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Specific Reasons For Giving Up A Husky


Chula

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One thing I'd like to add is that while you might think your husky wants someone to play with, someone to be with, it isn't always so. As much as Ryn enjoys Petunia, she has changed because of my getting the second. I truly believe she enjoyed being an only child.

I'm guessing there is no way to determine this beforehand... :(
We have this with Mia and Teo....the main reason we got Teo was so Mia wasn't a lonesome husky, and she adores him.... However I really think Teo would prefer to be on his own, he gets really annoyed with Mia constantly wanting to play! There was no way of knowing this before we got him! Wouldn't swap either of them though!
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Also Emily, pretty much the only reason I got a second dog (Yukon) is that I thought Nikko would want a playmate, and also because he had all this pent up energy that I thought a playmate would take care of some of that energy.  It was the best thing I did for him too, because now Nikko and Yukon seem to be joined at the hip lol.   Kodiak, on the other hand would probably be OK as an only dog, and tbh if Kodiak was my first dog....I would still only have 1.

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Would just like to add to this topic, although I agree that most people who give them up are either plain lazy, wanted a "cute little puppy" or didnt research, there are also very good reasons for some and its heartbreaking for those who find themselves in such a situation. Some of our members both old and current so please bare this in mind peeps. Not everyone is lazy.

 

For example:

 

  • Severe illness
  • Unknown alergies
  • Dog doesnt take to children (and before any of you start, yes that can be a reason. Im not talkin about "I need to get rid Im having a baby" Im talking about "Ive had a baby and he/she keeps going for the child")
  • Evicted from house and homeless (sometimes actually because of the dog ironically lol)

 

These are just a few I have acually come across since the forums existance and the people I think about now were not even close to being people who didnt want the situation to be different

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Marc, I agree there are always legitimate reasons for things like that - and maybe the rescues just call everything "not ready for husky ownership" to stress the commitment it takes to own a husky. I had to rehome a cat because of my OH's severe allergies so I can sympathize. Luckily my parents were able to take her, but when I say severe, I mean his face exploded, wheezing, etc.

 

I wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad, I was more trying to get a feel for what that phrase might mean. I apologize though if anyone on here was made to feel badly. 

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Marc, I agree there are always legitimate reasons for things like that - and maybe the rescues just call everything "not ready for husky ownership" to stress the commitment it takes to own a husky. I had to rehome a cat because of my OH's severe allergies so I can sympathize. Luckily my parents were able to take her, but when I say severe, I mean his face exploded, wheezing, etc.

 

I wasn't trying to make anyone feel bad, I was more trying to get a feel for what that phrase might mean. I apologize though if anyone on here was made to feel badly. 

 

Dont need to apologize ya lemon. Was simply answering your original topic from another point of view lol

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I have a Golden Retriever aswel :) I can tell you that the golden retriever was and still is way way way easyer to train and to keep near the house

Since I live nearly in the woods when I leave nero alone for just 10 seconds he is gone in to the woods he is catching a rabbit a duck or one of my chicken

If I did this with mogli (The Golden Retriever) at the age of 8 months he would be near me and lay down and wait for me

A husky just thinks for himself more! Nero has been hard to train at somepoints he still is! That does not mean that I love him like he is my child! I would never give him up.

But training a husky... Some parts almost go to easy some really really don`t work (for example I can`t get Nero to sit for more then 30 seconds he wil lay down or something aslong as he does not have to sit)

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Remind me again why I want another? I started back to work today so chu had to be crated for longer than two hours for the first time in three weeks. She's like Jekyll and Hyde when crated vs accompanied during the day!! She's still sweet, just crazy!!

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What we do for love. I'm holding her antler nub in my hand which is dripping in doggy saliva. I HATE saliva but it's too small to let her chew it on her own. Luckily new antler being delivered tomorrow. Hand covered in doggy muck.

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I'm not looking forward to tomorrow!  It will be the same for us.  The furkids haven't been crated for longer than 2 hours since December 20th!!  Today was going to be the first day but we had a snow day :D

 

 

Remind me again why I want another? I started back to work today so chu had to be crated for longer than two hours for the first time in three weeks. She's like Jekyll and Hyde when crated vs accompanied during the day!! She's still sweet, just crazy!!

