Brian's Dog, Natasha

In April 1994, I got my dog, a Siberian Husky named Natasha (I wanted a good Russian name). I got her from a local breeder for $225. She was five weeks old.

Here are some pictures from then. The other dog is my roommate's rat terrier, Phreadh.

Picture One

Tasha chewing on Phreadh's neck trying to establish dominance. You go, girl!

Picture Two

A closeup of Tasha sitting on our outside table. Yes, those are my hands and arms.

Picture Three

Tasha, a soccer ball, and Phreadh sticking his nose in Tasha's business.

Picture Four

Tasha sitting in a hole in the ground with Phreadh standing next to her.

Picture Five

Tasha facing away from camera and chewing on Phreadh's upper torso.

Picture Six

Phreadh sniffing where the sun don't shine.

When Tasha was about three months old, she caught Canine Parvovirus (CPV). This is nasty stuff. She nearly died from it, but she managed to pull through. It did however, kill my bank account for a while.

CPV is a virus that infects the digestive tract. It mostly affects puppies. Symptoms include massive amounts of vomiting and diarhea. As the virus progresses, the dog will become weaker and weaker. If your puppy has these symtoms, take it to the vet immediately.

By the time a dog is an adult, it has usually developed an immunity to Parvo. The immunity is passed down from bitch to pup, but it fades from the pup somewhere between five and twenty weeks. Unfortunately, this immunity also blocks the vaccine that has been developed, so after the immunity fades, there is often a window of vulnerability unitl the next vaccine shot (this is how Tasha caught it).

Parvo is passed through fluids and can live in the environment for weeks. Thus if an infected dog has excreted in the area and your puppy investigates it, the pup will likely become infected if it is vulnerable. Therefore, it is worth your while to limit your puppy's exposure to areas where infected dogs may have been until after it is twenty weeks old. I never believe this until Tasha came down with Parvo, but it really is good advice.

After the better parts of a week and a thousand dollars, Tasha pulled through. We sat in the car for about thirty minutes while she jumped around in joy. She had been in isolation the whole time she was at the veterinary hospital and was very happy to be free.

With the Parvo behind her, Tasha has grown quickly and has become an excellent dog. She's a little high strung (probably becuase of the week-long stay at the vet), but she's amazingly smart. She generally knows exactly what I want her to do. Now, convincing her to do it is different...

She's extrememly stubborn.

September 21, 1994

Tasha just went into heat for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and let me tell you it's not much fun. Phreadh in particular had a tough time as we kept them seperated. I'll probably get her fixed before the next time she goes into heat.

December 19, 1996

Unfortunately, Phreadh got out of the yard and ran off earlier this month (it's hard to keep a dog in the yard when it can climb trees). Tasha is going through a bad case of seperation anxiety.

January 15, 1997

Things are bad with Tasha. She is still depressed about Phreadh's disappearance (she knew him practically all her life). She's not eating much and her coat is showing signs of malnutrition. I'm really worried about her. My roommate is thinking about getting a new dog, however.

February 8, 1997

Big day! My roommate went to get a new rat terrier today. When he walked in, it was amazing. Tasha noticed the new puppy and just started shaking. If dogs could shed tears of joy, I bet she would have. I've never seen anything like it.

February 15, 1997

Tasha has improved substantially. She's got her appetite back and her coat is starting to look much better. Her and Bhabh (the new rat terrier) have become best friends.

Before you email me and bitch that it's cruel to keep a double coated dog such as a husky in a hot climate like we have here in Austin, Texas, just back off. She has a children's wading pool which she can get into whenever she's too hot and she's doing fine. Besides, huskies have there own cooling system.

I'll have more pictures of her soon, and I'll keep you appraised of major events in her life.

Last updated March 27, 1997.

Austin Photographer