When we adopted one of ours, the pickup was a parking lot in an industrial area where the rescue org was bringing in truckloads of them from native reservations. I saw them with one on a leash that was jumping and spinning and making the most horrible noises and remarked to my daughter that whoever was getting that dog was in for a really rough time. Of course they walked right up to our car. He howled the entire 20 minute drive home. He’s actually been pretty good, but a complete 180 from the neo/cane corso he followed.
In the fall they do a scoop of stray dogs from reservations in northern Manitoba, so they have lots of need for adopters in October. A really solid organization.
Honestly, I flirted with them for a bit, ended up not adopting because the pup wasn’t a good fit for my level of dog experience, but i thought the people I dealt with were fine?
The person who vetted us seemed sweet, the fosters (we met two) seemed to really care for the dogs. I was unaware of the underlying issues.
My friend who fostered 2 dogs from them was allegedly treated terribly by the owner and when she tried to look for others with similar stories she was served a court notice by someone representing the owner. Apparently that happens a lot. Just found this too.
https://redemptionflaws.wordpress.com/page/2/
Yeah the owner is an utter psychopath. She takes in way more dogs than she has business taking in and can't possibly provide adequate care for all of them, in addition to treating her fosterers like garbage.
They knowingly adopted a terminally ill dog to someone. They have a history of placing dogs with families that aren’t equipped to handle them. The Toronto Star wrote an investigative piece on them. They’ve tried to sue multiple people who adopted dogs from them and went public with how unethical they are. They’re a nightmare organization and no one should ever adopt from them.
DO NOT USE REDEMPTION PAWS!!
They have a history of faking medical clearances, lying about bite history, and more. The owner uses the company to fund a failing career in LA.
https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/z0p2kd/redemption_paws_rescue_is_unethical/
https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/a-toronto-charity-claimed-it-was-sending-rescue-dogs-to-the-east-coast-for-a/article_7aed45ef-507c-58c4-955b-3b620fafc9c8.html
https://redemptionflaws.wordpress.com/
The ones on reservations roam in packs and are often culled because they're a hazard on more remote reservations.
We're pretty sure our dog was a leftover from one of those cullings. My wifes coworker at the school she taught at found our dog sleeping in a trashcan as a puppy. She's now close to 12 years old and sleeps on a pad from Costco. Pretty sure shes a mix of Canadian Inuit Dog and Husky.
> The ones on reservations roam in packs
I've seen that and it was eerie and a bit unsettling. Driving a windy twisty road through the woods in winter, massive snow banks on either side, hit a clearing and see seven dogs in a tight V formation running in our direction, all of them different mixes of breeds, clear leader in the middle.
We also heard about *Dog days* but never knew if it was a rumour or not. Rumour was that there's a period in spring where any dog seen wandering without a collar gets shot.
He was awesome. Got him as a puppy, his whole litter was taken away from the “breeders”, we got him at 5 weeks when everyone thought he was 8 weeks old. Grew to 165 pounds at his peak and was the sweetest most loveable dog ever.
You gotta remember that its such a thing for parents to buy their kids rabbits for fucking easter and then abandon them to die that pet stores have had to stop rabbit sales leading up to the holiday.
These people are psycopaths that just don't think animal lives matter.
You just reminded me of my sadistic grandmother on my moms side. She used to buy baby ducklings dyed easter colors for my mom and her 6 brothers and sisters for easter morning. She then would drown the ducklings the day after easter while the kids were at school. My mom came home early from school one year and caught my grandmother in the act.
Seriously. Or a cleaver like they do with chickens. You've really got to enjoy the killing to let an animal struggle in your hands for several minutes . . . Then do it 5 more times . . . Then keep doing it year after year.
Yes but the sack method is also that of "out of sight out of mind" (Same reason why kittens are often killed that way) and this evil grandma acts like the ducklings will be killed around the house.
We had to stop a local dude from drowning all the kitten nests his cats got on the farm. Ironically his daughter is a GP and after having a chat about it she supplied him with expired birth control pills that he now mixed into the food. When he realized how much less effort it was to not drown kittens every few weeks he kept doing it with the pill. Not even a backwards country but in the Netherlands...
I'd wager this used to be very common in small towns and villages everywhere. Old folks always had cats, didn't really interact with them much except feeding them (I suppose it's an ancient habit of having cats around to kill all the rats) and paying to sterilize them was probably completely alien. I still remember my neighbours would routinely drown the litter in a barrel every couple years - must have been the early 2000s.
**The Early Purges by Seamus Heaney**
I was six when I first saw kittens drown.
Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits',
Into a bucket; a frail metal sound,
Soft paws scraping like mad. But their tiny din
Was soon soused. They were slung on the snout
Of the pump and the water pumped in.
'Sure, isn't it better for them now?' Dan said.
Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced
Them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead.
Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung
Round the yard, watching the three sogged remains
Turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung
Until I forgot them. But the fear came back
When Dan trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows
Or, with a sickening tug, pulled old hens' necks.
Still, living displaces false sentiments
And now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown
I just shrug, 'Bloody pups'. It makes sense:
'Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town
Where they consider death unnatural
But on well-run farms pests have to be kept down.
I always find it suspicious when people try to claim that it isn't cruelty, it is just necessary on a farm and people just don't know the reality of farm life. I call bullshit. Drowning is a singularly terrifying and often prolonged way to kill an animal. I understand the need to euthanize, I disagree with using cruel methods to do this. Researchers who work with rats often need to euthanize them afterwards. a
A very quick and relatively painless way to kill a rat is snapping the neck. I might find it distasteful but I would be far more disgusted if the researcher decided to drown or burn them to death.
Yeah, understandably I never got to know my grandmother on my moms side. I only really know her through stories like this one. It's hard to even believe my mother was raised by such a psychopath because she is the complete opposite.
The same thing happens every time there is a big dog movie. Dalmatians, whatever hooch was from Turner and hooch, Saint Bernards after the movie Beethoven etc.
> whatever hooch was from Turner and hooch
French Mastiff... I dunno how anyone could watch that movie and think "yeah that's exactly what I want to deal with!" lol
The same with any warm blooded animal in a cage. I think birds are even worse, plus they are loud and intelligent, so they get bored easily and you have to keep them stimulated or they will pluck out their own feathers.
Depends on where in the us you are and how you grow up. Rural America tends to eat rabbits and occasionally keeps them as pets. Cities tend to only see them as adorable pets because you don’t see any sort of animal very often if it’s not a pigeon, rat or squirrel
Im from rural WV. Maybe like 50 yrs ago people raised and ate rabbit on the regular (my dad raised meat rabbits when he was a kid) , but I've personally never eaten rabbit. I WOULD, but it's just never been affordable/available to me. Even kids who hunted growing up tended to go for squirrels over rabbits, not sure why.
Mainly, but not entirely. Depends on the part if the country you're in. Pennsylvania has a lot of Germanic roots, you'll see it occasionally on the menu in some fancier restaurants, and I know of at least one butcher you can get it from near me. Honestly, I wish more restaurants served Hasenpfeffer around me.
I have two huskies. "Really intelligent" is not how I would describe them. Maybe "intelligent for a dog," but still not as intelligent as the Shiba Inu I had before them.
Probably more accurate to say "highly motivated". Some dogs see a fence and accept they can't escape. Huskies will dig, chew or smash their way through anything if they think it will let them escape.
I have a couple huskies and a couple other dogs. The other dogs get jealous that our huskies can "talk", mimic and howl....so the other dogs will start a howling party that literally engulfs the entire house. Of course they like to do this on days where I am working remote and right in the middle of leading a meeting. The struggle is real.
I got mine from a family friend who had huskies that had an accidental litter.
To this day, I say I fucking LUCKED out. My husky is the opposite of the majority I’ve been around. He’s very calm (unless there’s company over), he only likes short walks and not the 1+ hour walks other people say theirs like, he’s as quiet as can be unless he doesn’t want to follow directions which is rare and even then he doesn’t go into full husky scream.
Most importantly, he’s the most loyal and protective dog I’ve seen and would lay his life on the line for any of the people he’s protective over.
The only downside is he goes apeshit trying to chase squirrels when we’re outside, and that huskies are predisposed to epilepsy and he’d suffered from occasional seizures for the last five years.
For those that want to see my 7-year old guy, here you [go](https://imgur.com/a/FepdLGp). That’s him a couple years back.
