# Basic Breed Research and Breed to Lifestyle Matching



## Hellhound Barkery (Mar 7, 2017)

I follow my hometown’s rehoming/for sale/lost pets page on Facebook, and today was the first time I’ve ticked someone off by commenting. And I comment often. Usually to give advice (I'm a vet student and really into grooming) on medical problems, like hots spots and skin allergies. I try not to post on sensitive topics. I am just there to give advice, references, and information. 

I live in Texas, where people tend to keep dogs outside and tied to stakes in rural areas. A lot of these dogs are Siberian huskies. And a lot of huskies are on that rehoming page (or in shelters). Because people get them for their looks, without realising that, “omg this dog is too vocal, has too much energy, too much stamina, is becoming destructive and shed a LOT.” And a lot of people from my hometown don’t know how to handle that. So they get a puppy and throw it outside because it’s got nowhere to direct its energy but at the walls and furniture. 

So anyway.

There’s been a young male husky posted for about a week now, and while lots of people had commented, no one had taken him in. The seller’s post read, “ Looking to rehome our 7 month male huskie. Great dog but with our pool in the backyard theres isnt enough grass for him to run and play. Hes very energetic and enjoys playing! If interested just message me back. Comes with a new dog house and 15ft tie down line with stake.” 

-To which I replied that anyone interested in adopting a husky should be well-read up on the breed and willing to commit to it, and that just because a stake is being offered doesn’t mean that you should keep him tied up full-time. 

I was very promptly (about a minute after I made my post) told by the seller to mind my own business and that no one needed to hear my opinion, apparently. 

Which, to me, being so quick to defend himself is an indicator that he did exactly what I was advising other people not to do- buy a husky, and then not be able to handle it. Which is why it was being rehomed to begin with.

Lots of people need to hear “my" opinion. It isn’t even MY opinion OR an "opinion”- I would assume it’s common sense to do research before adopting any dog. 

Apparently not.  

On top of that, I think huskies are amazing dogs. They just need humans with a very active lifestyle to bring out their full potential, and to keep them entertained. My parents have a shelter shepsky who is an astonishingly fast learner. I love working with her. She needs so much mental stimulation, and I love it. Other people, not so much, haha. I'll attach a picture of her to this post, as well. Her name is Maya.  

The problem here is, per usual, people being uninformed about basic pet care (especially in smaller Southern towns like where I come from), and people who adopt breeds that don’t match up with their lifestyles. Does anyone else see this issue where they live, or even just online?


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I could not agree more with you about the importance of doing homework long before getting a puppy. Do you remember a book by Brian Kilcommons called Paws to Consider? As I recall it discussed characteristics of different dog breeds and was meant as a way for people to try to match their lifestyle to the needs of different breeds of dogs.

I live in a dense suburb of NYC. There are a few sheep on Long Island, but not many, so why are there so many border collies around here? What do those dogs get to herd? Since clearly they aren't herding, what work are they doing then? A lot of them are worked for agility and obedience, but for the agility dogs it is mostly weekend warrior kind of stuff so I wonder what those dogs are like to live with.

I wish all prospective puppy owners would do the level of research on the breed of dog they want and understand that puppies don't arrive as fully formed thoughtful dogs any more than an infant can be dropped off by the stork and be considered independent or even necessarily pleasant to be with.

So do you think you hit a sore spot in my book? The really sad part is that so few people seem to think that they need to tough out the commitments they have made to these puppies and adolescent dogs.


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## rj16 (Jan 30, 2017)

I can assure you that the husky tied outside phenomenon is not unique to your region. My backyard neighbours have a big beautiful one tied in their backyard and it is clearly extremely in lack of stimulation. No, it is not crazy, hyper, or destructive as far as I can tell, but there is no way a dog is happy seeing its owner for 5 minutes a day. I work from home and my dining room table, that I much prefer to my desk, gives me a view of their backyard. For the first little while that I lived here I honestly wondered when this dog got fed. In two months, I have seen the owner out there at most a dozen times. Obviously, I just don't always see her. I'm not claiming that she never goes out there, but it is clearly infrequent given the amount of time I spend at my table. Of the times I have seen her out there, the majority of the time she is both smoking a cigarette and talking on her phone while she untangles the dog, gives him food, and maybe plays with him for a minute. A couple of weeks ago the pup somehow got out of the yard and a couple of teenagers caught it. I'm pretty sure that dog enjoyed that 'outing' tremendously!!


I should clarify that I don't think keeping dogs outside is universally bad. I grew up on a sheep farm with working Great Pyrenees and Border Collies. The GPs lived outside. They had access to shelter when they wanted it, a couple hundred acres of land to roam, and several flocks of sheep (and coyotes) to keep them busy. They also had my parents, us kids, other dogs, cats, chickens, ducks, sheep to interact with basically as they pleased. I would suggest that these were some of the happiest dogs you'd ever meet. Lumping them in with a dog in an urban backyard on a 25 foot tether would be a mistake. 


This brings me to another point relating to your post. I think the majority of people who adopt border collies have either not done their research or have disregarded what they have learned. I don't know how someone with no ability to provide one with meaningful work would decide that they are the ideal breed for them.


