Dog Breed Guide
Siberian Husky
Profile
- Size
- Medium
- Country of origin
- Russia (Siberia), United States
- Origin
- Ancient
- Bred for
- Sled pulling
- Height
- male 54 - 60cm (21 - 24in), female 50 - 56cm (20 - 22in)
- Weight
- male 20 - 28kg (44 - 62lb), female 16 - 23kg (35 - 51lb)
- Life span
- 12 - 14 years
A sled dog with a striking wolf-like face and clear blue or brown eyes. Some have eyes of two different colors, or two colors mixed in one eye. The thick double coat comes in black and white, gray and white, red and white and more.
Bright and friendly, the Husky makes friends with everyone right away, so it is no watchdog. Having lived in packs, it gets along well with other dogs. At the same time it is very independent and a master escape artist that may run off a long way, so fences and leashes need careful attention.
It is lighter than the Malamute and excels in speed and endurance. It needs a great deal of exercise and is tolerant of cold but not of heat. It often howls and "talks" in a chatty way.
Good to know
In the winter of 1925, an outbreak of diphtheria, a disease deadly to children, struck the town of Nome, Alaska. The serum needed to treat it was in a town about 1,000km (about 670 miles) away, and blizzards kept planes from flying. So more than 20 dog sled teams carried the serum in a relay.
The longest and most dangerous stretch was run by Leonhard Seppala's team, led by Togo, a 12-year-old Siberian Husky. Seppala was a musher originally from Norway. The final leg into Nome was run by Balto, who became an instant hero; a statue of him was erected in New York's Central Park that same year. Seppala himself, however, is said to have believed that Togo, who ran the hardest part of the route, was the real hero.
The Iditarod, Alaska's great sled dog race, was later started in part to commemorate this event.