Should we adopt a Husky?

[AC14MUZ]

Hi all

We have the opportunity to adopt a Husky and just wanted some advice on what they are like as pets.

We will be moving so a house in a few months with a small garden. So he will have some outside space. We have two DSs 16 months and 3 months old and two cats.

The Husky is fully grown and comes from a very unloving family who currently keep him chained up in the back garden all year round and is never walked. He currently belongs to a friends neighbour and they are looking to get rid of him.

Would he be a good family member or am
I getting carried away because his current living conditions are horrible?

I understand huskies need an incredible amount of exercise and would be a huge commitment. How much walking/running would they need daily? How much food do they get through? What are other people's experiences with them as family pets like?

I've only ever had small dogs before so this would be very different for us and I want to make 100% sure we would be the right forever home for him and can give him what he needs!

[MissCherryCakeyBun]

What history do you have of the Huskey being child friendly? With 2 small children this would be my very first thing to DEEPLY look in to. They are large and powerful dogs and if he/she has been chained up Outside I have a feeling they will be very boisterous and not small child appropriate.

[MissCherryCakeyBun]

I also suggest contacting a reputable Husky rescue charity and having a chat with them about the possible issues he may have with the children and cats and how best he can be helped

[TrumpTrump]

Please help this poor dog, even if you don't adopt him. Report the owners to the RSPCA, at the very least

[MrsTerryPratchett]

I desperately want a husky. I love them and have for decades.

But, I don't have a husky. For a few reasons. They are hard to train, independent, need very high fences because their recall is unreliable. They need masses of exercise; the couple of people who have one that I've met run more than once a day, or live in the north of Canada and the dogs run outside in packs.

They can be problematic around small animals (cats?). And they are very strong and single minded so if the one you're looking at is big and untrained it's a worry.

Do lots of homework and be very honest about your situation.

[BigGreenOlives]

Huskies can be incredibly destructive when bored. With two very small children i would not adopt a husky, or have one from a puppy. They need enormous amounts of exercise as they have been bred for endurance. Although adopting the dog would be kind to the dog I don’t think it would be the right thing for a family with tiny children.

[MaitlandGirl]

There’s a saying with husky’s that if you do t exercise them for 6 hours a day they’ll eat your couch. That’s pretty much right. A bored husky is very, very destructive.

With the ages of your children I think you’d be making a huge mistake taking on any dog, let alone one with such a high need for exercise and mental stimulation.

[MooseBeTimeForSpring]

I live in Northern Canada and they’re not that common here. The ones I know of as pets are kept on an acreage. The owners had them before the children came along. The children are 5 and 6 now.

All the others I know of are sledding dogs. They are treated royally but are not family pets.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

The Husky is fully grown and comes from a very unloving family who currently keep him chained up in the back garden all year round and is never walked. He currently belongs to a friends neighbour and they are looking to get rid of him.

As someone who has a small breed high energy dog that spent his first year in a situation that was broadly similar but not as bad (10 min walks, lived inside) I can tell you that this is a dog that WILL have issues because he hasn't been properly socialised, and there won't be any quick fixes). Pulling on the lead (and imagine the power of a sled dog attempting to pull you across an A road because he's just seen a cat) will be the start of it. There's a good chance he's chained outside because he's destructive inside. Possible issues with dogs, strangers, cats, children... The list goes on.

The dog undoubtedly needs new owners asap, but you're not going to be the right owners for him. The best thing you can do is put the owners in touch with a reputable breed rescue who will be able to find suitable experienced husky owners.

[cloudtree]

Watching this with interest since my DC are desperate for a husky pup... Not sure its going to be the right breed for us and we have acres of land.

[BiteyShark]

I understand the pull to rescue the dog from those conditions but I really wouldn't take him on. Even though I have a big garden and miles of countryside for walking when I looked at the husky breed it didn't look an easy choice and coupled with his upbringing he undoubtedly needs an experienced husky owner.

[AC14MUZ]

Hi Everyone

Thank you for taking the time to respond, I had a niggle that perhaps this wasn't the right pet for us and the last thing I'd want to do is take him only to not give him what he needs and gave to find him a new home.

How they keep him is pretty heartbreaking, we did call RSPCA but they said as long as the dog has food, shelter and water they won't intervene

I hope he finds a new home, if anyone lived in Birmingham and wants a Husky let me know?!

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

@AC14 this is not a dog that can responsibly be privately rehomed to be perfectly honest

This is one of the breed rescues. They're currently operating a waiting little for incoming dogs, but have links to other husky rescues further down the page. These would be the guys to contact to rehome this unfortunate husky

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

Sorry, forgot the link! www.shcgbwelfare.org.uk/rehoming-your-husky

[pilates]

I wouldn’t risk it with two small children and cats. He is more than likely to have behavioural issues if he hasn’t been treated properly and they need a lot of exercise. My view is clouded about huskies as I know someone whose dog was ripped to bits and killed by one as they were innocently walking along the road.

