Living with Siberian Huskies part 1

Sir Naughty when he was 6-months-old

A phone call from Pat, my mother-in-law changed everything.
She told me that there was a Siberian Husky puppy for adoption.
I did some research on this breed and came to a conclusion that it would be suitable as a pet as Michelle and I are outdoors people.
We needed a dog as a companion and to keep a lookout especially in our quiet neighbourhood in USJ, Subang Jaya.
Earlier, we had Michelle's mums dog, Chubbles to stay with us. 
Since I am a dog person (having lived with three since the mid-80s), I knew what it takes to maintain them


The early years...
Sibes are not your average 'run of the mill' dog.
They are naturally stubborn, harder to housebreak and train.
But, once you've overcome that, and tell your dog who's the boss, they will be there for you for the rest of their lives.
To be frank, apart from ear mites and some skin problems, I've had very little health issues with my dogs.
I feed them once a day, and they require very little maintenance as long as you take care of their eyes, ears, skin and maintain their weight.
My first Sibe is Sir Naughty. 
His real name was 'Clifford', but we changed it to 'Naughty Boy' and pretty much settled with it.
He responds to the call of 'Boy' and became our faithful watchdog.
Its rare for Sibes to bark at strangers and alert you when there are people at the gate, Naughty proved many people wrong.

Dame Queenie, our second Siberian Husky

Myths and legends
Each time I show photos of my dogs to people, the first question posed was: "Eh, they don't need an ice room ah?"
For the record, the Sibes here in Malaysia are smaller. 
They've adjusted to the weather conditions and constantly shed and even their body and bone mass are reduced to acclimatize to our hot and humid environment.
A year after we accepted Sir Naughty, I spoke to my wife about getting another pooch.
I scouted around and found a breeder in Pusat Bandar Puchong.
Queenie came to our home in late October, 2006 after she received her vaccination.
She fitted into the scene without much hassles and was quickly accepted by Sir Naughty.
Later, we found out that she suffered from Hip Dysplasia, a condition that made her hind leg weak due a bad hip joint.
I fed her with Glucausamine supplement to ease her pain, especially on the hip joints.
Other than that, my girl is one happy pup..

Naughty, aged 1 and Queenie

Outdoor companions
We take our dogs hiking and have traveled around the country whenever possible.
The Sibes have been to Penang where boarding was possible.
They've even walked on the beaches along the South China Seas.
In short, there's never a dull moment with the pooches, as long as we planned and managed our time.

Our dogs at an event in Universiti Putra Malaysia

Things you have to bear with..
Sibes shed constantly.
If you are allergic to dog fur, this breed is not for you.
You will need to rake their fur every week to get rid of dead hair on their top and undercoat.
Yes, these pooches have two layers of coat.
And best of all, they don't smell. You need to bathe them once every fortnightly.
There are no issues with picking up poop as our lawn provides plenty of space for them to ease themselves.
And once the shit hits the ground, underground critters go to work by breaking down their nutrient rich waste.
Sibes are high-energy pooches, so, walking them helps to expand their energy.
They need space, so, if you live in a confined space, forget about it.