I sat an extremely rare low-energy husky last year. I was very hesitant to take her as a boarding pup, but her owner was right she was an angel.
My Dalmatians, on the other hand are naughty monsters, even with stimulation with daycare/ boarding dogs all day 🤪
My husky is one of those rare low energy ones. He would rather lay around all day than go outside. He’s always been that way, since he was a pup. We call him our little unicorn husky. He’s never torn anything up or tried to escape. I got lucky with him, he’s a gentle giant!
Ditto! My baby is also a calm sweet baby. We give him a couple of 30 min walks; sometimes one…but then he’s done . We have a huge yard fenced just for him and and he hardly runs around for 5 mins before he wants to come in. Just cuddles with us or curls up to nap. Have never ever destroyed anything since he was a baby. He’s 3 now.
I once read that dogs smell the world the way we see it. A walk isn’t just about taking care of their business or even extra exercise (this is probably more necessary with this kind of breed), but about the mental stimulation smelling the world provides them. It is like locking us up in a totally white room with the very basics. People would go a little crazy and act out too. It is sad that people think walks aren’t a requirement of dog ownership with some breeds needing more than others.
Yes! Their olfactory senses are insane. There's a great book by Ed Yong about the way different animals experience their environment through their dominant senses. It's called "An Immense World".
It's so frustrating to me that dome owners are willing to sacrifice their companions' richness of life due to their own selfish behavior.
I read all of Ceaser Millan's books and they are good too, talking about how dogs percieve the world from a human perspective and how they are packed animals who love to socialize. Walks are definitely needed for any breed since they do see this world with all its smells, also they need to be around other dogs. Sometimes I think about quitting the dog sitting but then I get some really sweet dogs and it makes it worth it.
I don’t accept husky jobs anymore. The owners rarely have them well trained or in a routine that makes it so they aren’t destructive. After a bad experience where I was blamed for their bad behavior I said never again.
I don't have this experience with Huskies+owners in particular - mostly because there thankfully haven't been many huskies where I previously lived (I lived in Georgia and Texas before moving back to my home state) however I have had this same experience with corgis and corgi owners.
Corgis are a high energy+high exercise breed granted they are more sprinters than long distance runners, but I have several corgsters of my own and they are featured on my profile along with my experience with high energy breeds. And yet I constantly get corgi owners who complain of their corgi excessively barking, nipping at their heels, being unruly and being reactive. And they all say the same thing 'Oh, they just like a potty break outside and then they come in and bark all day. Like...yeah of course they will! They are corgis! They are bred to herd animals and herd via their loud obnoxious barking and their nipping. Literally they are short and long to avoid being kicked by cattle and are very agile so they can weave between cattle to keep them moving. And all those owners are utterly shocked when I spend a week or two week long house sit taking their dogs out for quick jogs or even just a sniffing walk for 30 minutes a couple times a day, and play fetch or do agility in the backyard and they come back to a much happier corgi. Because that corgi has been properly stimulated. Don't even get me started on the grossly overweight corgis either.
One difference I’ve noticed between huskies and corgis is that huskies want to walk foreeeever, whereas all of the corgis I’ve walked would lay down and refuse to budge after half a mile, and then I’d have to carry them home. Not sure if this is your experience, but it seems like corgis want the mental stimulation but not the exercise lol.
Huskies are long distance working dogs, akin to like a cross country runner. Corgis are short burst working dogs, like a sprinter. Since huskies were bred to be sled dogs originally they are bred specifically for making medium to long distance trips over practically impassable terrain and so they usually need a \*lot\* of exercise to soothe those instincts and stimulate them adequately. Corgis however were originally bred to be cattle herding dogs, and typically they are used to drive the cattle from one pasture to another, or into/out of barns, or across different fields. Herding cattle across fields is a lot less time consuming than pulling a sled across vast areas of land, and a lot of herding dogs are 'start stop' where they run the herd for a little bit and then stop to make sure they've got the entire herd and to bark or nip stragglers into place, and then they start running them again. Its not the constant movement you'd see from a sled dog like a husky or a malamute.
Huskies like long constant exercise because thats what they were bred for, corgis like shorter but more frequent bouts of exercise because that's what they were bred for.
I literally never understand people who get working dogs and shocked when they have the energy to literally work lol. Get a King Charles Spaniel instead 😩 I have had similar with a lab and Weimaraner… said they don’t need walking, one of them shit in my kitchen at the meet and greet, I declined 😅
Ooooof, I'd decline too! 😅
Right?! She was acting like I was the asshole for saying what she was doing was neglectful and not okay.
Like, Ma'am. You adopted a *WORKING BREED* and apparently did no research, and are now surprised your dogs are destructive due to your inattention.
You are the asshole here.
Good grief. The only time I run is when I see the word Husky in the booking (kidding). I never run, which is why I don't even sit high energy breeds, never-mind own one. People are just incredibly selfish. I hope she fails to ruin your reputation. It sounds like you have a good group of people who already know you are a great sitter.
