There's a lot to learn when you have a new pet. Our sister brand, The Wildest, is here to support you—with new pet checklists, virtual training, and expert guides. Sign up for free.
I found a new home! Plenty of my friends are looking for one too. Check out other pets at this shelter, or start a new search.
Find a pet to adopt
My basic info
Breed
Siberian Husky
Color
Red/Golden/Orange/Chestnut - with White
Age
5 years 10 months old, Young
Size
Med. 26-60 lbs (12-27 kg) (when grown)
Weight
50 lbs (current)
Sex
Male
Pet ID
–
My details
Not good with kids
Good with dogs
Not good with cats
Purebred
Needs experienced adopter
Shots current
Spayed / Neutered
Housetrained
My story
Share
Here's what the humans have to say about me:
Leo is such a love, but he’s still learning and will need someone to be patient with him at his forever home. Prior to arriving at AZ Husky Rescue, Leo was a runaway and the person who found him kept him exclusively in the backyard for at least a few months before turning him in to a shelter that put him on the E-list.
AZ Husky pulled him in May last year and he had some trouble adjusting at first. He didn’t initially do well housed with other dogs and expressed resource guarding over toys (and little knick knacks he can get himself into) but never with food.
He found his foster family in September 2021. At first, he was skittish, he didn’t love being pet and was very insecure about getting too close. Quickly however, he became very attached and would follow his foster mom around the house wherever she went.
It took him some time and training to feel confident sharing his toys and now he loves to play fetch. Sometimes he’ll play by himself, tossing the toy back and forth for him to chase! When he first gets a new toy, you may find it goes missing soon after. He likes to bury them, but after you find it, wash it off, and return it to him he quickly understands that there’s no reason to hide it.
He’s very playful. When he gets going, he’s very high energy and loves to be chased around the yard or house. He’s gone on many bike rides and it’s quite something to see him run! After he’s bonded, he’ll want more cuddles than you can give, but he’s also very happy just being in your company. So despite the high energy, he’ll lounge around if you’re chilling out. Separation anxiety is still a problem and he will try to escape your home when you leave him.
He’s come a very long way over the last 7 months and his foster parents believe that he will be the perfect dog once he figures out a few more things. The trauma of abandonment and abuse still manifests – he may nip at people he’s less familiar with if they make sudden movements. He also bit someone who was “attacking” his foster dad – they were actually just consensually kickboxing.
His new family will need to patiently work with him on his anxieties around new people coming to the house since he is territorial and possessive/protective of his humans. We believe that with training he can learn to be with other dogs. His only real socialization has been with his trainer at a 2-week board and train. He has good recall and understands “Leave It,” and has recently moved to a new foster home to work on interactions with other dogs – and it’s actually going really well so far! He definitely has been very vocal to the two other huskies in his foster home, but has not been causing fights or issues in the last several weeks – so we are FINALLY confident that he could go to a home with other medium to large dogs! We are recommending a home with more submissive dogs if there are other dogs, though Leo would do well as an only dog too.
Leo may not be perfect, but he’s a bundle of joy and a total goof. On his own (without other dogs) isn’t a howler but he makes adorable noises occasionally especially if you scratch his belly in just the right spot. He’s very well trained too, and not a destroyer of furniture. He’s fully house-trained (never one accident in the house) and knows all the basic commands and a few extra.
He tries to come across as a professional guard dog or a top tier Ididarod racer, but he’s actually just a big baby and he has so much love to give to someone who wants to put in the time.
