msion1
March 12th, 2006, 02:06 PM
We have so many awesome huskies in this neighborhood. If you're looking for one of your own, contact The Husky House, a local nonprofit rescue group.
From the NY Daily News:
Pull & pitfalls with Huskies
http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/advice/critters/
BY AMY SACKS
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Dog-loving moviegoers will be hard-pressed to get through Disney's heartrending film "Eight Below" without falling for Siberian Huskies.
But animal rescuer Lorraine Healy - who lives in New Jersey with four huskies, including Matrix, a 78-pound therapy dog - has mixed feelings about the box-office hit.
Healy, founder of The Husky House, a local nonprofit rescue group, is delighted to see her favorite dog breed positively portrayed on the big screen.
But big demand for husky puppies can create problems for the high-energy pack dogs and the humans unprepared to handle them. "These are ch*****ging dogs," Healy said. "Many of them could end up in shelters."
Which is what happened after Disney's 2002 release of "Snow Dogs." Within months, a buying frenzy for purebred Siberian husky puppies developed, but it didn't last long. The end result: Animal shelters saw a 50% increase in dropoffs of the high-maintenance breed.
In "Eight Below," eight sled dogs are left behind to fend for themselves after their human team is forced to abandon them in Antarctica. Remarkably, the two Alaskan malamutes and nearly every Siberian Husky used in filming the movie came from a rescue group or shelter, and were located and trained by California-based Birds and Animals Unlimited, said handler Sally Jo Sousa.
With proper training and experienced handling, huskies can make wonderful, fun-loving companions. But before making an impulsive decision, prospective owners should know what they're getting into.
"They are master escape artists," said Barbara Lukowski, a Husky House volunteer, who lives in Brooklyn with her six purebred huskies and two husky mutts.
If left off the leash, the superquick working dogs will likely dash off and be out of sight before you know it, she said.
That's one reason many huskies - such as 2-year-old Lucky (see photo above), who is up for adoption - might fare better in the city than in the suburbs.
The playful pooch, who can run for hours on end, is more likely to escape a suburban yard than the streets of the city, where she would be on a leash, Lukowski said.
By way of illustration, Lukowski pointed out that huskies love to dig and chew. Being pack animals, they also love companionship. But if left alone and bored, they may howl or chew up a few things around the house.
In short, huskies require plenty of exercise, training and attention, according to Bash Dibra, a dog trainer to the stars.
"This equation is a perfect balance of true love," he said.
To instill obedience, owners must position themselves as family leader. A successful owner also will be prepared for and committed to walking a husky constantly, Dibra said.
Nancy and David G***** have their rescued husky, Rocky, walked at least five times a day, requiring the services of two dog walkers, who come to their upper West side apartment in the afternoons.
And, of course, there's the dog hair. The cold-weather dogs "blow" two coats a year, something the G*****s have learned to live with. "I find hair in my water and drinks, my food and even in my office," said Nancy G*****, 33.
Since 1999, The Husky House has successfully placed 500 "Sibes" in adoptive homes. In the past three years, the group also has picked up 87 Siberian Huskies that had landed at New York's Animal Care & Control shelters after being lost - or abandoned - by their owners. The group, which operates without a facility and relies on donations, spends an average of between $1,000 and $4,000 per dog, for training, boarding and medical care.
Healy warns against buying huskies or any other kind of dog from pet stores, which routinely do business with puppy mills and therefore cannot provide proper screening for a prospective owner. "No responsible breeder would ever sell to a pet store," she adds.
To adopt Lucky, or get more information on huskies, go to www.huskyhouse.org, www.siberianrescue.com or www.shca.org.
Originally published on March 4, 2006
From the NY Daily News:
Pull & pitfalls with Huskies
http://www.nydailynews.com/city_life/advice/critters/
BY AMY SACKS
DAILY NEWS WRITER
Dog-loving moviegoers will be hard-pressed to get through Disney's heartrending film "Eight Below" without falling for Siberian Huskies.
But animal rescuer Lorraine Healy - who lives in New Jersey with four huskies, including Matrix, a 78-pound therapy dog - has mixed feelings about the box-office hit.
Healy, founder of The Husky House, a local nonprofit rescue group, is delighted to see her favorite dog breed positively portrayed on the big screen.
But big demand for husky puppies can create problems for the high-energy pack dogs and the humans unprepared to handle them. "These are ch*****ging dogs," Healy said. "Many of them could end up in shelters."
Which is what happened after Disney's 2002 release of "Snow Dogs." Within months, a buying frenzy for purebred Siberian husky puppies developed, but it didn't last long. The end result: Animal shelters saw a 50% increase in dropoffs of the high-maintenance breed.
In "Eight Below," eight sled dogs are left behind to fend for themselves after their human team is forced to abandon them in Antarctica. Remarkably, the two Alaskan malamutes and nearly every Siberian Husky used in filming the movie came from a rescue group or shelter, and were located and trained by California-based Birds and Animals Unlimited, said handler Sally Jo Sousa.
With proper training and experienced handling, huskies can make wonderful, fun-loving companions. But before making an impulsive decision, prospective owners should know what they're getting into.
"They are master escape artists," said Barbara Lukowski, a Husky House volunteer, who lives in Brooklyn with her six purebred huskies and two husky mutts.
If left off the leash, the superquick working dogs will likely dash off and be out of sight before you know it, she said.
That's one reason many huskies - such as 2-year-old Lucky (see photo above), who is up for adoption - might fare better in the city than in the suburbs.
The playful pooch, who can run for hours on end, is more likely to escape a suburban yard than the streets of the city, where she would be on a leash, Lukowski said.
By way of illustration, Lukowski pointed out that huskies love to dig and chew. Being pack animals, they also love companionship. But if left alone and bored, they may howl or chew up a few things around the house.
In short, huskies require plenty of exercise, training and attention, according to Bash Dibra, a dog trainer to the stars.
"This equation is a perfect balance of true love," he said.
To instill obedience, owners must position themselves as family leader. A successful owner also will be prepared for and committed to walking a husky constantly, Dibra said.
Nancy and David G***** have their rescued husky, Rocky, walked at least five times a day, requiring the services of two dog walkers, who come to their upper West side apartment in the afternoons.
And, of course, there's the dog hair. The cold-weather dogs "blow" two coats a year, something the G*****s have learned to live with. "I find hair in my water and drinks, my food and even in my office," said Nancy G*****, 33.
Since 1999, The Husky House has successfully placed 500 "Sibes" in adoptive homes. In the past three years, the group also has picked up 87 Siberian Huskies that had landed at New York's Animal Care & Control shelters after being lost - or abandoned - by their owners. The group, which operates without a facility and relies on donations, spends an average of between $1,000 and $4,000 per dog, for training, boarding and medical care.
Healy warns against buying huskies or any other kind of dog from pet stores, which routinely do business with puppy mills and therefore cannot provide proper screening for a prospective owner. "No responsible breeder would ever sell to a pet store," she adds.
To adopt Lucky, or get more information on huskies, go to www.huskyhouse.org, www.siberianrescue.com or www.shca.org.
Originally published on March 4, 2006