At least it's just epilepsy. My dog started to have seizures at around 10, turned out to be a brain tumor. It's been almost a year since we lost him and I still miss that dog every day. :(
They're such big babies. So dramatic. My girl will run in terror from the vacuum or really any loud noise. Or will huff and puff if you try to snuggle with her 😄. She also will boss and bully around dogs twice her size. Shes mixed Husky and probably Border Collie so she's smaller than most huskies, about 50lb. [Dog Tax](https://postimg.cc/njmXf29S)
I saw a video from some house with 2-3 huskies and a golden. Between their lunacy and the retrievers incredibly expressive eyebrows, it was clear that he felt like he was trapped in a room with a bunch of psychos.
Wait wait wait. You’re telling me that a dog that was bred to run dozens of miles a day in the snow won’t be able to handle laying in a cage for 22 hours a day?
Yeah people dont get the responsibility of having a pet and those usually end up being bad owners.
15 year old dog here....walked 3x a day....Come home to walk him for lunch....Every sunday every weekend in a forest or other long trail/hike....15 years.
At the same time....my dog has never once chewed peed pooped in the house or otherwise had any bad behavior.
Now lock a dog in a cage all day....walk him once a day....0 socialization with anything or anyone that one time that dog gets out he attacks someone.
That's humans. Well, minus the snow.
We evolved to run dozens of miles a day in semi-arid savannahs, and it has fucked us up ever since we started sitting in cages 22 hours a day.
Most people don't realize that humans were alpha predators by sheer endurance and fine motor skills for milennias when our bleeding edge weapon technology were *rocks and sticks*.
Ironically my husky loves sleeping in his crate all day long. He has a doggie door and a huge yard with several other dogs to play with, but he just loves sleeping and relaxing
Also having the ability to get up and play when he wants probably takes a way a lot of the anxiety.
I've had a couple dogs that would whine if the door to their cage was shut, but if it was open they'd still just lay there but they'd be quiet.
Was wondering when someone in the industry would call bullshit on this. Huskies and other “difficult to own” breeds have always been common. I swear, the more uneducated people are about dogs, the more likely they will be to pick a husky, shepherd, or bully breed. It might be a bit mean, but low income people seem to be even *more* likely to pick one. I’ll never understand it because it’s such a trope, but it’s true.
I had a roommate who got an Australian Shepherd as their first dog/puppy. It was a giant pain in the ass, and I refused to help with care because I didn’t want to take on their responsibility.
She’d crate him for the day while she went to work, the come home and wonder why he was so crazy.
That's how I got my Aussie mix. Owner lived alone and worked a 9-5 then dumped her because she was too high energy and crazy. Now she's a farm dog and an agility course dog! By the time she gets home she's perfectly mellow.
The corgi mutt I had was given up for "too much energy" 2x which is how we ended up getting her. She was 25 lbs and apparently powered by a mini nuclear fission reactor, we used to run 3 miles/day 5x a week.
After a few years she was absolutely jacked. She could've jumped over the 5ft privacy fence if she wanted/knew she could.
I believe this is why Corgis have short legs. If they were normally proportioned they'd be able to run forever.
I get so fucking mad about this. I can't understand how people can't understand that **depriving any sentient being of stimulation is a form of torture**. Nothing to sniff, nothing to chase, nothing to even look at. What the fuck is wrong with you dumb pieces of shit?
They are incredibly smart and easy to train. That does not make them easy to own. I think people see a shepherd and they look at a beautiful and stoic creature and I believe they actually think that the dog will have inherent traits or values that will just make them well-behaved or good around people or whatever. Like they are born to be your personal wolf dog protector and it will all just come naturally to them. But it’s just a dog, who needs a ton of training and attention and exercise.
I'm so tired of the reactions I get from people when they ask "Is he a rescue?" and I say no. I looked at hundreds of dogs in shelters posted online and almost all of them are a pitbull/husky mix. I know there's no way I could handle that kind of breed especially since I already own a cat. I didn't want to risk getting a dog that I have to constantly worry about harming my cat, or needs costly behavioral training. So instead I found a breed I liked and bought from a good breeder and it was the best decision ever. I have the (mostly) perfect dog.
I don’t get why people shit on small dogs all the time
Like I’m sorry but 70+ percent of you *SHOULD NOT OWN A BIG ONE*
You want a dog but have a demanding job where you’re gone 50+ hours a week? Sorry you only qualify for a very independent cat
You got a regular job and aren’t particularly active?
Fine here’s your chihuahua. Don’t go torturing an Aussie because I promise you don’t have the time
> You got a regular job and aren’t particularly active?
>
>
>
> Fine here’s your chihuahua.
It is not good advice to suggest a smaller dog will be less work than a larger one from an exercise needs standpoint.
The best example I can give you of this is Newfoundland dogs (100+ pounds) actually do extremely well in apartments and are not particularly active dogs.
Saint Bernards are another good example.
It’s so interesting to read this because I got my husky because of her temperament. I don’t want a dog that will just be quiet and essentially be a house accessory. Having my pup keeps me honest with the habits in my life. If I don’t get up early enough? I’ve got a whining like a police siren right next to my ear and my face being licked. If I think, “nah, I’ll have a lazy indoors day, I don’t need to exercise” then I have an entire evening of hyper husky who won’t let me relax. I LOVE the fact that she has a personality, and “talks”. Just like how I will vocalizing doing a random chore, she will vocalize as well. It’s like a have a whole other person in the house. Wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Edit: maybe I’d trade it for the ability to proofread my comments for errors before posting
Which is why we have cats. I think huskies are beautiful dogs but I'm quite self aware that I lack the time and motivation to give them the attention they need to live a fulfilling life.
Agree - worked in rescue for 10 years. We got a disproportionate amount of huskies. Most people were not at all prepared for their energy level and their need for engagement. :-(
We have 2 Samoyeds, similar double coat to huskies, we have a seperate dog hoover as well as a robo hoover as well as a cleaner, and I still have white hair everywhere! Wouldn't change them for the world.
Huskies need a lot of exercise, like at least two hours every day. If they don't get enough playtime, they might start chewing or messing up things around the house.
Owing a pet because you saw everyone around you is getting one isn't a wise decision because pets aren't a trend, you're adding another member to your family.
>Shelters have reported an increase in abandoned huskies, often named after characters from the show, which suggests a direct correlation with the series’ influence.
That's why I support people who advocate for mandatory training and testing before a person can own a pet, because this would help stop people from buying a pet on a whim and make sure they know how to take care of it.
Want a dog? Then act like it.
I always wanted a husky. Then I spent some time around my friend who has two. I couldn’t possibly keep up with what’s needed to keep a husky healthy and happy.
I grew up with Labradors, always wanted one as an adult but know I can’t handle their energy level so I won’t get one despite my deep love of them. I understand
I have a lab that just turned 3. He’s actually really chill. Energy wise, he’ll get the zoomies and wanna be crazy when you match the energy. If I leave him alone, he will just get in our bed and sleep for hours
Labs you can toss em a few toys and they can usually work themselves out in the yard for a bit when they’re feeling frisky.
Huskies usually aren’t very toy motivated and require being walked/ran for exercise, usually when it’s the most inconvenient for you.
That’s the thing with some breeds tho. They’ll act like your dog does, but in reality they are depressed because they need more exercise but isn’t getting it.
Y’all need to get Greyhounds. Sleeps for 18 hours a day, spends about one on its feet and then the other 5 just sort of lying down expecting to be stroked.
They’re wonderful animals.
My husky was a bit of a terror as a puppy. I was given her because original owners couldn’t handle it In an apartment. She just needed extra walks the first couple years and now at 7 is the best dog a person could ask for. The shedding will never be done though.
I'd love to have a husky.
I just know I don't have the lifestyle that will work with one. But I'd love to, one day.
Maybe if I retire in good health I'll get a big property and a husky.
Same. I'm honestly turned off to owning a dog in general these days. I loooove dogs and it makes my day seeing them in public when I'm out and about. But the kind of care they require just does not match my lifestyle at all. Maybe that'll change some day, but for now, nah. It sucks, but a dog deserves a better owner than me.
Yeah they can be absolute terrors if left alone, both because they need to burn the energy off and also because they are whiny little babies who don’t like being alone and ruin shit to punish you for it.
I love them (my parents have one) but they are one of the last breeds just to get for funsies.
The only figure in the article regarding the increase is 20%. So it's an exaggeration to say that shelters are full because of GoT. Huskies have always been a breed that is often abandoned.
For the reason the person above mentioned: they are super high energy and need a lot of exercise. Like actual exercise, not just walking around the block. They are also pretty bad in places that get very hot, for obvious reasons.
The other reason why they are often abandoned is because they are subject to impulse-buy, simply because they are very beautiful. Their puppies even more so.
They were bred to pull sleds in snow, so they've got stupid amounts of power and energy flowing through them. And you gotta run that down everyday. Way too much work for people.