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i think having two dogs on your own would be harder than with a partner (im not sure on your status), but I know I wouldnt want two dogs if it was just me. I have a wife that helps with the dog and we only have one.

 

But im on the same boat as you, i want a second one for zoey so she has a "playmate". but im also not sure if zoey will be happy or not, because she gets 100% attention and love from us now, and I dunno if shed want to share it

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I am always buying stuff off Amazon, and tried the Prime for a month but didn't keep it.  I should have because it's a pretty good deal, with free shipping on everything and all!  That's where I get all of my food and stuff too!

 

Do you have Amazon prime? I still have one invite left to share my prime account if you want it. It's where I get all her treats and toys.

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I thought the same thing with Nikko, thinking he wouldn't want to "share" the attention, but honestly I think he loves having Yukon around to play with.  I don't feel that I give him any less attention than before...plus since he is my first dog he gets special attention anyway lol

 

i think having two dogs on your own would be harder than with a partner (im not sure on your status), but I know I wouldnt want two dogs if it was just me. I have a wife that helps with the dog and we only have one.

 

But im on the same boat as you, i want a second one for zoey so she has a "playmate". but im also not sure if zoey will be happy or not, because she gets 100% attention and love from us now, and I dunno if shed want to share it

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I thought the same thing with Nikko, thinking he wouldn't want to "share" the attention, but honestly I think he loves having Yukon around to play with.  I don't feel that I give him any less attention than before...plus since he is my first dog he gets special attention anyway lol

 

i think we will eventually get a second dog, just going to wait for zoey to be a bit older and were we want her in training

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I'm a little late to the party lol. I'll admit I haven't read all the responses, sorry if I regurgitate any info :P

 

The past year at my job has really been interesting as I meet and deal with pet owners of every kind.. the good, the bad, and the ugly kind of thing. You can tell the people who are willing to change aspects of their life for their pet, and the others who are annoyed by their pet not fitting into their lifestyle.

 

I think sometimes rescues can be a little dramatic when pointing out surrenders... but at the same time, it's amazing how many people don't realize what owning a dog (or any pet) means. I've seen it so much just in the short year at the vet clinic... people bring in their "free" puppy from the side of the road. Puppy is horribly sick, has diarrhea plastered all over its rear while it's owner holds it in one hand a good distance from their own body in disgust. We look at the pup, diagnose (if we can), and do our best to treat with what the owners are willing to pay for. We call back a few days later to check in... puppy didn't make it... :(

I'm not sure what went through their minds when they picked up that puppy. Did they expect it to never get ill? Did they think it'll take care of itself? Did they think they wouldn't have to spend money on it? Did they expect it to not require attention and love? I'm sure training didn't even cross their mind..

 

We get plenty people with healthy puppies that don't realize how much care is required as well. We usually make "conversation" while doing exams, asking things like what food it's on, how potty training is going, etc.. you'd be surprised how many don't even think about basic potty training. They give us this blank look like we've spoken in a different language, as if their indoor 8 week old dog would just magically know it's supposed to go wee outside, no training necessary. So many people leave in "information overload" mode because we've tried to teach them basic care of a puppy/dog in a short 15min exam.

 

People look at siberians and are intrigued with their beauty (as we all are!), but when it comes down to it there are a lot of people out there who just don't comprehend basic dog ownership responsibilities. Then add on siberian's quirks, attitudes, stubbornness, and you've got a perfect recipe for a surrendered dog. While there are some legit reasons as Marc listed to surrender, I'm pretty sure this is how a lot of them go.

 

I think it's fair to say many people here who have their dogs are the type who are willing to change things in their life to accommodate them. Being that kind of person though makes it hard to understand those who don't think like we do (this can be said for many things other than dog ownership too..).

