It is with great sadness that we share the passing of Laika, the Siberian Husky who served as the mascot during home football games for Portage Northern High School from 2010 until her retirement in 2017. Laika came out of retirement one last time on August 24, 2018 for the Grand Opening of Huskie Stadium.
Laika lived in Galesburg and then Vicksburg with her family. Laika loved people. She was a show dog, receiving Best Female & Best in Breed honors when she was just 11 months old. She got her mascot gig after some family friends who attended PN suggested owner/trainer, Cathy Gray, meet PN Athletic Director, Chris Riker. The rest is history.
Laika had a knack for performing to the crowds at PN. She would strut and run on the track during the football games, getting excited and jump with fans when PN scored! She would also pose for photos, sit for hugs and lick the hands and faces of the spectators. She even had a feature story in the Hometown Gazette in late 2010.
Laika's passing was announced on Cathy Gray's Facebook page last week. She wrote: "I said goodbye to my favorite girl, Laika, this morning. At the age of 15 her body said it was time. Laika was my heart girl. She would do anything I asked her to. I never had a husky like her. She was the one that got me started in dog shows. She wasn't the perfect show dog, but she was my show dog. One of her highlights in life was at 11 months of age, she became the mascot at a local High School, Portage Northern Huskies, and was their mascot for 7 years at which she retired after that. She performed at all the High School home football games and was loved by the crowd. She loved it! She came out of retirement for one night of performing when Portage Northern had their grand opening of their new football stadium. She performed one last time that night. Laika was also my service dog. She was the sweetest girl that loved everyone and everyone who ever met her fell in love with her too."
Rest easy Laika. Thank you to the Gray family for sharing her with us. Laika will always be a #huskieforlife. Check out the photos of Laika in action below:
*Information from this article came from the Hometown Gazette 1/2010 and Cathy Gray.