My Norwegian Elkhound, Heimdal "Max" Maximillian, died of liver cancer this spring at age 9.5. I miss him badly.

In 1993, when Max was just out of puppyhood, I took a three month sabbatical to fly fish. Max was interested in fishing, but, unlike me, not obsessed with it. We had been on Prince of Wales Island, in southeastern Alaska, for about three weeks when we decided to take an afternoon's break from fishing and walk the Salt Chuck Trail down to the tidal waterfall and old village site.

Black bear are very common on Prince of Wales Island, and as a precaution I carried a can of pepper spray in one pocket of my hip belt. Max always walked on a leash. We were about three-quarters of a mile down the trail when we entered a blowdown, a place where a strong wind gust had some years ago knocked down a number of tall Sitka Spruce, leaving a jumble of trees with the branches long since broken off. The trail had not been cleared, but climbed over and under the jumble of decaying wood.

We had just entered the blowdown when Max started growling. When I looked down at him, his lips seemed to have disappeared completely. He was staring fixedly at the opposite edge of the blowdown. Just as I looked there, and full grown black bear emerged. It saw, smelled or heard us, turned and without hesitation charged us. You cannot imagine how fast the bear moved. It was fifty yards away when I first saw it and before I could react had covered half the distance between us. And the black bear on Prince of Wales Island, who eat a lot of salmon, are much bigger that the "timber pigs" I have seen in the lower 48.

The dog leash was around my right hand, and as I reached back to get the pepper spray, Max charged at the bear. The leash slipped off my hand and Max, trailing the leash, charged the bear, meeting it about 8 feet away from me. He lunged in snapping and barking, lunging and jumping, in the very finest tradition of an elkhound. By charging in low, he stood the bear up on its hind legs. The bear swatted and attempted to attack Max and me, but was unable to get past Max and closer to me. All this gave me time to finally get the pepper spray out, the safety off, and spray the bear.

The pepper spray instantly disabled the bear. It dropped to all fours, turning away from us at the same time. I was close enough to be able to tell It tried to wipe its eyes and muzzle with its front paws. Max dodged in and bit the bear on the left rear leg - there was black hair wedged between Max's teeth afterwards - and the bear yipped and ran away, blundering into trees and brush. Max didn't follow. He stayed with me, growling but not barking. The bear had never touched Max.

I never would have had the pepper spray out in time to spray the bear if Max hadn't stopped him. Max saved me from a mauling at least, and given how far I was from the nearest medical care, possible death. We were both pretty keyed up as we very carefully walked back to the truck. We drove to the nearest town, Thorne Bay. I made them open the only store in town, bought Max a steak and thanked my lucky stars my best pal was a Norwegian Elkhound.

I have bookmarked your very fine site. After some more time, I'll likely get another elkhound, and will check your site first.
Jim DeWitt
2002

This is a Christmas story. It started off as a tragedy, and wound up as a triumph. A triumph for a 13 year-old, horribly overweight, neglected dog from Ohio. A triumph for a group of people collectively known as “The Moosedog Listserve”. And a triumph for a family in Mississippi; Lady is a 13 year old Norwegian Elkhound. She was brought to an animal shelter in Ohio by her owner. The owner stated that her children had grown up and they no longer “needed” the dog. After 13 years, Lady was being disposed of. She was dirty, and reeked of urine. She weighed well over 75 pounds. The average weight for an elkie seems to be between 35-50 pounds, with a few larger ones. But none were anywhere near the size of poor Lady. She could barely walk. A woman happened to be at the pound when Lady was brought in. She contacted a member of Moosedog, who was a rescue worker. The rescue worker put the information about Lady up on Moosedog. One of our members took pity on the poor creature. He put a post up on Moosedog saying that if anyone could get to the shelter, he would pay for Lady to be brought to a veterinarian. He wanted her to be checked out...to see if she could be saved..and if not saved, then she could at least be euthanized in a clean, warm place, held by loving arms. This set off a spark on Moosedog. People pledged money to help save Lady.

