Baby Puppy

[twodoggies2001]

Yesterday, I met an absolutely gorgeous baby puppy. The owner called it a Husky malamute. I thought she meant it was a cross breed, but no, she was adamant it was pure. She said that Huskies are called Siberian Huskies and Malamutes are called Husky Malamutes. The thing that I was taken aback with was that the fact that this puppy was picked up from the farm breeder on the Sunday, and this was Tuesday and the pup was pout and about at the park. The pup is 8 weeks old. I didn't comment but she was chastised by other dog owners about the pup not being vaccinated. Her response was that it's OK because the pup was brought up on a farm with many other animals so there wasn't a problem. Another thing she spouted was that Malamutes were NOT to be fed raw because it made them aggressive. My mini Schnauzers are fed raw and don't have an aggressive bone in their body. As it was, the pup was growling at and snapping other dogs in the group, and I'm not convinced that this was play. As an example, I always carry liver treats for my boys as a reward for coming when called. This pup was wanting some and whenever any of the group of dogs approached me, the pup then growled and snapped. The owner, unfortunately, wouldn't take any advice from owners in the group and obviously knew better. At 8 weeks, that pup was almost the size of my minis and has a whole lot of growing to do. Hope she knows what she's doing.

[tdierikx]

The correct breed name if pure/pedigreed is Alaskan Malamute.

8 week old pups of uncertain vaccination status run a risk of picking up diseases from places highly frequented by other dogs of unknown backgrounds - even if they've been fine "on a farm with other dogs".

8 week old pups can be overwhelmed at lots of other dogs checking them out in dog parks... and if not handled properly, can lead to fear issues, including fear aggression.

Alaskan Malamutes grow into VERY LARGE dogs... proper socialisation is crucial while they are still small enough to handle.

T.

[Little Gifts]

I don't even know where to start with that owner but that pup has teenage surrender written all over it already with her as its owner.

Edited February 17, 2015 by Little Gifts

[persephone]

poor puppy .

[BC Crazy]

poor little fella

Little gifts I'm hearing you....

[Yonjuro]

...gosh that is sad, not only an ignorant owner but also an owner of a cross between two very full-on breeds. The Siberian Husky crossed with an Alaskan Malamute is not uncommon and from what I gather the offspring don't differ widely from the two original breeds. A well bred Sibe or Mal is a handful for any dog owner let alone a cross of unknown temperament and health. As Little Gifts said I can see another dog going to a Northern Breed shelter

Edited February 18, 2015 by Yonjuro