Unlikely Companions: The Story of a Siberian Husky and his Bichon Brother

Anakin came to us in an unlikely scenario. While working, my husband, Tom, helped a man who fell through an open manhole in a sidewalk one night in front of his house. They got to talking, and he told my husband about his Siberian Husky having puppies. Tom went the next day to take a look at the lot of them and completely fell in love. All the puppies bounded out from the front porch onto the lawn... all except for one, that is. The man looked around and realized the male pup he liked to call "Dropout" wasn't there. Seconds later, there he came... running right up to the man and biting his pants before passing by. Tom knew right then and there that little spitfire was going to be ours!

A few weeks later, Tom picked our new puppy up while I was working. It was true love from then on for Tom and his "boy". I received a text message that said only "The force is strong with this one!" From that day forward, our ornery guy earned the name Anakin - the true name of Star Wars' Darth Vader. He truly lives up to the moniker. He's got a bit of the Dark side as well as the Light. And we love him exactly the way he is!

When my husband transferred jobs and we moved to Vermont, we happened to stop in a little pet store one day to look around. I locked eyes with a little Bichon Frise, all white with the cutest little apricot-colored ears. Talk about love at first site! We held the little guy for a few minutes, and he was just a little ball of love. He was already 6 months old and still waiting to be adopted. He was pricey, as most pet stores tend to be, and we were having work done on our truck the next day. I knew the smart thing to do was leave and think it over. Boy, it was hard to walk away from him!

A message was waiting for us that afternoon when we arrived home. The man fixing our truck hadn't gotten the parts, so we were rescheduled for two weeks later. I thought to myself, "Great! I can go get that dog!" I got busy doing a couple things, and a phone call came in calling my husband to the police department. Apparently, he was missing an important meeting that he'd forgotten about. He jetted out the door, and I grumbled to myself that there went my chance to go grab the pup. About an hour later, I heard Tom come home while I was upstairs working in my home office. I turned in my chair to greet Tom when I heard him come up, and a little white puffball with apricot ears ran through the office and jumped right into my lap! My husband earned some mad brownie points that day, and I gained my little Bichon love, Brian.

When Brian came to our family, Anakin was 3 years old. He's a fiercely loyal guy, and we were a little worried about how long it might take him to warm up to Brian, especially around our young daughters. They checked each other out in their own doggie fashion, and neither one seemed intimidated by the other. So far, so good. We decided a family walk would be nice. We leashed them both up and took the girls with us over to some neat paths in an old cemetery near our home. While there, a large unleashed dog ran from him owners and headed our way. His owners were unable to catch up with him or stop him with voice commands. I stopped dead in my tracks, not sure what I was going to do. I had Brian and both girls with me, and Tom and Anakin were just a little off to our side and behind. Anakin, my Husky love, didn't hesitate like we did. He walked to the front of all of us. This part amazes me to this day and still melts my heart - he walked up to Brian at the front of our group and stood so Brian was cradled beneath him, in between his front legs. (Anakin is much taller than Brian, and Brian can still run right underneath him!) Upon seeing Anakin, the loose dog thought twice and doubled back. Anakin looked back at me with a look that said, to me at least, "I got this, Mom." My furry boys have been inseparable ever since!

Anakin and Brian are with us still, now just about 9 and 6 years old, respectively. It makes us laugh how they like to imitate each other. Brian will try to mimic Anakin when he howls. Anakin likes to sit in our laps, or try to anyway, just like Brian does. Once Brian joined our family, I notice that Anakin has become more lovey. I see traits in Brian of protectiveness for his adopted brother. Anakin has canine epilepsy which is relatively mild in degree. Brian runs to find Tom or I if Anakin is seizing and happens to be alone. He will jump on us and throw his paw until we follow him. Brian will lay down and wait for Anakin to finish, and then he sits with his brother until he gets his sea legs back.

When we find it necessary to board the guys, we made sure to locate a facility that would let them stay in the same kennel. If they are separate, Anakin becomes very despondent and his nervous belly kicks in. We've been lucky enough to now have a friend comfortable enough to stay at our home if we need to leave without the dogs.

They're rarely apart and seem to love it that way. Even now, as I write this article, I have a Bichon sleeping on my right foot and a Husky snoring away on my left. Thank you God for bringing these fellows into our family - we're better for having them in our lives!