A Moosedog member, Karyl Parks, drove to the pound and then brought Lady to the vet. She was bathed, probably for the first time in years. The nurse at the vet said that Lady was so appreciative during the bath...she loved the fact that people were petting and rubbing her. She was in such condition that they had to use a towel under her to help her stand up. We got daily reports on Moosedog about Lady's condition. Robert Weems, who was the original person that wanted to see if Lady could be saved, coordinated the financial part of the rescue, along with Majie Powey, who is the director of the John Nelson Moosedog Rescue Fund. The response was overwhelming. Lady's biggest problem was her weight, and a few bad teeth. Other than that, she appeared to be in fairly good shape for her age. She had to stay at the vet for two weeks, because there were cases of parvo at the pound that she came from. During the two weeks, she continued to improve. Finally her two weeks of quarantine were up, and she was FREE!!! Mary Woodward, another Moosedogger, volunteered to serve as Lady's foster mother until a home could be found for her. Mary drove from her home outside of Chicago, all the way to Ohio and back. She posted reports to us. Lady was a dear, a very sweet (albeit extremely LARGE) elkie. She spent about 2 weeks at Mary's house. We received daily reports on Lady's health, disposition, reaction to Mary's 3 dogs, and general news about her.

In the meantime, there was a family of four in Mississippi, watching the events unfold. They read the daily posts, and discussed them at length every evening. That was my family. We had to think about this carefully...as should anyone who is planning to offer a home to an animal. In our home, a pet is a lifetime commitment. We have had dogs, cats, hamsters, fish, parrots, and other birds. They have all lived very long, very happy lives. At the present time, we have a year old Norwegian Elkhound, Maxx. We also have a Green Cheeked Amazon parrot, a Quaker parrot, an elderly parakeet, and a tank of 4 very large, very old goldfish. We had to think about the interaction between all of these creatures. You cannot take in an animal on a whim...you have to think about everyday life and everyday situations. Will Maxx like Lady, will Lady tolerate Maxx..what will Lady think of Spike the parrot?? All these questions need to be thought about carefully. If they aren't...then the pet winds up in the same situation that Lady was in....death in a pound Another concern of mine was my 13 year old autistic daughter Lizzie. She does not like to be touched. She likes to be able to touch when SHE wants to touch. She and Maxx have had several “go-rounds” when he wanted to play with her and she wanted no part of it. It took a few months for the two of them to decide what their relationship was going to be. It had settled down to a few things...he sits under her chair at dinner and guards her from vicious vegetables (he was also chewing the bottom rung of her chair, unbeknownst to all but Lizzie..she didn't want to tattle on him. We found out this week, when the rung fell off and he was able to carry it around and chew it) And yes, I saw the twinkle in my silent daughter's eyes when she watched him proudly carry it around! We talked to Lizzie about Lady, and she typed to us that she wanted her to come and live with us. She thought Maxx needed a grandma to calm him down! So it was all set. We had decided to add Lady to our Family. Now for the next problem...how were we going to get Lady from Chicago to the Mississippi Gulf Coast!! Robert's parents offered to pay her air fare. But Mary, who was Lady's foster mother, didn't feel like Lady was capable of such a stressful event. I posted a request on Moosedog, asking if anyone would be interested in helping us drive Lady from Chicago to Waveland. Within 2 hours of the post, we had people posting back...WHEN DO WE LEAVE?? It took us about 4 hours to get a plan coordinated. If only governments could work as fast as Moosedoggers can!! I even had a post from one of our members in California, saying that if anyone wanted to take a detour, she would be happy to drive a leg of the trip!

