Kali and Ollie
Inseparable husky siblings Kali and Ollie were used to a lot of attention and fuss, so when their owners had a baby, they became very unsettled. After some advice from us and some soul-searching, the huskies came to Woodgreen.
We remain open to unwanted and homeless pets 365 days a year, and our centre is currently open to the public by appointment only. We’re seeing more unwanted pets who need urgent surgery, or lengthy training and rehabilitation. Please support our work today.
Kali and Ollie’s behaviour had become a growing worry when their owners, understandably, had less time to devote to the huskies following their new arrival! Kali and Ollie didn’t cope well with this big change, and started to become aggressive – growling at mum and dad, and on one occasion lunging at one of them.
When the owners came to us, we offered support and advice that might have helped the huskies stay at home, but they felt it was best to hand them into our care for everyone’s safety – a decision we fully supported.
Intensive training to get the huskies prepped for a new home
After arriving at Woodgreen, our team spent time with them to assess their behaviour, identify triggers, and work out how we could help. We decided their next home could not include young children, as the huskies needed to be the centre of attention. This helped our advisors to start looking for suitable owners and Kali and Ollie’s new forever home.
We also discovered the pair didn’t cope well around other dogs. They would bark a lot and pull on the lead. So we got to work on some training which aimed to build positive associations with fellow canines. This involved allowing them to approach dogs, then giving them a cue as soon as they looked uncomfortable – followed by a treat. Gradually, this meant they were able to get closer without showing as much fear. Both of them made huge progress!
“Sometimes you won’t see the full challenge until they’re back in a home. Fostering allows us to see that and it made a big difference to both of them.”
Not ones to shy away from telling us how they felt, Kali and Ollie howled a lot in their kennels. Like many of our dogs, they found the kennels stressful and too big a change from their home. Thankfully, we have a team of dedicated fosterers for moments like this, on hand to look after our most worried pets, or those that need more intensive care or training. The huskies spent time with two fosterers and continued to make strides with their training during both stays. It made the world of difference to their moods too and they became much happier, calmer dogs.
200 days later…
After more than 200 days in our care, and after their match on The Dog House, Series 2 Episode 2, that sadly didn’t work out, they found their perfect home with new owner Kyle. “They are both doing amazingly well. Both can be let off the lead and called back,” he tells us. With a shared love of the outdoors and long walks, we’re sure this is a relationship that will go the distance!