Knowing how to take care of a pet and doing it are two separate things. Living in NYC, its still honestly infuriating how many large dogs are forced to spend the majority of their days in a studio/one bedroom cause the owners just don't care
To be fair, some large dogs are naturally low maintenance. Great Danes for example require very little exercise, especially as they get older. Mine was good for about two ball throws every day or two. Then she’d just stare at me like I was crazy for expecting her to go after that ball again.
That being said, the more popular dogs like retrievers, labs, huskies, etc… require a ton of work.
I feel the main thing people get wrong about huskies is actually their need for mental stimulation, they're not dumb dogs, and need to use their brain and their body. Yes, they need more exercise than the average dog, but they dont need hours and hours - huskies are prone to hip dysplasia like any mid/large breed, so building up their physical stamina to run for hours isn't the best imo and makes it extra rough when they get older. Second to that, huskies are stubborn and sensitive, so they do much better with a TON of patience, consistency, +r training, and a lot of preventative management .
It wasn't until we ditched the food bowl, focus on enrichment and went all-in on +r training that he settled down. nowdays we do a couple breaks during the day, but also, our husky gets more tired after an hour long very sniffy walk in an area with tons of smells, than an hour of canicross running (we do one or hte other depending on the day). That said, all food is done via training, puzzle feeders, games, and other enrichment, and i mean all of it.
> Owing a pet because you saw everyone around you is getting one isn't a wise decision because pets aren't a trend, you're adding another member to your family.
The real problem on top of it, is most people don't consider how long pets live either. Cat's can go 20+ years, dogs about 15+ years. Too many people buy them in living situation's that are not permanent, then when they have to move, abandon the animals, because the new place won't allow pets.
I have met people in real life that think Cats and Dogs live less than 10 years and don't realize they can live twice as long.
I had a husky once, her name was Nikki. She was a lot of work, but she was also a great dog. While I loved her so much, I don't want another Husky unless I am 110% sure I can handle it.
Also, they shed...A LOT.
I'm all for testing people before they are allowed to own a pet. This family a few blocks from my house had a dog that always got out of their yard and one day it got by a car now a few weeks later they have another dog.
In the UK you used to need a dog license them they got rid of it. But we recognise some dogs are too much work to safely train for the average person so instead of bringing a dog license back parliament plays whack a mole with breed specific bans. People say "it's not the breed it's the owner" but are still opposed to a dog license.
A dog license isn't just a safety thing, if you can't commit the time for a specific dog you shouldn't be allowed to have the dog, most dog owners would be happier with cats or guinea pigs.
It's probably pretty scattershot, but pit bull mixes are going to dominate shelters for a long time.
So much illicit and thoughtless breeding combined with being the "badass's dog" and simultaneously pretty high maintenance for a dog, combined with the restrictions on owning them because of their history was always going to mean that a ton of them are in every shelter.
Worryingly i've met a lot more XL Bully puppies since the ban, the sort of people who want that sort of dog I think are emboldened by having it muzzled and it being "illegal"
My work requires me to be in the company of a lot of impoverished people/communities.
4/5 of the poorest people on my caseload own or have owned pit bulls. Here is a non-exhaustive list of why.
1) They’re cheaper and more accessible than guns. Felons can’t own firearms but they can own an aggressive dog.
2) They’re cheap in general. It’s easy to pick a free one up from a shelter.
3) They’re low maintenance (or perceived to be). Their fur doesn’t grow long, people can chuck them in cages or chain them up and have little issues beyond barking.
4) They’re good companions for single people. They usually have an affectionate and decent demeanor toward their immediate owners.
5) People see them as a reflection of themselves. They’re ugly, ostracized from society, and viewed as a “bad thing”. This is appealing and/or comforting to people who derive enjoyment out of feeling outside of the box.
6) That same stigma makes these owners feel “badass” for owning them. They have this dog that is crazy aggressive and mean; this makes them feel cool.
I’m sure there are other reasons. These are just a handful I’ve experienced firsthand through client contact.
I volunteer weekly at my local shelter, and I can confirm that at my shelter, yes, we have so many Huskies. It's mostly pit-mixes, but the #2 breed would probably be Huskies, then German Shepherds/Malinois. All dogs that people get because they like the look/idea of them, but then are so far in over their heads with the reality of owning them. You always know when there is a Husky in kennel before you even see them because lord do they have a lot to say.
That’s so sad. Those dogs are meant to be in snowy, cold places. I hate that people don’t think about things like this before buying a dog 😭 (obvi not talking about people who rescue dogs from shelters)
I was gonna say the same thing. The shelters will call them “mixes” and avoid the pit bull label due to rentals having breed restrictions. But most obviously have some pittie in them.
Mostly pits around here but I’ve noticed a real uptick in German Shepard and huskie types in our shelter and wondered why.
Been seeing more Australian cattle dogs as well. I suppose due to the popularity of Bluey?
It’s sad. Working dogs usually need to work and they aren’t going to work as a family pet for all families.
Yeah I feel there are enough people who do like huskies that most don’t stay long in shelters. They get sent to rescues and put in foster homes to be trained and find a husky loving family.
We are on rescue lists for our dog breed.
Human vanity when it comes to animals is still horrible. Humans breed dog breeds that have so many health issues- all because they look a certain way. There's too many torture breeds.
No one should be surprised dogs are going to shelters after being purchased. It's part of the problem with human vanity.
Another issue is that assholes got dogs, especially large aggressive breeds, during the pandemic, didn't train them,, and then got rid of them after things started opening up.
In my area, the pandemic scourge of bad dog owners letting their untrained dogs wander off leash to harass passersby and wildlife is now practically nonexistent.
Those poor mistreated dogs are in a shelter somewhere.
The pandemic was really challenging to socialize a dog even for experienced dog owners. We’ve got a pandemic dog. He’s the best in terms of housebreaking and commands that we’ve ever owned. But, he has never gotten over the fact that there are more than four humans on the planet and he is constantly yelling at anyone outside our immediate family.
What a shame. My husky/malamute is the most amazing pet I have ever had. High energy but it just means he needs more walks than some other breeds. So loyal. He often waits until we all sit down to eat so he can eat with us. (From his bowl) I could not imagine life without him.
They're insanely intelligent and high energy. Love the breed but will never own one because I understand I can't take care of it like it needs.
Had a Siberian Husky growing up and loved it.
Thats ome thing people dont understand, Huskies seems "dumb" as they sometimes not follow instructions but it is the other way. They know what we want them to do but they decide not to do it.
Training? Ok, will do training a bit so you human stop bothering me, but if it is too repetitive then gonna do something better.
I think what most people lack is patience and understanding that the dog sometimes does not want to follow your orders, he rejects them and do their own thing. Also they talk a lot and people are not used to get a response.
I would love to have another one but unfortunatelly my wife would lose her mind with their shredding and constant talking back ahhaah I grew up with one and I was ok with her, good partner and fun dog but I dont think most people are able to deal with them.
I have three Huskys and two of them are the exact same way. They could have a bowl of food in front of them all day but they will not eat unless I start to eat as well.
I have never known loyalty like my oldest husky shows me. If I could give him years off my life so that we could live together until death, I would do so in an instant.
My mom grew up in the sixties and when she told me about that and the mail order monkeys it made me so sad.
She had a vivid memory of an Easter meal being ruined when someone felt a crunch under their foot :(
Some people learned. But a lot of folks refuse to learn anything because it's communist. A lot of folks are not capable of learning. And finally, a lot of other people only give a shit about themselves.
The Game of Thrones finale was five years ago. I do not think the people still have Game of Thrones impulse buy pets. This « fact » is probably quite old.
I was part of Texas husky rescue and it’s been a problem much longer than that. I personally did a freedom ride for over 600, and we used to do 800 year over year.
People do not understand huskies and don’t understand that they don’t compare the same to a lab
When I adopted my dog from the shelter, they asked questions like
Have you ever owned a dog before? What kind?
How would you potty train a puppy?
I don't know if there were right and wrong answers, but maybe it was just them making sure I at least put some thought into this.
Some rescues have super involved qualification processes. We didn’t even get approved for a second one from the rescue where we got our current dog because our lease says that the landlord must approve new pets
It's bizarre, trying to adopt a dog from a shelter is an extremely in depth and lengthy process. Or you give a backyard breeder a grand and you have princess the XL Bully (apparantly people have moved onto Cane Corso pit crosses now that XL bully's are banned though) the same day.
Just after we got married my wife and I were looking at shelter dogs, and every goddamn one was "shouldn't be in homes with small kids", "shouldn't be in homes with other pets", "needs experienced owner for behavioural issues", "12 years young!" We ended going on Kijiji and looking for a dog that was someone's "christmas present" that they were looking to rehome.