Saturday, January 17...Day One!!! Mary left with Lady, and traveled to Urbana, Illinois. There she met Chris Mayer, who was our volunteer for the second leg of the trip. And a very long leg it was...Chris drove all the way to Oxford, Mississippi!!! She said the trip went well, they did stop once because Lady seemed to get a bit anxious. They stopped to potty, then it was back on the road again. Chris delivered her over to Bob and Janis Weems..Robert's parents. Remember, Robert was the instigator of this whole rescue effort. Chris visited with the Weems' for a while, then her leg of the trip was done. Lady spent the night at the Weems' and from what I hear, they wanted to KEEP her!! Said she was such a sweet doll, no trouble at all. In the morning, Bob met Robert in Winona, Mississippi. He turned Lady over to his son. Robert headed back to Jackson, Mississippi, his home, to wait for my arrival. ; I left Waveland at 10 a.m. Sunday morning. I was very, very nervous..never having driven that far alone. Plus I was nervous about meeting Lady. I wanted her to love me as much as I already loved her. So many thoughts going through my head during the drive! We had seen pictures of Lady..Mary, her foster mother had thoughtfully posted them up to Moosedog, where all of the Moosedoggers greedily pored over them. Then we wrote posts to each other..isn't she wonderful, what a smile, she's so sweet...and of course...WOW, is she ever FAT!! Then we decided to be politically correct, and from then on referred to her as buxom! I had talked to Mary on the phone Saturday afternoon after she had turned Lady over to Chris. She sounded a bit down...she had grown to love the old gal. Just like I knew I would. Faster and faster..going through lots of little towns...my favorite being “Hot Coffee, Mississippi”; Yep! There really is such a town! Hurry, hurry, hurry...almost there! Then finally, the signs started saying Jackson, and I knew this was it! I was to meet Robert at the Mall, and then follow him to his house. I got to the Mall, and went inside. All the pay phones on the first floor were out of order, so I had to run up to the upstairs level. Hurry, hurry, hurry!!! I finally got him, and he said he would be right there. And by golly, he was! I followed him to his house, heart pounding. We walked in the front door and THERE SHE WAS waddling to greet us. Yes, waddle..that is all she can do right now. My mouth dropped open and I began to giggle. Good Lord, she is even bigger than I expected. Poor gal..she really looks like a giant Polish sausage with a little meatball sized head! But the eyes...oh the eyes!! I could see her soul in them. I got to meet Robert's two happy, excited elkies...Smoky and Maggie. Excited to see me..probably happy that Lady was leaving. I heard that she was a bit dominating. :) I visited for a few minutes, then it was time to bring Lady to her new FOREVER home. She was afraid to leave Robert's house...we had to pull and push her out. I felt so sorry for her..she was badly confused. In a month's time she had gone from total neglect, to the vet's, to Mary's in Chicago, on the road with Chris, spent the night at the Weem's, on the road with Robert..and now somebody else was wanting to put her in another danged car!! Robert had a heck of a time lifting her up to put her in the back seat..but we finally got her settled on Lizzie's old Sesame Street comforter, that she had donated for the trip. I thanked Robert for all of his hard work in making that moment possible...then we were off...time to go HOME! She was great on the ride. She seemed resigned to whatever fate awaited her. She snoozed off and on, and when we got to Gulfport she stood up and stretched, then laid back down. My first stop was to my mom's. I thought it would be better if she and Maxx met on neutral territory for the first time. My mother almost died when she saw Lady's size! I left to go and get Maxx, and I could hear my mom walking around the house with Lady, talking calmly to her. I picked up Maxx who was absolutely hysterically excited at the thought of going to Maw Maw's. We got there and I let him run around in her big yard for a while, hoping to get some of the excess energy out of him before the big meeting. Finally we went inside. Lady was in the bathroom. Maxx came in and started sniffing around looking for crumbs. Then he realized there was ANOTHER DOG SMELL in here!! He located Lady who immediately snarled at him. He ran away from her. Quickly! This went on for a few minutes...him wanting to get near her and her snarling at him. One funny incident came when she was looking at me and I was scratching her head. Maxx came up behind her and she turned and snarled at him, baring her teeth. Then she immediately turned back to me and smiled!!! It was rather comical. Time to go HOME! I brought Lady outside and poor thing, she had to get in the car AGAIN. I assured her we were about a mile away from home, but I guess she didn't really understand, did she? But bless her heart, she climbed into the back floor of the car. Unfortunately that was as far as she got. She was stuck. On the floor in between the back seat and the front seat! There was no way I could lift her up onto the seat. So I ran back in and got Maxx and he jumped into the front seat. Maw Maw called ahead for us, warning them that Lady and Maxx were kind of “iffy” toward each other. She neglected to mention that Lady was stuck! I drove up in the front yard and Gil and Jody came charging out, eager to see our new grandma. Gil took Maxx's leash and Jody said he wanted Lady. I explained that she was stuck and he immediately looked concerned and opened the back door. Lady turned her head (her butt was facing him!) and looked pitifully at him. He almost died when he saw how big she was. He gently removed her from the car and brought her into her new home. Well, to skip ahead, Lady has been here for 10 days. She is on a strict diet, with brief periods of exercise..as much as she can handle. She and Maxx have their moments..but only when I am here, so it is some kind of jealousy thing. They play out in the back yard, they sleep close to each other, Maxx frequently licks her muzzle when she is being nice to him. Lady and Lizzie have become fast friends. She is the only dog that Lizzie has ever petted on her own. She loves the feel of the velvety soft fur..and the fact that Lady just calmly lays there and enjoys the petting, without trying to lick or nip at her. The two of them are doing great together. Jody, my son, is very attached to his “old grandma”;. She follows him around, and he loves to pet her. He also likes to lay on the floor next to her and scratch her. Gil is very pleased with the effect that Lady has had on Maxx. He has calmed down a great deal. In the mornings, the three of them have playtime out on the patio. Dog chasing dog, man chasing dog, dog chasing man....great fun! And as for me? I have such peace and contentment now that Lady is home. No matter what room I am in, she follows me. All I have to do is look at her and see those old brown eyes. They are indeed a mirror to the soul. And this old soul has been through some terrible times. But the love is there..she is still able to feel love. And give love. And trust. A very forgiving animal..much more so than I. Just this morning, I was in bed after being sick all night. She knew I was sick, she stayed close by, and licked me when I was in the bathroom, sitting on the floor. Letting me know..I'm here..I'll never leave you. And I smiled at her and said...I'm here..and I will never leave you, Lady.

