Dogs Without Blogs – San

I don’t know what it is about Minnesota, but they raise them some good dogs! Here’s another that hails from the North Star state and her human, Jessica.

Dog Questions
What is your name?
Hiiiiiiii! I’m San (rhymes with fawn, not fan). It’s a Japanese name. My mom named me after the main character in Princess Mononoke. My name used to be Kenzie, when I was in a foster home. I like my mom’s name for me much better, even though everyone always says it wrong.

What breed of dog are you?
I don’t know! My foster parents thought they saw Alaskan Husky (awesome sled dog racers) in me. I could be one of those–I sure do love to run and pull! And snow is great! I bet I would totally kick other dogs’ butts in the Iditarod.

How old are you?
I don’t know that either! My foster parents thought I was about 2 when they found me, which would make me about 6 now. I don’t act like it, though! Most people who meet me think I’m still a puppy. I have so much energy!

What nicknames do the humans call you?
Santorini, Santoosie, Sweet Pea, White and Nerdy, Squish Face, Sweets, Dolly. . . .

Do you like any of your nicknames?
You can call me anything if you do it in a sweet voice. Or if you’re holding treats. Hopefully both!

What is your favorite walk/hike?
Anywhere there are squirrels to chase! I LOVE chasing squirrels! And bunnies! And cats! Mom gets mad when I chase the cats at home, but I don’t know the ones outside, so I think they’re fair game! Oh! And children! I love it when children come up to me. Especially the smaller ones, because they usually have food on their hands and faces, and I love that! Oh! And I love it when people say I’m such a pretty dog. I love getting compliments on walks!

What is your go to toy?
Squeak toys! And plushies! And ropes! Or really anything I can tug (I am sooooo good at pulling). Like your socks! Your sock looks pretty tasty right now. I bet you that sandwich that I can rip out the foot of your sock in 5 seconds flat. And you won’t even find the missing pieces! Hee hee! Oh, and I like Kongs too! Especially when mom fills them with peanut butter or squeeze cheese! Mmmmmm, squeeze cheese. . . .

What is the treat you will do anything for?
Did you say treat? I love treats! I love dog bones and liver treats and soft meaty treats and cheese (ohmigawd cheese!) and hot dogs and apples and melons and cheese (did I say cheese already?) and bacon and noodles. . . .


What is your greatest skill?
Pulling! I’m so good at that! One time, I pulled my mom right to the ground! It was so funny! She did this funny summersault thing in the backyard, and got all muddy. Ha ha ha!

What is your favorite human food?
Cantaloupe. No, tomatoes. Oh, or golden beets! And orange peppers! Oh, or maybe cucumbers! Last summer, I pulled a cucumber from my mom’s garden right off the vine, even through the fence (see how good I am at pulling?), and gobbled it up in, like, 5 seconds. It tasted sooo good!

How do you feel about the other pets in the house?
To be honest, I liked it a lot better when it was just me around. I mean, I really like to wrestle and play tug with Yuri, but Kaya usually ignores me, and the cats are always hissing at me. Dad always warns me to be nice, but I am nice! Just because Kaya gets up every time I lay down on her bed with her doesn’t mean I’m being mean. I want to snuggle! And if another dogs abandons a bone or toy the moment I enter a room, well, of course I’m going to pounce on it! It’d be silly for me to waste an opportunity to chew a fresh bone, right? And if the cats don’t like being chased, they shouldn’t run right past my nose. That’s teasing! I think they’re the ones that should be nice.

Human Questions
What is the best thing you’ve taught your dog?
I wouldn’t say there’s one best thing; just training her at all is a very good thing. Huskies are a notoriously high-energy breed, and you have to engage their mind just as much as their body or they become very destructive (see below!). So we have near-daily training sessions. She knows the basics: sit, down, stay, leave it. I try to teach her lots of stupid tricks as well. She knows shake (with both paws), high five, dance, roll over, crawl, bow, and we’re working on say your prayers (dog puts paws up on a chair and bows head). San is very intelligent, which makes training her very hard sometimes. She’s always the first of our dogs to “get it,” but she often chooses to ignore me. If she doesn’t see the point in something (and sometimes food is not a good enough reason), she just won’t do it.

How does your dog make you laugh?
Oh, in so many ways. She truly earned her “white and nerdy” nickname. She contorts herself into the weirdest positions when she sleeps–that probably makes me laugh the most.

Has your dog ever destroyed anything in your home?
Boy, has she ever! She steals and eats a lot of socks. She’s eaten holes in I don’t even know how many comforters. She tore a feather pillow apart once too. That was fun to clean up. We can’t keep blankets in her kennel anymore either, because she chews those up too. And she utterly destroyed all three cushions on an old couch we kept in the basement.

What’s the most challenging thing about living with your dog?
It’s not really her fault, but San exhibits a lot of aggression toward unknown dogs. A few years ago, she was attacked in her own backyard. I was living in a duplex at the time, and my upstairs neighbors had just acquired a relative’s large, aggressive dog. San and I left the house for a walk one afternoon, and this dog came barreling around the corner from out of nowhere (I had scanned the yard for him before we left but didn’t see him out there) and just jumped San. It was really scary, and required an emergency vet visit. Ever since the attack, she’s shown a lot of aggression toward dogs she didn’t know prior to the attack, which makes her reliable with only our dogs and my brother’s dogs. The vet described it as a type of post-traumatic stress disorder: basically, she thinks all new dogs are going to attack her now, so she wants to strike first. We’ve taken her to a trainer who specializes in dog-to-dog aggression, and we work really hard to practice with her the skills we learned in class. But it’s a constant struggle, and I miss how easy-going she used to be with other dogs. She used to love the dog park so much, and meeting new canine friends out for walks or at friend’s houses, and now she misses out on all of that. It’s definitely a huge obstacle.

What do you love most about your dog?
Despite her challenges, San really is a sweetheart. She’s the only dog in our pack of 3 that gives kisses. She has a knack (as most dogs do) of knowing when you’re in need of comfort, and she’s a champion snuggler.

Thanks San and Jessica for sharing a little bit of yourselves here. Jessica has a couple of other dogs that live in her home, so stay tuned for their features soon. You can find Jessica at PlushroomSoup.com or at her Etsy shop here.

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