by Diane Morgan
Put one of your Husky’s favorite toys in the kennel with him. Items with your scent will keep your dog comfortable and happy.
Make sure your pet has a flat, buckle collar with identification tags firmly attached. Never use a choke chain. Include your name and a phone number where you or a friend can actually be reached during the pet’s flight time. Also provide food, water, or medical information. Food and water dishes must be securely attached.
The words live animal must be written clearly on the crate. Include arrows or the words “this end up” to make sure your pet doesn’t get transported upside down! You should also print directions reading, “keep away from hot sun and extreme cold” — and hope somebody pays attention. Secure the crate firmly, but do not lock it. It’s more likely that someone will need to reach your pet to help than it is that your pet will be stolen from the crate.
Bring along a current photo of your pet in case he gets lost. This will be immensely helpful in relocating him. Believe me, just saying, “He’s a Siberian Husky” will not create an instant mental image in the mind of most people. I once had my Basset Hound mistaken for a Pit Bull.
Get Great Husky Photos
While you’re on vacation, you will certainly not want to miss getting great photographs of your dogs. With a snowy background, experts recommend using low-sensitivity film ISO 50 or ISO 100, which promote clarity and good color saturation. Select a shutter speed of 1/500 or less for action photos. A telephoto lens is pretty much a must at racing events.
For close-ups, shoot the photo just below eye level, and get as close as you can.
Pay attention to the background! You don’t want your best shots ruined by the sudden intrusion of a stranger’s foot.
Find a Reputable Pet-Sitter
If your Husky can’t actually go with you, he would probably prefer a pet-sitter to a kennel. Most animals resent being hauled off to a pet motel, even the luxury kind with heated pools and exercise classes.
A good pet-sitter should have references and be animal knowledgeable. Make sure you discuss fees in advance, and allow the pet and the sitter to meet beforehand. If your Husky (or the pet-sitter) has a negative response, try a different sitter.
Before you leave, make sure your pet-sitter has all the information she needs about food, medication, and your itinerary.
Locate a Good Boarding Kennel
If you would feel more comfortable sending your dog to a kennel, ask for recommendations from your vet, groomer, and friends. Many vets and groomers operate boarding facilities themselves. Whatever option you choose, your pet will board much more successfully if he has been crate-trained at home. Animals unused to confinement can really suffer at a kennel, where restraint is usually necessary for at least part of the day.
Inspect the place before you board, and ask questions. Provide the kennel management with your itinerary and where you can be reached, your veterinarian’s number, and a complete health record for your dog. Give them a big clear photo of your dog also, in case he gets lost somehow while you’re gone. Leave the name of a local person who can pick up the dog in case you can’t.
Before you leave your dog in a kennel, visit yourself and look for and ask about the following:
Is the kennel clean?
Is the kennel heated and cooled according to the season?
Is there a vet on call?
Does the kennel employ veterinary technicians on its staff?
Are there both indoor and outdoor runs?
Is the kennel secure? With the Siberian’s propensity for escaping and taking off for the far hills, this should be a prime consideration. If your Husky is an escape artist, let the kennel manager know in advance.
Is the indoor area well ventilated?
What kind of bedding is provided? Most kennels allow you to bring your dog’s own bed for him, if you like.
How are the animals separated? Good kennels do not allow nose-to-nose contact between animals, both for fear of spreading disease and to prevent fence fighting.
Does the kennel have adequate quarantine facilities? This is an important consideration if a boarded dog develops symptoms of a contagious disease.
Can you pick up your pet on Sunday? Many boarding kennels are closed on Sunday, and pets are unavailable for pickup. Sunday, of course, is the very day when most people return from trips and want to pick up their pets.
Is the kennel accredited by the American Boarding Kennel Association (ABKA)?
Appendix A
Glossary
agouti: The “wild” color. Guard hairs are banded with black at the tips and roots, with bands of yellow in the middle. Agouti is also the name for a wild rodent.
alpha: The dominant member of a dog or wolf pack, or the human in a dog-human relationship.
bi-eyes: One blue eye, one brown eye.
bitch: A female dog.
