Life with Siberian Huskies
The Journey is more important than the destination
The Siberian Husky
Huskies came to me late in life.
Too late to really spend all the years it takes to really understand this magnificent creature. I’ve tried to make up for that by spending as much time as I could with them. Watching them like a stalker, and trying to figure out the lessons they try to teach me.
Part lover, part devil, part unknown member of this world we know. They only seem to show you things that you need to learn. They do it when you don’t have a camera in hand. The lessons they teach are subtle, and sometimes you don’t even realize them until days later.
They won’t show you anything if you don’t allow them to be what they are within your own limits. We all have limits to what we can do for them. But they don’t seem to mind…somehow, they know and accept what our limits are. They seem to understand us better than we do and that is a feat in itself. But they also teach in silent fashion.
Acceptance of their place in the world is one of the greatest lessons they teach. Whether they are on a drop line, and run every day, or stuck in an apartment that is too hot for them…they endure and they accept it. (Tolerance)
This does not mean that they won’t try to change the stars they were born under. They will try to mold your life around them. They don’t want it all, but they want the partnership to be fair. They give, and you are expected to make concessions as well.
This never ends. Just like any relationship it can grow or fade away depending on how the partners treat the relationship. I’ve found the more love I give, the more it is returned. I’ve made mistakes raising these dogs but they have realized I didn’t know what I was doing and didn’t hold it against me. (Forgiveness)
The bond with a husky takes work on our part. Just like it takes work for any lasting relationship to succeed. They have needs just like us, and they will let you know if they are not being met. You will never know the extent of what they are, by being a tyrant. You will never know what they are capable of without giving of yourself.
I encourage you to work with your dogs like they were born to do. Pulling a sled or bike, running free, new adventures around each corner is what they live for. In return you will harvest a wealth of love and companionship. It won’t be given freely like other dogs…you have to earn their respect first. That is the difference between huskies and other dogs…they don’t work for free.
The Plaque on Balto’s statue in NYC central park sums it up very well:
Endurance – Fidelity – Intelligence
Life with Siberian Huskies 