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I noticed you mentioned wanting to see how your dog would react with another one to get a good feel for if a second is a good idea, have you ever considered fostering for a nearby rescue? They're always in need and you could assess the situation with 2. :)

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When I first got Champ my first reaction was 'what did I just do?!' I had done all of my research and thought I was prepared...he showed me that I thought wrong.  After freaking out for probably three days and emailing the  trainer at the rescue in a panic and talking about returning him she called me and as I sat talking to her I realized that I was probably freaking because I was a new owner, hadn't had a dog in four years, and had zero husky experience.  She told me to keep him for the rest of the week and if I still felt that I couldn't keep him to bring him back.  Well on the appointment I had made with her in case I wanted to bring him back I showed up without him and we just sat and talked about my difficulties and she gave me some tips.  Well here we are going on five months and he's still here, spoiled rotten, but very much my best buddy.  I can understand how people could take the dog back if they turned out to be more than expected and they didn't have someone experienced to tell them to give it time, it's horrible and I felt absolutely horrid for feeling the way I did at the beginning but without the trainer on the other end of the line I can see how a decision could be made in a moment of 'panic' by the owner that would result in the dog being at the shelter...not that it's right to freak and dump an animal, I was willing to work with Champ where some people may not be so willing.

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I'm a bit late and by the looks of it everyone has made very good points and covered pretty much everything but I'll add a bit of my experience anyway

I'll admit I didn't do my research before I saved Sasha from death row but I did know that huskies were a handful from seeing them around. Sasha at the time was either 1-2 or 3-4 years old when I got her (I was on my own with my cat) my reason for getting Sasha was 1: I suffer from depression and having a dog helps me a lot 2: when I first seen her I fell in love with her 3: she chose me from the many people that seen her over the weekend I went to see her.

I don't understand why people use 'having a baby' as an excuse unless as stated the dog doesn't not like the baby I had my son 5 months ago now and yes I was scared Sasha wouldn't like him as the pound said she hated kids and I was told by a few people that I should get rid of her she is to jumpy and to stupid to be around a baby my reply to that wasn't very nice as you can imagine from someone that's been told has anger issues lol but Sasha sure proved them wrong she loves my son and to be honest I think if anyone tried to hurt him while she was near she would protect him even though she is a little scaredy cat.

Over the years I've only had one dog at a time and they have all been small never owned a big dog now I have Dozer (Rottie cross Kelpie) Sasha and my OHs Maltese my cat my rabbit and fish. Sasha loves having Dozer to play with and they both have there times where they need there space Sasha let's me know by barking and standing on the window sill at the back door so she can come in for a bit or they will lay on the opposite sides of the yard.

Having this many animals wasn't a plan and I often think what on earth have I gotten myself into but I wouldn't change it for the world it is hard at times and I admit the dogs don't get as much exercise as they should but they do get some and they get everything they need and more.

I agree with others you would make a great mummy to another dog and you've done an awesome job with Chula she's happy and gorgeous!

I hope my little story did something to help if not oh well its worth sharing lol

Xx

Sent from my GT-I8530 using Tapatalk 2

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Once we got Harry, we said we'd get another as we feel dogs are happiest in a pack, particularly huskies. It was all about timing for me as I'm 'home alone' caring for the dogs full time. Ideally I wanted to wait until we had Harry for at least 6 months and also wait for the better weather, as settling in a new dog seemed easier if it wasn't constantly raining etc.

 

As some may know, my husband brought Snowy home, he like Harry is a rescue and had been badly cared for, my husband just couldn't leave him in the centre any longer. I had about 6 hours to prepare for a second dog that had 'issues' he was 4 1/2 months at the time, food aggression, underweight, diarrhoea and quite nervous. To say I was shocked and some what unhappy with the prospect of being put in this situation, is a bit of an understatement. Not only was I worried for me, I was also worried how Harry would react!

 

I'm really happy to say the boys hit it off from day one and whilst Harry is 'less human' now, he seems much more content. I didn't and still don't have him trained as I'd like but probably never will as he's a stubborn, selfish husky :) The puppy has issues, particularly toilet training at the moment, but with everything else, we are slowly getting there. Some days I think 'why oh why' and others I think 'it's the best thing ever'

 

Together they bring me a lot of pleasure and of course hard work. It is easier if you have support from others in your family, walks etc, so I think it's a good idea if you have that support in place. I've just had 2 weeks with all my family here and it's been heaven, now they are all back at work and school I'm back to many hours of walks on my own, thankfully I'm fit and healthy enough to deal with it.