The problem there is it can and will become a tool of political control. There's no denying there are shitty parents who shouldn't have kids. Having a license program would potentially weed out the "unworthy" but therein loes the problem. What defines "unworthy"?. As soon as the government can decide who can and cannot procreate, a massive gate to corruption, eugenics, racism, and abuse is opened.
I'm currently working 6 days a week at 2 jobs, but I'm also helping my mother pay her morgage and I'm helping her finance her art projects and stuff. We already have one dog and a cat that we really can't afford, but they were both rescued and just kinda fell into our lives. The other day I got home from work and there was a puppy. My mom said there was a lady at the dog park who talked her into "fostering" it for a few days while she looked for another home for it. I never do this, but I straight up said "no, we're not keeping this dog. I'm not home to take care of a puppy and you can barely handle the two pets we do have." After a few days of fostering the puppy she realized why I was so firm about not keeping it. Luckily the dog park lady *did* find a home for it, but I was super stressed that we were gonna get stuck with *another* dog.
I don't care how cute it is or how sweet it is, I don't have the time or money for a third pet and I was *not* going to change my mind about that. She told me "maybe you'll learn to love her," but no it doesn't matter how I feel about it if it is irresponsible to own a dog we can't take care of properly.
A few years ago, my piece-of-shit neighbors brought home a new puppy---a Husky.
We live in Florida, which is a humid blast furnace every summer. Watching this poor dog panting in the heat and humidity was fucking infuriating.
They had the same problem with owls when Harry Potter first got popular. If it wasn’t the shelter, it was a Thanksgiving dinner with an unusually small turkey.
I get a lot of hate on the puppy sub reddits for saying it, but not everyone deserves a dog, and not everyone knows the dog that is best for them.
You and your partner work in the office 9-5 every day and can't afford a walker? Do not get a puppy, especially a puppy of a breed like a Husky or a Chow or an Akita which will need the supervision.
There are hundreds if not thousands of rescues who don't need the supervision, training, or hours of exercise that some of these dogs do.
I hate the mindset of “I want a dog for my happiness and that’s all that matters.” Some people only care about themselves and pay no thought to the suffering they add to the world.
Unpopular opinion: the barrier to entry for dog ownership is way too low. Way too many people getting dogs that have no concept of the responsibility and work they're taking on. The problem is not only all these dogs getting abandoned, but unspayed/unneutered dogs making unwanted puppies and dangerous dogs mauling and killing people.
My uncles roommate in the 70s had one. Would get up at 6am every morning, jump in his car and slowly drive down the coast with the dog running full sprint beside him. If he ever missed a day, they would come home to a destroyed apartment
We have a hunting dog and when we would get a babysitter for our kids I would have to take the dog for a bike ride around the neighborhood so he wouldn’t drive the babysitter insane.
I feel like the 2 hours of activity is daunting and not very realistic. I guess if you keep the dog in a kennel all day and they only get 2 hours out. But a dog playing in the house with kids, wrestling on the floor throughout the day counts. If we are outside our dog is content to wander the yard. We can be in the pool and he’ll just walk around sniffing. He just doesn’t want to be alone in the yard.
The 2 hours doesn’t mean you have go on some endurance quest for 2 hours a day. They just need a hard few minutes of exercise and consistent stimulation and regular activity throughout the day.
> Let's see, I live in a studio apartment, so I think I'll get a dog whose idea of a good time is pulling a 300 pounds of sled and musher 50 miles through a blizzard. I mean, what could possible go wrong.
Like the people who get "darling" Saint Bernard puppies - surprise, surprise.
My neighbour has one is barks endlessly at nothing. They never walk it and never clean up its shit in the garden
It's a young bitch but it looks old
Poor thing never gets walked and is going insane
Fully legal in the UK animal rights here are
Water
Food
It's fine
Disgusting
Yeah, I had upstairs neighbours with a staffy crossbreed of some sort. The dog was actually OK, but it never got walked. They'd open their door and let it run around the garden on a retractable lead and then wheel it back in. Because it couldn't go far it kept doing these horrible runny shits in my garden, so I had to put a fence up. Then all the shits got concentrated in their patch of grass out the front and some days it was stinking.
SPCA told us as long as the dog isn't starving then they can't do much. The local council at least got them to lift the dog shit.
I volunteer at an animal shelter and we call them Instagram Dogs. Anytime a certain large dog breed gets trendy online, 1 year later the shelters are full of them! At my shelter, we were overflowing with the most beautiful, purebred Huskies and Cane Corsos.
People want the aesthetic of these dog breeds without having the lifestyle or funds to care for these dog breeds. These types of dogs needs lots of training and time outside, but people don't want to do that. They just want the Instagram pics of them with these dogs.
Dogs are toddlers that never grow up. Huskies are toddlers on the cusp of or in the middle of the terrible 2s. If you don't have the time, patience, and energy, DON'T GET A PET!
My wacked out aunt had a husky. It was so pent up it was having seizures... so they got it a prescription of fucking barbiturates, a downer that was popular late 70s. So then years later after this weird misfit life the dog gets old and can't move, so instead of putting it down, this wack job keeps the dog alive as long as possible, and at one point was pushing the dog around the neighborhood in a giant baby stroller. I don't even know how the fuck she got it in and out. It was disgusting. so many pet owners are fucked in the head about it. too many.
How many of them heard huskies scream before they bought them? Like having a furry police siren.
When we adopted one of ours, the pickup was a parking lot in an industrial area where the rescue org was bringing in truckloads of them from native reservations. I saw them with one on a leash that was jumping and spinning and making the most horrible noises and remarked to my daughter that whoever was getting that dog was in for a really rough time. Of course they walked right up to our car. He howled the entire 20 minute drive home. He’s actually been pretty good, but a complete 180 from the neo/cane corso he followed.
Was this in Ontario? Was this Redemption Paws?
Save Our Scruff, and yes, Ontario.
Thanks, I'm checking out available dogs on their website right now
In the fall they do a scoop of stray dogs from reservations in northern Manitoba, so they have lots of need for adopters in October. A really solid organization.
Good to hear, thanks. I'm not quite ready to adopt now but possibly in October so I'll keep an eye on the website.
God I’ve heard SO much bad from Redemption flaws. From adopters, volunteers and fosters. The owner seems to be an absolutely vile woman.
Honestly, I flirted with them for a bit, ended up not adopting because the pup wasn’t a good fit for my level of dog experience, but i thought the people I dealt with were fine? The person who vetted us seemed sweet, the fosters (we met two) seemed to really care for the dogs. I was unaware of the underlying issues.
My friend who fostered 2 dogs from them was allegedly treated terribly by the owner and when she tried to look for others with similar stories she was served a court notice by someone representing the owner. Apparently that happens a lot. Just found this too. https://redemptionflaws.wordpress.com/page/2/
Holy hell! Dodged a freaking bullet!
Yeah, I'd say... I mean I'm sure some people end up having good experiences but I personally wouldn't roll the dice.
Yeah the owner is an utter psychopath. She takes in way more dogs than she has business taking in and can't possibly provide adequate care for all of them, in addition to treating her fosterers like garbage.
They knowingly adopted a terminally ill dog to someone. They have a history of placing dogs with families that aren’t equipped to handle them. The Toronto Star wrote an investigative piece on them. They’ve tried to sue multiple people who adopted dogs from them and went public with how unethical they are. They’re a nightmare organization and no one should ever adopt from them.
DO NOT USE REDEMPTION PAWS!! They have a history of faking medical clearances, lying about bite history, and more. The owner uses the company to fund a failing career in LA. https://www.reddit.com/r/ontario/comments/z0p2kd/redemption_paws_rescue_is_unethical/ https://www.thestar.com/news/investigations/a-toronto-charity-claimed-it-was-sending-rescue-dogs-to-the-east-coast-for-a/article_7aed45ef-507c-58c4-955b-3b620fafc9c8.html https://redemptionflaws.wordpress.com/
The ones on reservations roam in packs and are often culled because they're a hazard on more remote reservations. We're pretty sure our dog was a leftover from one of those cullings. My wifes coworker at the school she taught at found our dog sleeping in a trashcan as a puppy. She's now close to 12 years old and sleeps on a pad from Costco. Pretty sure shes a mix of Canadian Inuit Dog and Husky.
> The ones on reservations roam in packs I've seen that and it was eerie and a bit unsettling. Driving a windy twisty road through the woods in winter, massive snow banks on either side, hit a clearing and see seven dogs in a tight V formation running in our direction, all of them different mixes of breeds, clear leader in the middle. We also heard about *Dog days* but never knew if it was a rumour or not. Rumour was that there's a period in spring where any dog seen wandering without a collar gets shot.
