Phriday Photos – when you the reader send in photos and blurbs about anything at all! (to peterabrahams@gmail.com) Today, with thanks to M. Laiuppa, part 2 of Freyja. Take it away, Mary!
Freyja’s first trip to the dog park was a bit stressful for her. She clung to me and lay under my chair the entire time but she watched Diana as she explored the park and played with other dogs. By the end she came out and sat in front of me with her ears alert, watching all of the other dogs and owners. By her third visit she was off running with Diana, interacting with other dogs and their owners. It is beautiful to watch her now. She is eager to be released and she runs around, invites other dogs to play and has a great time. She has blossomed in the dog she was always meant to be.
Freyja has successfully integrated into our pack and extended pack. She is comfortable at my parent’s house with their dog and has learned to use their dog door. She and their dog Dolly have become best buddies. She is loved and has settled into our routines. Three visits and she learned to use their dog door.
She really has no idea how lucky she is. She has found her forever home and is living her best life.
I am a big believer in DNA testing. It can identify breeds which aids in not only diagnosing and treating medical conditions but also in handling behavior and training issues. I believe people are more likely to adopt a dog if they know exactly what they are getting into with regards to breeds, behavior, training and health issues. DNA testing wasn’t around for my Caesar but I knew both of his parents, one being a full Lab and the other a full Doberman. By the time I got Ramses DNA testing for dogs had come out. Although primitive it did identify his main breeds. After comparing both Embark and Wisdom Panel on Freyja I am having Diana retested with Wisdom to more accurately identify the breeds in her ancestry.
The Embark test came back:
55% Siberian Husky
12% Border Collie
1-5% of other dog mixes, including German Shepherd, Samoyed, Akita, Boxer and others.
Her size, coloring and behavior did not convince me she was a husky so I had a Wisdom Panel done. This was more detailed in her mix but was basically the same. In the meantime I did more research on Siberian Huskies. Her “Keeshond” coloring is called Agouti and is a “wild wolf” color pattern. It is the only husky coloring with a black tip on the tail instead of a white one. (Curiously, the hair on the tip of her tail was missing when I adopted her. I have no idea if it was cut off or she chewed it off due to stress.) You don’t normally see it in show dogs but it is found in working sled dogs. She is 48 lbs which is small for a husky. Further research revealed there is a subset of huskies called Seppala Siberian sled dogs, a working breed. I believe this is part of Freyja’s mix but cannot prove it.
Below are Freyja Grey’s Wisdom Panel DNA breed results. I believe Wisdom is more accurate. It also shows many breeds that are added to the working sled dog mix which further suggests she is descended from working dogs, not show Huskies. They also group them according to Asian, Working, Herding, etc. which I really like.
% Wisdom Panel:
54 Siberian Husky
9 Border Collie
5 Chow Chow
5 Jindo
4 Boxer
3 Akita
3 Samoyed
3 Alaskan Malamute
3 Australian Cattle Dog
2 Chinese Shar-Pei
2 German Shepherd Dog
2 Rottweiler
2 Cocker Spaniel
2 Golden Retriever
1 Australian Shepherd
Sometimes when I look at her I get a bit sad that this lovely life could have been gone so easily due to ignorance and lack of shelter resources. This would never happen at the San Diego Humane Society which is why I support them.
13 Comments on “Phriday Photos: Freyja, Part 2.”
She is a beautiful dog. She is so lucky to find her forever home with you Thank you for rescuing her.
I sis the leg work, but as I pointed out in part 1, it was ultimately OFA that started the ball with his birthday and those on this blog that were discussing dog birthdays that day. I just followed the breadcrumbs and then acted on an impulse. I knew Hesperia and with two strikes already and a red card, I couldn’t take the chance someone would adopt her in time. So I did. We were lucky to find each other. Even Diana agrees.
What a lovely, lucky lady. From her previous pix, I had no idea she was so small! She is so contented in that last photo. She knows how blessed she is to have ML! And vice versa!
Perhaps I’ll throw in a photo of her and Diana pawPrints standing together at the dog park when I do Diana’s bio. I would call her a medium sized dog but she is considered a large dog when you buy Halloween costumes or harnesses or dog beds. She is smaller than my parent’s Dolly who is about 60 lbs and is smaller than my previus dog Ramses, who was also around 60 lbs and considered large.
