Jenni came into my life in April 2012. She had been picked up as a stray in our county and taken to a local vet clinic, as we have no animal shelter. I volunteer for our county animal rescue group and had recently lost my elderly dog Jacob to lymphoma. Other volunteers noticed Jenni’s similarity to Jacob and asked me if I would consider fostering Jenni. While not quite ready to adopt another dog, I met Jenni, fell in love, and adopted her after a week.

When Jenni was first picked up she suffered from massive infections and maggots in both ears. She is now deaf. Her extremely long coat was so matted and dirty there was mold growing in it and the only way to help her was to shave her down completely.

At first we thought Jenni was a mix but after a doggy DNA test we learned she is a full-blooded Alaskan Malamute. She is unusually large at 100 lbs. and her long coat makes her a “wooly” malamute.

Jenni loves people, gets along with cats, and has become a minor celebrity around town as she is such a big and beautiful girl. Her deafness doesn’t stop her and her coat has grown back in magnificently. Jenni is a big presence in my life in many ways!

— Annie from Monticello, IA