This story was made possible because of love and respect for life. There is a wonderful group of people on the Moosedog listserve. They have the biggest hearts I have ever seen. Many think that computer people just sit around and chat. Not this group. They act. And they act quickly. If you are considering adopting a dog, please search your soul carefully. Make an informed decision, not an emotional one. Lady is just one story..and not every story has such a happy ending. If you are not prepared to treat your dog like a valued member of the family, then you don't really want a dog. They are not possessions. It isn't like buying a jetski, a barbecue pit, or a tv. Those are things that you can use and then put away when you don't want to bother with them. Dogs should not be put away. They need your love and your companionship. And in return, they will love you unconditionally, they will protect you and keep you from being lonely. Another responsibility of yours will be to make sure that when it is time for your beloved animal to cross the Rainbow Bridge, you are there, holding them. Why? If you were to go first, who would be right next to you, guarding you until you drew your last breath?

If you would like to help other Elkies find homes, please consider a donation to our rescue fund. All money goes toward medical care and rescue efforts for Norwegian Elkhounds. The address is as follows:

John Nelsen Moosedog Rescue Fund
P.O. Box 65
Mendenhall, PA 19357

Unfortunately, the following winter, she was diagnosed with an advanced case of heart worms. Apparently, her former family did not have her on heart worm prevention. Now this poor 7-year old had to undergo treatment. She came through with flying colors!

In December, 2000, Hobo (now about 11-12 years old) was diagnosed with congestive heart failure. She is given medication to keep her from coughing and to flush out the fluid around her heart. One of the medications makes her very hungry.

In January, 2001, Hobo decides she is starving, gets into a cabinet, and eats quite a bit of dry cat food. When I came home a few hours later, Hobo was in quite a state of distress. I had an idea, but I called the vet and took her right in. She was suffering from bloat, and her stomach had turned sideways. Luckily, I recognized it, and the doctor could save her life with emergency surgery. Needless to say, Hobo pulled through and was quite the hero. She got many get well cards and visitors that week!

It is July 2001, and Hobo is still with us. She must be nearly thirteen now. She still barks for her dinner and plays with the squeaky ball. The dog that I didn't want or need ( and can hardly afford!) has taken a huge part of my heart and I love her dearly. I would rather have her and see her sweet toothless grin than have back all the money I spent on her. She knew which place to run to when she ran away that day!