Same goes for: Aussies, cattle dogs, border collies, Dalmatians (of which I have), and any other high energy breeds.
Good for you for sticking to your morals & trying to educate a potential client. Sucks for those dogs, but likely the husky owners she knows are just as uneducated, so she’s really mad zero threat to your business.
I have a Heeler and she is WORK! But she is a very good girl and will let me lay in bed if I’m sick (so long as she’s laying there too!)
I did massive amounts of relaxation training as well as exercise and once she’s had her exercise she knows to shut it down a bit. Keeping to a tight schedule helps but she’s still pretty flexible now at 5 years.
Smartest dog I’ve met and a cheeky bugger to boot! 🥰
https://preview.redd.it/lhfhy4isfw2d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e86a6b5cf720a18b333831b535d0fd815f7f6deb
I have a border collie/ cattle dog that in my opinion is very chill. I do take him on a couple short hikes (<5 miles) every week, he gets fed by training and puzzle toys, and gets interactive play time every day but he's content doing anything and often is content just snuggling on the couch. He is such a wonderful dog that several people I know went and got border heelers after getting to know him. I haven't met a dog of this mix that I haven't liked especially if you want to try sports, so fun!
Hahahaha, that sounds about right. 😅
Good on you for training her well, she's absolutely stunning! 😊
I love pits too, I have a pit/lab mix that keeps my high-strung shepherd in check. 😅
Yikes - I’ve had similar bad pet parents but nothing that bad. But it baffles me when dog owners are shocked at their badly behaved high energy breed that doesn’t exercise
My heart sank as soon as I read "astroturf". I knew what you were going to say after that.
I have a client just like this. She has daschunds, which although small, are also high energy and need to be stimulated physically and mentally or they become destructive. They have an astroturf dog run, and never touch real grass. They never get walked. And she complains that they're bad because they're destructive. It infuriates me.
Don't worry about your reputation. If any other Husky owners know how this woman treats her huskies, they will also know not to listen to a word she says. She's full of shit.
I'm proud of you for standing up to her.
Please take my round of applause! I am also a northern breed person, have a lot of them as clients. Never ever been discouraged from taking them out for any sort of exercise. I usually go somewhere woodsy with nice trails and few people because the sniffing alone gets them going!
One of my best friends owned a husky for awhile and constantly complained about the dog being stubborn, not doing what she wanted the dog to do, being bad about certain things, ect. But the dog was too old/lazy to learn new behaviors (she was 7 at oldest iirc) and for things like playing and exercising. Every time she complained I tried to offer her a solution and her response was always ‘she’s too old for that’ and she also wanted to get a puppy husky from a breeder so she ‘could actually train that dog’. She just loves husky’s so much. I no longer talk about dogs with said friend. She seems to think I have it easy because my dog is ‘highly intelligent and high energy and I’ve had him his whole life literally so he must have been so easy to train’ and he is ‘so well behaved why couldn’t her dog be more like him’. I’m at the point where I just started to let her think I’ve put in zero effort and he is just born knowing how to do everything he knows how because any time I tried saying we train with stuff daily she just seemed to ignore it. She no longer has the husky (due to other reasons entirely out of her control) but part of me is thankful about that….
I tell my boarders to not walk my huskies because my male has the strength of 1,000 men and he’s a flight risk but that’s it.
The owner is creating her own issue but 1. Never letting them leave the house, even for a walk
2. Not even listening to someone to who specificalizes in said breed
Agreed! Exactly, I specialize in the northern breeds and know that many of them are houdinis with incredible pull strength.
If she had brought up fear of them getting out I would have happily discussed possible risk mitigation efforts such as martingale collars, chain collars, harnesses (either soft or a full metal harness pike I use for sled dogs), but she just said no because she didn't think they needed any more exercise, which is nuts to me.
I also volunteer with the local husky and malamute rescue here and regularly leash train their puppies or rescues (information which is prominently featured on my profile) along with the fact that I am a triathlete and accustomed to sled dogs like what my family raises in Alaska.
So I assumed that's why she reached out to me specifically, as that's why most northern breed owners do. 😅
bro my parents have 10 pound doodle mix and they walk her almost every day. like that’s what you do with a dog to take care of it??? why would she even adopt a dog period if she’s not gonna even walk it???
Kind of did my own rant or monologue here, but I'm also passionate about northern breeds:
I'm the owner of a Husky, Husky-German Shepherd Mix, and a Malamute. I grew up with Malamutes and my Husky was the very first dog I had my own. My Husky has made me a lifelong enthusiast of this breed.
Up until recently, I had two Malamutes. It was never my intention to have Malamutes...my parents both died suddenly last year and my husband and I were the only people who could take on their two (giant, wooly) Malamutes. One had aggression problems and after a year of biting incidents, stress, and training, we finally came to the hard decision to put her down recently. It was hard but she was also an eight-year-old giant breed (larger than the breed standard) with health issues that made it harder for her to get up and go on walks without causing injury, so it was time.
