# Attacked by a husky...oh what fun!



## k_sep (Jun 21, 2011)

So, I'll admit that I know very little about huskies. From what I've heard, they shed a lot, generally have pretty blue eyes, and like to run...a lot. That's about it. They're beautiful dogs, sure, but too high maintenance for me (the fur!) based on looks alone. Anywho, my neighbor who lives about three blocks away from me has a husky. It's not one of the beautiful dogs I think of when someone says 'husky". It's mangy looking, it has two different colored eyes (blue and yellow) it's got too much fur, patches of said fur tangled together from lack of grooming, and it spends the majority of it's time in the front yard tied on a rope so it can't go anywhere too far in the yard, howling at people passing by. I could be wrong, but I don't think the guy who actually owns the dog walks it. I think he uses it as a deterrent.

Normally I avoid that route, or I just cross the street to avoid the dog. Well, this morning I didn't and it was howling something fierce at Luna and me. She's finally got out of her fear stage and was pulling on the leash and tried to bound to the gate to greet the dog. I called her and gave the leash a little tug and we were back on our morning jog. Well, we ran about a mile, then head back the same way. I decided to stay on the opposite side of the street just in case; I didn't want to have to break stride with Luna when we were so close to home since she had been good the majority of the run. Well, I don't hear the husky howling and I don't see it prowling the yard, so I figure it's off scrounging in the back.

So, a block away from my house I hear some god awful snaring from behind me. Luna's happily running ahead of me, not pulling, with her tongue lolling out of her mouth like the dorky dog she is. She doesn't notice anything until I hear the snarling as well. So I understandably freak out and turn around. I come face to face with the mangy, snarling husky. I don't know what set this thing off, but it's somehow gotten off the rope (chewed through, maybe?) and jumped the fence. The fence around the property is only like five feet tall, so that's not a surprise it could get over it. Anywho, Luna is stuck in daft dog mode and kind of just sits there. The lovely husky doesn't even seem interested in Luna, instead it lunges at me, particularly my hand. Luckily I moved my hand and was wearing a baggy sweatshirt, which is what it bit into. After screaming a great deal and swinging around (I think I dropped the leash at this point, I can't really remember) with the dog still attached to my sweatshirt. Thankfully, it let go and my screaming attracted the attention of my neighbor whose house I was in front of. He came out with a bat in his hands. Luna didn't run off and strangely then decides to wag her tail and completely misunderstands the situation, trying to engage the husky in play, complete with a little "woof" and play bow. Before the two dogs could get into it, the man came charging out and sent the husky running the opposite direction. Luna looked like she wanted to make chase, but I stepped on her leash before she took off. I then kind of walked home in a daze, I think I thanked my neighbor. I was a little bit in shock by that point. My sweatshirt is completely dead; I'm just grateful I was wearing it. I don't know what the dog would have grabbed onto had I not been wearing it. Or that she didn't get Luna.

Does anyone else have experience with huskies? That's probably not what they're usually like...right? I probably should inform my neighbor with the husky that his dog is loose, but I'd rather just not go outside or by his house at the moment. Maybe that's wrong of me, I don't know. Just glad I'm okay and my dog's okay. This is the first time I've ever been attacked by a dog.


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## Stevenzachsmom (Mar 3, 2008)

I'm a little confused. Does the husky's owner know his dog attacked you? You definitely need to talk to him and take your ripped up shirt. You also need to report this. No - most husky's do not attack people walking down the street. I'm really glad you and Luna are OK. That is very scary.


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## selzer (May 7, 2005)

Call the police and report the incident. It did not bite you but it tried to and it is dangerous and that is your duty. Seeing you running might have kicked in its prey drive but little children run and scream all the time. It is very likely that something tragic can happen. 

I am glad your dog did not react and did not seem overly freaked out about the incident, and did not get into a fight with the dog. 

Make it a point to thank the bat weilding neighbor next time you see him. 

At least that is what I would do.


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## GSDolch (May 15, 2006)

call.animal.control, IMO the dog needs to be put down. Had it only wanted to get into a dog fight I could be more understanding, but if its going after people it needs to be shot.

My experience with huskies is limited to only a few sweet ones I have met.


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## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

Any breed can be aggressive like that due to bad breeding or bad socialization. Sounds like you just met a bad one.


