Ten Reasons to Have a Siberian Husky

If you’re not sure whether a Siberian Husky is the dog for you, in this list you’ll find ten great reasons to own one of these wonderful dogs.

Huskies Always Smile

That cheerful, devil-may-care look reveals something special about the Siberian Husky’s personality and his relationship to you. Huskies are good-natured and willing to please. Plus, they’re human-oriented, which means that they’re happiest when they’re with you. They look to you for companionship, guidance, and love. This is one of the qualities that makes them great pets — their very willingness to share their life with yours.

The Husky’s smile also is a reminder that dogs need to be happy — and it doesn’t take a whole lot to keep them that way. Siberian Huskies don’t require expensive dog beds, high-priced toys, and expensive vacations to the Riviera. A comfortable pillow at your feet, a chew toy, and frequent trips to the great outdoors is a Husky’s idea of paradise.

The key to all these pleasures is you. Your Husky doesn’t want to sleep alone, play alone, or run alone. But with you at his side, he’ll keep that happy, cheerful smile.

Huskies Make Terrific Exercise Partners

Because Siberians must have adequate amounts of exercise, they’re perfect pets for the human athlete. As long as the weather is cool enough (and for Siberians, the colder the better), your Siberian will go charging happily (on a leash, please) at your side. (For running the Iditarod, 0 degrees is considered ideal. Think about that for a moment.) Studies have shown that dog owners are likely to get 30 minutes more exercise a day than non-dog owners.

And if you aren’t a human marathoner, having a Siberian is a great way to get you started — or at least enough to get your heart rate going. A Siberian Husky can turn the most dedicated couch potato into an avid exerciser. Exercise not only keeps both of you fit, but it also helps keep a dog’s mind entertained and his body physically tired. This is a great combination for the hours your Husky must spend by himself. A tired dog is a nondestructive dog, and nondestructive dogs make for happy owners.

A Siberian Husky Can Pull You Wherever You Want to Go

This is one of the many things that make a Siberian unique. A Pekinese can’t pull you. A Basset Hound won’t. But with a Husky, a whole new world of sport can open up to you. In the summer, hop on your inline skates, and start going uphill as well as down.

In the winter, grab your sled or skis; a Siberian is just the ticket. Not only will you find this entertaining, but so will your dog. Siberians are bred to pull — it’s in their blood. All you need to do is follow happily along.

Allowing your Husky to pull you is also a great way to make friends — or at least to get people to pay attention to you. And you can join a club of like-minded folk and make even more friends.

Siberians Have No Doggie Odor

Compare a Husky to a hound, and you’ll realize just how lucky you are. Their odorless state makes it possible to keep your dog inside all the time without giving him a bath every week. This is an important consideration for people who are sensitive to such things.

Huskies Are Educational

You will learn more from your Siberian than he will ever learn from you. Dogs teach you the following wonderful virtues:

• Neatness: If you don’t put your things away, the dog will eat them.
• Patience: Training a Siberian gives you practice in this important virtue. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t teach a Siberian to fetch in 5 minutes.
• Tolerance: You’ll discover what you can expect from a dog, as well as what you can’t.
• Medical skills: All experienced dog owners develop skills in handling medical emergencies. You never know when this may come in handy.

Huskies Provide Social Mobility

Although others have nothing more exciting to brag about than their child’s last birthday party or toilet training triumphs, you can regale the office with any of the following tales:

• “What My Dog Ate Last Night When I Had My Back Turned for 5 Minutes”
• “What My Dog Dragged into the House That I Thought I Had Buried”
• “What Happened When I Went on a Sledding Trip with the Dogs and Somehow Got Lost”

And so on. Besides, your beautiful Siberian Husky is much better looking than any of their kids, and everybody knows it. Dogs can also add to your social life. Many dog owners met friends while walking their dogs.

Huskies Are Great with Children

Unlike many other breeds, Huskies are tolerant of kids. They are sturdy enough to enjoy roughhousin’, and forgiving enough to endure being fallen upon. It’s also a plus that Huskies are nonprotective. Many an unfortunate accident has occurred when a dog has bitten a neighbor’s child because he thought the kid was attacking his owner’s child (whom he views as his own), when all that was happening was normal child wrestling. You won’t have to worry about your Husky doing something like that. Huskies welcome new children into the family circle readily.

Huskies are also good for children, by the way. Studies at Johns Hopkins University have shown that children who are exposed to dogs early in life (before their 13th birthday) have a statistically significant lower chance of developing schizophrenia. Weirdly, the same study showed that children who acquired a cat between the ages of 9 and 12 were statistically more likely to develop schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Just saying.

Huskies Will Make You a Better Citizen

How can a Husky make you a better citizen? Well, a strong United States is a prosperous United States. And a prosperous United States is one in which the consumer supports the economy. The Husky owner really supports the U.S. economy.

Here’s how: First, you buy the Husky (thus reducing the loss of some poor hobby breeder). Then, you buy the dog food (helping the farmer and pet food industry). Then, you buy the leashes, collars, and bowls (helping manufacturing). Then, you buy the book about Siberian Huskies and help the author and the publishing industry. Then, you buy the computer to get online to get to the Husky websites and chat groups (helping the techies). Then, you decide to take the dog on vacation and buy a new van to load up all this stuff (helping the automotive industry). Then, you actually go on vacation (helping the tourist industry). And on and on. . . . Don’t you feel better about yourself and all the ways you’re helping just by owning a great dog?

Siberians Remind You What Really Matters in Life

In other words, they help you prioritize. Life before Huskies may have been taken up with mundane matters like housekeeping. You can forget all that now. Not only do you have better things to do — like playing with the dog — but the obliging Siberian makes perfect housekeeping impossible anyway. So why bother with it?

Siberians teach you that what’s really important is having fun, going places together, keeping healthy and strong, and giving and getting love.

Huskies Love You Unconditionally

Huskies don’t put bounds, parameters, or limits on their affection. They don’t care if you’ve put on a little weight recently or gotten a bit gray. They don’t care if you’re having a bad hair day or have bad breath. They don’t care what kind of car you drive, clothes you wear, or accessories you sport. They don’t care if you’re poor. They don’t mind if you’re in a wheelchair, or deaf, or blind, or have epilepsy. They don’t judge you by your race, religion, or sexual orientation. They don’t care if you’ve been in jail.

They ask no questions, tell no lies, and make no judgments. They don’t give up on you. They forgive you if you’re short-tempered or absent-minded. They feel for you when you’re down. They try to cheer you up without prying into your secrets.

And they not only love you, but they love everyone you love, too. Your Husky will be a friend to your entire family and all your acquaintances. He won’t complain about your mother-in-law or sneer at Uncle Marvin.

And whether it’s that or the exercise they provide, the American Heart Association’s research has found that owning a dog is associated with a 24 percent lower risk of death for all causes, compared with not owning a dog. For people who have suffered a heart attack or stroke, the benefits are even more impressive: a 31 percent reduced risk of early death. And if you’re going to own a dog, it might as well be a Siberian. This study was massive, involving more than 4 million people in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Scandinavia.

Do the same for your Husky. Don’t give up on him. Care for him when he gets old and sick. Forgive him if he rips up the couch or digs a hole in the yard. Give him the same love and tolerance he gives you. After all, it’s only fair.