Canis lupus: The gray, or northern, wolf.
Canis lupus familiaris: The domestic dog. Includes Siberian Huskies, Chihuahuas, Labrador Retrievers, and all other domestic dogs.
chinchilla factor: The guard coat hairs banded with white, producing a silvery effect.
Chukchis: Native people of extreme northeastern Siberia; the first breeders of the Siberian Husky.
dam: The mother dog.
dewclaw: An extra, unneeded claw on the inside of the Husky’s rear leg. It should be removed shortly after birth.
dog: A male dog.
forging: Pulling ahead on the leash.
guard hairs: Long, smooth guards that grow through and conceal the undercoat.
Husky: A term, derived from a derogatory slang word for Eskimo, for any of several northern dog breeds.
hypothermia: Excessive loss of body heat; a serious chill.
Iditarod: A Gold Rush city of interior Alaska; the great sled race that takes place every March in that state.
Irish: Colloquial term for a Siberian with a mask, white legs, and a white underside.
monochrome: A hair of one solid color.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD): A condition in which a dog manifests repeated, destructive, or annoying behaviors like whirling or paw-licking.
parti-color: An eye with patches of two or more colors. Sometimes referred to as pinto or split.
sable: Guard hairs banded with red near the roots, but tipped with black.
scissors bite: The correct bite in Huskies. The outer side of the lower incisors touches the inner side of the upper incisors.
sickle tail: Carried up and out in a semicircle.
sire: The father dog.
snipy: A pointy, weak muzzle, lacking breadth and depth.
snow nose: A normally black nose that acquires a pink streak in winter.
stop: The step up from the muzzle to the back of the skull; indentation between the eyes where the nasal bones and cranium meet.
taiga: A moist, subarctic forest at the edge of the tundra, composed mostly of firs and spruce.
topline: A dog’s outline from just behind the shoulders to the tail set.
tundra: A level, treeless plain characteristic of arctic regions; its subsoil is permanently frozen.
undercoat: The soft dense hair that supports the outercoat.
vaccine titer: A measure of the level of disease-fighting antibodies present in the blood.
withers: Top of the shoulders.
Appendix B
Resources
Publications
The Siberian Husky Club of America (SHCA) publishes a variety of materials that are helpful for Husky owners. Check out the following:
A Partnership for Life: Learning to Understand Your Siberian Husky
Your Siberian Husky: Its Hips and Its Eyes
The SHCA Information Booklet
The Siberian Husky Club of America, Inc. Newsletter
You can find information on how to get these materials at the SHCA Web site (www.shca.org) or by contacting the SHCA Corresponding Secretary, Fain
Zimmerman at 210 Madera Drive, Victoria, TX 77905-0611 or by e-mail at [email protected].
Also check out The Siberian Quarterly, an excellent resource for Husky enthusiasts. For information on subscriptions, visit them on the Web at www.hoflin.com/Magazines/The%20Siberian%20Quarterly.html or contact them at The Siberian Quarterly, Hofflin Publishing, Inc., 4401 Zephyr Street, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033 (telephone: 303-420-2222).