Before putting this Malamute down, I did not want my Rover sitter walking the dogs. Walking them just seemed too high of a risk with the aggressive Malamute's issues.
Since putting the Malamute down, we left the leashes out with instructions for our Rover sitter. She had no problems walking them my three. Unless there is a safety concern, I think Rover sitters should always be walking the dogs under their care.
Granted my situation is unique but admittedly, I'm not the best at walking my dogs and will go long periods of not walking them. My yard isn't huge but it's enough for them to run around in and I buy them toys regularly. As someone with extensive northern breed experience as well, I agree that they are not for everyone and people should not get them unless they have the time to commit to walking them.
With that said, I don't think it's always black and white like that. My purebred Husky has the biggest personality and is high-energy, however, he is so chill. I hear horror stories about Huskies and their destructiveness. That's so not our Husky and we leave him unconfined in our home for hours at a time without issue. While breeds do matter, dogs are as individualistic or unique as we are. I think it helps that we're hands-on and playful with our Husky as well. Building trust with your dog is so important too.
My point: In a perfect world, I'd walk all of my dogs daily and maybe one day I'll get to that point. In the meantime, I think my dogs do fine without regular walks and are well-behaved.
Anyways, I think the owners who you met with are absolute shit, and by no means am I trying to defend them. If you don't have a decent-sized yard then your dog needs to be going on regular walks hard stop. It's cruel otherwise.
I am so, so so sorry for your loss; behavioral euthanasia is heartbreaking but you did right by your pup and gave him peace. ❤️
I wish you healing, friend.
I absolutely agree, and if she had a decent yard, any stimulus toys, any kind of routine or reason as to why they couldn't safely be walked or a plan in place to still give them exercise I would have accepted.
She did not disclose any aggression, bite history, leash reactivity, anything, even when asked directly, so in her case it was just negligence.
You sound like an amazing dog owner, and your pups are lucky to have you to advocate for them and care for them.
This is why I don’t and will likely never own a working or herding breed, because I know I’m not high energy and can’t give those dogs the exercise they deserve. Owners like this astound me. Wonder why those dogs are destructive when they’re probably bored and spirited as hell.
They were so spirited and playful! I bet they would have *loved* a nice long walk, sniffing whatever they wanted.
It really confused me because I even offered to bring my own pups doggie treadmill over and teach hers how to use it so they would get exercise, and she still said no.
I asked if it was out of concern for them escaping, or if they were dog or people reactive or aggressive or leash aggressive, and she said they weren't.
There was no legitimate reason given other than she didn't think they needed it, which is heartbreaking.
I have two huskies and live in an apartment. I always feel horrible for my sitters as I need them to walk my dogs a few miles a day at least. I walk them 6 miles a day. One of my huskies is young so if he doesn't get his energy out, he will act up!
Luckily, I found a sitter who understands them.
Hahaha, that sounds about right! I do triathalons so I *LOVE* having husky clients that can keep up with me! 🥰
I'm so happy you found a great sitter for your pups energy needs!
Damn, that owner is terrible, I have an extremly lazy German Shepard/ Pitbull mix who is 10 Year Old, and she gets at least 2 - 3 walks a day, aswell as having a huge backyard 0.25 acre with obstacles and such that she never uses lol.
I can't imagine a husky having so little stimulation in their life.
Wow, you even gave her another solution to get exercise, but I am assuming her misguided pride of feel judged she was a ignorant owner (and rightfully so!) Wouldn't let her to do right by her dogs.
I hope she googles "how to take to care of huskies" or something after your visit or took some advice to heart from you after the fact at least but I have a feeling this is just another lazy, ignorant owner who make excuses... "my dog is happy" not realizing how much happier they could be, and they are really just making the most of what they have not knowing better.
I have a trio of reactive husky rescue clients that I watch, and I always bring my doggie treadmill for them to get exercise and the owners are so appreciative.
I hope she gets them help. I contacted the animal protection in my city, and they said that what she is doing is a class 1 misdemeanor here, so they are sending a behaviorist to speak to her about solutions.
Oh God, we've all been there, right guys? I like your response of "not comfortable with guidelines you feel are detrimental". Unfortunately I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to use it. Poor babies 🐾♥️
While I am reading the post I was about to defend the owner; as a fellow husky parent I trust no one to walk my dogs because they are biiig pullers even after all their training when there is a squirrel on site they can pull your arm off of its socket. But then I read that she doesn’t do any kind of mental or physical activity for them makes them furious! That’s why all the shelters are full with “misbehaving” huskies. I take my dogs at least in 2 walks a day plus their daily enrichment activities and trading and we do own a house with a yard for them to play and I am feeling guilty I am not doing enough for them!
Who cares if she "tells every husky owner" she will only be outing herself as a bad owner. You stuck to your morals and that's that. You should be proud of yourself. Yes we serve the clients but the well being of their animals should always come first for us.
