Top 16 Interesting & Fun facts about Siberian Husky

Also known as the talking or the most dramatic dog, the Huskies are a unique and lovely dog breed. The Siberian Husky was developed by the Chukchi people of the Chukchi Peninsula in eastern Siberia. Huskies are intelligent yet stubborn and headstrong and love running and escaping. Over the last few decades, there has been a growing popularity of this breed all over the world, jumping from 25th to 12th place on the AKC list. Surely the below fun facts about Siberian Husky will astonish you and surprise you more about them.

Most people are attracted by their unique almond heterochromatic eyes usually found in brown and blue. Many people buy this dog breed owing to their beautiful coats or unique eyes or to display an ostentatious lifestyle, but many are unaware or inconsiderate about their needs. One should remember they have high needs and requires constant attention. This breed can be aggressive sometimes and things become difficult if the owner is not well aware and strong enough to handle the situation. Whether you might be an owner or not, we all like to own and see this dog throwing up tantrums all over the internet.  

So, here are the top 16 interesting fun facts we bet you don’t know about Siberian husky.

Huskies can withstand temperatures as low as -51 degrees

The common question which arises is how much cold is too cold for the huskies? Well, you will be surprised to know that huskies have a great tolerance to cold climates. The double coat and thick fur help them sustain in temperatures as low as -60 degrees F or -51 degrees Celsius.

For a long time, these dogs have been used as sled dogs in the Siberian regions. And have been raised to withstand extreme climates of the north. They are genetically endowed with almond eyes that act as a protectant against loose snow. Their fluffy tail is an inbuilt scarf that prevents them from the moist nose and enables them to inhale warm air.

A fun fact about huskies is they have a closer network of arteries and veins as compared to other dog breeds which not only allow the flow of warm blood to veins but also prevent their paws from freezing. If you consider them for tropical climates, ensure adequate ventilation, and air conditioning are in place to keep them cool. 

Played the role of hero in the 1925 serum run project

An interesting fact about huskies is they rose to fame in 1925, when they transported medicine to Nome, Alaska during the diphtheria epidemic. The closest antitoxin was at least 600 miles away in anchorage and the disease was spreading widely thus threatening the whole town.

A team of 100 dogs and 20 mushers was formed to save the town and deliver the serum. This team was led by the Togo who reached the Nome amid the gale in perilous conditions. But the last leg of the relay was completed by Balto and his team. The mushers and huskies completed the whole task in just five and a half days. The Huskies were recognized as heroes by the whole town and instantly made headlines worldwide. They made appearances in several newspapers across the country.

The mascot of North-Eastern university

Animal mascots were considered pride in 1920 and the success story of Husky in swift delivery of diphtheria toxin serum across Alaska in 1925 made huskies a superstar. At the same time, a committee was formed on March 4, 1927, to choose a mascot for the university and the then vice president chose a husky pup from a sled racer Leonhard Seppala, one of the Alaskan serum run’s leads mushers.

Since 1927, the Husky has been a mascot of Northeastern University when President Frank Speare inaugurated King Husky I. There was a daylong celebration to welcome the husky named Sapsut who was given an honorary degree and named King husky. King Husky, I reigned for 14 years before he succumbed to natural death on March 26, 1941.

Fascinating eye colors

The fascinating blue eye color is one of the most attractive features of Siberian huskies. Apart from blue eyes, there can be bi-eyed colored huskies with one brown and one blue eye or particolored eyes or brown-eyed huskies. Huskies along with many dog breeds like Alaskan Malamute, Great Danes, Border Collies, and Dalmatians are prone to this condition. This common phenomenon is known as heterochromia.

Heterochromia is caused either due to uneven melanin distribution in the iris or inbreeding. As we know the color of the iris depends on the melanin pigment which causes the brown color of the eyes. This can also be due to genetic mutation that tampers the melanin distribution in the eyes. Lack of pigmentation and presence of dominant ALX4 gene is what makes their eyes appear piercing blue. Heterochromia doesn’t cause any harm or contribute to any major eye problems as it is inherited by huskies. Also, it also doesn’t affect their visual ability.

About 40% of huskies experience changes in eye color which is common but cloudy eyes and blue or grey haziness could be a sign of serious health issues like cataracts and might require an eye exam.

