Life with Siberian Huskies
The Journey is more important than the destination
Husky Talk
Huskies never cease to amaze me with their personalities. They have facial expressions that tell what they are thinking and a voice when the situation warrants it.
The other night I was reading my book with Nikki curled up on the bed. It was dark out and not too late at night. Cooper was outside and hadn’t wanted to come in when I let Nikki inside. See we have a routine for the most part. It does change depending on the season but now that its colder Cooper prefers to stay out.
Nikki likes to have a little more comfort as she is the Queen and thinks she deserves it. I thought I heard a dog howling or some such noise outside. This isn’t unusual as we have a few neighborhood dogs that raise their voices from time to time.
The noise continued and I thought I better investigate. I opened the sliding back door from the basement and heard the unmistakable husky howl. It was coming from the front yard and so I grabbed my flashlight to go see what was going on.
As I walked around through the gate there was another long howl mixed with some Roo-Roo talk. At first, I thought maybe Cooper injured himself somehow. But it wasn’t the kind of howl an injured dog makes.
I found him in the front making all this noise for no apparent reason that I could come up with. It was similar to the sounds he makes when he feels that he has been offended in some way. Usually when Nikki has stolen his bone or treat from him.
I looked around and could not see any critters or such that might have gotten him to make a fuss. Normally he’s quiet all the time. I snatched him by the collar and brought him back inside. It turns out he was just hungry.
Now that its cold at night he burns more calories and even though he ate earlier he must have still been hungry. I fed him another large pan of food which he dispatched quickly. It was like he’d never eaten in days! Nikki looked on with disgust at his table manners.
With his belly full he stretched out on the tile and went to sleep. I can’t say he’s ever done this before and it just goes to show that these dogs change their minds and how they act from time to time.
The next day I had another food related incident. Keep in mind that for two years these dogs acted like food was a bad thing. In my mind they barely ate enough to keep them alive. That too has changed recently.
I went out and called them to come get their fish. Each morning they get a nice big frozen whiting fish for breakfast. To the uninformed this may seem harsh to give a frozen fish for a meal. To a husky it doesn’t matter the least little bit whether its frozen or fresh off the grill. Its good either way to them and they usually make quick work of their fish popsicle.
This time Nikki turned up her nose at it and wouldn’t come to the door. So, I gave Cooper his fish and he trotted off to the front to enjoy it. No sooner than I shut the door Nikki comes racing from the front yard and runs up and stares in the door.
I opened the door and asked her what she wanted. She had this pained expression and let out a very loud and long…ROoooooodle! Its something between a howl and the sound a trumpeter swan makes.
I couldn’t help but laugh out loud at her. For this I got another look and another Rooodle just for good measure. It seemed that the Queen was upset that the underling had eaten before her!
I got another fish out of the freezer. She snatched it out of my hand and raced for the front yard to show it off to Cooper. Cooper was long done with his and came racing for another one. I showed him my outstretched empty hands and said, “All Gone.”
This was met with sad eyes and he turned to leave. Feeling sorry for him I found a small fish and let him have another. Just another day in husky land learning to live with these Siberian people.
I think since I’ve switched to feeding them raw food, which is mainly fish and chicken their appetites have improved. They are eating like they were meant to do, not some manufactured corn-based kibble. I think it suits them well. Nikki’s coat has a shiny black racing stripe down her back now. It has never been there before. Cooper’s winter coat is getting full and so is Nikki. They look better than they ever have.
I do give them each a vitamin everyday to make sure they are getting all they need. Being new to raw food I don’t want to take any chances.
TJ
Life with Siberian Huskies 