husky. i was living in Burlington, Vermont, in 1990…i looking for a new apartment. my boyfriend suggested his friend’s house, he rented out rooms of his beautiful Victorian house. i met his friend…Gavin was a bit intimidating, but he had brought along his husky, named Kahn, to meet me. to see if we would suit together. despite my feelings for Gavin, i wanted to be with this dog. so of course i moved right in. isn’t that a good enough reason to move in with a perfect stranger, a man five years older, at the age of 20?
Siberian Huskies are not known as guard dogs, they care nothing for strangers…well, unless they are to be admired. BUT one very cold winter night, i had taken Kahn with me to visit a friend. she lived about 15 blocks away. Kahn was a puller of people, not good on a leash. i’m sure most of the time, anyone who saw me being pulled around by a 80 pound dog thought i looked rather silly.
on that long walk home, i realized i was being followed. i could hear footsteps behind me in the crunchy snow. i remembered reading/hearing about dogs being empathic, so i made sure i sent my fear down the leash to Kahn. i said over & over in my mind, “home, Kahn, home Kahn.” i didn’t think Kahn could pull me harder then he usually does, but that night, i believe had i been on a sled, we would have reached home in seconds. as kahn pulled me faster, the footsteps of the man behind sped up too & i could hear him breathing harder. when i was half a block from home, the stranger put his hand on my shoulder…AND Kahn turned into a dangerous wolf, he turned around & his mouth went straight for the man’s throat. i’ve never seen a Kahn so angry before. the stranger backed off, out of Kahn’s reach & he said to me, “keep your dog back” & he crossed the street & disappeared. with tears freezing down my cheeks, i ran the rest of the way home & fell into the arms of my roommate, shaking & crying with fear & relief. i told him what Kahn had done. Gavin was so completely shocked by the tale i told him. he couldn’t believe that something like that had happened to us. from that night on, my roommate told me that i couldn’t leave the house, at night, without taking Kahn with me. not a problem.
i lived with Kahn for about three years & when i moved out. Gavin would let me take Kahn for a few days at a time, like we had a child custody agreement. i know that Gavin let me have his dog as often as i wanted because Gavin understood the bond between Kahn & i.
Kahn was my Champion.
2me4art 
That story have me chills! How could you not love such a beautiful protector? So glad this story has a happy ending 🙂
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Thank you, Amy. It was a night i’ll never forget. I shared it with my daughters to drive home the fact that there is danger out there & i want them to be prepared for anything. Kahn, the husky, knew just how much i adored him. Thank you for reading it. ~amy
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What a beautiful story! Dogs are amazing, aren’t they? I’m so glad that you remained seeing him after you moved out too. Dogs just become part of our family as we form very special bonds 🙂
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Hello, Thank you so much for your wonderful comment. You are so right about our dogs, they are amazing. ~amy
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Wonderful story Amy. I can relate. My Rottweiler, Mirabai, and I were inseparable. She was super well trained and socialized. Never hostile and trained for protection. We lived on the coast in a house that was a quarter mile up a dirt road and hidden behind a plant nursery. No one came to my door. One day a man strangely appeared on my deck. He didn’t look threatening in the least but there he was. ‘Mirabai’ on my side of the glass door turned into evil dog showing every tooth and growling fiercely. She was always happy to see everyone. I totally trusted her judgement and told him to go away. For sure he did because of my sweet dog turned assassin.
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What an awful experience, but what an amazing dog!
Thanks for the follow for my blog. I really like the sound of yours so I’ve followed you back =) I’m looking forward to reading more!
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Oh, thank you so much, Melissa! One, for the compliment & two for reading what i wrote! Thank you for the follow & i look forward to seeing your posts in my reader. ~amy
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I’m so relating to your story. Our dog protectors are amazing and are definitely angels. My Dane (who normally loved everyone) in the early 70s did the same for me once when I was threatened. Khan was beautiful and special.
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Terrifying, story with heroic end, great dog! That day it was meant to be that you had him with you, even his name is fearless just like the great Khan was! Bravo to the Champion Khan!!!
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What an amazing story! I too always felt safe with my darling ‘Candy’ a beautiful black lab. She was usually quiet and very dignified but anytime she felt I or any family member was threatened, she was a ferocious little tiger!
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Then you are so lucky to have such a dog. My husband was not really a fan of owning a dog. But i told him, if he is to travel overnight, then a dog would hear anything long before the person became a threat. So before he was deployed he bought me my first ever Siberian Husky for my own. I slept better knowing i had a 100lb beast in my house who loved me with all his heart. ~amy
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🙂 Nice! Am still trying to convince mine for a lab!
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Years ago we had a gentle dog, part Doberman, part Afghan, who was very mild and quiet. I used to take her to a fairly deserted beach near where we lived and one day, when we were the only ones there, a guy crossed the dunes and started walking towards me. To my surprise, Jodie suddenly let out a deep bark, then a growl, rushed in front of me, and crouched barking at the man. He quickly took off in the opposite direction and, like you, I know Jodie protected me from an attack.
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Then we are both blessed by our champions. Dogs know when evil or anger is present far sooner then we do. Although, I was pretty scared, i think, before Kahn knew. I was 5’2″ & 90lbs…an easy target. I am forever grateful for knowing that dog. ~amy
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