Siberian huskies are strikingly beautiful and elegant and they also happen to be the most well known breed among sled dogs. They started making headlines when a famous musher, Leonhard Seppala, used a group of siberian huskies to deliver a lifesaving serum to fight a diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska, 1925. Though some may find their wolf-like appearence to be a bit intimidating, many people find them really pleasing to the eye. Propably because of their elegant look, a lot of people today purchases the breed without knowing what they're getting themselves into. Unfortunally for this reason, there are a lot of huskies being re-homed or abandoned. As you can expect from a dog breed made for pulling sleds, these dogs requires great mental and physical exercise. They are not for everyone but for the ones who are able to provide for a husky, they get an amazing and loving member to their household

Average lifespann: 12-14 years

Height:

• Males: 53-60cm or 21–23.5 inches
• Females: 51-56cm or 20–22 inches

Weight:

• Males: 20-27kg or 45–60 lbs
• Females 16-23kg or 35–50 lbs

Looks and characteristics:
These medium-sized dogs has floating movements and their proportions display power, stamina and speed. Male dogs are masculine but never bearish and female dogs feminine but never weak. Their coats are dubble-coated and thicker than most other dogs. The dense undercoat and longer, thicker, topcoat protects them from harsh artic winters - making them able to withstand temperatures as low as -50 to -60 °C (-58 to -76 °F). They are known to shed a lot regularly. Their eyes are almond shaped and can be either black, brown blue. It is possible for them to have eyes of two different colors.

Colors:
All colors are accepted and they come in many different patterns, often white markings.

History and origins:
The Chukchi people of northeastern Asia (Siberia) used siberian huskies for thousands of years and were dependant on them for survival. It wasn't until around 1900s the breed strated gaining traction for their endurance and speed in sled dog contests. They got even more recognized when they helped deliever the life-saving serum in 1920, to fight a diphtheria pandemic. Traveling 170 miles for 3 days straight, Leonhard Seppala saved countless lives and thanks to his lead dog Togo they managed to arrive safely from blizzards and through dark, harsh, winter nights.

Huskies have been used by the US military for various artict and antarctic missions.

Today they are mostly a sporty companion dog, but mushers (sled-team drivers) is still keeping packs of sledding Siberians for fun and sport.

Temparement:
These beauties are described as friendly and gentle with a strong need for companionship, both dogs and humans; as they want to belong to a pack. This makes them pretty bad watchdogs since they are so good-tempered. Instead of barking they howl which is something they are quite famous for. Due to their special exercise needs these dogs can become destructive if they don't have an outlet for all pent-up excess energy. Huskies also have a strong prey drive which makes it difficult for them to listen to recall and can ultimately mean that you never let them roam around loose unless the area is fenced.

Health:
They are considered a healthy breed.

Recommended Health Tests From the National Breed Club:

• Hip Evaluation
• Ophthalmologist Evaluation