Huskies "Fur"ever

Task 30, August 1 to August 8

“What a beautiful world it would be if people had the heart of huskies…”. Anon.

Paul C. wrote this post about his deep connection to a particular breed of dog, the huskie.

I’ve always been about Huskies. If you aren’t aware, they are dogs. Big, beautiful dogs. I love Huskies. I’ve owned Huskies, all rescues: Yukon, Abbey, Brandy, Hope, Cora and most recently: Fritz. I watch videos about Huskies, which I make my wife watch, which she doesn’t necessarily enjoy. Hell, I AM a Huskie–I went to the University of Washington. U-DUB, and that’s the school’s nickname–the Huskies.

A year or so ago, while trolling Facebook and Instagram, I came across the Husky Halfway House website. The Huskie Halfway House is located in Eufaula, Oklahoma. Well, for a guy like me, I’m hooked. I spent way too much time on the website and I spent way too much time talking about it with my wife, who said to me one day, as both a challenge and a way to shut me up, “why don’t you drive out there and volunteer your time?”

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Now, I live near Charleston, South Carolina, so we’re talking about a trek, not a jaunt downtown. Eufaula was 1,044 miles away. In Oklahoma. But if you’re a Huskie guy there can be only one option–you go to Oklahoma.

So, in the summer of 2024 I left Charleston, South Carolina in my 2023 Volkswagen Tiguan and drove 16 hours to Eufaula, Oklahoma, home to the Husky Halfway House.

Eufaula is a small town with a cute main street and it’s nestled next to Eufaula Lake, which is a popular place to fish, boat and swim. I drove straight to the Halfway House, which wasn’t far from downtown. Upon arrival, I was welcomed by howls of joy from nearly 250 Huskies, all shapes, sizes, and ages. For a Huskie guy–it was Nirvana. I was home.

The heart and soul of H3 (true Husky Halfway House fanatics call it H3, much like Diner, Drive Ins and Drive fanatics call the show Triple D) is Jenni Dietsch, a woman who has dedicated her life to saving and rescuing these Huskies for adoption. To rescue a single dog takes commitment, but to rescue hundreds into the thousands is a testament to her grit, determination and love of Huskies.

The Huskies at H3 come from puppy farms, or have been abandoned, escapees, or are simply dumped… Jenni has a dedicated team to feed, groom, clean-up/deodorize, maintain records, and keep the good health of all the dogs living at the facility.

On my first day with H3 I took a ride with Jenni to the Oklahoma City Animal Welfare shelter, located about two hours from Eufaula. Jenni keeps an eye out for Huskies that are on the soon to be euthanized lists and on that day we rescued two Huskies that were within hours of certain death.

This remarkable organization owes much of its success to social media in general, but particularly to Jenni’s determination to use the internet to spread the word about H3.

She’s sort of a Jerry Lewis for Huskies, because she is absolutely tireless in her dogged fund raising. She uploads countless posts every week, updating her growing audience with information on the dogs, news on the latest rescues and lists the adoptions to new homes across the country–and H3 handles the transportation!

H3 survives on its fundraising because it takes real money to take care of the dogs in their custody. For example, the Huskies eat about 200 lbs. a day in kibble, some of which is given by charities, but a great deal comes from donations. Whether it be monetary via Zelle etc., shopping lists on Amazon and Chewy, or Stars on Facebook, H3 takes donations in what I can only describe as a never-ending telethon for the Huskies. The results and charitable matches can be staggering for this 501c that is like no other I have ever seen.

Of course, social media being social media, H3 has its critics, but Jenni has a heart with a hard-shell finish, and those who unwisely choose to take her on are in for a verbal or written battle–she is all Huskie all the time! Don’t mess with the woman who knows the name of every dog at H3…

At any rate, I spent 4 wonderful days in Huskie heaven with Jenni and the H3 team, and I left with two things: a deep respect for those who give their lives and careers to saving animals; and yes, a Huskie. Fritz.

I couldn’t leave empty-handed, could I?