We rescued
Niki (a.k.a. Nickle, Odie) in 1992 at 6 months old from
a woman who had received Niki as a gift, couldn't handle
her, and was ready to ship her to the shelter. She was our
second Siberian, which we adopted as a companion for Juneau.
Little did we know, it would be the start down a slippery
slope to a multi-dog household.
Niki
is the "alpha" of the team, although she isn't
quite comfortable with that position and continues to try
to prove it to all the dogs around her. We have had all
too frequent scraps between her and other dogs, although
a 'zero tolerance' attitude has reduced the frequency and
severity of her attacks.
A product
from a puppymill or backyard breeder, whether because of
a lack of early socialization or poor breeding, Niki has
definite personality quirks. Very
affectionate and people oriented, she can be quite aggressive
with other dogs, although ignores other teams when working
in harness. She is uncomfortable in new situations and new
places and seems to have a phobia of garden tools.
Niki
retired from the team in 2002 but as one of the original
two that got us into sled dog sports, we owe her a lot!