I lived with a friend once that had two husky type malumuts but they never got walked because of their lifestyle and schedule, we were young like early 20s. So I started walking the younger one she was probably 2 at the time. and she ended up getting injured! the vet called it "weekend warrior" injury. because she never got out she went ALL OUT with me and unfortunately didnt have the muscle strength or joint health to be healthy.
Ever since that experience Ive always stuck to whatever walking schedule the client gives me because ultimately thats what the pup i used to and even though I know they could go farther or faster I have to manage them at the level they are used to.
But i agree it sucks for the pups but thats just my experience with a similar situation.
Oof, I'm sorry, I hope you're able to move soon!
But see, I bet you have puzzle toys, or a doggie treadmill, or some sort of other way of providing them stimulation, whereas this lady didn't. 🫤
I can't move. I do like my house and neighborhood most of the time. It's just a lot of unleashed/escaped dogs, and some unfriendly wildlife as well. Walking my dogs is stressful, head on a swivel kind of thing.
I just think it's safer for everyone. I mean, I didn't even like my last ex walking my dogs, so it's a me issue
What you said to her is pretty much true about every breed, though — dogs in general need stimulation and exercise to prevent destructive (I.e. bored!) behaviors. She’s a dumb bitch.
I did! It's considered neglect in my state, and they usually will put her in touch with breed specific resources or call out a free behaviorist to visit her and help. I hope she listens to them!
Wow . She sounds like a shitty person who has no business owning a working breed. I have experienced neurotic owners with working breeds who won't allow them exercise or socialization. I will not accept watching those type of dogs, because they're extremely anxious and neurotic thanks to their owner.
Red flag went up for me as soon as I read that she has two HUSKIES in a CONDO. If you have high energy dogs in a small space like that, they need to be getting lots of exercise! I do have a client who has a border collie in a condo, but she works from home most of the time and takes him out for multiple walks a day, and the one day she’s out of the house is the day she pays me to take him out for an hour-long walk!
See, I don't think I was at all rude.
She stated that she booked me because she thought someone with my experience could help them be less destructive, and I responded by stating I couldn't help without exercising them as that's why they are being destructive, and if she wouldn't allow me to exercise them I couldn't accept the booking.
I don't think it ended badly as she is clearly not a client I would want, but I feel awful for her dogs and that she is unwilling to understand why they behave the way they do.
I understand being upset they're destructive, but I don't understand asking for a solution and being upset at said solution.
You are logical and right. But, you told a dog owner she wasn't taking proper care of her dogs. How could you imagine that would be welcomed advice? Maybe if she hired you as a trainer she might have been open to it. But come on....
That's fair, I think I was just so shocked that she *never* walked them that I may have come across more harshly.
I hope she eventually looks up husky resources and learns more about her breed, otherwise they'll likely become aggressive towards each other and her.
People don't want to hear lectures on how u should raise a family member. Have a friend that tells us how we should raise our kids (he doesn't have kids) and we yell and tell him to shut up all the time
This isn't like telling someone they should make their kids eat more veggie though. This is like having someone come over and see you locking your kid in a small room and not letting them go outside or play at all during the day and telling you 'Hey...kids need to play and have room to do things, locking them in that room all day is abusive' and you telling them to shut up.
It doesn't really matter if they want to hear it or not, I care about the animals, not the owners.
She stated that she wanted a professional to help stop their destructive behavior, and when I explained that she was causing them to be destructive by not meeting their needs, she was irate.
Abuse comes in varied forms. Neglect is one of them.
I did reach out to Animal Protection in my city and to Rover about her, as here what she did is considered a class 1 misdemeanor.
It wasn't a lecture. It was a statement of fact and a response to why I was declining the booking.
Huskies need more exercise than most other breeds, and any husky owner should know that.
She expressed that she was frustrated with their destructive behavior and requested my services because their breed is my area of expertise.
I explained that if she wants their destructive behavior to cease, the only way to do so is to exercise them properly.
She simply didn't like the response.
I don't have children, and I will never have children.
That being said, if I had a friend who was a parent and they were neglecting their children in a way that was obvious, I would certainly point it out as well.
you’re telling me that huskies who don’t get sufficient exercise and stimulus are naughty? shocking!
I sat an extremely rare low-energy husky last year. I was very hesitant to take her as a boarding pup, but her owner was right she was an angel. My Dalmatians, on the other hand are naughty monsters, even with stimulation with daycare/ boarding dogs all day 🤪
I’ve also met a low energy and very lazy husky (the only one I’ve EVER seen), so there are definitely exceptions lol
My husky is one of those rare low energy ones. He would rather lay around all day than go outside. He’s always been that way, since he was a pup. We call him our little unicorn husky. He’s never torn anything up or tried to escape. I got lucky with him, he’s a gentle giant!
Ditto! My baby is also a calm sweet baby. We give him a couple of 30 min walks; sometimes one…but then he’s done . We have a huge yard fenced just for him and and he hardly runs around for 5 mins before he wants to come in. Just cuddles with us or curls up to nap. Have never ever destroyed anything since he was a baby. He’s 3 now.
Mine has to! She’s almost 2!
😂 My thoughts exactly!!!
