Kota - Alaskan Malamute

by Sandy
(Georgia, USA)

Kota came to live with us a few months after we had to put our Boxer, Max, down after 11 years.

Boxers are great dogs, but after the epileptic seizures Boxers are known to develop in their later years, I just didn't want to have another Boxer and have to go through that again, so began my quest for a long lived healthy breed.

I decided on an Alaskan Malamute after extensive research. After much searching, I found a dedicated breeder with records of healthy litters from 10 generations and all of her dogs were active in either sledding, weight pulling, confirmation, agility or rallying most with titles or working on titles. I felt pretty confident my puppy was strong and healthy and I want to keep him that way.

Because of Kota, I have learned so much about dog nutrition and the importance of a healthy gut and what to feed your dog to maintain a healthy gut. So Kota eats a high quality kibble and organic canned food along with plenty of organic fruits, veggies, yogurt and freshly ground pumpkin seeds. He loves anything if it is something to eat, so I would have to say food is his favorite treat stuffed in a Kong and he seems to really enjoy my own homemade baked doggie biscuits I made him for Christmas.

I prepared myself for the challenge of the malamute's intelligent, independent and often times stubborn nature, but Kota has been the dream puppy. He has been very easy to train and has the humblest demeanor and he loves everybody! He is not a barker, he is a woo, wooer and communicates through his woo, woos...it is the sweetest sound!

Kota was born on 4/2/2014 and joined our family on 7/29/2014. He loves to play with anything that squeaks and will entertain himself by lying on his back and holding his toy with both paws to chew or make it squeak. Kota knows all the basic commands and when I point my fingers like a gun and say, "Bang!" He falls over and plays dead; this is not his most favorite trick, so sometimes he will moan and grumble in protest before falling to the ground, which just adds more authenticity to the trick. He also loves going to the dog park and going on hour long walks several times a day.

Kota has brought so much joy to our lives and makes every day brighter. I am looking forward to the many happy years he will be with us.