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obviously you've earned all the infos you wanted, but this thread is one of those threads that made my fingers itch if I don't reply! :D sooo....

 

1) I have a relative that bought a husky pup from a pet store. When he found out that the dog is hard to train, he called the pet store, claims the dog to be "stupid" and returned him two days after purchase. I ranted about it here in the steam room back then :( So that's reason number one: difficulty to train. Which is side effect of lack of research.

 

2) I have a neighbor that adopted a husky pup from his friend. The pup was from an accidental litter so my neighbor got him for free. They thought Crollie, the husky, looks mean so he must be a guard dog at heart. But guess what happens next :( Crollie spent seven months in my neighbor's house. I met him when he was about four months, and since then I walk him every afternoon. I also brought him treats and tried my best to teach him manners (because he had none). He got adopted by a new owner later on. So that's reason number two: misconception about guarding ability. Which is, again, side effect of lack of research.

 

3) I believe I've shared this story several times before, but I'd re-tell a short version of it: Diamond's first weeks in my house was hellish. Or at least for me it is. I remember at some point I sat on my bed and asked myself "goodness Liv what have you done?". I even thought of returning him to his previous owner. Reason being: He's just 'too much of a dog'. He's too destructive, too hyper, sheds too much, howls too much, needs too much. Plus, he came with severe ear infection, ticks, no manners and a whole lot of phobias. I honestly don't know what stopped me from picking up that phone and calling Dime's previous owner... but after a lot of tears, frustration, research, training and most importantly patience... he finally became the dog I know now. So that's reason number three: sheer surprise on how much work huskies can be. Which is, AGAIN, side effect of lack of research. 

 

Today, only a handful of people gave up their pets because of real unexpected, unavoidable reasons. If a dog is sent to the shelter within a short number of months after purchase/adoption, you can almost be 100% sure they were given up due to lack of research. That's why I never stop promoting "do your research" =\ 

 

Now about the huskies versus other breeds thing. Personally, I think Diamond is a lot easier than any other dog I've ever met. He's absolutely calm, sweet and obedient. Maybe because he's my first dog and I'm just lucky, but I've never met a dog sweeter than him. They say Goldens are the easiest breed on Earth. Well, my area has approx five Goldens and all of them are a pain in the neck. Lilo's recall is as bad as Diamond's. Anna can't stop barking. Bruno pulls like a freight train. Buddy growls and barks aggressively if somebody got too close (2 meters) to his house's gates. Goldie is dog-aggressive. They are ALL Goldens! Other Goldens I've met in other places are also generally not-so-well-mannered. They jump up on people and I've been told it's just their way of greeting guests?? Pomeranians, Indonesia's other favorite breed, is also not exactly "easy". They're LOUD and it takes patience to train them because they need like 30-40 repetitions while my boy... our breed... only needs 5-10. Is Diamond a lot of work? YES he's a whole lot of work. But is he easier than other dogs? Personally, I'd say yes he is! 

 

Lastly, about you wanting to get a second: Emily, after your experience with Chula, I believe you'd be ready for any challenges from any other husky. Other breeds might be a little surprise to you, but I'm sure it'll be nothing you can't deal with. I'm also dying for a second right now (as some of you probably know already) and the lone reason for that is because I know Diamond would L.O.V.E a housemate. He has his human playmates, but when he's playing with the neighbor's dogs you can just see that he's purely ecstatic. He needs a playmate. Now only if I can get my own place and find the right dog! :) 

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I know there have been a lot of responses to this already so I'll keep mine short. :)

I actually got my two huskies within weeks of each other. Against others' advice maybe and getting in over my head, yes, but I'm glad I did. Meeko and Cara love each other and can always keep themselves entertained together if we're too busy for them, but separately still love attention from us humans too. Plus Huskies are pack animals naturally so they thrive in groups, I'll probably get a third after I'm 100% sure I can handle it.

And like most Sibe owners know, Huskies are like potato chips, you can't have just one. ;)

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