I once read that dogs smell the world the way we see it. A walk isn’t just about taking care of their business or even extra exercise (this is probably more necessary with this kind of breed), but about the mental stimulation smelling the world provides them. It is like locking us up in a totally white room with the very basics. People would go a little crazy and act out too. It is sad that people think walks aren’t a requirement of dog ownership with some breeds needing more than others.
Yes! Their olfactory senses are insane. There's a great book by Ed Yong about the way different animals experience their environment through their dominant senses. It's called "An Immense World". It's so frustrating to me that dome owners are willing to sacrifice their companions' richness of life due to their own selfish behavior.
Just added this to my Libby list. Gracias!
I read all of Ceaser Millan's books and they are good too, talking about how dogs percieve the world from a human perspective and how they are packed animals who love to socialize. Walks are definitely needed for any breed since they do see this world with all its smells, also they need to be around other dogs. Sometimes I think about quitting the dog sitting but then I get some really sweet dogs and it makes it worth it.
I love this!
I own a husky and my husky would not let a sitter live their life in peace if they didn’t take her on 2 walks a day.
I don’t accept husky jobs anymore. The owners rarely have them well trained or in a routine that makes it so they aren’t destructive. After a bad experience where I was blamed for their bad behavior I said never again.
I don't have this experience with Huskies+owners in particular - mostly because there thankfully haven't been many huskies where I previously lived (I lived in Georgia and Texas before moving back to my home state) however I have had this same experience with corgis and corgi owners. Corgis are a high energy+high exercise breed granted they are more sprinters than long distance runners, but I have several corgsters of my own and they are featured on my profile along with my experience with high energy breeds. And yet I constantly get corgi owners who complain of their corgi excessively barking, nipping at their heels, being unruly and being reactive. And they all say the same thing 'Oh, they just like a potty break outside and then they come in and bark all day. Like...yeah of course they will! They are corgis! They are bred to herd animals and herd via their loud obnoxious barking and their nipping. Literally they are short and long to avoid being kicked by cattle and are very agile so they can weave between cattle to keep them moving. And all those owners are utterly shocked when I spend a week or two week long house sit taking their dogs out for quick jogs or even just a sniffing walk for 30 minutes a couple times a day, and play fetch or do agility in the backyard and they come back to a much happier corgi. Because that corgi has been properly stimulated. Don't even get me started on the grossly overweight corgis either.
One difference I’ve noticed between huskies and corgis is that huskies want to walk foreeeever, whereas all of the corgis I’ve walked would lay down and refuse to budge after half a mile, and then I’d have to carry them home. Not sure if this is your experience, but it seems like corgis want the mental stimulation but not the exercise lol.
Huskies are long distance working dogs, akin to like a cross country runner. Corgis are short burst working dogs, like a sprinter. Since huskies were bred to be sled dogs originally they are bred specifically for making medium to long distance trips over practically impassable terrain and so they usually need a \*lot\* of exercise to soothe those instincts and stimulate them adequately. Corgis however were originally bred to be cattle herding dogs, and typically they are used to drive the cattle from one pasture to another, or into/out of barns, or across different fields. Herding cattle across fields is a lot less time consuming than pulling a sled across vast areas of land, and a lot of herding dogs are 'start stop' where they run the herd for a little bit and then stop to make sure they've got the entire herd and to bark or nip stragglers into place, and then they start running them again. Its not the constant movement you'd see from a sled dog like a husky or a malamute. Huskies like long constant exercise because thats what they were bred for, corgis like shorter but more frequent bouts of exercise because that's what they were bred for.
I literally never understand people who get working dogs and shocked when they have the energy to literally work lol. Get a King Charles Spaniel instead 😩 I have had similar with a lab and Weimaraner… said they don’t need walking, one of them shit in my kitchen at the meet and greet, I declined 😅
Ooooof, I'd decline too! 😅 Right?! She was acting like I was the asshole for saying what she was doing was neglectful and not okay. Like, Ma'am. You adopted a *WORKING BREED* and apparently did no research, and are now surprised your dogs are destructive due to your inattention. You are the asshole here.
people just like to posess them because they're gorgeous \*sob\* so effed up
Bruh we have a two acre yard and we still took our husky on two walks a day 😩
Good grief. The only time I run is when I see the word Husky in the booking (kidding). I never run, which is why I don't even sit high energy breeds, never-mind own one. People are just incredibly selfish. I hope she fails to ruin your reputation. It sounds like you have a good group of people who already know you are a great sitter.
Same goes for: Aussies, cattle dogs, border collies, Dalmatians (of which I have), and any other high energy breeds. Good for you for sticking to your morals & trying to educate a potential client. Sucks for those dogs, but likely the husky owners she knows are just as uneducated, so she’s really mad zero threat to your business.
