Husky Heroes event aims to find homes for energetic dogs
Reatta might never make the dog sled team.
The red-and-white husky pup with the pale blue eyes, well, she has much bigger challenges right now — like a lingering infection from a gunshot wound to the face.
For Reatta, pulling a sled may likely be too much heavy breathing for the damage done to the area around her nose.
The running, pulling and exertion the team makes as it excitedly pulls a sled — visitors to Lisle’s Morton Arboretum may admire that this weekend at the Husky Heroes winter celebration. The sixth annual event from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29, highlights the talents of Siberian husky sled dogs, as well as the efforts of the rescue organization Adopt A Husky.
Reatta came to suburban-based Adopt A Husky in December from a shelter in southern Illinois with a swollen snout and heavy breathing, initially thought to be symptoms of a sinus infection or a bad tooth, said Noel Dagley, treasurer of Adopt A Husky.
When a round of antibiotics didn#146;t help, volunteers were shocked when X-rays revealed buck shot and bone fragments embedded in her snout from the gunshot wound, which had already healed by the time she came to Adopt A Husky.
#147;By the time that we had gotten her, all of the open wounds had healed over, so we didn#146;t know. We didn#146;t know,#148; Dagley said.
Reatta#146;s wounds are among the most severe they#146;ve seen. The bullet went through her nose, broke several teeth, traveled through the bottom jaw and lodged in the muscle below the jaw.
She#146;s been through two surgeries #8212; one to remove the larger bullet and bone fragments, another to remove the finer pieces too small to be seen by the naked eye.
#147;She#146;s doing much better with the breathing, but we#146;re still fighting with the infection,#148; Dagley said. Reatta, named for the classic car, which was Adopt A Husky#146;s December naming theme, has racked up medical bills now topping $6,000.
Although Reatta won#146;t be harnessed behind the sled this weekend, the team dogs give an excellent representation of more than 30 dogs currently awaiting a forever home.
Husky dogs, who are very active and need that outdoor time, are often given up by owners unprepared to care for them.
Dagley said the down economy has affected animals in two ways: People don#146;t have the money to care for them and give them up; meanwhile, fewer prospective parents have been adopting due to the additional cost of a pet.
As a result, Adopt A Husky hopes seeing the beauty of the team inspires prospective adoptive parents to learn more and possibly fill out an application.
Demonstrations take place at 11:30 a.m. and 12:45, 2 and 3:15 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
Visitors to the arboretum can warm up with hot drinks served near the demonstration fields.
Catch a viewing of #147;The Last Great Race,#148; telling of the husky#146;s storied role in Alaska#146;s history #8212; their trek to carry the diphtheria serum to dying children in Nome, Alaska. Movie showings are at 1:30 and 3 p.m. in the administration building. Free tickets are available one hour prior to showtime.
New this year, visitors can rent the arboretum#146;s new cross-country skis and boots and hit the four-mile groomed trail that loops through the grounds.
#147;There is some terrain, but it#146;s certainly a family-friendly trail,#148; said Marilyn Baysek, the arboretum#146;s special events manager.
Even if there#146;s no snow, the show goes on. The dogs pull sleds on wheels instead.
And even if Reatta never makes it to a harness to perform as a Husky Hero, she#146;s already found a hero in Adopt A Husky.
The dog sled demonstrations are free with arboretum admission. Nonmember admission is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $9 for ages 2 to 17 and free for younger children 2.
#147;It#146;s a great thing for us to do. We#146;ve got an open area. We#146;ve (hopefully) got snow and we love for people to come visit us four seasons out of the year,#148; Baysek said. #147;There#146;s a lot going on out here in the winter. We are the alternative to cabin fever.#148;
For information, visit mortonarb.org or call (630) 968-0074.
If you go
What: Husky Heroes
When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 28-29
Where: Morton Arboretum, 4100 Route 53, Lisle
Cost: Included with admission of $12 adults, $10 seniors, $9 ages 2 to 17, free under 2
Info: mortonarb.org or (630) 968-0074