Description
Alaskan Huskies (at least those used for speed racing) are moderate in size, averaging perhaps 40 to 60 pounds (21 to 25 kg) for males and 35 to 48 pounds (17 to 19 kg) for females. Some of them superficially resemble racing strains of the Siberian husky breed (which is part of the Alaskan husky genetic mix), but are usually smaller and leaner with a more pronounced tuck-up.
Color and markings are a matter of total indifference to racing drivers; Alaskans may be of any possible canine color and any pattern of markings. Eyes may be of any color and are sometimes light blue. Coats are almost always short to medium in length, never long, and usually less dense than those of northern purebreds; the shorter coat length is governed by the need for effective heat dissipation while racing.
In very cold conditions, Alaskans often race in “dog coats” or belly protectors. Particularly in long distance races, these dogs often require “dog booties” to protect their feet from abrasion and cracking so the considerations of hardiness and climate resistance prevalent in breeds such as the Siberian husky and Canadian Inuit Dog are subordinated in the Alaskan husky to the overriding consideration of speed. On long distance races they require considerable care and attention on the trail at rest stops.
In Alaska and other extreme northern regions they are occasionally killed by moose in the winter. Infrequently, during desperate times of long cold snaps and deep snow, moose (in search of non-existent winter browse of willows and mountain ash) are drawn into human areas by the attractive scent of fresh straw used as bedding for dogs. True to their wolf ancestors, huskies tend not to back down from such encounters and an angry moose can easily stomp and kick several dogs causing severe injuries. Most moose/husky encounters occur during runs when a musher accidentally startles a moose on a trail. Most of the time moose avoid fights, but in cases of deep snow when escape is difficult a moose may confuse a sled team for a wolf pack and counterattack.
Normally, moose are aware that huskies are domesticated, tethered and not a threat and will frequently bed down adjacent to sled dog kennels in order to use the huskies as sentries who will alert the sleeping moose of approaching wolves. Sled dogs tethered in far northern forests may be attacked and killed on their stakeouts by wolves when other prey is unavailable. However, this is rare. Professional dog sled racers often surround their lots with high fences to prevent wildlife attacks. More important is a low fence to keep out diseased rodents which can infect dogs by carrying parasites. Alaskan huskies also dislike hot weather conditions due to their thick double coat.
Read more about this topic: Alaskan Husky
Famous quotes containing the word description:
“Do not require a description of the countries towards which you sail. The description does not describe them to you, and to- morrow you arrive there, and know them by inhabiting them.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“I was here first introduced to Joe.... He was a good-looking Indian, twenty-four years old, apparently of unmixed blood, short and stout, with a broad face and reddish complexion, and eyes, methinks, narrower and more turned up at the outer corners than ours, answering to the description of his race. Besides his underclothing, he wore a red flannel shirt, woolen pants, and a black Kossuth hat, the ordinary dress of the lumberman, and, to a considerable extent, of the Penobscot Indian.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“The Sage of Toronto ... spent several decades marveling at the numerous freedoms created by a “global village” instantly and effortlessly accessible to all. Villages, unlike towns, have always been ruled by conformism, isolation, petty surveillance, boredom and repetitive malicious gossip about the same families. Which is a precise enough description of the global spectacle’s present vulgarity.”
—Guy Debord (b. 1931)