This one honestly broke our hearts. This sweet little puppy named Gray was living in northern Alaska with a tote for shelter. His person reached out to Straw For Dogs for a house on 1/10, it was shipped on 1/14, and arrived in Gray's village on 1/24, two days AFTER he passed away.
We knew when we saw the picture of him with a tote for shelter this was an EMERGENCY, we called our builder in Wasilla, told him about the situation and asked for an house to be sent as soon as he possibly could. He built it and had it delivered from Wasilla to the Anchorage airport within a few days. The house left Anchorage right away but got stuck in Kotzebue for over a week due to bad weather/flight cancellations.
Gray's person was bringing him in at night and during the day when she was home. Until he had a proper house she was only putting him outside while she was at work. She knew a house was on the way. She called daily to check the flight status with the airlines. The day he passed, she went home at lunch to check on him and let him off his chain to run around and he seemed fine but when she got home after work Gray had passed away.
She called to give us the sad news and let us know she had given his house to his "cousin" from a previous litter who lived outside with no shelter at all. She even sent us a picture of the "dog cousin" with the house.
Gray's person was heartbroken over the loss of her puppy, we both got pretty choked up as we talked and tried to figure out what could have happened to him.
We are praying Gray did not freeze to death while his house was on the way to him. He may have been sick, or eaten something he shouldn't have when he was off his chain during her lunch break. We will likely never know what happened, but this one hurts.
Weather can always be an issue and to compound the problem once flights are cancelled and freight is backed up, dog houses are not a priority, food and other necessities are. So even when the weather breaks the houses have to wait.
All this to say, this work is truly heartbreaking at times. Also to say it is a process to get a 200 lb house out to the rural communities. It can take weeks depending on our builder and the weather. This house was turned around just about as fast as a house could ever be and it still wasn't fast enough.
It really seemed like Gray was loved and his person was doing the right things for him. We don't know that exposure was what caused him to pass but we don't know that it wasn't either, so this one will stay with us.
So sorry we let you down Gray. š Rest in Peace sweet puppy.