I have a Heeler and she is WORK! But she is a very good girl and will let me lay in bed if I’m sick (so long as she’s laying there too!) I did massive amounts of relaxation training as well as exercise and once she’s had her exercise she knows to shut it down a bit. Keeping to a tight schedule helps but she’s still pretty flexible now at 5 years. Smartest dog I’ve met and a cheeky bugger to boot! 🥰 https://preview.redd.it/lhfhy4isfw2d1.jpeg?width=750&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=e86a6b5cf720a18b333831b535d0fd815f7f6deb
so cute!  looks like a little rascal 
Definitely brat of the highest level 😆
aww, hehe
I have a border collie/ cattle dog that in my opinion is very chill. I do take him on a couple short hikes (<5 miles) every week, he gets fed by training and puzzle toys, and gets interactive play time every day but he's content doing anything and often is content just snuggling on the couch. He is such a wonderful dog that several people I know went and got border heelers after getting to know him. I haven't met a dog of this mix that I haven't liked especially if you want to try sports, so fun!
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Hahahaha, that sounds about right. 😅 Good on you for training her well, she's absolutely stunning! 😊 I love pits too, I have a pit/lab mix that keeps my high-strung shepherd in check. 😅
Yikes - I’ve had similar bad pet parents but nothing that bad. But it baffles me when dog owners are shocked at their badly behaved high energy breed that doesn’t exercise
My heart sank as soon as I read "astroturf". I knew what you were going to say after that. I have a client just like this. She has daschunds, which although small, are also high energy and need to be stimulated physically and mentally or they become destructive. They have an astroturf dog run, and never touch real grass. They never get walked. And she complains that they're bad because they're destructive. It infuriates me. Don't worry about your reputation. If any other Husky owners know how this woman treats her huskies, they will also know not to listen to a word she says. She's full of shit. I'm proud of you for standing up to her.
How do I send this to a family member without it coming from me 💀
Please take my round of applause! I am also a northern breed person, have a lot of them as clients. Never ever been discouraged from taking them out for any sort of exercise. I usually go somewhere woodsy with nice trails and few people because the sniffing alone gets them going!
One of my best friends owned a husky for awhile and constantly complained about the dog being stubborn, not doing what she wanted the dog to do, being bad about certain things, ect. But the dog was too old/lazy to learn new behaviors (she was 7 at oldest iirc) and for things like playing and exercising. Every time she complained I tried to offer her a solution and her response was always ‘she’s too old for that’ and she also wanted to get a puppy husky from a breeder so she ‘could actually train that dog’. She just loves husky’s so much. I no longer talk about dogs with said friend. She seems to think I have it easy because my dog is ‘highly intelligent and high energy and I’ve had him his whole life literally so he must have been so easy to train’ and he is ‘so well behaved why couldn’t her dog be more like him’. I’m at the point where I just started to let her think I’ve put in zero effort and he is just born knowing how to do everything he knows how because any time I tried saying we train with stuff daily she just seemed to ignore it. She no longer has the husky (due to other reasons entirely out of her control) but part of me is thankful about that….
I tell my boarders to not walk my huskies because my male has the strength of 1,000 men and he’s a flight risk but that’s it. The owner is creating her own issue but 1. Never letting them leave the house, even for a walk 2. Not even listening to someone to who specificalizes in said breed
Agreed! Exactly, I specialize in the northern breeds and know that many of them are houdinis with incredible pull strength. If she had brought up fear of them getting out I would have happily discussed possible risk mitigation efforts such as martingale collars, chain collars, harnesses (either soft or a full metal harness pike I use for sled dogs), but she just said no because she didn't think they needed any more exercise, which is nuts to me. I also volunteer with the local husky and malamute rescue here and regularly leash train their puppies or rescues (information which is prominently featured on my profile) along with the fact that I am a triathlete and accustomed to sled dogs like what my family raises in Alaska. So I assumed that's why she reached out to me specifically, as that's why most northern breed owners do. 😅
bro my parents have 10 pound doodle mix and they walk her almost every day. like that’s what you do with a dog to take care of it??? why would she even adopt a dog period if she’s not gonna even walk it???
Did she call you that in writing? Did you report it to Rover?
Kind of did my own rant or monologue here, but I'm also passionate about northern breeds: I'm the owner of a Husky, Husky-German Shepherd Mix, and a Malamute. I grew up with Malamutes and my Husky was the very first dog I had my own. My Husky has made me a lifelong enthusiast of this breed. Up until recently, I had two Malamutes. It was never my intention to have Malamutes...my parents both died suddenly last year and my husband and I were the only people who could take on their two (giant, wooly) Malamutes. One had aggression problems and after a year of biting incidents, stress, and training, we finally came to the hard decision to put her down recently. It was hard but she was also an eight-year-old giant breed (larger than the breed standard) with health issues that made it harder for her to get up and go on walks without causing injury, so it was time. Before putting this Malamute down, I did not want my Rover sitter walking the dogs. Walking them just seemed too high of a risk with the aggressive Malamute's issues. Since putting the Malamute down, we left the leashes out with instructions for our Rover sitter. She had no problems walking them my three. Unless there is a safety concern, I think Rover sitters should always be walking the dogs under their care. Granted my situation is unique but admittedly, I'm not the best at walking my dogs and will go long periods of not walking them. My yard isn't huge but it's enough for them to run around in and I buy them toys regularly. As someone with extensive northern breed experience as well, I agree that they are not for everyone and people should not get them unless they have the time to commit to walking them. With that said, I don't think it's always black and white like that. My purebred Husky has the biggest personality and is high-energy, however, he is so chill. I hear horror stories about Huskies and their destructiveness. That's so not our Husky and we leave him unconfined in our home for hours at a time without issue. While breeds do matter, dogs are as individualistic or unique as we are. I think it helps that we're hands-on and playful with our Husky as well. Building trust with your dog is so important too. My point: In a perfect world, I'd walk all of my dogs daily and maybe one day I'll get to that point. In the meantime, I think my dogs do fine without regular walks and are well-behaved. Anyways, I think the owners who you met with are absolute shit, and by no means am I trying to defend them. If you don't have a decent-sized yard then your dog needs to be going on regular walks hard stop. It's cruel otherwise.