Siberian Rescue Organizations
Siberian Husky Club of America National Rescue Chairman Gerry Dalakian telephone: 908-782-2089 e-mail: [email protected]
Siberian Husky Rescue Site Web site: www.siberianrescue.com
Mushing Organizations
International Sled Dog Racing Association HC 86, Box 3380 Merrifield, MN 56465 Web site: www.isdra.org
Mush with Pride P.O. Box 84915 Fairbanks, AK 99709-4915
Organizations
American Kennel Club 5580 Centerview Drive Raleigh, NC 27606 telephone: 919-233-9767 Web site: www.akc.org
Siberian Husky Club of America, Inc. Fain Zimmerman, Corresponding Secretary 210 Madera Drive Victoria, TX 77905-0611 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.shca.org
International Siberian Husky Club Liz Deye, Recording Secretary 35687 Blackfoot Street NW Cambridge, MN 55008 telephone: 612-689-4984
Yankee Siberian Husky Club, Inc. Tamara Davis, Membership Chairperson 13 Titus Lane Boxford, MA 01921
Mushing/Sledding Equipment
Adanac 4108 Highway 93N Kalispell, MT 59901 telephone: 406-752-2929 sleds, harnesses, equipment
Alaska Feed Company 1600 College Road Fairbanks, AK 99709 telephone: 907-451-5570 harnesses, ganglines, picket cables, collars, skijor belts
Alpine Outfitters P.O. Box 245 Roy, WA 98580 telephone: 206-843-2767 stock and custom harnesses, modular cablelines
Arctic Star Dog Sled Company Johnn Molburg RR#4 Box 381 Tyrone, PA 16686 telephone: 814-684-3594 sleds
Black Ice Dog Sledding Company 3620 Yancy Ave New Germany, MN 55367 telephone: 320-485-4825 sleds, wheeled rigs, harnesses, ganglines, skijoring
Frank and Nettie Hall 5875 McCrum Road Jackson, MI 49201 telephone: 517-782-1786 fax: 517-782-0191 dog sleds and rigs, harnesses, ganglines, books
Kaleb’s Kart Co. 5770 Wildwood Rd. Neillsville, WI 54456 telephone: 715-743-3864 skijoring and other mushing equipment
Kema Sleds & Equipment Mile 2.2 Wasilla-Fishhook Road P.O. Box 870415 Wasilla, AK 99687 telephone: 907-376-5523 sleds, harnesses, ganglines, rope, snaps
Kiva Outfitters 1256C Poplar Avenue Sunnydale, CA 94086-8619 telephone: 408-733-7919 carts, rigs, sleds, clothing, collectibles, books
Konari Outfitters, Ltd. 52 Seymour Street Middlebury, VT 05753 telephone: 802-388-7447 harnesses, books, sledding gear
Kondos Outdoors 626 Kawishiwi Trail Ely, MN 55731 telephone: 218-365-4189 harnesses, sprint and long-distance sled bags, rope
Lead Dog Supplies 2269 Lisa Lane Fairbanks, AK 99712 telephone: 907-488-4135 arctic headlamps, ganglines, picket lines, aluminum brakes
Never Summer Sled Dog Equipment P6750 Glade Road Loveland, CO 80538 telephone: 970-622-8658 equipment for mushing, skijoring, and weightpulling
Nordkyn Outfitters 5903 316th Street East Eatonville, WA 98328 telephone: 253-847-4128 sleds, lines, bags, collars, harnesses, carts
Pet-Tech International 2144 Primrose Ave Vista, CA 92083 telephone: 619-599-9759 3- and 4-wheeled rigs
The Real Alaska Mushing Company 471 Fleshamn St Fairbanks, AK 99712 telephone: 907-457-8555 complete line of sled dog equipment
Resha Sled Dog Equipment HC1, Box 101 Lewis Run, PA 16738 telephone: 814-362-3048 sledding, weight pulling, freighting, and skijoring equipment
Risdon Rigs P.O. Box 127 Laingsburg, MI 48848 telephone: 517-651-6960 sleds, wheeled rigs, harnesses, snow hooks, dog bags
Sawtooth Mountain Sled Works, Inc. 237 County Road Grand Marais, MN 55604 telephone: 218-387-2106 sleds and bags
Boarding and Pet-Sitting
To get a list of accredited boarding kennels, contact the follow organizations:
American Boarding Kennel Association 4575 Galley Road, Suite 400A Colorado Springs, CO 80915 telephone: 719-591-1113 Web site: www.abka.com
National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) 1030 15th Street NW, Suite 870 Washington, DC 20005 telephone: 202-393-3317 Web site: www.petsitters.org
Pet Sitters International 418 East King Street King, NC 27021-9163 telephone: 336-983-9222 Web site: www.petsit.com
