Where are they now? 17 husky puppies rescued in B.C. Interior have found forever homes

In light of the widespread interest in 17 husky puppies rescued last winter, the B.C. SPCA has released an update on how the dogs are doing now.

In December 2019, RCMP and animal control officers investigated a complaint that led to the discovery of the dogs living outside in the cold and snow on a property somewhere in the B.C. Interior.

The owner surrendered the dogs to the SPCA on Christmas Eve, in addition to several adult huskies.

The puppies all found new homes by the end of January, and the four adults were adopted in the following months.

A year later, they have new names, new families and the puppies are all grown up.

Here's what some of them are getting up to now.

Floki, originally named Inooka by the SPCA staff, was adopted by Louise Gillies and her family. His owner explains in a B.C. SPCA press release that Floki was a Norwegian explorer who sailed to Iceland. 

"He was also a jokester and so I thought the name suited him,” Gillies said in the release. Floki lives with his family in Logan Lake.

“We’ve got three beds in our house but his favourite is the couch," she said. 

Koa, one of the mothers and originally called Akira, was adopted by David Marshall and his family last spring. 

“Koa has learned to be a pack member with both her dog and human family,” owner Marshall said in the release. “We named her Koa because it stands for warrior and she is such a warrior to have made it this far. She has brought sunshine into our home, reminding us every day with her wonderful smile to be grateful for what we have. We are keeping her for life.”

Fiction, formerly Amka, was adopted by Gabrielle Poon, who reports Fiction loves playing with her housemates Cricket, a Shiba Inu, and Facts, a Siberian husky. 

She has done remarkably well in rally, obedience and agility classes for being such a young dog. 

“She is eager to please and gets excited whenever she sees the training equipment pulled out," Poon said in a release. "She loves hiking and had her first overnight hiking trip in October! She is such sweet little dog and has so much love to give. We’re delighted to have Fiction as a member of our family.”

Odin, formerly Arctic, has changed a lot since his adoption, according to his owner Elaina Grant. 

“He has figured out how to give us a definite ‘yes’ answer by an air mouth snap," she said in the release. He also enjoys swimming at the local lake and going for walks. 

“Although he is still small, I believe he will continue to grow throughout the coming year," she said.

Kodiak, formerly Alaska, has come a long way since his adoption too. 

“Kodiak was very aloof when we adopted him and he didn’t really like attention," owner Sheila William said in the release. "But now he has to have his evening snuggle with mom and is everyone’s best friend.”

This includes his housemate and fellow husky Nanuq.

He has a strong opinion about everything and, like a true husky, he's aways looking for something to get into, William said.

Koda, formerly Kallak, was scared and nervous when he was first adopted as a puppy. Since then he has come out of his shell, according to owner Cassidy Lidstone. 

"He has transformed into a happy, loving, hilarious dog,” she said in tje release. “He has a big personality and provides me with no shortage of entertainment and laughs.”

Koda loves playing and cuddling with best friend and fellow husky Denali more than anything. 

"We are so thankful to have him a part of our family," Lidstone said.

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