I thought it would be fun to make a Scrapbook for Jack.  He's the first puppy Heather and I ever raised together and it was definitely a lot of challenges and learning experiences. ;D

I will try to go in order as much as possible, from his birth to his current age and share some funny insights along the way.  Raising a Husky puppy was definitely an adventure and it's only really begun!

Jack was born at Riverside Kennels in MO.  His dad's name is Carson of Riverside and his mother's name is Ivory's Demon.  His dad was light red and his mom was white.  Heather and I knew very little about shopping for a puppy, and to be honest we probably went about it all the wrong way.  We didn't check to see if his parents were champion anything, and we didn't look into the breeder like we should have...  I hope no one will rip us a new one.  I've never been to the kennel where Jack was born, so I really don't know if it was a good/bad breeder, so I don't really want to say anything negative about them.

I know a lot more now than I did then, but I don't regret it because Jack is the most wonderful dog.  I plan on using a much more reputable breeder for our second puppy once we buy a house, but for now... live and learn!  Jack has no health issues and is very smart and friendly and has zero baggage.  We were very lucky as novice dog owners to get him!

This is his dad:


And this is his mom:


These are the first few pictures we were sent of him from the lady that helped me find him:





I'm not sure how old he is in those pictures, but definitely under six weeks...  After a lot of talking back and forth, Heather and I (we worried about purchasing a puppy we never met, and we were also worried about bringing him so far so young) made an offer to the breeder on the condition that we receive Jack AFTER he turned eight weeks old (the age our vet said was fine to get him at).  The breeder agreed and we had to wait two whole weeks!  It seemed like eternity!

Finally Dec 16th came and we went and picked him up from the lady's house and the first thing he did was bound right over to Heather and yip a hello.  We were in love from that moment on...  Heather carried him around like a baby while I signed papers and agreements and talked to the lady a bit.  The lady asked if we were planning to feed premium foods, if we were going to crate train, and gave us a lot of really awesome info on clicker training and potty training.  Afterwards, Jack went on his first PetSmart trip and rode in the basket like a champion.  We selected Jack's first food (Wellness Core Puppy) and bought a large sized crate with divider, collar and a leash, and TONS of toys.  We also signed him up for a Puppy Obedience class that would start when he was four months old.

As soon as we got everything loaded up and were heading home, we called our vet to make an appointment.  As first time puppy owners and first time Husky owners, we knew we were going to need A LOT of help and expert advice at that.

Jack on his first car-ride home! (: Oh if only we knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into... ;D



(...to be continued, and I'm just getting to the good part haha!)

He is adorable!

Awesome pictures, and the way you put them together with his is just like reading a very interesting book. Can't wait for the next "chapter!"

Welcome! lovely red boy there can wait to hear where your story picks up at!

Thanks everyone!  It's definitely a good story. We did a lot of stupid first time dog owner things, and it's a miracle Jack turned out as well as he did, but like I said--don't regret any decisions. Jack's a great dog and has taught us so much in nine months!  

The first day home was very interesting.  We were all very tired and had driven over two hours to get Jack and then spent several hours in PetSmart.  To be very honest, tempers were short and naps were needed!  We got back to Heather's apartment (at that point in time we did not live together, but did have plans to move in together at the end of Heather's lease) and immediately marched Jack outside for his first session of potty training.  He peed and pooped and we danced around and told him he was the smartest puppy in the world and then all headed inside for some food and naps.

I was feeling pleased with my purchase.  Jack slept the whole way home and had yet to make a single sound.  I was feeling pretty smug since I read that Husky puppies were notoriously loud.  He seemed to totally get potty training too.  I had the smartest/best Husky in the world.  I felt triumphant as I started unloading things from the car, and tried to ignore Heather's comments about me becoming one of those parents whose children can do no wrong.  It's not my fault Jack seemed to be the most perfect puppy in the world...

(Oh in present day I laugh about that moment.  It was the perfect foreshadowing to everything that followed, really.)

I asked L and K (Heather's roommates) if they would watch him while Heather and I made his second home there (the first being at my apartment, but we were so tired we just didn't care to drive the 15 minutes to get there) and they agreed.  "He can play video games with me," K said.

Jack had other ideas... He IMMEDIATELY honed in on the toy box.  

Lesson One of Husky Ownership: If the husky wants it, it is his and he will deviously try to capture it until his dying breath.

Keep in mind these were not his brand new toys... oh no, these were well-loved toys belonging to L's dog, a rather unfortunate-looking little beagle thing that did not really get the whole lesson in kindergarten on sharing. Olga (nickname for the ugly beagle--seriously she's a dead ringer for Samuel L Jackson and I'm not trying to be funny) greeted Jack the way a Queen greets a peasant, a couple of sniffs, an up-turned lip, and then she retired to her couch to sleep...

Jack ignored her too.  He was fixated on the toy box.  He immediately began pulling out every. single. toy in there and scattering them about the floor.  He ran up to every single one like one of the seagulls from Finding Nemo.  Mine? Mine? Mine?  His play lasted maybe 10-15 minutes and Heather and I began to trip over the mess as we were building his crate and unpacking his new things.  I almost face-planted over a squeaky rubber red ring and my resulting curse combined with the sharp squeak drew the attention of Olga.

You could see the OH NO HE DIDN'T expression in her eyes as she immediately went to inspect the scattered ruins of her toy box.  She began to pick up her favorite toys and hide them behind the christmas tree and other places she seemed to think he wouldn't check... Jack was too busy discovering new toys that he ignored her angry collecting until they met over a rawhide bone nose to nose.  

Olga growled a warning growl, but Jack?  Jack seemed to be completely and utterly unbothered by her.  He had a complete and utter lack of concern that was almost disturbing.  Didn't he realize he was about to learn his first life lesson?  I started to head over there to pick him up and make sure he didn't get hurt when Jack did something that surprised me.

He dropped his head, picked up the bone, and just stared into her eyes for a full thirty-seconds.  Olga stopped growling, licked her lips, and began to retreat.  She jumped up on the couch and leaned against the armrest, totally defeated by an eight week old puppy's stare.  My jaw dropped...

Jack played with the bone for all of two minutes and then scampered off to the next one, completely and utterly oblivious to our slack-jawed faces.

"Uh-oh," I said.

"Yeah, uh-oh indeed.  Still thinking you got a perfect puppy?" Heather asked with a raised eyebrow.

I shook my head and laughed a little.  "Well at least he seems quiet..."

Oh boy, was I in for a surprise... Because that night began crate training.

(...to be continued...)


Jack and one of Olga's toys.  (Ugly beagle in the background)


Literally describes Jack's personality...

lmao so cute!! that's like my pup shes 7 weeks old and already has my 100lb boy whipped following her around like a lost puppy