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## Hellhound Barkery (Mar 7, 2017)

I have heard of the book, but I've never read it before. As a child though, from kindergarten until fourth or fifth grade, about 80 percent of the books I checked out from my schools' libraries were dog-centric. When the books got too battered up, the librarian at my elementary school (she was friends with my mom and I was friends with her grandaughter) would give them to me for free. Now, about 80 percent of the content that I read on my phone is dog-based, too, lol. 

It's really interesting to learn what breeds are popular (and maybe overpopulated) in certain areas. I think it's really weird that Texas has so many huskies (and pits, but that's not news to anyone, I don't think) because it is just so hot here. My hometown has been getting up to 110 degrees or more the past few summers. And about border collies- they're the most intelligent dog breed according to many sources, I can only imagine what becomes of them when they're so understimulated by uninformed and irresponsible people.

I've personally also had a cousin a few years older than me go through toy breed puppies like underwear. A few died of illnesses like parvo, or had to be given away because she couldn't keep up with them. Recently, I came across a post she made trying to sell a shih-tzu/yorkie pup because it was a boy, and she didn't realise it when she got it somehow? Idk how that happens at all. How do you not know with a dog? D; The breeder apparently wouldn't take it back, which leads me to believe she got it from a mill or backyard breeder.

I definitely hit a sore spot with the seller. >.>


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## Hellhound Barkery (Mar 7, 2017)

@rj16- 

I don't see any problem with keeping dogs outside, either, depending on breed, and so long as they are still well-cared for.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I certainly don't have a problem with a dog living outside as long as it is well cared for either, especially a guarding dog like a Great Pyrenees. It is ironic that people living in hot climate area would choose heavily coated cold weather dogs and then make them live outside in the heat. There used to be a husky in my neighborhood that went on frequent solo journeys. The family's children and their friends were sent out on their bikes to search for him. He got really good at being held by his collar to trot along next to whoever found him as they rode their bike back to the house.

rj, your neighbor's husky certainly sounds like he is living a sad life, our dog. People like that shouldn't bother getting a dog in the first place.

Hellhound it is interesting to see what breeds go through in terms of overall and regional popular demand. One has to wonder how many people will now want GSD because of the Westminster BIS. GSD of course are another great breed that has had all sorts of problems in structure and temperament because they went through periods of being the breed du jour.


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## Mia42 (Sep 5, 2016)

I want to thank y'all for reminding me how nice my neighborhood is. 

There is a husky that used to be tied up. Now that he has learned not to jump over the four foot chain link fence in the front yard, he gets to roam the yard with the other huskies (total of 4). * I usually see their owner riding his bicycle around the neighborhood a couple of times a day, giving them a run. *They only get to roam the front yard when the front door is open, so semi-supervised.

Great Pyraneese, 4 (or 5?) homeschooled kids, and some chickens to keep her company.

Elderly neighbor has two miniature heelers(?), she takes them everywhere except when her son takes them for a couple of days. They were originally his until he got chronically ill.

Popcorn, the Frenchie/Pug mix. I think her owner is a soon-to-retire accountant or something. I have never seen them more than 4 feet apart.
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I used to live near a place that they had a Border Collie tied up on a 5-6' cable behind their house. I never saw it fed, and the only time i saw anyone in the same yard with it was once (after 2.5 years of watching) when I saw them move the stake because they were taking their riding lawn mower through that area of the yard. There was a little girl playing with the dog. I am not sure if the girl lived there or not.


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## Mfmst (Jun 18, 2014)

I had an opportunity to take a guided sled dog tour through the national park near Jackson Hole with a team of Huskies. So interesting how there has to be a certain order with the dogs or you will go exactly nowhere. The owner of the concession talked my ear off about Huskies and the Iditarod, which he had attempted twice. I learned that they are escape artists, first and foremost. My guide was a college student who was majoring in forestry so it was a very informative and beautiful experience. He was respectful of his team and their stamina, directed them by name. The dogs seemed to love it. We stopped halfway to rest and treat the team. After that, I don't see the appeal of a Husky in Texas. In fact, it cured me of any interest in the breed. They were very aloof, very intense. I can imagine they would shut down at the end of a stake. Yay, you for calling out the stake abuse. A 12 foot fence is a start with a Husky.


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## ericwd9 (Jun 13, 2014)

Why Have Huskies when you can have poodles?








"The Washington Post editorial board praised Suter at the time for elevating the image of dogs that “don’t choose to be trimmed to look like ornamental shrubbery” and inspiring other breeds “that never thought they could run with the huskies.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-they-werent-half-bad/?utm_term=.b76b1a00dd30









Eric:act-up:


Poodles in the Iditarod - The Poodle (and Dog) Blog


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## Zirallan (Jun 30, 2017)

I live in southern Arizona. Having huskies here has always boggled my mind.. But what really gets me is that in the area I currently live in it's really common to have small poodles in the back yard that seemingly never go inside except for a couple times a year to be shaved down to the skin.

Why get a companion animal if you're not going to treat it like a companion?


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