help, advice, need a sounding board...

T

trina1982

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 September 2010
Messages
565
Visit site
Hi. Don't post much in here but I need to get this 'out there' and perhaps get some advice.

So, I have a friend. Bit of an impulsive person. Her friend has just bred her (non-pedigree) husky to a stud husky. Can you see where I'm going with this....

My friend has announced today (on facebook) she is getting one of the puppies. Apparently she has done lots of research, and spoken to the vets and a dog trainer. She thinks it will be ok. Her situation is small house on an estate, 2 adults, 2 children (4 and 2). Both adults work, her OH works full time, she works 28 hrs in an office then some from home. She also has 2 cats, some chickens and gerbils.

The pic looks like she has chosen the largest pup, a male.

I am desperately worried it will all go wrong. We have talked about dogs, and the last conversation we had was that she wanted something like a beagle in a few years (which I agreed was a good idea). I have been where she is (worked full time, but no kids and a totally not suitable collie puppy) and it wasn't a pleasant experience. It was only through my sheer stubborness to not give up, and my unwritten rule that none of my animals will ever get rehomed that we still have my collie 8 years on (complete with 'issues' that were probably avoidable and totally m fault). With her situation I worry what will happen to the dog when it inevitably gets too much to handle. She's so convinced it will be ok, and i really hope i'm wrong and it is all a great experience for them. The pups mum is by all accounts very calm, loyal and lives in a small house on the estate with no problems. I think my friend is hoping for the same (and for her sake i hope so too!)

What do i do? What can I do? i've fallen out with a friend before over puppy purchasing on a whim. I don't want to fall out with her, she is a great friend and means a great deal to me but this puppy situation has put a dark cloud over everything. I just don't know what to say to her. I wasn't that comfortable when i heard about the puppies in the first place but this has me reeling. I feel so strongly about it but don't want to cause upset.

Aaaaargh. So i just needed to get it out. i don't want to talk to any mutual friends about it so (because it will seem like bitching, which i'm not). I needed to speak to someone who'll listen and give constructive advice, so anyone got any? I don't want to ruin a friendship but i feel sick about it if i'm honest :(
 
Might it be possible for her to care for your dog for a week or if anyone has a suitable dog who wouldnt mind lending so she can get a feel for the time and effort it takes? I appologise if this seems a silly suggestion but I frequently care for my friends dogs when there are on holiday, and although the first few days are great by the end of the week I am usually exhausted. It was this experience which made me realise I do not have the time to have a dog of my own which i know i would hve jumped into otherwise. If not have you told her about your experience with your collie? I hope it all works out.
 
Support if it goes wrong, smile with her if it doesn't. Suggest lots of puppy classes, encourage her to neuter and not breed! Suggest shecrate trains him and find her a dog walker. Help her to socialise him and reinforce the chicken and hamster cages! :eek:
 
If they work full time how is she going to train him in the early stages and exercise him in the long term have you discussed this with her and what did she say? can she afford a dog walker and is she the type to put in the training?
Has she read up and studied the breed and it's needs? is she prepared for possibly digging, destruction, howling?
We don't know her but you do, how do you feel she will cope? is she the type to discard when all the puppy fun is over or give up at the 1st hurdle.
The breeder seems irrisponsible and there is little you can do if one is selling and the other wants to buy apart form me there to say "I told you so";)
Maybe steer her towards a good husky forum.
 
They are a very specialised breed and not a dog for beginners, if she is houseproud it may help to tell her how much hair they shed and they need a lot of grooming. This alone may make her change her mind.
 
Thanks for the replies. She knows all about my dog, even the horrible 'nipping my toddler in the face' incident that has caused a lot of friction in my family. I have 2 dogs, my collie I had from a pup (well, 12 weeks) and it has been, erm, interesting, but I love him to bits. My other dog is a dogs trust dog (GSD x collie) and is a total gem and a fine example of rescue dogs being wonderful. She was 18 months when we got her. I use my dogs as classic examples of how an older (well matched) dog can often be more rewarding than a badly bred and socialised puppy that realistically you don't have enough time for!

That said, she is convinced she has researched it all and it will be fine. I genuinely hope it will be but i'm really not sure she knows what will hit her when that pup develops a bit of attitude. I don't think I can get her to change her mind so I think i will have to smile and hope for the best. It's just going to be a bit strained for a while i think. I probably just need to get off my high horse and be pleased for her, and try and put aside the rubbish time i had (which in hindsight I should have listened to people telling me it was a bad idea to get my puppy!). I will definately suggest training classes and i can loan her a crate. Husky forum is a good idea too, though i imagine she might not want to hear some home truths about what a ride she's in for (just like me 8 years ago)!

Thanks again, as i said i just needed to let off a bit of steam and get a neutral point of view.
 
I would never have chosen a husky for someone in her situation personally but if her heart's set on it then bite your tongue and offer her (& the dog!) all the support you can.
Hopefully I'm wrong but have a feeling she may need it :(
 
Exactly what research has she done?? Totally unsuitable breed for her situation - especially with cats, chickens and gerbils around. If she leaves him alone she will have to crate him or he WILL destroy her house. I would ask her why she wants a breed that a) absolutely cannot be let off the lead other than in a very secure area (at least a 6 foot high fence) b) cannot be trusted (ever) with chickens / cats / gerbils c) will re-carpet her house twice a year d) needs an enormous amount of exercise e) is a pack animal and they don't do well on their own................the list goes on. Most husky owners I know have at least one 'non-husky' as a 'normal' dog. We have a collie and it's great to have a dog that you can chuck a ball for (he also runs in harness with our teams!!).

Don't even get me started on the mating itself.

