An Alaskan Malamute with a Big Personality

I am pet sitting for my best friend and her family while they are in Florida on personal family concerns. It was the perfect thing for me because I’m in a transition and can’t really get an animal of my own until I move back to Tucson. Bandit and Spooky came to stay with us on January sixth. For now, I’m going to talk about Bandit (that’s him on the right).

Bandit is a 13 year old Alaskan malamute. As you might guess, he is much more comfortable outside – even in the cold weather – than he is in the cozy house. He’s big, furry, beautiful and PICKY. I suppose when one gets to be as old as he is, one has a right to be choosy, huh?

He likes BEEF flavored rawhide and treats. While he loves his rawhide and bones, he wouldn’t eat his food until I made “gravy” – and he meant it. He starved himself for THREE days until I figured out that I had to make gravy. This was after I had finished feeding him from his can and dumped in the new bag his mommy and daddy had left – unbeknownst to me, it is a different kind than he was used to eating.

He won’t do a trick if he doesn’t like what you have in your hand. He’s incredibly smart and knows all the tricks, but if you have a pork, chicken, or peanut butter flavored treat, he will sit there and just look at you – and he can smell what you have a mile away, so there is no fooling him.

With all of that, he is a darling. He loves to run up behind me and get right between my legs, which takes me off my feet if I don’t expect it.

He has decided that I am the important human for now. He’s not ornery with others, but it is me he whines at and I am the one he bothers to come out of his house for – and I am convinced this is because he knows that I am his “mama’s” best friend. This makes me family – part of the pack – and the only family he has right now.

I love cats (Spooky is a cat), but dogs are just more “human”. While Spook will come because you might have food or you might pet him, Bandit will come because he loves you. Of course, Bandit cannot curl up in a lap like Spooky does, but even if he could fit in a lap, I suspect he’d be pickier than Spook.

No matter. We’ve got them both covered and when their real family comes back, they’ll be happy to go home. I miss my best friend, too, but I’m going to miss her pets when she comes back to get them!

 Unlike the typical Alaskan malamute, Bandit does not chew on everything and he does not have a habit of barking and howling – at least not in the manner attributed to most malamutes. He does not play rough or bounce all over, either, though I suspect that has to do with being an old dog. He’s not typical for a malamute in that he doesn’t mind other animals. He is tolerant of other dogs and not aggressive toward cats. Like the typical malamute, he is stubborn and he will stand his ground (such as not eating for days on end because he doesn’t care for the food, and not doing a trick if he doesn’t like the treat). 

Bandit recently went on to doggie heaven. :(  He lived two years longer than the average malamute , but he is sorely missed. It has left an empty space in my heart, but even more so in the hearts of his family. It is amazing to think about how much joy a dog can bring into your life. We are truly blessed by the presence of our pets.

If you are thinking of getting a puppy and have considered a malamute, know that chewing, rambunctious behavior, and barking are all common traits. Make sure your puppy has lots of room to run around and older kids to play with – from my understanding, unless they get their exercise and play, young malamutes are likely to chew up everything in sight. They are possessive of their food and may bite if bothered while eating, so it is important to keep children away from them while they consume their dinner. Other than that, they are not particularly aggressive, even if they appear to be. Most are very friendly.