Alecia
Beaufort, NC

Bless you and all those who watch over all of God's creatures.....

Katie
Grants Pass, OR

Aurora looks like an Elkhound in every way except that she is colored completely like a Rottweiler.

I had taken her on a walk down a river bank. I could no longer see my parked car, way back on the dirt road.  Aurora lagged behind me a bit, trying to figure out how to get at some ducks on the other side. Suddenly I heard her barking fiercely.  Turning back around, walking back, I could see a guy trying to steal my car.  She would lunge forward, bark menacingly, and then back off quickly. Then repeat.   I kept back out of clear sight, not wanting him to know I was there.  Finally she maneuvered him away from the car, back onto the road and chased him off.  As if nothing had happened, she trotted back to our riverside walk.

About a half hour later, he came back to the car and tried it again.  She figured out he had come back, and she ran him off again. 

It is just amazing to me that she considered the car to be "her" property. Probably because she likes having her head out the window so much.

---Jan in Ohio

I bought my first norwegian elkhound in 1996 as a gift for my fiancé.   He had an elkie when he was younger and we found Smokey.   This was my first dog and at the time I didn’t know that soon I would be hooked.

When Smokey was still a puppy, we decided to add to our fur family with a pug.   After we moved to another area, we found some elkie puppies for sale. the hunt was on!   That day, we brought home a six week old beautiful elkhound, Samantha.   Samantha and Smokey became fast friends.   Last summer, Sami died in a tragic accident.

Not only did her death at three years old leave me devastated, but Smokey as well.   Here was this wonderful elkie boy surrounded not by one, by five pugs.  It just wasn’t right to subject him to becoming a couch potato like his brothers and sisters.   I am a huge advocate of rescue so the first thing I did when I thought I might be ready was to contact Pam with elkhound rescue.   She offered me tons of advise, which was very much needed because I wasn’t thinking so clearly because of Sam's death.   All I knew was that I missed her and that Smokey just wasn’t acting the same.   We agreed that because of our "mix", a female would be the best for our home.   Since we had at the time three senior pugs, I knew that I would have to be very cautious about choosing an elkhound.   I was in no hurry, but I emailed Pam weekly and I checked petfinders daily, not expecting to find the right one anytime soon. Approximately four weeks after Samantha’s death, I was searching pet finders and the first picture and bio my search pulled up was an elkhound named Buddie at the Humane Society of Greater Dayton.   I looked at his picture and I was hooked.  

I called the shelter and left a detailed message.   I woke up the next day, Saturday, and called immediately.   I was told to come on up and that I could bring Smokey for an introduction.   We arrived at the shelter which was in a flurry of activity.   I was told as soon as I walked through the door that the shelter was holding off site adoptions and we better hurry before they took off! So, I, along with a shelter worker, dragged Smokey through the kennels and we didn’t find Buddie.   My heart dropped.  Then, the worker shouted "here he is!".   He was outside in his run.   She opened the door and out came this beautiful elkhound!   I was shocked by his size of 62 pounds and thought he looked like a potato on sticks.   We went out to the bonding room and we clicked immediately.   Smokey was a little indifferent, but he did not voice any objection.   Buddie just rolled on his back for a belly rub and I knew he was meant to be ours.   While filling out the paper work, I found that Bud had been at the shelter for a week and was an owner surrender.   His former owners did not have the time to spend with him anymore.   They provided all of his information, including his AKC papers which showed that he was just three years old...the same age as Sami!   I loaded him in the car and off we went.  I soon found that Buddie had been very well taken care of.   He knew all commands and would even shake your hand.   He also has a trait that none of my elkhounds ever had and that is chasing balls.   He loves to fetch and retrieve and will do that all day if you’ll let him.   Smokey and Buddie have finally become friends, but the friendship is much different than that with Samantha.   They do not play together, but they do sleep together and seem to enjoy each others company.   With Buddie around, Smokey seems more at ease.   Buddie rescued a broken heart and I am so happy that I was lucky enough to open my home to him.