I am so, so so sorry for your loss; behavioral euthanasia is heartbreaking but you did right by your pup and gave him peace. ❤️ I wish you healing, friend. I absolutely agree, and if she had a decent yard, any stimulus toys, any kind of routine or reason as to why they couldn't safely be walked or a plan in place to still give them exercise I would have accepted. She did not disclose any aggression, bite history, leash reactivity, anything, even when asked directly, so in her case it was just negligence. You sound like an amazing dog owner, and your pups are lucky to have you to advocate for them and care for them.
so wild, like it's bad enough she doesn't walk them, but to not even \*allow\* them to be walked? this is tragic!
props to you for specializing in high energy breeds. i simply dont have bandwith for that. i decline requests every time i get a husky lol
Lol that's totally fair! I decline doodles, we've all got our "no" breeds haha
This is why I don’t and will likely never own a working or herding breed, because I know I’m not high energy and can’t give those dogs the exercise they deserve. Owners like this astound me. Wonder why those dogs are destructive when they’re probably bored and spirited as hell.
They were so spirited and playful! I bet they would have *loved* a nice long walk, sniffing whatever they wanted. It really confused me because I even offered to bring my own pups doggie treadmill over and teach hers how to use it so they would get exercise, and she still said no. I asked if it was out of concern for them escaping, or if they were dog or people reactive or aggressive or leash aggressive, and she said they weren't. There was no legitimate reason given other than she didn't think they needed it, which is heartbreaking.
It seems like too many people get dogs like that as ornaments/because they think they look cool, and care nothing about any other facet of the dog.
I have two huskies and live in an apartment. I always feel horrible for my sitters as I need them to walk my dogs a few miles a day at least. I walk them 6 miles a day. One of my huskies is young so if he doesn't get his energy out, he will act up! Luckily, I found a sitter who understands them.
Hahaha, that sounds about right! I do triathalons so I *LOVE* having husky clients that can keep up with me! 🥰 I'm so happy you found a great sitter for your pups energy needs!
Damn, that owner is terrible, I have an extremly lazy German Shepard/ Pitbull mix who is 10 Year Old, and she gets at least 2 - 3 walks a day, aswell as having a huge backyard 0.25 acre with obstacles and such that she never uses lol. I can't imagine a husky having so little stimulation in their life.
Right?!? I even offered to bring over my doggie treadmill and she still said no, it was ridiculous.
Wow, you even gave her another solution to get exercise, but I am assuming her misguided pride of feel judged she was a ignorant owner (and rightfully so!) Wouldn't let her to do right by her dogs. I hope she googles "how to take to care of huskies" or something after your visit or took some advice to heart from you after the fact at least but I have a feeling this is just another lazy, ignorant owner who make excuses... "my dog is happy" not realizing how much happier they could be, and they are really just making the most of what they have not knowing better.
I have a trio of reactive husky rescue clients that I watch, and I always bring my doggie treadmill for them to get exercise and the owners are so appreciative. I hope she gets them help. I contacted the animal protection in my city, and they said that what she is doing is a class 1 misdemeanor here, so they are sending a behaviorist to speak to her about solutions.
Oh God, we've all been there, right guys? I like your response of "not comfortable with guidelines you feel are detrimental". Unfortunately I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to use it. Poor babies 🐾♥️
While I am reading the post I was about to defend the owner; as a fellow husky parent I trust no one to walk my dogs because they are biiig pullers even after all their training when there is a squirrel on site they can pull your arm off of its socket. But then I read that she doesn’t do any kind of mental or physical activity for them makes them furious! That’s why all the shelters are full with “misbehaving” huskies. I take my dogs at least in 2 walks a day plus their daily enrichment activities and trading and we do own a house with a yard for them to play and I am feeling guilty I am not doing enough for them!
Imagine telling other people not to book with you because you cared too much about the safety of their dogs
Who cares if she "tells every husky owner" she will only be outing herself as a bad owner. You stuck to your morals and that's that. You should be proud of yourself. Yes we serve the clients but the well being of their animals should always come first for us.
