I had wanted a Siberian Husky for as long as I could remember.
When I was a young girl, my best friend had a husky named Rambo, and I absolutely loved him. From then on, I knew that someday I wanted one of my own.
It took a lot of years for “someday” to finally come.
After my husband and I separated, I was going through a really difficult time in my life. And somewhere in the middle of all of that, I decided it was finally time.
I had always wanted a husky and there was nobody telling me I couldn’t have one.
So I was getting a husky.
Looking back, I think there was more to it than simply fulfilling a childhood dream. I was in a dark place, and I think part of me was searching for the kind of unconditional love and companionship that only an animal can give you.
That’s how Miley came into my life.
The Puppy With The Cross On Her Forehead
I found a reputable breeder in southern Manitoba and put my name on the waiting list for a puppy. I had second choice of the litter.
When the puppies were about four weeks old, I went to meet them.
One little puppy had a marking on her forehead that looked like a cross.
It might not have meant anything to anyone else, but with everything I was going through at the time, it spoke to me. It felt like a sign.
That puppy was Miley.
When she was finally old enough to come home, she was an absolute cuddle bug.
I was incredibly lucky that my employer at the time allowed me to bring her to work with me. She would sleep and play underneath my desk while I worked, and every two or three hours I’d take her outside so we could continue working on potty training.
For a while I had this adorable, cuddly little husky puppy who happily spent her days underneath my desk.
And then she grew up.
That’s when I started learning what owning a Siberian Husky actually meant.
Miley Discovers Selective Hearing
As Miley got older, she became much more rambunctious. She got into everything.
And recall?
Absolutely nonexistent.
You could call her name a million times and she would simply ignore you.
It wasn’t that she couldn’t hear you. Miley is incredibly smart. She heard you.
She had simply decided that whatever she was doing was more important.
One of my favourite memories from when she was still little, though, has nothing to do with her getting into trouble.
I took her with me to a community garage sale one day. Eventually her little puppy legs had had enough and she didn’t want to walk anymore.
So I put her in my shopping tote and carried her around.
Yes, I have photographic evidence.
That sweet little puppy being carried around in a shopping bag would eventually grow into the mastermind behind what felt like a years-long battle between me, two Siberian Huskies and my backyard fence.
But first, apparently one husky wasn’t enough.
Then I Saw A Red And White Husky
My reason for getting Koda was considerably less emotional.
I saw someone with a red and white Siberian Husky.
You don’t see them nearly as often, and I thought it was absolutely beautiful.
I decided I needed one.
That’s really about it.
I found an online ad for Siberian Husky puppies, saw that there was a red and white one available, and obviously I had to go see him.
Miley was around four years old when Koda came home, and thankfully she was happy to have a friend.
She also helped teach him the ropes.
Potty training Koda was easier because he had Miley to follow. She already knew the routine, so he learned from her. And when necessary, Miley wasn’t afraid to put the new kid in his place.
It didn’t take long before I had two huskies.
And two very different personalities.
The Mastermind And The Dog With No Brakes
Miley has always been the calmer and quieter of the two.
But don’t mistake quiet for innocent.
She is incredibly smart.
A trainer once described her as being almost wolf-like in the way she observes what’s happening, figures things out and then moves forward with whatever she has decided to do or wherever there was a weak point in any situation.
That description has always stuck with me because it is so Miley.
She’s the genius.
She’s also the instigator.
And she is most definitely the escape artist.
Koda, on the other hand, has always had these enormous paws. As a puppy he would trip over them.
He’s eight years old now.
He still trips over them.
Koda is also the talker. If he wants something, he’ll tell you about it. If you’re petting him and have the audacity to stop before he has decided you’re finished, he’ll hit you with one of those giant paws.
And Koda does not have brakes.
When he’s let back into the house, he comes running in at full speed and apparently figures stopping is a problem for Future Koda.
He regularly uses the couch or the front door to bring himself to a stop.
Graceful, he is not.
I Tried Everything To Keep Them In The Yard
If you’ve never owned a Siberian Husky, you might think a fenced yard would solve the escaping problem.
That’s adorable.
I tried everything.
I buried cement blocks around the fence so that if they tried digging underneath it, they’d hit the blocks and wouldn’t be able to move them.
They moved them.
I buried some chicken wire underneath the ground.
That didn’t work either.
I built a new fence.
Seven feet high.
Surely a seven-foot fence would contain a dog.
Nope.
With enough of a running start, Miley could jump it.