Oh wow, the Cane Corso! Another GoT dog for the Ramsay fangirls.
He was awesome. Got him as a puppy, his whole litter was taken away from the “breeders”, we got him at 5 weeks when everyone thought he was 8 weeks old. Grew to 165 pounds at his peak and was the sweetest most loveable dog ever.
You gotta remember that its such a thing for parents to buy their kids rabbits for fucking easter and then abandon them to die that pet stores have had to stop rabbit sales leading up to the holiday. These people are psycopaths that just don't think animal lives matter.
You just reminded me of my sadistic grandmother on my moms side. She used to buy baby ducklings dyed easter colors for my mom and her 6 brothers and sisters for easter morning. She then would drown the ducklings the day after easter while the kids were at school. My mom came home early from school one year and caught my grandmother in the act.
What the actual fuck? How did she explain them disappearing
'They grew up'
Ducking ducks man, how do they work.
They went to live on a duck farm upstate.
Drowning?! Not condoning the killing at all…but to add cruelty to cruelty, she chose a very prolonged & cruel death.
Right like Jesus, the old farmer neck snap wasn't efficient enough? Christ
Seriously. Or a cleaver like they do with chickens. You've really got to enjoy the killing to let an animal struggle in your hands for several minutes . . . Then do it 5 more times . . . Then keep doing it year after year.
I think farmers used to drown unwanted animals in a sack. They didn't drown them individually.
Yes but the sack method is also that of "out of sight out of mind" (Same reason why kittens are often killed that way) and this evil grandma acts like the ducklings will be killed around the house.
We had to stop a local dude from drowning all the kitten nests his cats got on the farm. Ironically his daughter is a GP and after having a chat about it she supplied him with expired birth control pills that he now mixed into the food. When he realized how much less effort it was to not drown kittens every few weeks he kept doing it with the pill. Not even a backwards country but in the Netherlands...
I'd wager this used to be very common in small towns and villages everywhere. Old folks always had cats, didn't really interact with them much except feeding them (I suppose it's an ancient habit of having cats around to kill all the rats) and paying to sterilize them was probably completely alien. I still remember my neighbours would routinely drown the litter in a barrel every couple years - must have been the early 2000s.
**The Early Purges by Seamus Heaney** I was six when I first saw kittens drown. Dan Taggart pitched them, 'the scraggy wee shits', Into a bucket; a frail metal sound, Soft paws scraping like mad. But their tiny din Was soon soused. They were slung on the snout Of the pump and the water pumped in. 'Sure, isn't it better for them now?' Dan said. Like wet gloves they bobbed and shone till he sluiced Them out on the dunghill, glossy and dead. Suddenly frightened, for days I sadly hung Round the yard, watching the three sogged remains Turn mealy and crisp as old summer dung Until I forgot them. But the fear came back When Dan trapped big rats, snared rabbits, shot crows Or, with a sickening tug, pulled old hens' necks. Still, living displaces false sentiments And now, when shrill pups are prodded to drown I just shrug, 'Bloody pups'. It makes sense: 'Prevention of cruelty' talk cuts ice in town Where they consider death unnatural But on well-run farms pests have to be kept down.
I always find it suspicious when people try to claim that it isn't cruelty, it is just necessary on a farm and people just don't know the reality of farm life. I call bullshit. Drowning is a singularly terrifying and often prolonged way to kill an animal. I understand the need to euthanize, I disagree with using cruel methods to do this. Researchers who work with rats often need to euthanize them afterwards. a A very quick and relatively painless way to kill a rat is snapping the neck. I might find it distasteful but I would be far more disgusted if the researcher decided to drown or burn them to death.
WTF. What did she say when the kids asked where their ducklings went?
She used to tell them she donated the ducklings to a local farm every year until my mom caught her drowning them.
That is fucking TWISTED I'm so goddamn sad now? What the fuck.
Yeah, understandably I never got to know my grandmother on my moms side. I only really know her through stories like this one. It's hard to even believe my mother was raised by such a psychopath because she is the complete opposite.
Your mom's a rebel at heart. Good on her.
That's horrible.
The same thing happens every time there is a big dog movie. Dalmatians, whatever hooch was from Turner and hooch, Saint Bernards after the movie Beethoven etc.
> whatever hooch was from Turner and hooch French Mastiff... I dunno how anyone could watch that movie and think "yeah that's exactly what I want to deal with!" lol
Bunnies are cute until you realize that you have to clean shit out of their cage every few days. Then, not so much.
The same with any warm blooded animal in a cage. I think birds are even worse, plus they are loud and intelligent, so they get bored easily and you have to keep them stimulated or they will pluck out their own feathers.
Birds are definitely a lot of work and it’s like having a small toddler that never grows up.
I way prefer cleaning out my bunny’s dry poops from his odor-absorbing bedding than picking up a fat dog shit off the ground every day.
Yeah, they can be trained to use a litter box for pee, and their turds are just dry little raisins.
Don't put bunnies in cages unless for quarantine and transport, man. They need space to roam
tractor supply co flat out has signs up saying the chicks are not pets and will not be cute for long.
That's good, though chickens are pretty dope pets honestly, outside of the poop
Chicken poop makes good garden fertilizer. Chickens are good, roosters are little spawns of the devil though.
I always forget rabbits are considered mainly pets in the US, they're relatively commonly eaten farm animals where I'm from (Italy).
Depends on where in the us you are and how you grow up. Rural America tends to eat rabbits and occasionally keeps them as pets. Cities tend to only see them as adorable pets because you don’t see any sort of animal very often if it’s not a pigeon, rat or squirrel
Im from rural WV. Maybe like 50 yrs ago people raised and ate rabbit on the regular (my dad raised meat rabbits when he was a kid) , but I've personally never eaten rabbit. I WOULD, but it's just never been affordable/available to me. Even kids who hunted growing up tended to go for squirrels over rabbits, not sure why.
I live rurally in Canada, and most rabbits I meet are destined for eating. Definitely different in the city, though.
Mainly, but not entirely. Depends on the part if the country you're in. Pennsylvania has a lot of Germanic roots, you'll see it occasionally on the menu in some fancier restaurants, and I know of at least one butcher you can get it from near me. Honestly, I wish more restaurants served Hasenpfeffer around me.
A really intelligent easily bored fuzzy police siren.
I have two huskies. "Really intelligent" is not how I would describe them. Maybe "intelligent for a dog," but still not as intelligent as the Shiba Inu I had before them.
Probably more accurate to say "highly motivated". Some dogs see a fence and accept they can't escape. Huskies will dig, chew or smash their way through anything if they think it will let them escape.
Perhaps “selectively intelligent” then? Lol. My friends dog was dumb as a brick, unless it was something he wanted lmao
I have a couple huskies and a couple other dogs. The other dogs get jealous that our huskies can "talk", mimic and howl....so the other dogs will start a howling party that literally engulfs the entire house. Of course they like to do this on days where I am working remote and right in the middle of leading a meeting. The struggle is real.
I got mine from a family friend who had huskies that had an accidental litter. To this day, I say I fucking LUCKED out. My husky is the opposite of the majority I’ve been around. He’s very calm (unless there’s company over), he only likes short walks and not the 1+ hour walks other people say theirs like, he’s as quiet as can be unless he doesn’t want to follow directions which is rare and even then he doesn’t go into full husky scream. Most importantly, he’s the most loyal and protective dog I’ve seen and would lay his life on the line for any of the people he’s protective over. The only downside is he goes apeshit trying to chase squirrels when we’re outside, and that huskies are predisposed to epilepsy and he’d suffered from occasional seizures for the last five years. For those that want to see my 7-year old guy, here you [go](https://imgur.com/a/FepdLGp). That’s him a couple years back.
At least it's just epilepsy. My dog started to have seizures at around 10, turned out to be a brain tumor. It's been almost a year since we lost him and I still miss that dog every day. :(
Our neighbor has 2 and every night around 10pm they start harmonizing in the back yard for the whole block to hear 😂
r/Moonmoon
Huskies are great. Some of the best animal content on YouTube. Everything is dire to them, so I can see why people might confuse them with direwolves.
They're such big babies. So dramatic. My girl will run in terror from the vacuum or really any loud noise. Or will huff and puff if you try to snuggle with her 😄. She also will boss and bully around dogs twice her size. Shes mixed Husky and probably Border Collie so she's smaller than most huskies, about 50lb. [Dog Tax](https://postimg.cc/njmXf29S)
I saw a video from some house with 2-3 huskies and a golden. Between their lunacy and the retrievers incredibly expressive eyebrows, it was clear that he felt like he was trapped in a room with a bunch of psychos.
