Laika of Deepfork

NAJ, CGC

Laika is my jester. She has a huge sense of humor, and she loves to be silly. She's an American Eskimo born on March 29, 1997.

I got Laika from the Animal Haven animal shelter in the Kansas City area in 1999. She had been badly neglected and abused and was very frightened of everything. Through positive training and love, she has overcome most of her fears. She's an extremely talented and fast agility dog, but because of her abusive past, she stresses easily. Therefore, she really doesn't like to go to dog shows. We worked very hard to get her Novice Jumpers title in the AKC, and then I decided to retire her. I didn't think it was fair to ask her to do something she didn't enjoy just for my benefit.

So now, Laika is a retired "House Dog." She seems to love that title and lives the pampered life of a pampered pet. She still gets to play agility in the backyard, which she enjoys, and she also gets to work as my demo dog during teaching sessions on occasion. But most of her life is spent sleeping on or near my bed or on or near the couch. She loves playing with Jericho and having people come to the house to visit.

Her favorite thing are her "doggies," or stuffed animals. She carries them around the house and sleeps with them. She also enjoys disemboweling these poor stuffed creatures, littering the floor with their fluffy innards. As with many Eskies, her eyes vividly mirror her emotions. When I first got her when she was two, her eyes were always filled with fear. Now her eyes are always filled with contentment or happiness.

I'm very proud of the accomplishments she's achieved, even though in comparison with other dogs' accomplishments, they may seem very small. Laika will always be Queen of my house.