Kenai from his mom's perspective......

Kenai is a Siberian Husky mix, who is ten years old. He was rescued from Animal Control in Minneapolis about 10 minutes before he was to be euthanized. At the time, he was about 5 months old.

I saw him, could not resist his beautiful face, and took him home, where I had 2 other dogs. Physically, he was a skinny, starving, mangy mess. He had severe urinary tract problems and was on strong antibiotics for several weeks. He also had MAJOR behavioral issues that were not anticipated.

Kenai was extremely insecure, anxious, aggressive, and dog fearful. He hated his crate and screamed and thrashed while he was in it. Because of his bladder problems and potty training issues, he had to be crated frequently. At night, he would scream for hours while I slept next to his kennel and tried to calm him. During the day, if he wasn't watched, he would eat every plant in sight. I called him "Puppy Scissorhands".

When we went to obedience class, he became a frightened, aggressive monster. Once, he even severely bit me in the arm. I was determined not to give up, but it was getting increasingly difficult to bond with him. We both were a mess and I didn't know what to do. As a mother, I was going crazy. As a behaviorist, I knew I had to keep trying. Kenai needed me!

Now, after a tremendous amount of love, patience, and behavioral training, he is a beautiful, confident, sweet, sensitive, stubborn, and somewhat well-behaved selective-listening dog that adores everyone: especially men, children, and his siblings-Sushi and Leo.

He stopped destroying my plants years ago and his anxiety disappeared. His dog aggression issues have disappeared at least 99 percent. He loves his crate and will frequently look for it to nap in his 'den'. He also loves cats! Kenai is proof that every animal deserves a chance, even those with behavior problems that seem like the end of the world.