As American Eskimo lovers, it's a crying shame that an Eskie even needs to be rescued at all! The audacity of some people to abuse such lovely animals!

Climbing out of my soap box - the gratification is great for rescuing an abused Eskie. But at first, it is usually heart breaking. Its hard to see the Eskies afraid, shy and broken.

So lets say you do want to rescue an Eskie. Major props to you! But to rehabilitate an Eskie is a committed cause. It will take patience, time and potentially quite a bit of money on your part. So here are some 3 powerful tips on how to handle and rehab rescued Eskies.

Gain Its trust - by this stage, the Eskie doesn't trust any two leggeds at all. They may have been subjected to cruelty, neglect, abuse and a hundred other things besides. Usually, it has no idea why its being cruelly treated. So to gain its trust - you set clear and consistent rules that you enforce on the Eskie. Such as - where it can sleep, go, when it can bark and so on. Eskies thrive on limits. So just set any limit (even random ones) and enforce it. Such as the Eskie can't go upstairs. The point is you need to give it a structured life, so it knows exactly where it is. They're pack animals remember that.

Be prepared to pay for extra medical and food costs - Some Eskies were underfed as they grew up. Others may be suffering from injuries and chronic disorders that need treatment. It's a darn shame - but it comes with rehabilitating a rescued Eskie. Restoring an Eskie's body and wits is very important. Just as important as gaining its trust. And probably, you gain its trust as it realizes you're feeding it and seeing to its medical needs.

Socialize it gradually - once your Eskie trusts you, you can gradually introduce it to other people and eskies to help restart its social and psychological development.

Rehabbing an Eskie does take time, and work on your part. Then again - anything worth doing usually comes with its share of difficulties. But the end result - is a happy, healthy, loving and devoted American Eskimo. Who could ask for more!