Hey, Chas!
I've always loved Siberian Huskies! We once "found" one many years ago...or should I say, he found us! We live in Maryland, and a young pup appeared at our house one day. He was about 6 months old, I'd guess. We already had two dogs, and couldn't keep another, so we tried very hard to find his owner. After a week of so, we received a call from a breeder in Canada, who had lost the dog!! Apparently, there was a sled dog show in New Jersey/New York, and a couple pups had run away.
The guy said that it was not cost effective for him to come down and get the dog, as he was now back up in Canada, so we could keep him. He explained that true "sled dogs" were bred to run for days at a time, so when they "ran away", they didn't stop after a few blocks like "normal" dogs, but would run until they were exhausted, often many, many miles (in this case, a couple STATES) away! That blew my mind!
We ended up giving the dog to a good home, but I'm always sorry we couldn't keep him. Since he was a sled dog, he was not really suited to live in a house in the suburbs, like our other dogs. He was really more like a wild animal, when it came to house-breaking, etc., so he just couldn't stay with us. He was pretty well used to outdoor living, and didn't seem interested in trying to learn to be a house pet. He had an incredibly thick coat, more like a grizzly bear than any dog I'd ever seen.
One of the neatest things I remember about him was the fact that he couldn't bark...he'd just howl like a wolf late at night (in our kitchen!) when he got lonely! I was just a little kid in those days, and it sent chills up my spine to be awakened at 3:am by the sound of howling echoing through the house! I'd go downstairs to visit him, and he'd be sitting in the moonlight, completely black and white, with these awesome blue eyes....just itching to go outside! He was absolutely the most beautiful animal I had ever seen!
I'll always remember him fondly, and would still like to get one some day, if my current dog ever seems to want company (not likely). Good luck with your new puppy. I'm sure he (or she) will turn out to be a great addition to your family!
Congratulations!
-axdop
I've always loved Siberian Huskies! We once "found" one many years ago...or should I say, he found us! We live in Maryland, and a young pup appeared at our house one day. He was about 6 months old, I'd guess. We already had two dogs, and couldn't keep another, so we tried very hard to find his owner. After a week of so, we received a call from a breeder in Canada, who had lost the dog!! Apparently, there was a sled dog show in New Jersey/New York, and a couple pups had run away.
The guy said that it was not cost effective for him to come down and get the dog, as he was now back up in Canada, so we could keep him. He explained that true "sled dogs" were bred to run for days at a time, so when they "ran away", they didn't stop after a few blocks like "normal" dogs, but would run until they were exhausted, often many, many miles (in this case, a couple STATES) away! That blew my mind!
We ended up giving the dog to a good home, but I'm always sorry we couldn't keep him. Since he was a sled dog, he was not really suited to live in a house in the suburbs, like our other dogs. He was really more like a wild animal, when it came to house-breaking, etc., so he just couldn't stay with us. He was pretty well used to outdoor living, and didn't seem interested in trying to learn to be a house pet. He had an incredibly thick coat, more like a grizzly bear than any dog I'd ever seen.
One of the neatest things I remember about him was the fact that he couldn't bark...he'd just howl like a wolf late at night (in our kitchen!) when he got lonely! I was just a little kid in those days, and it sent chills up my spine to be awakened at 3:am by the sound of howling echoing through the house! I'd go downstairs to visit him, and he'd be sitting in the moonlight, completely black and white, with these awesome blue eyes....just itching to go outside! He was absolutely the most beautiful animal I had ever seen!
I'll always remember him fondly, and would still like to get one some day, if my current dog ever seems to want company (not likely). Good luck with your new puppy. I'm sure he (or she) will turn out to be a great addition to your family!
Congratulations!
-axdop