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Huskies are very prey driven dogs, and tend to play much rougher than most breeds. If not socialized properly they can be just as bad as not socialized GSDs. My neighbor has one and when we tried to introduce our dogs they both played quite rough. We ran into an issue because both dogs were on leash and quickly got wrapped up and realized that flight was not an option. That was the first time I saw my boy (year old at the time) growl and get ready to latch on for real to the husky's neck. The husky took a snip at him and he retaliated. We grabbed both dogs quick enough to not lead to anything else. Now they still want to play with each other every time they see one another but we don't allow it because it gets too rough too fast, and with no ability to run/chase its not fun for us watching them try to figure out who is stronger.

What you went through isn't a husky thing, its an any dog thing. Any dog that is treated that way could've done that to you. Luckily husky's don't have the strongest bites or it could've been worse.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

I am glad that you and Luna are ok! 

Actually Siberian Huskies are labelled one of the top 10 most dangerous dogs.

TOP 10 DANGEROUS DOGS

I do not like them, had a bad experience with one, will never have one or live with one ever again.

I had a husky puppy, it was extremely aggressive, I had it for almost 4 weeks and rehomed it. It was disturbed.


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## PaddyD (Jul 22, 2010)

Very glad you are both unharmed. It takes a while to calm down from those encounters. I hope you report it.

Abby was attacked by a 'friendly' Husky.
"Is your dog friendly?" "Yes, is yours?" "Yes"
WHAM!
I have seen a lot of Huskies that are truly friendly and some known not
to be. This was my first vicious 'friendly' one.


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## CarrieJ (Feb 22, 2011)

GSDolch said:


> call.animal.control, IMO the dog needs to be put down. Had it only wanted to get into a dog fight I could be more understanding, but if its going after people it needs to be shot.
> 
> My experience with huskies is limited to only a few sweet ones I have met.


I second this. Call and report the incident, if A/C doesn't do anything call the local sheriff or PD.
The very fact that it ignored your dog and went after YOU is alarming. Most dogs have a somewhat fundemental respect for humans. Even in a dog fight they will if aware it's a human may re-direct, but back off.

This is a dangerous dog.
That being said. Huskies and Malamutes are very high prey driven. They are to dispell the "alpha dominance is a myth" theory...very actutely aware of pack standings and territorial, and dominant dogs.
If this dog went after a child and the child started screaming Bam! Prey drive kicks in target sounds like wounded prey and dog gets more predatory/excited. Potentially a tragic situation waiting to happen.

Scary. I'm glad that you are ok.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

What a scary experience. I'm glad that your neighbor came to your rescue and that both you and Luna are unharmed.

I agree with the others that the dog needs to be reported. Not sure about being shot without knowing prior histroy but that's just me.

As others have said, it's not a husky thing and what a shame that some people are condemning an entire breed based on a few bad experiences. When Raven was a young adult, she started having trouble with being picked on at the dog park, always a husky (different dogs, same breed). I don't blame the entire breed, just know that for some reason, they targeted Raven. I've known some very nice huskies but just like our breed, they aren't for everyone.


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## LaRen616 (Mar 4, 2010)

gsdraven said:


> As others have said, it's not a husky thing and what a shame that some people are condemning an entire breed based on a few bad experiences.


Besides their beauty and stamina, what is to really like about them? They are howlers, talkers, diggers, runners, escape artists, stubborn, independent and untrustworthy. Just saying.

Not a quality I find appealing. There are always several listed on craigslist in my area because people get them for their beauty and then discover that they are monsters!

Ok, so maybe I went a little over board.


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## gsdraven (Jul 8, 2009)

LaRen616 said:


> Besides their beauty and stamina, what is to really like about them? They are howlers, talkers, diggers, runners, escape artists, stubborn, independent and untrustworthy.


Obviously there are people who enjoy those qualities and it's not suprising that GSD owners aren't those people. Doesn't make them a bad breed or unlikeable but this certainly isn't the right thread to discuss it.


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## Scarlettsmom (Jul 12, 2011)

Our last dog was a GSD/Husky mix. She was VERY stubborn, a notorious digger, sweet tempered, but had a defiant streak. WE made sure we were the Alpha male and female in the pack. Still...I never EVER imagined she would have been aggressive. She also NEVER did take well to leash and could escape from even a harnass...she was a houdini dog if ever there was one. We did love her dearly, but I don't think I would own a PB husky after having a GSD. JMHO..