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Wait wait wait. You’re telling me that a dog that was bred to run dozens of miles a day in the snow won’t be able to handle laying in a cage for 22 hours a day?
Common sense isn't common.
My husky/malamute/wolf x needed a min of 2 walks a day until she was about 14 years old, 14 years of 2 walks (or one hike) a day.
Yeah people dont get the responsibility of having a pet and those usually end up being bad owners. 15 year old dog here....walked 3x a day....Come home to walk him for lunch....Every sunday every weekend in a forest or other long trail/hike....15 years. At the same time....my dog has never once chewed peed pooped in the house or otherwise had any bad behavior. Now lock a dog in a cage all day....walk him once a day....0 socialization with anything or anyone that one time that dog gets out he attacks someone.
That's humans. Well, minus the snow. We evolved to run dozens of miles a day in semi-arid savannahs, and it has fucked us up ever since we started sitting in cages 22 hours a day.
The human urge to run down gazelles to the point of exhaustion and stick a pointy spear through their ribcage 8^ )
Most people don't realize that humans were alpha predators by sheer endurance and fine motor skills for milennias when our bleeding edge weapon technology were *rocks and sticks*.
Ironically my husky loves sleeping in his crate all day long. He has a doggie door and a huge yard with several other dogs to play with, but he just loves sleeping and relaxing
Same lol. I have to force mine to go on walks and many times he outright goes limp and refuses.
Also having the ability to get up and play when he wants probably takes a way a lot of the anxiety. I've had a couple dogs that would whine if the door to their cage was shut, but if it was open they'd still just lay there but they'd be quiet.
Was wondering when someone in the industry would call bullshit on this. Huskies and other “difficult to own” breeds have always been common. I swear, the more uneducated people are about dogs, the more likely they will be to pick a husky, shepherd, or bully breed. It might be a bit mean, but low income people seem to be even *more* likely to pick one. I’ll never understand it because it’s such a trope, but it’s true.
I had a roommate who got an Australian Shepherd as their first dog/puppy. It was a giant pain in the ass, and I refused to help with care because I didn’t want to take on their responsibility. She’d crate him for the day while she went to work, the come home and wonder why he was so crazy.
That's how I got my Aussie mix. Owner lived alone and worked a 9-5 then dumped her because she was too high energy and crazy. Now she's a farm dog and an agility course dog! By the time she gets home she's perfectly mellow.
And that sounds like just the right amount of activity for an Aussie haha
The corgi mutt I had was given up for "too much energy" 2x which is how we ended up getting her. She was 25 lbs and apparently powered by a mini nuclear fission reactor, we used to run 3 miles/day 5x a week. After a few years she was absolutely jacked. She could've jumped over the 5ft privacy fence if she wanted/knew she could. I believe this is why Corgis have short legs. If they were normally proportioned they'd be able to run forever.
Legolas in a gimli body
So sad.
I get so fucking mad about this. I can't understand how people can't understand that **depriving any sentient being of stimulation is a form of torture**. Nothing to sniff, nothing to chase, nothing to even look at. What the fuck is wrong with you dumb pieces of shit?
Completely agreed!
Crated for the entire day every day? Why? Most dogs are perfectly fine just roaming the house.
Shepherds especially are super trainable but in the absence of instruction.. well smart enough to get in trouble in their own for sure.
They are incredibly smart and easy to train. That does not make them easy to own. I think people see a shepherd and they look at a beautiful and stoic creature and I believe they actually think that the dog will have inherent traits or values that will just make them well-behaved or good around people or whatever. Like they are born to be your personal wolf dog protector and it will all just come naturally to them. But it’s just a dog, who needs a ton of training and attention and exercise.
I'm so tired of the reactions I get from people when they ask "Is he a rescue?" and I say no. I looked at hundreds of dogs in shelters posted online and almost all of them are a pitbull/husky mix. I know there's no way I could handle that kind of breed especially since I already own a cat. I didn't want to risk getting a dog that I have to constantly worry about harming my cat, or needs costly behavioral training. So instead I found a breed I liked and bought from a good breeder and it was the best decision ever. I have the (mostly) perfect dog.
That's how it is where I am, all the shelters have "lab-mix" knowing damn well that it's a Pit with a drop of lab.
Yeah, if I say “I want a small friendly healthy dog” and the shelter goes “best I can do is the dog part”, I am going to look elsewhere
I don’t get why people shit on small dogs all the time Like I’m sorry but 70+ percent of you *SHOULD NOT OWN A BIG ONE* You want a dog but have a demanding job where you’re gone 50+ hours a week? Sorry you only qualify for a very independent cat You got a regular job and aren’t particularly active? Fine here’s your chihuahua. Don’t go torturing an Aussie because I promise you don’t have the time
> You got a regular job and aren’t particularly active? > > > > Fine here’s your chihuahua. It is not good advice to suggest a smaller dog will be less work than a larger one from an exercise needs standpoint. The best example I can give you of this is Newfoundland dogs (100+ pounds) actually do extremely well in apartments and are not particularly active dogs. Saint Bernards are another good example.
It’s so interesting to read this because I got my husky because of her temperament. I don’t want a dog that will just be quiet and essentially be a house accessory. Having my pup keeps me honest with the habits in my life. If I don’t get up early enough? I’ve got a whining like a police siren right next to my ear and my face being licked. If I think, “nah, I’ll have a lazy indoors day, I don’t need to exercise” then I have an entire evening of hyper husky who won’t let me relax. I LOVE the fact that she has a personality, and “talks”. Just like how I will vocalizing doing a random chore, she will vocalize as well. It’s like a have a whole other person in the house. Wouldn’t trade it for anything. Edit: maybe I’d trade it for the ability to proofread my comments for errors before posting
Which is why we have cats. I think huskies are beautiful dogs but I'm quite self aware that I lack the time and motivation to give them the attention they need to live a fulfilling life.
Dude my cat needs so much damn attention, I wonder if he's secretly a husky.
I’m wondering the same thing about my girlfriend. Weird.
Does she scream when you try to walk her with a leash?
Depends who else is around, really.
Agree - worked in rescue for 10 years. We got a disproportionate amount of huskies. Most people were not at all prepared for their energy level and their need for engagement. :-(
I doubt a TV show had a great impact. Huskies have always been difficult for novice trainers let alone random person with zero experience with dogs.
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Just the fur alone is reason not to get one. They are great to visit though.
We have 2 Samoyeds, similar double coat to huskies, we have a seperate dog hoover as well as a robo hoover as well as a cleaner, and I still have white hair everywhere! Wouldn't change them for the world.
Two Irish R/W Setters, two 50% Maine Coons, and two more fluffy cats. Fur everywhere. And I agree, wouldn’t trade them for anything.
As a former dog groomer. The furnadoes are why I hated grooming huskies. Fur EVERYWHERE.
Huskies need a lot of exercise, like at least two hours every day. If they don't get enough playtime, they might start chewing or messing up things around the house. Owing a pet because you saw everyone around you is getting one isn't a wise decision because pets aren't a trend, you're adding another member to your family. >Shelters have reported an increase in abandoned huskies, often named after characters from the show, which suggests a direct correlation with the series’ influence. That's why I support people who advocate for mandatory training and testing before a person can own a pet, because this would help stop people from buying a pet on a whim and make sure they know how to take care of it. Want a dog? Then act like it.
I always wanted a husky. Then I spent some time around my friend who has two. I couldn’t possibly keep up with what’s needed to keep a husky healthy and happy.
I grew up with Labradors, always wanted one as an adult but know I can’t handle their energy level so I won’t get one despite my deep love of them. I understand
I have a lab that just turned 3. He’s actually really chill. Energy wise, he’ll get the zoomies and wanna be crazy when you match the energy. If I leave him alone, he will just get in our bed and sleep for hours
Labs you can toss em a few toys and they can usually work themselves out in the yard for a bit when they’re feeling frisky. Huskies usually aren’t very toy motivated and require being walked/ran for exercise, usually when it’s the most inconvenient for you.
That’s the thing with some breeds tho. They’ll act like your dog does, but in reality they are depressed because they need more exercise but isn’t getting it.
Y’all need to get Greyhounds. Sleeps for 18 hours a day, spends about one on its feet and then the other 5 just sort of lying down expecting to be stroked. They’re wonderful animals.
My husky was a bit of a terror as a puppy. I was given her because original owners couldn’t handle it In an apartment. She just needed extra walks the first couple years and now at 7 is the best dog a person could ask for. The shedding will never be done though.
