My name is Aspen!

** COURTESY POST **

** PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE ROWLETT ANIMAL SHELTER OR FRAS AS THE ANIMAL IS NOT IN OUR CARE NOR DO WE HAVE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION; CONTACT THE OWNER BELOW FOR ANY INFORMATION **

Name: Cristen Brockett
Phone Number: 606-922-7932
Email: cristen.brockett2600@gmail.com

Adoption Information

Name: Aspen Hendren
Breed: Husky-Malamute
Age: 6 ½ years

Temperament: Aspen has a BIG personality and is slow to trust (especially with men). She is
VERY vocal and has zero problem with letting you know how she feels about something.
Historically not great with groomers or vet staff, due to previous traumas and factors unknown to the current owners. She does like to be brushed and to be loved on, but on her schedule and
when in the mood. She does not have a bite record while in our care, but would not be surprised
if it is in her history due to people pushing her boundaries. Loyal to a fault, but tolerates guests
of her master with respect. She IS food aggressive due to her history (see below). Overall, very
sweet and full of character, but only shows this side to those she trusts.

Sociability: Aspen has been an only child for the majority of her life and being with other dogs
in a household is a fairly new event that she has been navigating within the past year. We have
found that she lacks understanding of normal “puppy-play” or “play fighting” due to her isolation from her own kind, though she is currently living with a small, male 5-year-old Beagle and a medium, male 13-year-old Shepard mix and learning from them how to play without being so aggressive. Even so, she has a long way to go before she is ENTIRELY socially equipped.

Training: Aspen’s former owner, Bill, lived with us for a while and used Aspen as a service dog.
We are not sure if she was ever formally trained (as in legal papers?) but she definitely did the
job. Bill would take her EVERYWHERE and as long as she had her “Service Dog” vest on, she
was locked-in. He took her to Wal-Mart, the gas station, parks, malls, stores, etc. The only place
he never took her was a restaurant (she doesn’t have very good table manners). Aside from
this, she is very intelligent and knows exactly what you are saying and how to get what she
wants. She is a master at the classics, but is still open to learning new things. She can say “I
Love You”, lay down on command, sit, speak, give paw, etc. I even saw Bill play “patty-cake”
with her before though I haven’t tried since his passing. She loves car rides, but can be a seat
hog. She is quick to learn new environments, but is slow to trust so she might fight you on some
commands if she doesn’t feel like the command is necessary. She is used to living outdoors and
doesn’t require a leash when in an unfenced area. She likes to explore and swim, but has never
gone towards the road or chased vehicles. She has completely earned our trust when being
outside and will definitely let you know when she wants back in. Overall, highly intelligent and
logical in her thinking skills. Aspen is aware that if she takes any offered food, that she HAS to
eat it, no exceptions. Due to this, she might not eat certain things, especially if they are new.

Medical History:
● Fixed? - Yes
● Vaccines? - Up-to-date, per Texas state regulations
● Injuries? - Not within the past year, but otherwise unknown.

Belongings: Home Again Microchip #: 985113002528139, Yellow lead, Service Vest, muzzle,
Brown Collar with tags and a handle, a grooming tool for undercoat

Past: Aspen’s past owner was William “Bill” Hendren, who got her as a puppy.  She was given to Bill by the Council Bluff Veterans as a Service Dog. They traveled a lot, but Aspen mostly grew up in Council Bluff, Iowa. During her time with Bill, she learned most of her tricks and schemes through a lot of trial and error. Bill used her as a service dog and would always introduce her as such. Its to my understanding that Bill was homeless for about 2 years and I believe that Aspen’s main life traumas happened during this period. Even so, she was his protector and did the job very well. Due to this history, she is very street-smart and independent. I have also learned that during this 2-year period, Aspen would often go without food or clean water for days at a time, and this she has never forgotten. Due to this, she is adept at catching (and eating) rabbits. This would be the main reason for her food aggression and her vocal/insistent demands for her needs to be met. I make up that due to Bill’s need to have her around 24/7 (for both companionship and health need), she has developed advanced separation anxiety. I have never personally met another dog that grieves as this one does.

Though her howls are heartbreaking to hear, she isn’t one with a need to destroy. Since having
her in our household she has never once destroyed our property nor any furniture, even after
hours of being left unattended in the house (keep in mind she has another dog here to keep her
company so this might be why she has not destroyed anything). After Bill’s passing, Aspen took
the grief really hard; she refused to eat, sleep, play or drink water for days at a time. Eventually
she got her “spunk” back and was starting to heal her heart. Other than the above information, I
can not speak to any more parts of Aspen’s past.

Present: After Bill’s death, Aspen took an attachment to both me and my grandfather (but due
to her previous owner’s demographic, she definitely took up with him more). She demanded his
attention and would cry whenever he left the house without her to protect him. She knew exactly
how to play him to get fed from the table and exactly where to lay down to get the most
acknowledgement from him. Even though her staying at the house meant that a rivalry was
created between her and another one of our female dogs, papaw loved her too much to give her
away to anyone else. Because of this, Aspen would need to defend herself a number of times
against this other female dog when they (inevitably) entered the same space. From my
experience with this interaction, Aspen was rarely the initial aggressor ( but was definitely
instigating it). My grandfather passed away on 10/2/24 and Aspen’s grief process started all
over again. Her howls could be heard for miles, poor thing. Even so, she seems to be eating
and maintaining herself well this time around. She has become a vital part of both my history
and my grandfather’s history, but she deserves to be with a family that can utilize her skills and
give her more to life than what I can now offer her. Her departure will be hard, but essential to
her health and happiness.

Future: Aspen will best fit into a space with lots of roaming land and few (young/small) animals
to interact with. I’ve been told that she tolerates children, but I have not seen her interactions
with them myself (especially without the service vest on). She needs to be able to travel with her
owner and will not tolerate being left behind. She is still super smart and quick on her feet, so a
home with a job for her would be ideal. Other than that, she is quite adaptable and loves to learn
new things (especially when food is involved).