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## k_sep (Jun 21, 2011)

Stevenzachsmom said:


> I'm a little confused. Does the husky's owner know his dog attacked you? You definitely need to talk to him and take your ripped up shirt. You also need to report this. No - most husky's do not attack people walking down the street. I'm really glad you and Luna are OK. That is very scary.


He didn't at the time, but he does now. It seems his dog is still missing. I called animal control and reported the dog and the owner apologized profusely for the incident. It seems that he keeps it on a long rope in the yard because it always tries to jump the fence. Right now, they're just trying to find the dog, I guess.

I'm also sure not all huskies are like that. I apologize if I somehow implied that they are. Of course, all dogs have the ability to be aggressive, depending on how they are raised/socialized. I don't mean to generalize a breed; I know plenty of people that have told me GSDs are vicious animals that should be kept as pets.


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## Cetan (Oct 8, 2011)

gsdraven said:


> Obviously there are people who enjoy those qualities and it's not suprising that GSD owners aren't those people. Doesn't make them a bad breed or unlikeable but this certainly isn't the right thread to discuss it.


The howling and talking is what makes me "Dawww" over the Huskies. 

Generally, they *are* be friendly dogs, and are known to make terrible guard dogs because they're more inclined to just run up and lick the stranger's face.

But given the OP said the dog's fur was matted and ungroomed, and seems to have spent his life on a chain... a neglected life with no exercise, outlet, or care will turn any dog into a snarly, aggressive mess.  That is definitely *NOT *a husky thing. That's a poor owner thing, and ANY BREED would turn out that way if it were in that husky's paws.

Second the motion to call A/C or the police and report the incident.


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## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I hope you do call the authorities on this, if not for your sake then for the sake of other people who may be the focus of the dog's next attack.


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## BMoore (Oct 18, 2011)

This is the main reason so many advocate and rescue groups want laws against chaining dogs. It stunt's their mental health, makes them frustrated and makes them 3 times more likely to bite. 

I'm really sorry this happened to you, I know how scary coming face to face with an angry dog can be, but I can't help but think if the dog had a responsible owner this wouldn't have happened.
Thank goodness the dog only got your sweatshirt and not you or Luna, there have been dozens and dozens of attacks on people and other dogs by chained dogs, and they don't all end as well as yours.

I'd alert the owner of the attack, and a local chained/penned dog rescue group. If you have a dog chained up 24-7, what's the point of having it?


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## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

As a side note, just today in the morning I was walking my dog and we came up to the husky mentioned in the story before. They were both really friendly and hopped around getting ready to play. Kahlua (the husky) even howled at Rooney, which I found precious. I can just tell if we let those two out in a fenced in area they would have loads of fun together without any issues.

I originally wanted a husky, but after reading about the breed, I knew I couldn't handle one. For all of us that think GSDs are hard to handle, imagine having a husky. They require physical exercise, at least 2 hours a day of running, just to be at ease. It is not an easy breed to own unless you're a marathon runner.


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## wink-_-wink (Aug 12, 2012)

LaRen616 said:


> I am glad that you and Luna are ok!
> 
> Actually Siberian Huskies are labelled one of the top 10 most dangerous dogs.
> 
> ...


 
Funny thing is Huskies are on that list.... just one step safer than GSDs..... I am not convinced


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## Zeeva (Aug 10, 2010)

I love my husky :c 

I'm sorry you had to see the worst in that dog but it could've been any breed really...


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## ShenzisMom (Apr 27, 2010)

Holy Zombie Thread!

I love Huskys, but they just aren't the dog for me.


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## capolini1226 (Sep 16, 2013)

LaRen616 said:


> I am glad that you and Luna are ok!
> 
> Actually Siberian Huskies are labelled one of the top 10 most dangerous dogs.
> 
> ...


 I know this is an old post and probably won't get read!

Did you notice that the GSD IS #3 ON THE LIST??!! Husky was #4......That is very surprising. I grew up with GSD and now I have a Siberian. He is a sweet Dog that is well behaved. I personally have never met an aggressive Siberian.

