Friday, 25 April 2025

Husky owners get the weirdest complaints

People often say huskies shouldn't be kept outside in the cold. Another claim is that huskies get too much exercise. 
     Just looking at the biology and behaviour of this breed shows how ridiculous this is. (Nevermind the preferences/needs of the individual dogs themselves!)
     It's intuitive, even for someone like me who's never spent time with a husky before, that these are nonsense concerns.


'You exercise your husky too much' is illogical


Owners take their huskies out for several long walks a day. 
     This would be too much exercise for most breeds; too much exercise damages bones/muscles/tendons etc. So, the thinking goes, if these walks are dangerous then this thus means huskies are exercised too much.
     Now, huskies can quickly pull a heavy sled for hours over bumpy terrain. It was what they were bred for. So several long walks a day with no pulling wouldn't be too many! If it's not enough, it can't concurrently be too much.
     Each breed has its own requirements, as does each individual dog. So just like the husky breed requires more exercise than other breeds, an individual husky with bad joints or some other mobility-related issue clearly shouldn't be walked as much as other huskies.
     But one essential thing is clear: the blanket statement that huskies get exercised too much is faulty.


'Don't leave huskies out in the cold' is illogical


In general, dogs shouldn't be kept outside, especially at night or in the cold. So the above statement has good intentions. But when looking at huskies specifically, good intentions morph into bad realities.
     Huskies were bred for the Arctic environment. An area of permanent snow, ice and below-freezing temperatures. Like any Arctic animal, huskies adapted to survive the Arctic's conditions with ease. 
     Igloos can be too warm for huskies and thus these dogs are more comfortable outside. This is the case even at night when the temperature plummits, even in blizzards/snowstorms. If it's particularly harsh, the husky just curls up in a ball, unwinding when the worst of it is over.
     Pet huskies tend to live in temperate climates with central heating. If huskies can survive in the harshness of the Arctic, staying out overnight in a snowy garden in Europe or continental America is no problem at all. If a husky finds an igloo too hot, then of course this modern housing could be uncomfortable.
     So, people complain dogs shouldn't be kept outside because it's cruel for the dog. Then they apply this thinking to huskies. Yet the thing they suggest to prevent cruelness to huskies is itself cruel for huskies.


'Huskies should be always be left in the cold' is illogical


This isn't to advocate that huskies should only be kept outside in the cold. Rather, most prefer it and should be allowed the option to stay outside if that's what it wants.
     Some huskies obviously don't like the cold. Maybe they can't keep themselves warm, such as having a light coat or being either ill/malnourished. Other huskies may have trauma related to the outside, cold or night.
     Moreover, just because a husky is adapted to surviving the cold doesn't automatically mean it can't also enjoy being warm. It simply depends on what conditions that specific dog thrives in. 
     Just because the conditions huskies usually thrive in are different from other dogs doesn't make those conditions wrong for huskies. Likewise, just like not every dog breed thrives in the same condition, so too will not every husky thrive in the same conditions.


Weird complaints are unnecessary complaints


So yes. A little bit of thinking about huskies goes a long way. Otherwise problems that don't exist get created out of nothing. Even if people want to waste their time on that, they've no need to disturb huskies and their humans!

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