If you have a few minutes to spare can you watch the following video and give me your opinion on the husky in the video?   I am not familiar with huskies and I'm curious if the behavior shown is normal or if you think the husky needs to be treated better by its owners.  

A quick summary:  Months ago neighbors complained to Animal Control as the newly acquired dog was barking/crying a lot at night.  Animal Control visited and told the owner that they needed to provide adequate outdoor housing for the dog.  Supposedly they got such housing (I guess the crate).  Some people visited the owners, kindly suggesting that the dog needs more walks, play time, etc.  The owners, college students, are unreceptive to any suggestions like that.   The mascot of the local college is a husky, so likely the students got a husky as that would be "cute".  (They obtained it in late summer or so.)  They don't really seem interested in giving it much attention. (It is in the little backyard area about 90% of the time.) 



(Jump to the 4:45 minute mark if you want to see the most "active" part of the video.  Many will find the whole video to be uneventful and perhaps boring.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRdOWGA2wT8

thanks!

Looks like a husky that needs company to me. It looks healthy though so, authorities probably couldnt do much about it if they wanted to. I'm not sure on your countries laws concerning animal welfare, but a crate wouldnt be considered adequate outdoor housing in my country. That dog needs a covered in kennel to protect it from the weather.

I don't think you can judge the dog or the owners because of 1 hour of video footage. But I don't think that it is right to let your dog outside the whole day no matter if he has a proper outdoor housing or not.

I don't agree with leaving a dog outside like that, but he actually seemed pretty mellow compared to mine. Luci acts 100x worse when she's not where she wants to be. This morning I dared leave her inside while I went to scoop poop in the yard, and she about knocked the door down.

Growing up our neighbours had two huskies from the same litter, and they loved to be outside. Their distinct husky howls and barks had other neighbours calling the authorities to report the dogs "attacking" each other. The owner took great care of them, and even passed out a letter with contact information also describing their playful vocal behaviour. Although these pups are in their mature days, when I visit home, in the early mornings I can still hear these two playing and howling.

So part of it might be the distinct howl/bark. But I as well don't agree with the shelter provided for outdoor living. If the facts presented are accurate in my opinion it is inappropriate.

I think the dog looks fine. It's healthy, has a gorgeous coat. Yeah, he probably wants to be inside, and that's what my dogs do when they wanna come in. I'd definitely say that he might rather be crated inside vs. outside but it's not like it's too hot in Seattle for him to be out there..

That is true. At the very least the weather in Seattle is pretty good for an outdoor Husky minus about 3 weeks in July.

I think the dog is just ready to come inside. Mine do that too when they want to come in. He looks healthy and like he's taken care of, as another member mentioned. He does look fairly calm, so maybe the owner(s) are exercising him early in the morning.

The only thing I don't agree with is if the dog is kept outdoors more than in, then he should have better shelter.

Did anyone else notice the person sitting in the window of the door in the beginning of the video? Maybe when this was shot they had a kid over, or a friend with another pet- and are unsure how their new dog will react, so as a precaution put him outside. Maybe they were doing some sort of training. I think its unfair to judge a person baised on the hour or so of footage ^ as mentioned above. Especially when we don't know all the facts

The dog looks healthy and a lot of dog enjoy being outside instead of inside.. He does seem to want to come in.. The only concern I would have with him being outside 90 % of the time is when he get bored he will find a way to escape the yard if the fence is not secure.

When Huskies get bored outside with will find a job as a landscaper and bored husky inside will become a decorator.

This vid made me sad watching him pace & pawing at the door. While he does look to be in good condition (well fed and a beautiful coat), he's lonely out there all by himself. The op said he's out 90% of the time. In my opinion, that's not right. Why have a dog if you're just gonna throw him in the backyard?

I agree. Can't really judge an owner based off this little rid bit of video. Plenty of members here have outside dogs that are loved and live very full lives. There is a big difference between an outside dog and a lawn ornament.