Clean inhabitant

Huskies are famous for being meticulous clean dogs and taking time out to clean themselves much like a cat will. They don’t typically have the dog odor and rarely need baths. Husky owners have reported how they lick themselves to keep their coats clean. This way of cleaning themselves can be attributed to its origins in the cold snowy climates, where licking was the only way to keep themselves clean and prevent snow accumulation.

Although huskies do clean themselves it is still mandatory to get your huskies bathed as per the expert’s recommendation. We suggest you start grooming them from an early age to remove loose hairs and also get an acquittance with bathing, as huskies are not a big fan of bathing and will vocalize and throw tantrums to avoid the bathing tub.

Unique capabilities of vocalization 

Huskies are very talkative and start vocalizing from age as young as 21 days. Huskies are also loud due to their origin as sled dogs, pulling heavy loads over long distances. Huskies howl more often than they bark, and use it as a major source of communication. Huskies also use howling to locate their pack in case of separation. Huskies are closely related to wolves and therefore their howl retains the instinct of wolves.

Huskies can howl in response to sirens, other dogs’ howling, musical instruments, etc. They also like to groan, when they feel good. Huskies can bark but they don’t bark. Mostly they woo, yodel, sing, moo, yelp, and grumble. In general, they make every noise except barking. Also barking is seen as a trait of territorial dogs and huskies are not territorial by nature.

The fun fact about Husky is their howling is what makes them a popular dog breed. They are quite popular across social media showing these unique animals’ howls which is highly viewed and admired.  

Featured in numerous movies

Siberian Huskies are joyful and revert great energy which adds them to the priority list of directors. A movie with a Siberian husky will automatically be a good one, and this inspires many directors to cast huskies in their movies.

Balto was probably the first movie that came in 1995 where the husky played a lead role. Balto was an animated movie inspired by the true story of Balto a Siberian husky, who played a major role in delivering the serum during the 1925 epidemic in Nome Alaska and saved thousands of lives.

Many other movies such as Iron will, Against the wild, Eight below, Snow Dogs, Kayla, Call of the wild, etc. also feature Siberian huskies.

Togo is a recent movie to feature huskies, directed by Ericson Core; it is a 2019 American adventure film. The film centers on Leonhard Seppala and his sled dog in the 1925 serum run to Nome to transport diphtheria antitoxin serum during an epidemic of diphtheria in the harsh weather conditions of Alaska. It was a huge hit at the box office and was adored by the public.

Multicolor nose and coat 

Huskies are available in an enormous range of coat colors and markings. As per AKC, there are about 10 different types of standard colors.  Some of the most popular colors are Black and White, Red and White, Grey and White, Sable, Agouti, White and woolly coats. The white Siberian is the rarest color of the husky. Another fun fact about the Siberian husky coat is that they change color. Their coat’s complexion also changes from season to season, so it is natural for Huskie’s coat marking to change. Younger huskies have a darker color which lightens up as they grow old.

Another fun fact about huskies is that they have multicolor noses also which differ depending on their coat.  Huskies that have black and grey coat usually end up with a black nose, however, the nose will be of a liver color in the case of the copper coat.

Huskies also witness a special condition known as “snow nose”, where the dog’s nose turns pink from black during winters and return to its original color again in summers. Snow nose can be a result of dark pigment or deficiency of melanin and is not harmful at all. 

Doppelgangers of huskies

People often get confused and mistake Alaskan malamute for husky as they have an evident resemblance to huskies. They also share a wolf-like appearance and were originally bred to pull sleds in icy and terrific conditions.

However, malamutes are taller and heavier than Siberian huskies and can pull the sled for a longer time than huskies while huskies are faster. Malamute can also be easily trained as compared to huskies. Siberian huskies were developed by the Chukchi tribe in Siberia, while malamute was created by mahlemut tribe.

Samoyed is a fluffy doppelganger of a husky and is usually mistaken by people for white huskies. They are famous with the name of bjelkier all over Europe.

Unlike huskies, they are high maintenance and require regular grooming. They are loyal, intelligent, and trainable, but they can’t survive in a hot climate thanks to their thick coat. We have a detailed comparison between Alaskan Malamute and Siberian husky here.

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Featured in numerous dog shows

Siberian huskies are friendly, gentle, attentive, and not aggressive which makes them a perfect fit for dog shows. They have strong determination and metabolism and can easily outperform competitors.

