Today I am going to introduce to you a very special boy in my life…..
He is an Alaskan Klee Kai, a miniature Husky and the latest addition to our family. So here’s the background…..
The Alaskan Klee Kai is one of the newest breeds to the world of dogs. They have that distinct husky mask and eyes that are blue brown or part blue or part brown. Ralph’s are brown. There are a variety of coat colours with shades of grey and white as well as black and white colourings being the most common. Coats can either be long of short hair, with the long hair being extremely rare. Ralph is getting darker every day. In this photo you can see how his mask is growing more defined and his fur is getting darker. He’s growing up!!
Most animals reflect the temperament of their owners and the Alaskan Klee Kai is no exception. Ralph is very chilled, that must be Nick’s influence! :-s He takes most things in his stride. AKK’s are known to be cautious with strangers. Ralph loves people, and will usually snuggle up to someone within a few minutes of meeting them. He is wary of other puppies so we are socialising him as much as we can, taking him the Puppy School every Sunday.
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| This gives you an idea of his size (He is snoozing on a standard size sofa cushion) |
They are territorial and so are generally good watchdogs, but they seldom make good guard dogs as it is their nature to be alert, but not attack. They adapt well to most climates and those that share your home usually pick your lap as their favourite spot. This is most certainly true of Ralph who loves a cuddle!
The Alaskan Klee Kai had its beginnings with the Alaskan Husky, which is a mixture of breeds, most of which are the husky type. Linda Spurlin carefully selected the foundation stock. She refined the breed for 15 years before releasing them to the public in 1988. Linda talked to many Eskimo people trying to find a suitable word that would mean ‘little’ or ‘small dog’. Finding none that sounded like a dog breed. She took the Eskimo words apart and put them together in different ways until the words ‘Klee Kai’ appeared and it sounded just right.
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| Sleepy head |
There is also the legend of the Alaskan Klee Kai.
“Somewhere within the Great Land called Alaska, between the massive mountains, the vast oceans, the silent tundra, and the endless sheets of ice, the Glacier Witch looked down and smiled at the bright eyed, tiny form in front of her. After rescuing it from the icy waters and drying it before the fire, it appeared somewhat smaller than before, and she was pleased. For the little husky’s smaller size would make it an ideal companion. She searched the various native dialects, and deriving the name from the Eskimo words for “little dog,” she christened the masked creature “Klee Kai.”
Ralph is the first dog I have ever owned and I must say he is practically perfect in every way! He never barks or howls. His natural wariness means he never strays too far and is always close behind. He likes nothing more than to spend the evening cuddled up on the sofa. He has started chewing things, in particular my laptop cable but we can’t have everything! So here he is, my gorgeous little puppy even with the chewing I wouldn’t change him for the world.
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