Good morning,

I just wanted to post to see if anyone can shed some light or maybe I just need to vent a little bit.

My Husky Rogue is 7 months old and yes - I did get him from a Craigslist ad and still to this day say I saved him and have a lot of remorse that I didn't take all the huskies they were rehoming.

I met both of his parents on site - both beautiful Sibe's and the owner said she didn't have the money to register the litter but that both parents had papers. I wanted a pet so I was not worried about "papers", and again - the state that living conditions he was in were less than optimum.

That is just a little back-story to my post. What has got me on a rant is that for the third time - this weekend I had someone tell me that Rogue "Obviously isn't a purebred".

Now honestly if he is or isn't it really doesn't matter a whole lot - I love my boy and he is a beautiful pup and I didn't get him as a show dog. But the remarks always come off as a snobby retort! And the reason for each remark has been because his coat isn't at all wiry or rough - in fact it is super soft and silky.

I asked my vet the first time we had a remark made (because it was by another husky owner in her office) and she looked him over completely and said that in her opinion he looked like a purebred. She said she would be hard pressed to say he was a mix of any kind, and even laughed that the other owner was a little jealous because Rogue is such a sweet boy. (Everyone at the vet's loves him!)

Then this weekend we went to the dog park and there was a husky with Rogues coloring and markings - they looked like brothers! And the other couple were loving Rogue but saying that he was a little small - and I told them he was only 7 months old so at this they said they guessed he could still grow. Then they said that with his coat being so soft he could not possibly be "purebred" and they hoped we didn't spend a lot of money on him.

I kind of went into a "Mommy" mode and said he didn't matter to me because he was the best boy in the world and I loved him no matter what. I think they kind of realized that they hurt my feelings and agreed that he was a good boy, and then they left shortly after.

All three times that a comment has been made (by different husky owners) it was based on his coat alone! So I am now wondering - are there not any soft and silky huskies? Is it possible that his fur is soft just because he hasn't "blown" his first coat? Just curious. Thanks for letting me vent!

Bode had a very very soft puppy coat up until his first blow, now you can notice the coarser guard hairs. That could be Rogue's case, he's still young. And I wouldn't describe any husky's coat as 'wiry or rough', the guard hairs are just coarse as opposed to the very soft undercoat.

Obviously I haven't seen or touched Rogue, but sounds normal to me. Just try to brush off others remarks. Obviously they have nothing better to do.

A more recent picture of Rogue:

First off what are you feeding Rogue?  Most husky owners I meet at the park feed Purina or Pedigree or some other crap. A quality dog food does wonders for a coat.  Also are giving supplements?  I give my boy salmon oil and vitamin E and his coat is super shiny and soft.  He gets stopped by other husky owners all the time asking what I'm doing to him. His vet even mentioned how good he is looking.  So don't sweat it they are just jealous.

People can seriously just be very tactless. -_-

Mishka's coat used to be tons silkier than it is now that his guard hairs are coming in. That soft puppy fluff doesn't last very long, but I still see people that supplement their dogs with coconut oil, fish oil, vitamin E, feed raw, etc. that still have VERY soft, smooth coats.

I would just ignore them when you can.

I think Rogue looks pure husky. He probably still just has a lot of puppy coat. My little guy was super soft and still is around his head area (6 months), but his back and butt are filled out with the typical coarse guard hair and soft fluffy undercoat. I noticed in the last couple weeks a bit of a difference in his coat as well (its just changing as he grows). Every puppy develops differently, and although he may not be a well bred husky (nothing against Rogue, I use that term more as a description of the breeder and their practices rather than a description of him per se), he looks like a husky nonetheless. In fact, I think he's pretty adorable! I think a lot people (husky owners included) just don't understand not only the range of colors and markings allowed for huskies, but also that different dogs grow and mature differently. Personally, I had never even seen an agouti husky until I joined this site and became more educated. They think that if your dog doesn't look similar to their dog, it must not be a full husky. I get all sorts of comments about Dizzy (I even have this lady who regularly bullies us on walks), and sometimes it bothers me, but most of the time I just roll my eyes and walk away. A lot of people as me if he's a mal because he has brown eyes.