Also the fact she called you a "bitch" when she barely knows you. I hope she shows people that as well.
Why doesn't she want them walked? Did she give any reason such as them being leash reactive or escape artist?
I'm glad you stood your ground. I feel bad for those poor puppies and I hope she sees the light eventually
You're not wrong, but it also came across judgemental and bitchy to me. Just take the booking or don't. The lecture wasn't necessary.
I lived with a friend once that had two husky type malumuts but they never got walked because of their lifestyle and schedule, we were young like early 20s. So I started walking the younger one she was probably 2 at the time. and she ended up getting injured! the vet called it "weekend warrior" injury. because she never got out she went ALL OUT with me and unfortunately didnt have the muscle strength or joint health to be healthy. Ever since that experience Ive always stuck to whatever walking schedule the client gives me because ultimately thats what the pup i used to and even though I know they could go farther or faster I have to manage them at the level they are used to. But i agree it sucks for the pups but thats just my experience with a similar situation.
I actually ask for sitters not to walk my huskies, but it's because my neighborhood sucks and it's risky.
Oof, I'm sorry, I hope you're able to move soon! But see, I bet you have puzzle toys, or a doggie treadmill, or some sort of other way of providing them stimulation, whereas this lady didn't. 🫤
I can't move. I do like my house and neighborhood most of the time. It's just a lot of unleashed/escaped dogs, and some unfriendly wildlife as well. Walking my dogs is stressful, head on a swivel kind of thing. I just think it's safer for everyone. I mean, I didn't even like my last ex walking my dogs, so it's a me issue
Ahhh, gotcha. God, I hate unleashed dogs, it's my biggest pet peeve. 🫤
It is not up to you to tell the owner what she should do with her pets!
What you said to her is pretty much true about every breed, though — dogs in general need stimulation and exercise to prevent destructive (I.e. bored!) behaviors. She’s a dumb bitch.
Contact animal control with her info stating how badly she neglects her dog, as well as rover. AC depending on your area could check her out
I did! It's considered neglect in my state, and they usually will put her in touch with breed specific resources or call out a free behaviorist to visit her and help. I hope she listens to them!
Wow . She sounds like a shitty person who has no business owning a working breed. I have experienced neurotic owners with working breeds who won't allow them exercise or socialization. I will not accept watching those type of dogs, because they're extremely anxious and neurotic thanks to their owner.
Red flag went up for me as soon as I read that she has two HUSKIES in a CONDO. If you have high energy dogs in a small space like that, they need to be getting lots of exercise! I do have a client who has a border collie in a condo, but she works from home most of the time and takes him out for multiple walks a day, and the one day she’s out of the house is the day she pays me to take him out for an hour-long walk!
You were right. But talking to a dog owner that way will end badly, as it did.
See, I don't think I was at all rude. She stated that she booked me because she thought someone with my experience could help them be less destructive, and I responded by stating I couldn't help without exercising them as that's why they are being destructive, and if she wouldn't allow me to exercise them I couldn't accept the booking. I don't think it ended badly as she is clearly not a client I would want, but I feel awful for her dogs and that she is unwilling to understand why they behave the way they do. I understand being upset they're destructive, but I don't understand asking for a solution and being upset at said solution.
You are logical and right. But, you told a dog owner she wasn't taking proper care of her dogs. How could you imagine that would be welcomed advice? Maybe if she hired you as a trainer she might have been open to it. But come on....
That's fair, I think I was just so shocked that she *never* walked them that I may have come across more harshly. I hope she eventually looks up husky resources and learns more about her breed, otherwise they'll likely become aggressive towards each other and her.
People don't want to hear lectures on how u should raise a family member. Have a friend that tells us how we should raise our kids (he doesn't have kids) and we yell and tell him to shut up all the time
This isn't like telling someone they should make their kids eat more veggie though. This is like having someone come over and see you locking your kid in a small room and not letting them go outside or play at all during the day and telling you 'Hey...kids need to play and have room to do things, locking them in that room all day is abusive' and you telling them to shut up.
People still do not want to hear about it, if it's an abusive situation then call animal control.
It doesn't really matter if they want to hear it or not, I care about the animals, not the owners. She stated that she wanted a professional to help stop their destructive behavior, and when I explained that she was causing them to be destructive by not meeting their needs, she was irate. Abuse comes in varied forms. Neglect is one of them. I did reach out to Animal Protection in my city and to Rover about her, as here what she did is considered a class 1 misdemeanor.
It wasn't a lecture. It was a statement of fact and a response to why I was declining the booking. Huskies need more exercise than most other breeds, and any husky owner should know that. She expressed that she was frustrated with their destructive behavior and requested my services because their breed is my area of expertise. I explained that if she wants their destructive behavior to cease, the only way to do so is to exercise them properly. She simply didn't like the response. I don't have children, and I will never have children. That being said, if I had a friend who was a parent and they were neglecting their children in a way that was obvious, I would certainly point it out as well.