(You can read the first part of Shelley's story on this site by clicking here)

Posted 18th March 2006

It took four weeks for Shelley to really start to smile again, four long, difficult, precarious weeks for her to recover from the life threatening illness that nearly claimed her life, and the things she went through during that time are almost unbelievable.  Yet she made it through and now the vet and I both joke that Shelley is the benchmark against which all other cases are measured. (“Well yes, your dog is unwell, but let me tell you about this case we had a few weeks ago…!”)

And yet it was also only four short, fleeting weeks for Shelley to come full circle from old home to new.  They say there are some things money can’t buy, and well, this photo has to be one of them:

This snap of Shelley with her new family, taken just two days ago, is all smiles – and tell me you’ve seen a happier looking Husky!  She lives like a queen with the run of the house, company throughout the day, loads of exercise and doting owners that love her enough to give her the training and discipline she needs as well as the treats and toys she loves.  She deserves it all.  I have this picture on my desk and can only see the life in Shelley’s dark brown eyes now, they’re finally free of sadness.  I don’t think she dwells on the past, I give her more credit than that and think that unlike us humans she has more sense than to regret. 

Maybe it’s fitting that this next photo, from the first night she arrived here in February, is slightly blurry.  She was utterly miserable, and it really shows just how much her life has changed.

In the end I was calling her Patches; she had fur shaved from both front paws where the intravenous needles went in, a shaved patch on her neck where they took blood for her heartworm test, fur missing from the graze on her nose, bald patches on both ears from fly strike and of course a completely shaved belly from all the surgery.

Shelley’s not only landed on her feet, she’s also found a home where her presence will make a wonderful difference in the life of her family for the next ten years.  She will bring joy and sadness, love and energy to her new home, and twice a year, more fur than they know what to do with.  She’s been worth every second, every dollar, every moment and she always was.

Shelley’s a handful but no more so than any other Husky.  These are the magnificent, intelligent and loving, yet unpredictable, sometimes infuriating and often surprising creatures we’ve invited into our lives, and they deserve to stay a part of it.  Shelley will give her owners reason enough to laugh about the adventures she puts them through, and hopefully she’ll be with them all the way, but for now, this is how her happy story ends.

- Andrew Peterson