First Name
Rachelle

Hero Bio
Atka is a 6 year old Husky/White Shepherd/Wolf cross who was tethered to a fence and abandoned by his previous owner. After chewing through the tether and living in a forest for a few days, the Maple Ridge SPCA upon being notified of a white dog running free in the area was finally corralled. My husband and I were at a cat shelter next door to the SPCA when we spied this gorgeous white dog in an outdoor pen being petted by an SPCA volunteer. He was simply stunning and we felt compelled to walk over and see him. We were informed of his abandonment and of his recent 'capture' and were shocked by his gentle demeanour. Surely a dog who was tied to a fence and arguably left for dead (Maple Ridge is rife with coyote packs and bears) could not be calm and friendly. We bonded instantly but we have 4 rescued cats so bringing him home seemed heartbreakingly impractical. After conferring for literally a minute we took him into the 'cat area' of the shelter to see if he would 'freak out'. He did not and the rest is history. He was originally named 'Alpine' to account for his forest adventures but we named him 'Atka' which is Inuit for guardian spirit as he became very protective of us and his cat brother and sisters. He is the happiest dog in the world, he can not stop smiling. It's strange I know...but he smiles. It is the one attribute that every neighbour, family member or fellow dog walker notices...he smiles. It lights up the room and our hearts. You know what?Since we adopted him 4 years ago, all we do is smile too!