She may be clueless about how close she came and I can’t say how appreciative she is, but she does stay close to me, napping nearby when I am working in the yard and if I’m sitting she’s with me and she is always wanting to kiss me. Not sure if that is a remnant of puppyhood, weaned too soon or something or it is just a Husky thing. I know the spinning is a Husky thing. Doesn’t really matter. She is happy and I don’t think she has any remaining memories of her previous life, at least I have seen no indication that she does.
The long distance love affairs continues to blossom as Franklin learns more and more about the magical charms of Miss Freyja Grey. As it turns out, Teddy’s best dog friend was a purebred Siberian Husky named Zeta (those with longer blog memories will certainly remember her) and the two of them formed an incredible team. Zeta is still alive (in her mature years now), and she has bonded as well with Franklin, although the difference in current energy levels is bit of a restriction, as Franklin wants to play and play and play with Zeta, where Zeta probably gives out after the first round of play. Zeta now has a “sibling” named Zara, also a purebred SH, and she and Franklin are friendly, but not at the same level as Franklin and Zeta. Zeta and Zara stop by every few days in the evening, and their owner calls on Debbie’s cell to confirm that we are at home. Whenever Franklin hears the ring, he knows that it is Zeta and Zara, and the excitement level increases exponentially.
I do remember the very first time Zeta met Franklin, shortly after we first got him (so he would have been about 12 weeks at that point). She did not know what to make of him and let out a ferocious bark that caused Franklin to literally vertically leap into Debbie’s lap for safety., Suffice to say the relationship has improved since then, particularly once Franklin was fully grown,
There is a you tube video of Teddy and Zeta as young pups romping in the snow in Rock Creek Park, for which I have provided the link in the past, but if you just type in Teddy and Zeta to the search box, it should come up, for those who would like to see it again.
If you just type Teddy and Zeta you get a ton of stuff and they’re not even dogs. Teddy and Zeta dogs does better but it’s still a bit to go through.
You are lucky to have the videos of Teddy and Franklin. Today I took some videos of the dogs at the dog park. I don’t do it too often but am trying to do it more, plus more still photos. With every dog I have I wish I had taken more photos. I have no video of Caesar and not that many photos of him or Goliath. With Ramses I started to take more photos and I think I have a video of him but on a cassette and not sure I can convert it to digital any more. I did save some of my security camera footage of him in 10 second clips. I have some video of Diana and Freyja. Mostly dog park. I just learned to do video with my iPhone two years ago when I had to document a tenant next door on whom I eventually got a restraining order. That initiated a quick learning curve for taking video with my phone. Now I just have to remember to do it when we are at the dog park. At home, I am just so engrossed in enjoying the moment I forget to record them even if I have my phone with me.
There is no telling why dogs immediately form a tight friendship bond with another dog. Or why they take an instant dislike. This is probably a part of all mammals as I’m sure we all have stories of instant friendships and unexplained dislike.
The best explanation I have read is: “You are not my friend despite your faults but because of them.”
I have tried posting the you tube link but that posting is in moderation, so if it does not appear and you try to look for it, search using “Princess Teddy and Prince Zeta” (don’t mind that the prefixes are reserved; that was a production error).
Yep. Finally found it under “Princess Teddy & Prince Zeta’s Winter Wonderland” although IN the video they’ve got it correct, Princess Zeta and Prince Teddy. It is only the YouTube title that is reversed. I wonder if that can be fixed?
I recognized the thumbnail and Amir productions as soon as I saw it.
“reversed” not “reserved”
Link to Teddy and Zeta’s video:
youtube dot com slash watch?v=FHAYKIzlkGk
See if that works.
I found it! Eureka! I especially liked the credits!
Speaking of dog size, little Jilly weighs 17 pounds, and is ‘fluffy’. Her best friend, Luke, is a golden – lab mix that weighs in at 115! Luke lives with two cats, Beau and Buster, who routinely beat up on poor Luke. And he just takes it. Animal personalities are so colorful and wonderful!
Speaking of videos, just got the year in review from San Diego Humane. If you’re interested you can see it here:
The annual Walk for the Animals will be coming up on May. I’ll let you know when you can donate or if inclined, join Team Wonder Puppies and walk for wherever you are whenever you’d like for as long as you want. Yeah, it’s that kind of walk.
youtube dot com slash watch?v=TsmqpHbLzDc