Check out Mechta's photo album. She has a very unique coat, but not only is full husky, but is also from a well respected and extremely experienced breeder. Her puppy coat was very soft, silky, and shiny the last time I saw her, but from some recent pictures, she looks a little fluffier. She is very unique and a gorgeous dog,  but is from slower maturing lines. Some husky owners don't even recognize that she's a husky! Anyway, I think Rogue is a cute, typical, husky. I love his little white spot on his neck.

I just tend to ignore those people. Everywhere we go people see Yuki and go 'is she full sibe?' and when I say yes they go 'reeaally?' or 'she can't be. my sibe was 80 pounds.' And Yuki's fur is pretty soft too, but I feed her coconut oil five times a week and shes still got a bit of puppy coat. Honestly it really ticks me off when people question my dogs breed as if I don't know what I'm talking about, and they never have a sibe themselves they generally have a lab or some other breed completely different from sibes, but they know everything there is to know since they watched the movie Snow Dogs. I want to make a keychain of her AKC 5-gen pedigree and have her wear it on her collar just so people stop asking me.

Thank you all so much. I think I just needed a little Rally because I am feeling much better. I just can't believe how some people think it's okay to snub a pet just because they don't fit into their standards. I mean, these guys are our Family!

I suppose the best lesson to learn would be from Rogue himself. He will greet everyone (either with two legs or up to four paws!) with interest and excitement, and if they don't want to pay attention him, then he is off to make friends somewhere else. We should all write a collaborative book called "Things I learned from my Husky"!

That would be a great thread to start.

I would not worry about what people say about the coat texture.. I have two huskies that are full grown they are both about 3 years old. One has a very soft silky coat she is really fluffy my other one has a soft coat but his is a bit coarse. I feed coconut oil everyday and fish oil one in the morning and one in the evening. Well sort of once a week i give them sardines with a meal and another time during the week I usually give them a raw egg.

his coat looks fairly simular to blu's currently (with the exception of coloring, his coat is more of an orangeish brown and a dark brown stripe down his back). I've gotten a few negative comments about him from a few choice people, saying he doesn't look pure bred because of how small he is or that he was poorly bred because he has a snap tail... blah blah blah, snobby bullshit i say.

of course these are all from random people walking down the street who dont even own a husky (or even a dog half the time). infact the other day i was walking blu through a fair and this lady walked by and said to her friend that he looked like the big bad wolf... i turned around and said out loud to her "i didn't know they had bearded ladies at carnivals these days!" her jaw dropped, i smiled and walked on. was it too harsh? probably... but i look at it like this, if you cant say anything nice... quit flappin your gums.

I wouldn't worry about it. Most people are completely misinformed. Hell Lucian is over a year old, and still has most of his puppy coat. He literally has a mohawk of guard hairs starting on his neck, all the way down to his butt. He also has a few stray guard hairs here and there, but most of him is still dense soft puppy fur. Looks kind of funny.

I'd say it's purely ignorance on the part of the other people. I know it hurts, but just ignore what they say. My two are siblings/littermates and 4.5 years old. Their coats are different. Hers is more fluffy to the point where people ask if she's still a puppy. His is sleek but they're both soft. People are stupid. Charlie...I think your comment fit the situation perfectly.

Kenzi is an adult and has super soft fur as well. She has some coarse hairs on her back mixed with her rabbit fur-like hair that covers the rest of her. We always have people commenting on how soft she is but never someone so rude as to insist she isn't pure bred based on that softness. Now the size comment I've heard a ton even though Kenzi is right in line with standard as females go and I tell that to everyone that opens their mouth about it. To get that from a husky owner is a tad startling, but they probably paid the big bucks for their dog and assumed that more money=better dog, which isn't necessarily true, therefore anything different than their dog is not pure. People can be dumb and you aren't alone in dealing with their ignorance.

