Merry
Christmas!
Now,
on to my rant for the day. The term “Alaskan Husky”. Yeah, NO SUCH THING!
Alaskan
Malamute or Siberian Husky, but don’t show your idiocy in combining the terms
and attempting to know what you are looking for. Those of us that actually own
these dogs know you are a MORON. The Sibe is the Porche where the Malamute is
more of a Bulldozer. Malamutes get GINORMOUS and a Sibe is considered a medium
sized dog and should weigh between 35-70 pounds, where a Malamute can weigh up
to 120+ pounds…it’s a small horse!
I
was reading in a group on facebook that is local to where I live where people
are looking to buy/sell/trade, etc. This woman posts that she is looking for
the elusive “Alaskan Husky”. I responded, chiding her over the term and asked
her to clarify exactly which breed of dog she was looking for and went on to
post several links regarding Sibe behaviors, their temperaments, exercise level
and the fact that they are freaking Houdini’s…all of them. Will she read them?
Probably not. Will there be yet another Sibe taken into a home when it’s a cute
and adorable puppy and then suddenly be rehomed possibly multiple times because
the adult version and maintenance aren’t what they “expected”? More than
likely.
I
love our boys. I do, with everything in me. I sacrifice things that I would
like for both our kids AND our dogs. They are EXTREMELY high maintenance! You’ll
never own a piece of clothing again that doesn’t have dog hair on it and forget
the furniture and your floors being clean while you own them. Be prepared to
train them and CONSTANTLY reinforce your training. Forget having a garden of
any sort because they like to dig…a LOT. You better have a fenced in yard as
well and not a chain link or low fence because they will be GONE. You need at
LEAST a 6 ft high fence and be prepared to do some maintenance on that as well
because they will attempt to dig under, jump over or just chew through it.
Reinforcing the fence and checking it weekly, if not daily, is so highly
recommended. Don’t plan on walking them with just a leash on a collar, cause
they’ll wiggle out before you can say “wha”….and they’re gone. A harness is wonderful
and one that hooks in the front that if they start to pull, it forces them to
one side or another, it’s a wonderful pull deterent…otherwise, you’ll WISH you
had a sled…because otherwise it will be YOU lying on the ground being pulled
behind your Sibe. Seriously, I’ve seen Tiberius drag kiddo across a concrete
driveway and into the yard before I could utter the STOP command. Kiddo was
okay minus a scraped chin and hands. She hasn’t asked to walk him since. But I
love them.
And
they are NOT guard dogs or fight dogs or aggressive (unless truly provoked or
threatened). These dogs will be more apt to wag their tails happily as thieves steal
your fine China. They are NOT one person dogs either. They are pack animals and
their humans are their pack and they LOVE children. I think this is the one
aspect of parenthood that I’m looking forward to. Having grandchildren over
(one day…sometime in the next 15 years) and watching our boys talk with them. I
cannot wait…well, I can…I can wait a lot longer…really.
My
point is this: if you are thinking about getting a dog…do your research. Talk
to owners, reputable breeders and if you really want the skinny on a dog…talk
to people who rescue the specific breed you’re looking for. They will be an
absolute treasure trove of information.
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