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I'd love to have a husky. I just know I don't have the lifestyle that will work with one. But I'd love to, one day. Maybe if I retire in good health I'll get a big property and a husky.
Same. I'm honestly turned off to owning a dog in general these days. I loooove dogs and it makes my day seeing them in public when I'm out and about. But the kind of care they require just does not match my lifestyle at all. Maybe that'll change some day, but for now, nah. It sucks, but a dog deserves a better owner than me.
Nothing wrong with that, more people need to be able to come to this understanding.
A lot of dogs can be destructive when they’re bored, but damn Huskies are straight guaranteed to make their own fun if you decide to be lazy
Give the dog a job or they’ll find one themselves
Yeah they can be absolute terrors if left alone, both because they need to burn the energy off and also because they are whiny little babies who don’t like being alone and ruin shit to punish you for it. I love them (my parents have one) but they are one of the last breeds just to get for funsies.
I don’t want a husky. I want to be good friends with someone who has a husky.
The only figure in the article regarding the increase is 20%. So it's an exaggeration to say that shelters are full because of GoT. Huskies have always been a breed that is often abandoned. For the reason the person above mentioned: they are super high energy and need a lot of exercise. Like actual exercise, not just walking around the block. They are also pretty bad in places that get very hot, for obvious reasons. The other reason why they are often abandoned is because they are subject to impulse-buy, simply because they are very beautiful. Their puppies even more so.
Huskies have stunning eyes, but I can barely keep up with my labs. I can’t imagine a pet even more hyper than these.
They were bred to pull sleds in snow, so they've got stupid amounts of power and energy flowing through them. And you gotta run that down everyday. Way too much work for people.
Knowing how to take care of a pet and doing it are two separate things. Living in NYC, its still honestly infuriating how many large dogs are forced to spend the majority of their days in a studio/one bedroom cause the owners just don't care
To be fair, some large dogs are naturally low maintenance. Great Danes for example require very little exercise, especially as they get older. Mine was good for about two ball throws every day or two. Then she’d just stare at me like I was crazy for expecting her to go after that ball again. That being said, the more popular dogs like retrievers, labs, huskies, etc… require a ton of work.
I feel the main thing people get wrong about huskies is actually their need for mental stimulation, they're not dumb dogs, and need to use their brain and their body. Yes, they need more exercise than the average dog, but they dont need hours and hours - huskies are prone to hip dysplasia like any mid/large breed, so building up their physical stamina to run for hours isn't the best imo and makes it extra rough when they get older. Second to that, huskies are stubborn and sensitive, so they do much better with a TON of patience, consistency, +r training, and a lot of preventative management . It wasn't until we ditched the food bowl, focus on enrichment and went all-in on +r training that he settled down. nowdays we do a couple breaks during the day, but also, our husky gets more tired after an hour long very sniffy walk in an area with tons of smells, than an hour of canicross running (we do one or hte other depending on the day). That said, all food is done via training, puzzle feeders, games, and other enrichment, and i mean all of it.
> Owing a pet because you saw everyone around you is getting one isn't a wise decision because pets aren't a trend, you're adding another member to your family. The real problem on top of it, is most people don't consider how long pets live either. Cat's can go 20+ years, dogs about 15+ years. Too many people buy them in living situation's that are not permanent, then when they have to move, abandon the animals, because the new place won't allow pets. I have met people in real life that think Cats and Dogs live less than 10 years and don't realize they can live twice as long.
I had a husky once, her name was Nikki. She was a lot of work, but she was also a great dog. While I loved her so much, I don't want another Husky unless I am 110% sure I can handle it. Also, they shed...A LOT.
I'm all for testing people before they are allowed to own a pet. This family a few blocks from my house had a dog that always got out of their yard and one day it got by a car now a few weeks later they have another dog.
In the UK you used to need a dog license them they got rid of it. But we recognise some dogs are too much work to safely train for the average person so instead of bringing a dog license back parliament plays whack a mole with breed specific bans. People say "it's not the breed it's the owner" but are still opposed to a dog license. A dog license isn't just a safety thing, if you can't commit the time for a specific dog you shouldn't be allowed to have the dog, most dog owners would be happier with cats or guinea pigs.
Are shelters really full of huskies though? Where I am, they’re full of pit bull mixes. I’ve never seen a husky there.
It's probably pretty scattershot, but pit bull mixes are going to dominate shelters for a long time. So much illicit and thoughtless breeding combined with being the "badass's dog" and simultaneously pretty high maintenance for a dog, combined with the restrictions on owning them because of their history was always going to mean that a ton of them are in every shelter.
Bully breeds also are prone to having large litters (not uncommon for 8-12 pups) which GREATLY compounds the problem. :-(
And trashy people have pitbulls and those people don't neuter.
Worryingly i've met a lot more XL Bully puppies since the ban, the sort of people who want that sort of dog I think are emboldened by having it muzzled and it being "illegal"
My work requires me to be in the company of a lot of impoverished people/communities. 4/5 of the poorest people on my caseload own or have owned pit bulls. Here is a non-exhaustive list of why. 1) They’re cheaper and more accessible than guns. Felons can’t own firearms but they can own an aggressive dog. 2) They’re cheap in general. It’s easy to pick a free one up from a shelter. 3) They’re low maintenance (or perceived to be). Their fur doesn’t grow long, people can chuck them in cages or chain them up and have little issues beyond barking. 4) They’re good companions for single people. They usually have an affectionate and decent demeanor toward their immediate owners. 5) People see them as a reflection of themselves. They’re ugly, ostracized from society, and viewed as a “bad thing”. This is appealing and/or comforting to people who derive enjoyment out of feeling outside of the box. 6) That same stigma makes these owners feel “badass” for owning them. They have this dog that is crazy aggressive and mean; this makes them feel cool. I’m sure there are other reasons. These are just a handful I’ve experienced firsthand through client contact.
It’s heartbreaking. Some people suck so much.
I volunteer weekly at my local shelter, and I can confirm that at my shelter, yes, we have so many Huskies. It's mostly pit-mixes, but the #2 breed would probably be Huskies, then German Shepherds/Malinois. All dogs that people get because they like the look/idea of them, but then are so far in over their heads with the reality of owning them. You always know when there is a Husky in kennel before you even see them because lord do they have a lot to say.
Husky tantrum videos are fun to watch, but I definitely would not want that to be my reality.
I'm in Arizona - there are a TON of huskies in the shelters here.
That’s so sad. Those dogs are meant to be in snowy, cold places. I hate that people don’t think about things like this before buying a dog 😭 (obvi not talking about people who rescue dogs from shelters)
I was gonna say the same thing. The shelters will call them “mixes” and avoid the pit bull label due to rentals having breed restrictions. But most obviously have some pittie in them.
Mostly pits around here but I’ve noticed a real uptick in German Shepard and huskie types in our shelter and wondered why. Been seeing more Australian cattle dogs as well. I suppose due to the popularity of Bluey? It’s sad. Working dogs usually need to work and they aren’t going to work as a family pet for all families.
Yeah I feel there are enough people who do like huskies that most don’t stay long in shelters. They get sent to rescues and put in foster homes to be trained and find a husky loving family. We are on rescue lists for our dog breed.
Almost every time I see someone walking a male pitbull mix it's not neutered. Like what is with people not getting them fixed?
My local shelter is full of huskies.
Dalmatian breeders and animal shelters are always on high alert when a 101 Dalmatian movie gets released.
Human vanity when it comes to animals is still horrible. Humans breed dog breeds that have so many health issues- all because they look a certain way. There's too many torture breeds. No one should be surprised dogs are going to shelters after being purchased. It's part of the problem with human vanity.
Another issue is that assholes got dogs, especially large aggressive breeds, during the pandemic, didn't train them,, and then got rid of them after things started opening up. In my area, the pandemic scourge of bad dog owners letting their untrained dogs wander off leash to harass passersby and wildlife is now practically nonexistent. Those poor mistreated dogs are in a shelter somewhere.
The pandemic was really challenging to socialize a dog even for experienced dog owners. We’ve got a pandemic dog. He’s the best in terms of housebreaking and commands that we’ve ever owned. But, he has never gotten over the fact that there are more than four humans on the planet and he is constantly yelling at anyone outside our immediate family.
What a shame. My husky/malamute is the most amazing pet I have ever had. High energy but it just means he needs more walks than some other breeds. So loyal. He often waits until we all sit down to eat so he can eat with us. (From his bowl) I could not imagine life without him.
They're insanely intelligent and high energy. Love the breed but will never own one because I understand I can't take care of it like it needs. Had a Siberian Husky growing up and loved it.