As far as that Dog biting that guy. The owner is IRRESPONSIBLE! Keeping the Dog tied up, mangy looking, ect.

Like a few other people have said, It is NOT a Siberian thing, it is a Dog thing where these things unfortunately happen. You can not condemn a breed from one event,,,that would be totally narrow minded!

Another thing about Siberians,,,most[ like mine] are shy and skeptical of people they don't know. They are not GSD in regards to a watch dog or police dog! a typical siberian will NOT bite or attack a person for no reason..**** you could come in and rob my house and he won't bite you!

Ciao,,,Roberto

p.s. just curious, how was your husky aggressive? They play rough and use their mouth a lot in doing so.


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## capolini1226 (Sep 16, 2013)

wink-_-wink said:


> Funny thing is Huskies are on that list.... just one step safer than GSDs..... I am not convinced



*I AGREE!! I have a Siberian, had one years ago and NEVER saw any aggression out of them.

The GSD I grew up with were also very nice dogs. Obviously if someone tried to hurt me the GSD would probably rip their throat out, which he should! On the other hand, a Husky probably wouldn't!

Ciao,,Roberto
*


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## capolini1226 (Sep 16, 2013)

martemchik said:


> As a side note, just today in the morning I was walking my dog and we came up to the husky mentioned in the story before. They were both really friendly and hopped around getting ready to play. Kahlua (the husky) even howled at Rooney, which I found precious. I can just tell if we let those two out in a fenced in area they would have loads of fun together without any issues.
> 
> I originally wanted a husky, but after reading about the breed, I knew I couldn't handle one. For all of us that think GSDs are hard to handle, imagine having a husky. They require physical exercise, at least 2 hours a day of running, just to be at ease. It is not an easy breed to own unless you're a marathon runner.


 Very true!! I learned the hard way!! Imagine living in a condo. and having one??!!! lol! lol!

The worst is over and he is a pleasure now,he is almost 3.

I walk him 6+ miles/day,,no lie! Keeps me in shape and started me on a high powered LED Flashlight hobby!! I love our night walks!

Ciao,,,Roberto

ok,3 posts in a row for me,,that is enough!

p.s. I am glad after 2+ years a few people responded to this!! So my posts are not wasted,hopefully!


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## Ava_Shepsky (Aug 29, 2013)

First off- Glad you n your dog are ok!
Second, try to keep calm and not let the incident shake you too much. 
Third, call animal control. It takes a lot to deem a dog a danger to the public but at the very least the owner should be fined for letting his dog run at large.
My gsd is half husky. No dog is naturally aggressive, they are a reflection of their owners and the care their owners give them. 
It's known that dogs who are chained regularly or for long periods of time are more aggressive than dogs who aren't. And to me it just sounds like the dog isn't very well looked after and probably not well socialized. 
On top if that huskies are VERY high energy dogs. A dog like that chained up is just a load of pent up energy ready to explode. Pent up energy if not given the proper outlet comes out as aggression/ unwanted behaviors. Plain and simple. I see it at the shelter all the time. The longer they're locked up there, the worse they get. 
Anyway I hope this one dog and its irresponsible owner don't ruin the whole husky breed for you. Just call animal control and inform them of what happened. They will get in contact w the owner and handle what has to be handled.


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## IllinoisNative (Feb 2, 2010)

Glad you're okay. And as others have said, it's not just a husky thing. I bet more people have had bad experiences with German Shepherds in the past.  I hear stories all the time about people and their fear of German Shepherds due to an incident in their past. I would call animal control. 

I grew up with huskies and it's why I'm a fan of the GSD now. Huskies are howlers, diggers, independent, stubborn, too high of a prey drive (especially with small animals)...in essence, they weren't bred to try to please you. I need loyalty and biddability hence my love of GSD's. And their looks are similar to the husky with the erect ears. I love huskies but I wouldn't own one again.


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## Dbrooke407 (Apr 18, 2013)

LaRen616 said:


> I am glad that you and Luna are ok!
> 
> Actually Siberian Huskies are labelled one of the top 10 most dangerous dogs.
> 
> ...


I wouldn't really believe that particular list. The information on at least one of the dogs is completely incorrect and things are misspelled. Doesn't scream professional. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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