like a normal Elkhound. So, we checked out the available pups at the Wetmore Elkhounds in Colorado. Turns out they had one female left from the litter of nine puppies, Devin, the son of the owner of Wetmore Elkhounds who was learning the business informed us that the blue-collar female (or teal) was shy compared to her male siblings. After looking at the two still photos that Devin Miller texted to us, we instantly fell in love with this puppy! We paid the $200 reservation fee for holding the blue-collar female puppy while we worked through the process on how to get the puppy to us. And this turned out to be a major challenge! Driving 1,500 miles to Wetmore, Colorado would take us three or four days, and the series of fall storms we were experiencing in the Pacific Northwest and the potential for snow in the mountain passes, along with the expected high traffic levels during the Thanksgiving Holiday and the rising cost of gas quickly dispelled the idea of driving to Colorado and back. Then we thought about flying one way and driving back but finding an available rental car was next to impossible. The only option left was to have the puppy shipped by air. However, most airlines had paused shipping live animals since the pandemic. Then Devin texted us saying that Alaska Airlines just resumed shipping live animals. After several trips to two vets, Devin was successful in getting the required certificate and he booked a flight from Denver to Seattle. Yeah!
They are hard to train but if you have patience they make great dogs and lots of love.
Such a cute Skye.
Reminds me so much of my elkhound Ninna (1989 to 1999). I would love another :)
What an adorable little cutie :)
I had had three female elkhounds, all of whom were boon (or is that 'bone'?) companions to my mom in her declining years, all of whom provided the kind of care that no human, no matter how well-intentioned, can give.
When the breeder from whom I had gotten two of my elkhounds had a litter arrive while my sweet Aanika was boarding at the kennel, the breeder urged me to consider adding a puppy to my home (by that time my mom had passed and Aani was in declining health).
I decided to change the pattern and Aani bonded to a little male puppy and, as the breeder put it, "taught him how to be my dog."
I had considered another name for my boy, but settled on Baldur, the Norse god of light, beauty, and, I think, dental hygiene. The breeder scoffed. "Baldurdash!" "PERFECT!" I replied.
'Dash has been a "once-in-a-lifetime" dog, but then, they all are, I've loved every one of them.
Awe!! ❤️
I know of one other Elkhound that goes to Hurricane Ridge Vet... My sweet 15 yr old grey lady. 🐶 Thanks for the videos, it's fun to see Skye's energy.
Wow! 15 years old! I'm sure you have lots of wonderful memories with your Elkhound. You likely are aware from my videos, it was time for us to say goodbye to Shadow, our first Norwegian Elkhound, last August at age 14.
Skye is full of spunk, and at times, she has crazy, destructive energy! She is a handful! But we love her more than anything and feel so fortunate to have her join our family. Dirt from her random diggings can be cleaned up, gardens can be replanted, and chewed items and ripped clothing replaced. It's all worth it to have Skye! And Skye is looking more and more like Shadow. It's almost like she came back to us in spirit!
Maybe Skye will meet your Elkhound in Sequim someday. Thank you for watching this video and for your comment.
I called our first elkhound Grey. My Mom called her Meri (pronounced 'merry', and it fit her). I live in the southeast instead of the northwest, and there aren't many elkhounds around here. They certainly attract attention.
I will point out that in the thirty-eight years I have had the breed, there hasn't been a single moose attack or reindeer stampede in the state of Georgia.
And Skye has a bit of the mischief in her, but she's obviously a sweetheart.
@@randallwingett The chewing reminded me of the day I brought Moose, our second elkhound, home to my mom. Mom had just gotten new trifocal wire rim glasses, and when Mom and I came in from going to Piccadilly for supper, Mom missed her glasses.
Moose had found them, reduced the frames to pretzels, and so chewed the polycarbonate lenses that there were deep dimples in them.
Moose bonded deeply with my mom and stayed with her through recovery from several fractures and two strokes.
By the way, if you have aches and pains, there is no better heating pad.
Give Skye a good scratch under the chin for me. She's beautiful.
Masks? Really? Outdoors and inside? I feel sorry for that Elkie.