What is Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc.?

Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue, Inc. (TOTTSHR) is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to finding homes for Siberian Huskies and Siberian Husky mixes in need, informing the public about the general characteristics of the breed, and educating the public about the responsibilities of pet ownership.

Our organization comprises a network of caring and passionate individuals who give their time to volunteer in a variety of different ways: transporting dogs, fostering, checking applications, performing home checks, raising funds, introducing the public to the wonderful world of Siberian Huskies, training, and much more. Working together and with the continued help of generous people who donate either their time or money to the rescue, we hope to reach more and more people to let them know we exist, that the Siberian Husky is not the breed for everyone, and to help as many Siberian Huskies in need as possible. We hope one day to build a shelter to house homeless Siberian Huskies, to have a vet on staff to keep the rescued dogs healthy, and to have a training facility to work with Siberian Husky owners.

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Why do Siberian Huskies need rescue?

There are many reasons why these loving dogs are looking for new homes. Some are found stray or abandoned on the side of a road; others are surrendered by their owners for various reasons ranging from serious illness to the dog no longer matches the decor in the house.

Often, it is a change in the life of a pet owner that is behind most decisions to surrender pets to an animal shelter or a rescue, not an unruly dog. In the case of an unruly dog, it is often because the owner was not familiar with the breed and not informed about their typical characteristics and traits. These “unruly” dogs, when placed into our care, are evaluated and our foster homes work with each dog to nurture their emotional and medical needs. In many cases this includes working with the dog on any behavioral problems they might have such as food aggression, mouthing, walking on a leash, or counter surfing.

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Where do the dogs in rescue come from?

The majority of the dogs in our foster care come from animal shelters; others come directly from an owner surrender. When we receive a call from owners who are surrendering their dog for a behavioral problem, we strive to assist the owners in working out any problems they may be having before re-homing the dog.

There are so many Siberians in need of homes that we must prioritize the intake of dogs into our limited foster space. The first priority goes to the dogs that are on “death row” at the local shelters. These are the dogs that fill the majority of our space in our foster homes. Since the room in our foster homes is limited, we often have to work with owner surrenders on a referral basis.

Read more about the dogs that are available for adoption in our foster homes and those that are still residing with their owners or in shelters.

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How much does it cost to adopt?

If you adopt one of the dogs in the care of a a TOTTSHR foster home, the adoption fee varies depending on the age of the dog and the number of dogs adopted. The adoption fee is used primarily to cover medical expenses such as spays/neuters, vet examinations, blood tests, vaccinations, fecal tests and deworming, heartworm tests, and heartworm, tick, and flea preventive. In addition to this medical care, you also benefit from our experience with the breed and our continued support with transitioning the dog into your home and helping you with issues that may arise after the adoption. Our goal is to make good, permanent placements; to this end, our foster homes provide other intangibles like crate training, leash training, obedience training, house training, socialization and temperament evaluation, application checking, and home checks.

If you adopt one of the dogs that still reside with its owner (and whom we are placing in a new home on a referral basis), the fee is between you and the owner.

If you adopt one of the dogs that are still in a shelter, each shelter sets its own fees; contact the shelter housing the dog for more information.

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What is a "Meet and Greet"?

Meet and Greets are a great way for us to tell the public about the rescue and the breed itself. Meet and Greets include functions such as Community Days, pet expos, or Adopt-a-Thons at area pet stores, to list a few. At these events, volunteers gather to hand out information about the breed, tell people about the rescue, describe why they should/shouldn’t get a Siberian, and raise funds to support the vet bills, surgeries, etc. that are necessary for rescue. Often we try to have one or two of the dogs currently available for adoption at the event so people can meet some of these sweet souls. Upcoming events...

Why do you spay and neuter the dogs you adopt out?

We feel strongly—and actually insist—that all our rescues be spayed or neutered before they are adopted. There are simply too many unwanted dogs out there whose basic needs—food, water, shelter, and love—are not being met, and we don't want to add to the population. People may think they'd like to breed their beloved pet to produce more animals they can cuddle, or to let their dog "experience motherhood," or to offer their children the experience of witnessing one of nature's miracles; we know they mean well, but the chances are pretty good that any puppies that might result from their breeding would wind up going to either a shelter or a rescue group for placement. In addition, some breeds are prone to genetic diseases that, unless averted by the thorough research by a responsible breeder into the lineage of their intended breeding pair, may be perpetuated in future litters. There is no way to check on a rescued dog's parents—because we don't know who they are—to see if they are genetically prone to these problems. We have been in dog rescue long enough to see too many dogs euthanized because the population exceeds the number of good available homes for them.

Read statistics prepared by the Humane Society of the United States on pet overpopulation problems resulting in part from not spaying or neutering your dog.

In addition to keeping pet populations in check, spaying and neutering has direct physical benefits for your female or male dog, including reducing the likelihood of specific types of cancer.

Still not convinced? See more facts from the Pet Action League and testimonials from the Edmonton Kennel Club. Visit Petfinder to see just how many hundreds of dogs are in need of good homes, right in your area!

I can't foster, but I'd like to help. What else do you need help with?

There are many ways to help in rescue, anything from raising funds, transporting dogs, making phone calls, setting up the booth at Meet and Greets, helping with adoptions, writing press releases and articles for the newsletter, maintaining our web sites, donating items for our eBay auctions and from our wish list, writing thank you notes, making gift baskets, posing as Santa at Christmas for "pet photos with Santa" sessions... Whew! We're out of breath! We think you get the idea; there is a lot to do in our group besides fostering dogs, lots of fun, and lots of people with a common love of Siberian Huskies. Visit our How You Can Help pages to learn more!