I'm just going to come out and say whoever these husky 'experts' are that are telling you that your boy couldn't possibly be a purebred because of his soft coat are flat out morons. At 7 months old that is still a puppy coat which is a lot softer and finer than an adult coat. Anyone that has raised more than one Siberian from puppyhood should be able to recognize this. Also at 7 months old there is a lot of growth potential in your boy unless his growth plates have closed which I can CLEARLY see in the standing photo they do not appear to have closed. Shrug off these 'experts' because it's clear they have no idea what they are talking about.

HuskyMom09 wrote:

I'm just going to come out and say whoever these husky 'experts' are that are telling you that your boy couldn't possibly be a purebred because of his soft coat are flat out morons.  At 7 months old that is still a puppy coat which is a lot softer and finer than an adult coat.  Anyone that has raised more than one Siberian from puppyhood should be able to recognize this.  Also at 7 months old there is a lot of growth potential in your boy unless his growth plates have closed which I can CLEARLY see in the standing photo they do not appear to have closed.  Shrug off these 'experts' because it's clear they have no idea what they are talking about.

Just out of curiosity, how can you tell from the standing photo they haven't closed yet? I didn't realize you could actually see that.

wpskier222 wrote:

HuskyMom09 wrote:

I'm just going to come out and say whoever these husky 'experts' are that are telling you that your boy couldn't possibly be a purebred because of his soft coat are flat out morons.  At 7 months old that is still a puppy coat which is a lot softer and finer than an adult coat.  Anyone that has raised more than one Siberian from puppyhood should be able to recognize this.  Also at 7 months old there is a lot of growth potential in your boy unless his growth plates have closed which I can CLEARLY see in the standing photo they do not appear to have closed.  Shrug off these 'experts' because it's clear they have no idea what they are talking about.

Just out of curiosity, how can you tell from the standing photo they haven't closed yet? I didn't realize you could actually see that.

I *believe* it's because he still has those little "bumps" down on the front of his legs, which means the growth plates are still overlapping, so he is not fully grown. Correct me if I am wrong someone.

That's interesting. Thanks!

Yes those bumps down on his "wrists" indicate the growth plates are still open. When they are basically flat that means they are closed.

HuskyMom09 - Thank you for your expertise. That is great to know, just on a personal level. And again to all who commented, a huge Thank You! We do take great pride in the care of our baby, not only with premium food but my friends all laugh because I not only give Rogue a good shampoo, but we use conditioner as well. Yes, he is a spoiled baby, but the fact that he loves water and his bath time so much makes THAT part easy!

I agree with all that was said. People usually don't know what they are talking about. People still walk by us and say is that a wolf? lol.

we have been noticing the difference in kibas coat since she blew her puppy coat about a month ago. big difference. it went from SUPER silky, to somewhat rough and now its shorter than it was (i guess b/c its summer?) and kind-of silky. Anyhow, its all part of the normal growth they go through. and all the comments about huskies being big dogs irk me. that has to be the biggest mis-conception we've encountered. Kiba is 36lbs at about a year and I HAVENT MET A SINGLE PERSON that KNEW that's normal. they all think shes 5 months old or a "mini" husky. anyhow your pup is adorable! ive had sibe owners say snobby things to me too and i just smile and ignore them. : ) our dogs are perfect the way they are

Delilah is a purebred. I have no papers, but I know she's a purebred. Every little bit of her is absolutely husky and she has a soft coat. Just because it's out of standard, doesn't mean it isn't something that can happen.

Lynn.Karpati wrote:

I agree with all that was said. People usually don't know what they are talking about. People still walk by us and say is that a wolf? lol.

Lol, I've learned wolf in about 5 languages because so many people think he's a wolf and I hear them say it as we walk by...