Michelle

At first, I thought George Carlin was right. The famous comedian once said, "All you’re doing when you buy a pet is buying delayed grief." And as my wife, Lorraine Clark, and I left the vet’s with tears in our eyes on the last day of June, I couldn’t help but think he had a point.

We had just said “goodbye” to our beloved Elkhound, Goodison, who was put to sleep after a courageous 13-month battle with cancer of the lymph nodes.

He’d undergone two full rounds of chemotherapy and had just started a third when he went downhill very rapidly in his final days. His appetite and energy levels dropped dramatically and his world shrank to the area immediately around an air-conditioning vent in the dining room.  Still, he managed a few bites of filet mignon the night before he made that final trip and was able to muster a bark at a hot air balloon the next morning before getting in the car for the final time.  He walked into the vet’s on his own, tail up and even wagging a bit. And as he was led away, he looked back at us as if to say thanks for making the heart-rending decision to let him be at peace.

Lorraine and I managed to get back to our everyday routines, but something was missing.   Enter Bear.   Our friend Mary Meaden, she of Bladon and Hagrid fame, e-mailed me around the end of October about two Elkies needing new homes, the first a nine-year-old female outdoor dog who was not a good fit at all for us, the second a six-year-old male in a Fort Erie shelter named Saxon, who was tops on the list to be put down if the situation warranted.  Paula Kennedy got Saxon out of that shelter for us, but, sadly, Saxon had to be euthanized because of kidney problems.  Just when Lorraine and I thought that maybe it just wasn’t meant to be, Paula told us of an Internet site - elkhoundrescue.com - and recommended we look at the dogs in Michigan and Ohio.   Scanning the Michigan page, Lorraine picked out a four-year-old male named Dagr, who was described as a high-energy type.

I scrolled a bit farther down and there, looking back at me with the most adorable expression, was Bear.   All 75 pounds of him.   We were told his previous owner worked long hours and wasn’t able to give Bear the attention he deserved, especially in terms of exercise.  That explained his extra weight, but we knew it wouldn’t take long to lose.   He was a healthy, happy boy otherwise.   We decided Bear would be a better fit for our lifestyles than Dagr, who I’m happy to say was adopted by Marlene Vieira of Haliburton.

We called Cathy Bristow, who lives in Perry, Michigan, and was involved with the Elkhound Rescue of Mid-Michigan, and put the wheels in motion to adopt Bear.  We talked with Bear’s owner and he seemed reassured Bear would be going to a good home.   Bear was then taken to the home of Mindy and Jim Storen, a great couple in Belleville, Mich.   He spent a week, as Mindy put it, "throwing his weight around" with the Storens` three other dogs plus another they were looking after.

Sunday, Nov. 16, was the big day.   When we got to the Storen's home, Lorraine did her best not to start crying when she saw Bear and I must admit my vision got a bit watery.   It was like looking at Goodison all over again, albeit a more rotund Goodison.  After visiting for about an hour, it was time to go.   Mindy was sad to see Bear leave, but she said she was comforted by the fact he was going to a loving home.   Crossing the border was a breeze as we had all the necessary documentation, namely his proof of rabies vaccination and the adoption contract.

Not content to sit in the back seat, Bear tried to wedge his way between the front seats, resting his upper body on the console most of the way home.   And by the time we neared our house, he’d managed to sit on Loraine’s lap! And within a week, it felt as though Bear had been with us all his life.   He quickly mastered the stairs to the second floor of our house and learned the sofa and our bed were not off-limits.  My mother quickly fell in love with him and both she and our vet, Ann Hutchison at Fairmont Animal Hospital, remarked how much he resembled Goods.

Yet he’s very much his own dog - as his stubbornness over coming inside will attest.   Our home is now whole again and every time I hear Bear sigh contentedly at the foot of our bed as we drift off to sleep, I know one thing for sure. George Carlin missed the point.

Should you be the kind of dog owner that truly knows how to treat an animal and appreciates the beautiful, the brave, the stoic, the loving, the masterful breed that is the Norwegian Elkhound, please adopt one today.

Thank you.
Vicki
Frederick, MD
2004