Eventually I installed an underground electric fence. For a little while, I though I’d finally won.
Then they discovered a weak point.
They would dig until they found the wire and cut it and keep digging.
The funniest part was that Miley used to escape on her own, but once the two of them started digging their way out together, I began noticing something.
Koda was always the dirty one.
I can’t prove what was happening out there, but knowing Miley the way I do, I have my suspicions.
I’m fairly certain she had promoted herself to management and Koda was doing the excavation.
Apparently My Yard Wasn’t The Problem
If I ever needed proof that Miley’s escaping wasn’t simply a problem with my fencing, I eventually got it.
A new boarding facility opened a few kilometres outside of town, and of course Miley managed to turn her kennel into another puzzle that needed solving.
The owner would come in and find all the other dogs safely inside their kennels.
And Miley?
She’d just be hanging out in the middle of the room.
She had figured out more than one way to escape. Sometimes she would climb up and over the kennel door. Other times, she figured out how to unlatch it.
Eventually, the owner had to make modifications to a kennel specifically for Miley. He added fencing across the top so she couldn’t climb out, and changed the opening and locking system on the door so she couldn’t let herself out that way either.
Imagine owning a boarding facility full of dogs and having to essentially build a maximum-security cell for one Siberian Husky.
That was Miley.
And Then There’s The Hair
There is no such thing as a husky-hair free house.
You can sweep.
You can vacuum.
You can sweep and vacuum again.
There will still be hair.
Spring and fall are the worst when they’re blowing their coats. Winter actually isn’t too bad, but during the shedding season it feels like the fur regenerates faster than you can remove it.
Koda tolerates being brushed – to a point.
Once he’s decided he’s had enough, he’ll either try to escape or roll onto his back so you can’t get to his top coat anymore.
Of course, once he’s on his back, he expects belly rubs.
Apparently grooming time is over and we’ve moved on to spa service.
I once took a photo of a dog-shaped pile of fur after just a preliminary brushing of Koda.
There was still more fur to come out.
Koda has simply had enough of my nonsense.
Miley is even less impressed with brushing. She will do everything she possibly can to make the process difficult. Sometimes we resort to plucking loose tufts of fur from her whenever we happen to walk past.
Thankfully, Miley loves to swim. Getting into the pool seems to help loosen her coat, which makes things a little easier.
But if you’re considering a Siberian Husky because they’re beautiful, there’s something you should know.
Part of that beautiful coat will eventually be on your clothes.
And your couch.
And your floor.
And probably in places that don’t even make sense.
You just accept it.
They’re Basically Toddlers
This might deter some people from ever wanting a Siberian Husky, but I think they’re almost like toddlers.
They have such distinct personalities.
They have opinions.
Some of them – Koda – talk back.
Before Miley and Koda, I’d had smaller dogs. In my experience, their individual personalities were never as obvious or dramatic to me. They were sweet little lap dogs who did normal dog things.
Huskies feel different.
If you’ve ever watched a video of a Siberian Husky throwing a complete fit because it doesn’t want a bath, arguing with its owner or doing zoomies with that ridiculous expression on its face, you’ll probably understand exactly what I mean.
They don’t hide how they’re feeling.
And after living with them for so many years, you start knowing exactly what they’re thinking too.
Why I’d Do It All Again
For all the funny stories, though, there is another side to living with Miley and Koda.
Miley came into my life when I needed her.
She isn’t a dog who constantly needs to lie on top of me or demand affection. As she got older, she became much more independent.
But she has always found her own ways to show me that I’m her person.
During some of the hardest times in my life, she was there. I could put my arms around her, cry into her fur and just hold her. She would patiently let me. She’d give me kisses and stay with me.
Koda is different.
When I’m having a bad day, he’ll sometimes climb onto the couch beside me, put his head in my lap and look up at me with those big brown eyes.
Other times, apparently deciding I need cheering up, he’ll bury his head in the couch and behave as though I can no longer see him.
They love differently because they are completely different dogs.
And that’s exactly what I love about them.
Living with two Siberian Huskies has meant fur everywhere, failed fences, holes in the yard, selective hearing, talking back, giant paws, escape attempts and more vacuuming than I care to calculate.
But it also meant laughter, companionship and two dogs with personalities so big that I can’t imagine my home without them.
Miley is twelve now and Koda is eight.
And after everything they’ve put me through, there’s one question I can answer without hesitation.
Would I ever get another Siberian Husky?
Absolutely.
Despite the fur.
Despite the chaos.
I’d do it again.