FAIRBANKS — A little puppy named General is living up to his name. He’s a little guy with a big heart and a bigger personality.
Despite two deformed front legs, General holds his own with his litter mates and soon, he’ll move to a new home.
His owners are just figuring out where that home is going to be.
General is a purebred Siberian husky, the last born in a litter nearly three months ago in Fairbanks.
“She had four of them, kind of close together,” Andrea Huisman said. “Then, in the middle of the night, out popped little General.”
“We were all excited,” Huisman said. “He was so tiny. Then we noticed his arms were kind of goofy.”
A veterinarian confirmed a week later little General was missing his ulnas, the bones in the forearms on both of his front legs.
The humerus bone on his left leg was split into two parts, and apparently naturally fused back together.
He also is missing a bone in one of his paws.
Yet, he nursed just fine and according to Huisman, “He kinda just fit right in.”
The veterinarian suggested the most humane thing might be to euthanize the puppy.
But Huisman and her daughter, Ella, 12, wanted to think seriously about that option before choosing it.
Meanwhile, General learned how to hop around on his hind legs.
“He wants to see what’s going on and to be able to eat, so he hops around,” Huisman said.
Huisman described General this way in a Craigslist advertisement: “While he is not able to walk, he does a great job of getting around and is not shy about playing rough with his siblings. He is able to stand upright on his back paws, which is absolutely adorable.
“He scoots himself around and can eat and drink without help. House training is slow, but progressing. He loves to be with other dogs and will roll around on the floor playing with his siblings.”
The family cannot keep him. That was never part of the plan for the litter.
Huisman works full time and Ella attends sixth grade at Joy Elementary School every day. So they can’t provide the attention and care General needs.
“We are trying to find the best home for him, that can really give him what he needs,” Ella said. “It has to be the right home that can spend the most time with him and just really take care of him.”
So they posted that advertisement on Craigslist last week, along with some photos.
“I feel like there’s enough people out there who are just dog lovers or have a disability and will bond with this dog,” Huisman said. “So I put it out there.”
The response was overwhelming. Within two days, she had 60 calls from all over the country. She had to silence her cellphone at work.
“Oh my gosh,” she said. “New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania. A woman in Phoenix emailed me, bawling her head off because the story just touched her.”
And so began the interview process.
The final decision will be made by Ella. This is her dog and her litter of puppies.
“I’m really leaving it up to her,” said her mother. “I’m going to guide her as much as I can. In the end, it will be her decision. She’s a pretty wise little girl.”
For instance, when the vet suggested the puppy be euthanized, Ella “started to tear up, but she just starting asking good questions,” her mother said.
“She loves animals,” her mother said. “And this is her dog. She does most of the work. The last litter, she sold them all and made $2,000.”
Huisman said the response from Fairbanksans has been overwhelming as well.
“People in Fairbanks are so awesome,” she said. “They have such big hearts.”
It will be hard for Ella to say goodbye to General.
“I was scared nobody would want him,” she said.
But if he ends up in Fairbanks, Ella can still keep an eye on him and visit once in awhile.
She’s confident she will make the best decision for General.
“I’ve had a lot of experience dealing with grownups,” she said.
Reach columnist/community editor Kris Capps at kcapps@newsminer.com. Call the office at 459-7546 or cell 322-6334. Follow her on Twitter FDNMKris.
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