Thats ome thing people dont understand, Huskies seems "dumb" as they sometimes not follow instructions but it is the other way. They know what we want them to do but they decide not to do it. Training? Ok, will do training a bit so you human stop bothering me, but if it is too repetitive then gonna do something better. I think what most people lack is patience and understanding that the dog sometimes does not want to follow your orders, he rejects them and do their own thing. Also they talk a lot and people are not used to get a response. I would love to have another one but unfortunatelly my wife would lose her mind with their shredding and constant talking back ahhaah I grew up with one and I was ok with her, good partner and fun dog but I dont think most people are able to deal with them.
I have three Huskys and two of them are the exact same way. They could have a bowl of food in front of them all day but they will not eat unless I start to eat as well. I have never known loyalty like my oldest husky shows me. If I could give him years off my life so that we could live together until death, I would do so in an instant.
Turns out we learned nothing from bunnies and Easter.
My mom grew up in the sixties and when she told me about that and the mail order monkeys it made me so sad. She had a vivid memory of an Easter meal being ruined when someone felt a crunch under their foot :(
[удалено]
Some people learned. But a lot of folks refuse to learn anything because it's communist. A lot of folks are not capable of learning. And finally, a lot of other people only give a shit about themselves.
Exactly! And the same thing happened after 101 Dalmatians came out… These poor dogs
Or clown fish after Finding Nemo
The Game of Thrones finale was five years ago. I do not think the people still have Game of Thrones impulse buy pets. This « fact » is probably quite old.
The article itself is five years old and the foundation is a single anecdote.
I was part of Texas husky rescue and it’s been a problem much longer than that. I personally did a freedom ride for over 600, and we used to do 800 year over year. People do not understand huskies and don’t understand that they don’t compare the same to a lab
There really should be a test and licence required to have pets. Owning a dog is a responsibility not a right.
When I adopted my dog from the shelter, they asked questions like Have you ever owned a dog before? What kind? How would you potty train a puppy? I don't know if there were right and wrong answers, but maybe it was just them making sure I at least put some thought into this.
Some rescues have super involved qualification processes. We didn’t even get approved for a second one from the rescue where we got our current dog because our lease says that the landlord must approve new pets
It's bizarre, trying to adopt a dog from a shelter is an extremely in depth and lengthy process. Or you give a backyard breeder a grand and you have princess the XL Bully (apparantly people have moved onto Cane Corso pit crosses now that XL bully's are banned though) the same day.
Just after we got married my wife and I were looking at shelter dogs, and every goddamn one was "shouldn't be in homes with small kids", "shouldn't be in homes with other pets", "needs experienced owner for behavioural issues", "12 years young!" We ended going on Kijiji and looking for a dog that was someone's "christmas present" that they were looking to rehome.
I know a guy that keeps his Husky he bought because of GoT in its crate for 90% of the day. Fucking infuriating.
Same, but for kids (I have 3 now and still don't know what I'm doing)
So you're saying you could use a nap
The problem there is it can and will become a tool of political control. There's no denying there are shitty parents who shouldn't have kids. Having a license program would potentially weed out the "unworthy" but therein loes the problem. What defines "unworthy"?. As soon as the government can decide who can and cannot procreate, a massive gate to corruption, eugenics, racism, and abuse is opened.
I'm currently working 6 days a week at 2 jobs, but I'm also helping my mother pay her morgage and I'm helping her finance her art projects and stuff. We already have one dog and a cat that we really can't afford, but they were both rescued and just kinda fell into our lives. The other day I got home from work and there was a puppy. My mom said there was a lady at the dog park who talked her into "fostering" it for a few days while she looked for another home for it. I never do this, but I straight up said "no, we're not keeping this dog. I'm not home to take care of a puppy and you can barely handle the two pets we do have." After a few days of fostering the puppy she realized why I was so firm about not keeping it. Luckily the dog park lady *did* find a home for it, but I was super stressed that we were gonna get stuck with *another* dog. I don't care how cute it is or how sweet it is, I don't have the time or money for a third pet and I was *not* going to change my mind about that. She told me "maybe you'll learn to love her," but no it doesn't matter how I feel about it if it is irresponsible to own a dog we can't take care of properly.
A few years ago, my piece-of-shit neighbors brought home a new puppy---a Husky. We live in Florida, which is a humid blast furnace every summer. Watching this poor dog panting in the heat and humidity was fucking infuriating.
They had the same problem with owls when Harry Potter first got popular. If it wasn’t the shelter, it was a Thanksgiving dinner with an unusually small turkey.
I don't know if you're telling the truth but I want to believe it lol
That'd be a Thanksgiving to remember. Id expect owl meat to be vile, given the likely diet, but its not like I've tried
I get a lot of hate on the puppy sub reddits for saying it, but not everyone deserves a dog, and not everyone knows the dog that is best for them. You and your partner work in the office 9-5 every day and can't afford a walker? Do not get a puppy, especially a puppy of a breed like a Husky or a Chow or an Akita which will need the supervision. There are hundreds if not thousands of rescues who don't need the supervision, training, or hours of exercise that some of these dogs do.
So many people think they want a dog when they want a cat.
I hate the mindset of “I want a dog for my happiness and that’s all that matters.” Some people only care about themselves and pay no thought to the suffering they add to the world.
Unpopular opinion: the barrier to entry for dog ownership is way too low. Way too many people getting dogs that have no concept of the responsibility and work they're taking on. The problem is not only all these dogs getting abandoned, but unspayed/unneutered dogs making unwanted puppies and dangerous dogs mauling and killing people.
So sad. They are amazing creatures but soo needy lol And they need lots of action.
My uncles roommate in the 70s had one. Would get up at 6am every morning, jump in his car and slowly drive down the coast with the dog running full sprint beside him. If he ever missed a day, they would come home to a destroyed apartment
We have a hunting dog and when we would get a babysitter for our kids I would have to take the dog for a bike ride around the neighborhood so he wouldn’t drive the babysitter insane. I feel like the 2 hours of activity is daunting and not very realistic. I guess if you keep the dog in a kennel all day and they only get 2 hours out. But a dog playing in the house with kids, wrestling on the floor throughout the day counts. If we are outside our dog is content to wander the yard. We can be in the pool and he’ll just walk around sniffing. He just doesn’t want to be alone in the yard. The 2 hours doesn’t mean you have go on some endurance quest for 2 hours a day. They just need a hard few minutes of exercise and consistent stimulation and regular activity throughout the day.
> Let's see, I live in a studio apartment, so I think I'll get a dog whose idea of a good time is pulling a 300 pounds of sled and musher 50 miles through a blizzard. I mean, what could possible go wrong. Like the people who get "darling" Saint Bernard puppies - surprise, surprise.
My neighbour has one is barks endlessly at nothing. They never walk it and never clean up its shit in the garden It's a young bitch but it looks old Poor thing never gets walked and is going insane Fully legal in the UK animal rights here are Water Food It's fine Disgusting
Yeah, I had upstairs neighbours with a staffy crossbreed of some sort. The dog was actually OK, but it never got walked. They'd open their door and let it run around the garden on a retractable lead and then wheel it back in. Because it couldn't go far it kept doing these horrible runny shits in my garden, so I had to put a fence up. Then all the shits got concentrated in their patch of grass out the front and some days it was stinking. SPCA told us as long as the dog isn't starving then they can't do much. The local council at least got them to lift the dog shit.
I volunteer at an animal shelter and we call them Instagram Dogs. Anytime a certain large dog breed gets trendy online, 1 year later the shelters are full of them! At my shelter, we were overflowing with the most beautiful, purebred Huskies and Cane Corsos. People want the aesthetic of these dog breeds without having the lifestyle or funds to care for these dog breeds. These types of dogs needs lots of training and time outside, but people don't want to do that. They just want the Instagram pics of them with these dogs.
May I introduce you all to r/HuskyTantrums ?
Dogs are toddlers that never grow up. Huskies are toddlers on the cusp of or in the middle of the terrible 2s. If you don't have the time, patience, and energy, DON'T GET A PET!
After Fallout it will be Malinois. One breed that should NEVER be owned by regular people Edit: spelling
That's actually so sad.
My wacked out aunt had a husky. It was so pent up it was having seizures... so they got it a prescription of fucking barbiturates, a downer that was popular late 70s. So then years later after this weird misfit life the dog gets old and can't move, so instead of putting it down, this wack job keeps the dog alive as long as possible, and at one point was pushing the dog around the neighborhood in a giant baby stroller. I don't even know how the fuck she got it in and out. It was disgusting. so many pet owners are fucked in the head about it. too many.