The husky, whose show name is GCHP Sharin Nick, won the Best in Show title at the 4th annual Beverly Hills Dog Show Presented by Purina in 2020. Nick took the top prize beating six other dogs in the final round and increasing his wins to 60 now.

Sierra Cinnar, a Siberian husky won the title of the “best in the show” at Westminster in 1980. Cinar was handled by Trish Kansler, who was also the youngest dog handler for the husky dog breed. This was particularly at the time when Huskies also won several places in the Crufts finals.

Another dog named Akela owned by Jessica Allen of Mansfield, has won Best in Show at the prestigious Windsor Championship Dog Show held in Berkshire. The 20-month-old Siberian Husky, beat over 8000 other dog breeds to win the title at one of the UK’s largest dog shows to qualify him for Best in show Crufts final.

Not an excellent choice for a guard dog 

Huskies have strong-built and resemble wolves which gives them a dangerous appearance. However, the husky’s personality successfully deceives people’s beliefs.

Huskies are friendly, nonaggressive, playful, and have strong instincts which are suitable traits for a good watchdog but not for a guard dog. Having said that many huskies fail to qualify even as a good watchdog. Huskies are not very territorial dogs and do not bark which does not make them good watchdogs. The husky is more likely to play with the stranger rather than chase them off. They may even stay quiet, a trait again linked to their wolf-type ancestors, as wolves tend to stay silent under threat to remain undetected.  

They were employed by the army 

Huskies saved the lives of people and were recognized as heroes by the world more than once. One such event is World War II when they were employed by the US army in the rescue unit of the air transport command military for transporting medicine and communication purpose.

During World War II, there were several pilots who were shot down and injured. To help such downed pilots a dog team was dispatched to track the crash point and locate the wrecks. They also supplied medicine to help the crew in absence of helicopters

Celebrities are obsessed with huskies 

No doubt, Siberian Huskies are one of the most famous and popular breeds that have won millions of hearts including those of celebrities and politicians with their loyalty and playful personality. In recent years there has been a sudden boom in its popularity and this can also be seen in a number of celebrities owning them.

The famous American singer, director, and actor Jared Leto owned a husky named Sky. He also wears a husky hood to his several concerts to proclaim his love for the breed. The famous NBA football player Russel Westbrook’s first dog was also a Siberian husky. He named it Sasha and also posted its picture with the caption “my new baby girl” on Instagram. Miley Cyrus, an American singer is a big-time husky lover. She owns a husky named Floyd.

Famous British singer and actress Rita Ora also own a husky. She named him bowie owing to his different eye colors and enjoy spending her time with him.

Huskies are not a direct descendant of the wolves

Huskies have a thick coat, face, and wolf-like build and appearance which often makes people wonder if they are direct descendants of wolves, but according to many researchers, both the wolves and huskies were bred to be raised in cold climates, which is the reason of their similarity. Huskies share common DNA with wolves which makes them closely related but not a direct descendants of wolves.

If huskies are cross breed with wolves they are known as wolf hybrids, but it’s a different breed from huskies. They are the fourth oldest dog in the world, they originated in northeast Asia where they are bred by the Chukchi people of Siberia the same place, they derive their name. They were bred to be sled dogs and thus are not directly related to wolves.

Huskies are born tough and have great endurance

Huskies were bred to run. A team of huskies can run about 150 miles a day. They are real champions when it comes to endurance. They never get tired and this is because they have an amazing way of taking energy straight from the fat they eat, and turning it directly into energy. They also have a great metabolism. Reports also suggest that a husky named Charlie was once the strongest dog alive. In 1963, he beat other dogs like Rottweilers and German Shepherd to pull sleds that weighed over a tonne. These dogs have high endurance, high tolerance to cold are built tough, and have a unique ability to survive on very little food.

Tantrum king 

Huskies are complicated and dealing with them sometimes can be difficult. Siberian Huskies are headstrong and look like a two-year-old stubborn toddler who denies growing up. They love talking back to you. They are naturally expressive dogs and are vocal to express a range of emotions. And this is the reason why huskies are most loved and are a social media sensation.

Conclusion:

Huskies enjoy the reputation of being a gentle and friendly breed. They are good at escaping and demand a lot of care and attention on the part of the owner. We hope you enjoyed reading these wonderful fun facts about Siberian huskies and hope to share this with your paw buddies.  

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