I can only suggest she has a good read of the info on here. As for husky forum's - I avoid them like the plague as although there are some good knowledgeable people on them there are also a lot of numpties and they wind me up.

http://www.siberianhuskyclub.com/abouthuskies
 
Best of luck to cat, gerbils and chickens. They are not long for this world!

In 6-12 months time when she is trying to offload an adolescent sibe that has destroyed her entire house, garden and sanity, if it hasn't already been shot for worrying livestock, please, please urge her to contact http://www.shwauk.org.uk/ or PM me on here.

Try and get her to have its balls off as a matter of priority or there'll be another generation of unregistered, unsuitable nightmare dogs going to unprepared homes to be passed from pillar to post.

I'm still recovering from my experience with one. :p
 
Thanks for all the links and advice.

I am a bit worried that everyone thinks the cats/chickens/gerbils won't be safe. Is that a sure thing or will being raised with them mean it's less likely he'll do anything? (not a risk I'd take personally). If it's practically a sure thing he'll go after them then maybe this might be the angle i can take to convince her they aren't the breed for her. Pup is ready in July i believe so I have some time!

Blackcob - thank you for your offer. I will contact you if required (and I really hope i don't have to - in the nicest possible way of course!).

I think I feel about the whole situation like a reformed smoker does about smokers! I've had a bad experience with a pup bought in haste, I've also spent months trawling round rescues to find my second dog and being horrified just how many there are in rescue. The flow is never ending and it's just so sad :(
 
Obs it's better they are brought up with cats because they do have a high prey drive and like to chase and sometimes eat cats;), my mam has a husky and a malamute and they live with alot of cats, I also board 2 huskys that don't live with cats but don't by some tiny miracle bother my cats not even attempted to chase them:eek:. So yes they can live happy along side cats, but use that if you must to dissuade her if you think it helps. Lol, the smaller furry creatures, well.... they escape or they are ranscaked out:eek: in most doggy households and they are dinner:p
 
One of mine lived with a cat in her first home (until nearly six months of age), I remember the owner showing me a photo of her curled up on the sofa with the cat.

Last year she killed my mother's 18 year old rescue cat. :( I think it's the case that they can be ok with 'their' cat if they grow up together but you still hear of sibes who've lived happily with a cat for years and then one day the cat comes through the catflap at the wrong moment and bam, the instinct overtakes them.

Chickens and gerbils no chance, they are walking snacks, a coop or cage presents no challenge.

My experience with a young sibe purchased from the freeads is well documented on here, it was a bloody nightmare. I've obviously come out the other side of that now but my lifestyle had to change entirely and is now pretty much dedicated to the care of the dogs (:o), something which cannot possibly be compatible with family life and long working hours.

Suzysparkle has experienced sibes in much greater numbers than I have but we seem to be saying the same things. :p
 
Def what BC said, I know I give you example but it's not exactly the norm here, or at mine or the motherships its it,:o:p:D I would definatley use it to warn her of their heightened prey drive.
 
Stud Husky is non pedigree as well I take it? As a decent stud dog owner won't put a their dog to a non pedigree bitch unless they are desperate for the money and they dont give two hoots what their stud dog breeds (these stud dog owners are the main cause of money grabbing overbreeding to any person).
 
Kaylum said:
Stud Husky is non pedigree as well I take it? As a decent stud dog owner won't put a their dog to a non pedigree bitch unless they are desperate for the money and they dont give two hoots what their stud dog breeds (these stud dog owners are the main cause of money grabbing overbreeding to any person).
Click to expand...

I think (and i'm not sure because i have avoided talking too much about it tbh) that what i said earlier was wrong. The mum is pedigree, the dad isn't. not that it makes it any better :(
 
Even if you raised one from a pup with a cat I would never trust one with one. I have heard of adult Siberians killing puppies when wrongly introduced, in fact I know people this happened to....they are idiots. I would never in a million years trust one with chickens or gerbils etc. They are highly efficient killers. However, thankfully I've never heard of one biting a child.
We have 11 Huskies. All are worked in harness regularly (unless it's too warm of course). Pedigree means nothing frankly. You see some really odd mixtures out there and even in badly bred ones (ie no thought) it's not uncommon to see champions somewhere in the lines (further back but within a standard 5 generation pedigree) as the gene pool isn't that large. This makes those lacking knowledge think they are breeding from something amazing.
I don't post much but when I see things like this it annoys me as I see it all the time and we take our dogs very seriously. They have become 'fashionable' for all the wrong reasons. I also see people getting in to the breed, buying all the gear, become 'instant experts' on forums, run dogs with absolutely NO idea (and wonder why they have injuries) then 2 or 3 years later they give up and the dogs become ornaments. Even people who stay at it can be very reluctant to take advice and you see a lot of thoughtless running of dogs at rallies (makes me cringe regularly).
The welfare issue is enormous with the breed. Mostly it's people who buy the cute puppy (from thoughtless breeders out to make a quick buck) and discover that when puppy grows up they aren't good pets. They really aren't. They need to be worked and they need company of the same breed. A lot of people also show - we don't, but only because we have no interest in it. We very much have dual purpose type Siberians though.
Anyone with any clue about the breed will try very hard to put people off before selling. I fear for your friends new puppy, I'd be amazed if he doesn't end up in welfare. Unfortunately, it's all too common and so so sad.
 
So maybe it is the danger to the other pets that could swing it..


Alternatively, maybe a little sneakily you could take her to a local rescue centre where she can see how many dogs are after homes and how she could really find a dog already proven with cats etc....and you might find a better matched dog that just tugs nicely at her heart strings!!!

And of course u set the guise if being helpful say you have rung around some the local dog walkers and found that they will charge x per day and will or will not take on a husky..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top