Husky craze leaves animal shelters overwhelmed

Husky Rescue KwaZulu-Natal has in recent months experienced an alarming influx of huskies, leaving its funds depleted and its volunteers stressed and overwhelmed, Northglen News reports.

On average, the organisation takes in 25 to 30 new huskies every year. However, since the beginning of this year, the organisation has already had 24 surrenders.

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Charnell Ruth, the founder of the nongovernmental organisation (NGO), said she believed the popular television series Game of Thrones has sparked an alarming demand for the breed because of their striking similarities to the show’s direwolves.

“Overbred huskies and overrun shelters has become a world wide issue,” she said.

Media reports seem to support this, as one of the series’ popular actors, Peter Dinklage (Tyrion Lannister) has joined forces with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to encourage fans to think twice before taking on a husky.

One of the direwolves portrayed on Game of Thrones. Image: Twitter/@arthesong

Currently the local NPO, has over 50 huskies in its care, with seven huskies waiting to be taken in by the organisation.

“Never in all the nine years of managing Husky Rescue KZN have I experienced an influx like this. I have had to turn dogs away,” she said.

According to Ruth, Huskies and Pit Bulls are the two most overbred and misunderstood dog breeds in the world.

“They are both status symbols and incredibly popular, so backyard breeders breed them at an alarming rate,” she said.

What adds to the plight of the huskies is the fact that people do not do their research before taking on one of these animals, she said.

They are energetic, require a lot of mental stimulation, lots of space to run, and they do not cope well as solitary pets.

People do not know this, she said. “In the end the huskies became bored and naughty, and too much for the owners to handle,” she explained.

The dogs also shed a lot, and are therefore overall a very high maintenance pet, she said.

These reasons, Ruth said, also make it difficult to home the rescued huskies.

“We have many people enquiring to adopt a husky. But most of the time I have to turn them away,” she said.

If you wish to donate towards Husky Rescue KZN or think you could provide an ideal home to one or more of the huskies contact Charnell Ruth on charnell@huskyrescuekzn.co.za.

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