k o h a n a

Kohana has been our most interesting and difficult rescue. Shortly after we adopted Baxter we decided we would go back to the shelter... again, just to play with the dogs. We were in the process of moving me out of the dorm at Furman. Bags were packed, the U-haul was full, all we needed was to get Baxter and the last few things and hit the road! But, we went to play with the dogs anyway. We took several of them out into the enclosed area to play. I had, of course, already fallen in love but David was adamant that we were not getting another dog. He definitely had logic on his side given our current situation (young, had one puppy, moving back to Greensboro to live with our parents for the summer... you get the idea). While we were there we found a beautiful bundle of white and red fur to take outside. He paid me very little attention whatsoever but immediately ran and laid his head in David's lap. David was sold! We loaded him up with the rest of my stuff and made the trip back to Greensboro (to the dismay of my parents).

The first nights were terrible. He screamed throughout the night. (For those of you that don't have much experience with Huskies, they literally scream. I remember when we moved into our first apartment in Raleigh I was always afraid people would hear him scream during his baths and call the police because it sounded like we were severely abusing small children!) He had to have surgery within the first month (unfortunately not his only surgery) to remove plastic shards and an intact half tennis ball that he had consumed before we adopted him. He had endured a difficult life prior to us and was very skittish and fearful and to say he was distrustful would be an extreme understatement. Let me just sum up and say he was very difficult. When we were filling out the adoption application we learned that he had been surrendered to the shelter due to his inability to obey and his propensity to escape so we knew that it wouldn't be the easiest. He was much worse than we had imagined. All of that being said, I would not trade him or our past experiences with him for the world. He has turned out to be a fabulous dog. We still have to be very cautious with him and he is not now nor will he ever be an easy dog but he is worth it! He has so much personality and I think that working with him has been unbelievably rewarding.

We absolutely adore Kohana. Through a lot of patient work he has become one of our sweetest and most loving dogs. That being said, I would feel irresponsible if I did not warn others about Siberian Huskies. They are beautiful and it can be very rewarding to have one as a part of the family but they are extremely difficult. Please do your research before you take one home to make sure you feel like they would be a good fit. Huskies are very independent (more like a cat than your ordinary dog). They don't have the need to please like many breeds (meaning training is difficult). They are absolute masters of escape and are extremely intelligent. If they are not entertained or if they are left alone it is likely you will come home to utter destruction. They LOVE to dig- whether it be random holes in the yard or to escape the fence. They are very athletic and fast! If your husky finds his freedom it is likely that you will never see him again. Obviously I don't need to mention the shedding. David and I had no idea what kind of dog we were bringing home that day in May. Kohana has done more damage to himself and to our belongings than all of our other dogs combined. He has been one of the most expensive shelter dogs you can imagine. I have always been so happy that we were the ones that took him home that day because we were willing to deal with everything he threw our way and I'm not convinced he would have had the same outcome had he gone to another family.

Thanksgiving

Happy (belated) Thanksgiving! David and I had a wonderful day. Of course, he spent the majority of it watching football while I was slaving away in the kitchen. ;) We spent a lot of time with family and had a wonderful meal (3 of them actually). The best part of the holiday season is spending time with old friends! I can't wait until Christmas when everyone is back again!

(pictures to follow)

b a x t e r

Since the dogs are a pretty important part of our lives, I think it is only fair to introduce you to them. All at once would probably be too overwhelming so I am going to do it one at a time. (Also, there is a reason I am going into such detail about the pups... they are going to have a pretty big impact on our future but that I will explain thoroughly at a later date!)

Let's start with the puppy who changed our lives!

Meet Baxter. He is 120 pounds of lazy. Let me give you a little background....

While I was attending Furman University, David and I decided it would be a great idea to visit the animal shelter. You know, just to play with the dogs. Well, there had to have been over 30 puppies under 8 weeks old (in addition to older dogs)! I know a lot of people love puppies but I knew that there was no way all of them would be adopted. There was this adorable little red bundle of fuzz with white toes, a white tip to his tail, and a white snip on his nose. I fell in love. We left the shelter and David knew he was in serious trouble...I had to save that puppy! The next day I went back and adopted the puppy and we named him Baxter. There was one glaring problem. I was not only in college but living out the mandatory 4-year-on-campus program... meaning, I lived in a dorm. Fortunately I did not have a roommate but there were definitely some hurdles to having a 6-week old puppy living in your dorm room. To take him outside, I had the tiniest little Vera Bradley bag that he would get into and I would carry him down the stairs out into the fresh air. He loved that bag... he would get it onto the floor during the day and curl up inside of it to take naps (little did we know napping would become his favorite hobby). Secondly, he had terrible separation anxiety. The poor thing hated being alone. Obviously a barking puppy does not help one remain inconspicuous in a dorm room. So, I would turn up animal planet on my TV and hope that people thought his whining and barking were part of the program. To this day I do not know how we managed to avoid being caught.

Fast forward to now. As I mentioned, that tiny little puppy grew into a gigantic dog. We had no idea he would become such a monster! He fills his days with naps, naps, and more naps. He is the only dog I know that would prefer sleeping until noon. We literally have to make him go outside in the mornings. In the summer he doesn't want to go outside because he has a true love for air conditioning. In the winter he wants to be near the heat vent. At all other times he wants to be on the couch and will grudgingly settle for a dog bed if he must (but he is not the least bit happy about it). He has also more than conquered his problems with separation as he is probably our most independent dog. And our loudest.

Baxter will always hold a special place in our hearts as he started the wheels in motion for our love of helping and rescuing dogs and therefore changed the direction of our lives.

m e e t ... t h e ... m e h l e r s

Most of you know us very well.... but, for those of you who don't here is a very quick summary of our lives up to this point.

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David and I (Brittain) both grew up in the same town but didn't meet until summer of 2002. Shortly after our initial introduction we began dating. In fact, we are looking forward to celebrating our 6 year anniversary towards the end of November! We were married in Virgina in August of 2007 surrounded by all of our friends and family.

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David works for Crown Volvo as the Finance Director and I work for Allen Tate Co. as a real estate agent. Our jobs keep us very busy! We enjoy spending our spare time with friends and family and, of course, playing with our dogs. David and I both love animals and together we have rescued 7 dogs. A lot of people think we are crazy but I can't imagine our lives without them.

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How's that for a quick summary?!

Well, here it is. We have fully surrendered to the age of technology. With so many friends and family that live all over the globe it is becoming more and more difficult to keep up with one another. David and I have quite a bit going on in our lives these days and we would really love to share it with the people that are most important to us. So, here is a glimpse into the Mehler household! I am going to do my best to write and post pictures often so check in regularly!