Ugh...huskies.
My totally one-sided personal point of view on them is that I would never, ever own one. Ever.
Lots of good reasons for this already pointed out: shedding, high prey drive, escape artist/runners.
As a vet tech I've seem lots of huskies and they are, as a breed, on my 'trouble on 4 legs' list. Nail trim? Most scream bloody murder. The poor owners are sitting in the waiting room listening to what sounds like the techs back there killing their baby. Of course, 4 techs to hold the screaming, fighting mass of hair and teeth down and one to clip....the dog anticipating the clipper and wincing and getting the quick nipped. So now, with their blood pressure about stroke level, the blood is flying. Further proof that we were trying to murder the dog...
Need to board a husky while on vacation? Prepare yourself for an aggravation fee added to the top. That is for the amount of asprin the hospital staff will consume while the dog is in their care. They howl, scream and whine the entire time (the dog, not the techs). Add the sedation fee so they don't chew through and destroy the pen. They will eat the stainless steel bowls though...add the cost of the x-ray fee and foreign body removal surgery, too. Might want to repair that fractured canine tooth they broke while chewing on the concrete wall.
They suffer in the heat. I remember one night at the hospital shaving this poor heat stroke stricken, obese husky. The owners left her outside during the day and she had collapsed. She must have been there awhile because the maggots had already settled in and where crawling in and out of her...well, this is a family site. We cleaned her up but she went into DIC and died.
Neglectful owners.
A friend of mine had a husky she would put in the bathroom when she couldn't supervise it. She was surprised to find it greeting her at the door when she got home.....
The husky ATE through the sheetrock, insulation and plumbing to get out of the bathroom.
I rescued a husky (before I knew better) in Denver. The bandage on the paw should have been my first clue - he tore open his foot eating and squeezing through the gate and that is why the previous owner surrendered him. This dog ate several window sills and door frames and he could just spring - from a standstill - over the 5' fence. And run. And run. Refused to listen. He lasted a week. I got a lab instead and lived happily ever after.
Also knew 2 other husky owners who's dogs would kill any small creature that they could catch. Too many dead kittens to even list here.
So, save yourself some heartache and avoid the huskies.
My apology to husky owners here with well-behaved huskies. You have done a phenomenal job of training if you can live with one.
My totally one-sided personal point of view on them is that I would never, ever own one. Ever.
Lots of good reasons for this already pointed out: shedding, high prey drive, escape artist/runners.
As a vet tech I've seem lots of huskies and they are, as a breed, on my 'trouble on 4 legs' list. Nail trim? Most scream bloody murder. The poor owners are sitting in the waiting room listening to what sounds like the techs back there killing their baby. Of course, 4 techs to hold the screaming, fighting mass of hair and teeth down and one to clip....the dog anticipating the clipper and wincing and getting the quick nipped. So now, with their blood pressure about stroke level, the blood is flying. Further proof that we were trying to murder the dog...
Need to board a husky while on vacation? Prepare yourself for an aggravation fee added to the top. That is for the amount of asprin the hospital staff will consume while the dog is in their care. They howl, scream and whine the entire time (the dog, not the techs). Add the sedation fee so they don't chew through and destroy the pen. They will eat the stainless steel bowls though...add the cost of the x-ray fee and foreign body removal surgery, too. Might want to repair that fractured canine tooth they broke while chewing on the concrete wall.
They suffer in the heat. I remember one night at the hospital shaving this poor heat stroke stricken, obese husky. The owners left her outside during the day and she had collapsed. She must have been there awhile because the maggots had already settled in and where crawling in and out of her...well, this is a family site. We cleaned her up but she went into DIC and died.
A friend of mine had a husky she would put in the bathroom when she couldn't supervise it. She was surprised to find it greeting her at the door when she got home.....
The husky ATE through the sheetrock, insulation and plumbing to get out of the bathroom.
I rescued a husky (before I knew better) in Denver. The bandage on the paw should have been my first clue - he tore open his foot eating and squeezing through the gate and that is why the previous owner surrendered him. This dog ate several window sills and door frames and he could just spring - from a standstill - over the 5' fence. And run. And run. Refused to listen. He lasted a week. I got a lab instead and lived happily ever after.
Also knew 2 other husky owners who's dogs would kill any small creature that they could catch. Too many dead kittens to even list here.
So, save yourself some heartache and avoid the huskies.
My apology to husky owners here with well-behaved huskies. You have done a phenomenal job of training if you can live with one.
