Some have proven too big and strong for their owners. Owners who are moving, getting divorced, or making other major life changes are sometimes unable or unwilling to include the dogs in their changed lives. A healthy, friendly, well-behaved Malamute occasionally appears on the back steps of a kind person who takes in the dog, tries and fails to find the owner, and calls us. Dogs rescued from animal shelters have either been turned in by owners or picked up by dog officers. A typical story is of a healthy, friendly young Malamute found wandering in a schoolyard or turned loose on a highway.
Some rescue dogs show no signs whatsoever of abuse.
In others, the signs are unmistakable. Some of these dogs cringe at the slightest word of correction. One of the pleasures of rescuing such a dog is the privilege of teaching the lesson that, from now on, human hands and voices mean kindness and love.