[ThymeLord]

What a shame for him, that's no life at all. Shame on the RSPCA.

To echo what PPs have said, I really wouldn't do it. If he has been chained up and unloved then he is very unlikely to have had any training at all, let alone had his exercise requirements met. I think you would be potentially setting yourselves up for disaster, and then heartbreak when you aren't able to keep him down the line.

Can you get the 'owners' to be persuaded to surrender him to a breed specific rescue?

[Greyhorses]

Husky’s are not for the faint hearted or inexperienced owners nor are they for people with little time (no way could you adequately run one with 2 small children unless you have a lot of help!)

I wouldn’t touch a rescue one with a barge pole in your situation op, and I say that as someone who has two german shepherds and a toddler!

[pigsDOfly]

Huge shame the RSPCA seem to think this is an acceptable way for a dog to live when to anyone else it's totally unacceptable.

Suspect the poor thing's living like that because they haven't they faintest idea of what to do with it or what having a dog of any type involves let alone a dog like a Husky.

Just wondering if your local dog warden might be prepared to pop in and have a word with them. If they genuinely want to rehome the dog perhaps the dog warden could help them set that in motion rather than just leaving the poor thing in a state of constant misery.

No don't take this dog on OP. It's totally unsuitable for you and could end up causing you a lot of heartache.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

@pigsdofly I've heard this about the RSPCA on a number of occasions, along with bullying vulnerable owners into handing their animals over for rehoming, and putting down healthy animals that could be rehomed but might take a hit of time eg older animals.

You wouldn't catch me donating to the RSPCA

[Chippyway]

The RSPCA are a sack or shit

I’d take the chance with the dog. If it doesn’t work out then you’ll be the decent person and rehome him properly.

[Hoppinggreen]

Lovely dogs in the right circumstances but it sounds like yours aren’t
Small children and a possibly unsocialised large dog is a bad idea and I would really fear for the safety of the cats
I know people with Huskies and they run with them for hours.
People saying take a chance on the dog- I wouldn’t it could be potentially dangerous ( the situation I mean, not the dog) for your children and cats
Speak to a specialist Husky rescue if you want to help

[Aprilmightbemynewname]

We have a husky, with dc +cats, but ddog from a puppy. The dog you describe is unfortunately not a family pet and doubt it would be able to integrate with dc +cats . I disagree they are hard to train as ours is amazing!! And amazing with our dc but lots of hard work went into her from the start. The vet commented how laid back and happy she is when she did her collapse to sleep position while waiting for jabs!!

[theconstantinoplegardener]

I also think that, with two very small children, you probably wouldn't have the time needed to train, stimulate and exercise any husky but especially not the additional care this one is likely to need. And the problem with "taking a chance" on him is that if you do have to rehome him (which you almost certainly will), the additional disruption caused by him being with your family and then given up is likely to worsen any behavioural problems. Being passed from pillar to post is not very good for dogs.

[TrumpTrump]

Op, you can try phoning 101 and reporting the owners? Some police forces will have a word about anti-social behaviour, it might scare them into finding the dog a decent home?

[AC14MUZ]

The people that own the Husky, his name is Brian (the dog not the man) do not care about this dog, apparently they have him for "security" although what use he would be chained up is beyond me, he howls all day long and looks so sad. The garden is just a mud pit littered with empty dog food tins, some days he has knocked over his water bowl so my friend waits for the owners to leave then squeezes through a gap in the fence to put it back and re fill it. I know this is illegal but she just can't bare to see the condition he is in. My friend has a dog and walks him ever day, she has even offered to walk Brian but they said no.

Whilst they are looking to re home they are not actively doing so and its only if they are approached would they give him up.

I'm sad for Brian but he needs a better home than I can give him from what everyone is saying. I will look into contacting the husky rehoming centre so thank you for that link.

I really do think you need to be vetted before taking on a pet, some people treat animals so badly

@Aprilmightbemynewname your husky looks so lovely and happy! I hope Brian will be the same some day.

[Moominfan]

Chaining a dog is a very poor attempt at creating a guard dog. What you get is aggression. Dogs instinct to move away from danger is removed. Instead they now have to resort to second option of aggresion if they feel threatened. Huskies are built to run for miles in absolutley brutal conditions. Two hour long walks a day wont cut it. Think strap to a bike and cycle for miles. Cant be trusted off lead. Needs a very firm leader. I honestly think these dogs should only belong to licenced owners. Soo many in rescues