Thanks for all the comments thus far.

I agree that it's hard to get a full picture based on some snippets from one hour.  Unfortunately as I don't live in that area (I was videoing on behalf of a friend) I haven't had a chance to capture more "exciting" footage, like when the dog peed close to the door and the owners got upset and slapped the side of the dog.   Or the many moments at all hours when the dog is jumping and whining and scratching to get inside.  

I would also agree it's not a case of great neglect, the dog does has some shelter and is fed okay so far, etc.  But I was curious if people thought the small backyard area was sufficient (seen from 6:56-7:22 in the video).  There really is no grass for him.  His walks are basically to the corner store and back.  I can almost guarantee that he doesn't get to go to dog parks, good walks, etc.  

Responses to a few posts in this thread:

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Maybe when this was shot they had a kid over, or a friend with another pet- and are unsure how their new dog will react, so as a precaution put him outside. Maybe they were doing some sort of training.

Nope, they don't have kids over.  They are college students who mainly play video games, smoke pot (legal here, btw, notice the bong in the video), etc.   They did not put the dog outside as a precaution; he is outside 90% of the time.  They routinely sit on their couch, visible to the dog outside who wants in.  

Quote :

I'm not sure on your countries laws concerning animal welfare, but a crate wouldnt be considered adequate outdoor housing in my country. That dog needs a covered in kennel to protect it from the weather.

Word is that Animal Control went there again today (based on neighbor complaints) and they confirmed that apparently there is a legal/adequate doghouse inside the crate that can kinda be seen in the video.  

Quote :

Their distinct husky howls and barks had other neighbours calling the authorities to report the dogs "attacking" each other. The owner took great care of them, and even passed out a letter with contact information also describing their playful vocal behaviour.

This one is in a populated area, so they'd have to pass out a letter to dozens of nearby residents.  And they're not going to do that.

Quote :

Why have a dog if you're just gonna throw him in the backyard?

I guess it's similar to why people get a bunny at Easter time only to get bored with it later. As previously mentioned, the mascot for the UW is a husky, so likely they thought it would be cute to actually own a husky. I don't think they're that interested in fully taking care of a dog. But I guess we'll see as time goes on...

This is WAY off topic, but I like your screen name. My pup is named after Dizzy Gillespie, and our cat is named after Miles Davis. My hubby and I are both musicians, him professionally (hammond organ), and me hobbyist.

I feel so sorry for the dog. Like others said it is pretty hard to tell for an hour footage. However, if you are claiming that the dog is outside on its' own at most of the time or all the time. It is a prison to the dog. Maybe talk to your neighbor again, hopefully they would change the mind gradually.

Hi, I just wanted to give a short update on this dog that I originally posted about six months ago.  

In that time she's escaped ten or so times (found by other people and the dog eventually was returned to the owner(s)) and AC has visited them on more than a handful of times due to neighbor complaints (I believe they've been cited or warned about various "minor" issues like non-adequate food/water).  She is still kept outside most of the time and often seems to desire more play time.  

Below is about 16 minutes of video of her from the other week.   It will probably seem boring and long to most people, but since you like huskies maybe you'd still enjoy watching all of it.   Sorry if the video might been seem invasive; some of the neighbors asked me to take some footage so I grabbed some on one random day.   (I'm not exactly certain what caused the guy to seemingly get a little rough at the 8:38-8:48 range.)

If you do happen to watch this newer video and have any opinions, I'd love to hear them.  Thanks!

tl;dr: dog is still bored.

Maybe the dog isn't getting enough attention but I don't see anything alarming. They brushed the dogs's coat, they invited it in the house, and the dog seems fairly calm compared to what I've seen. Obviously a video clip isn't going to show the whole story but from what I can see they aren't doing anything terribly wrong.

Yeah I agree... Honestly I don't really get why you're so obsessed with your neighbors dog... He looks pretty well cared for even if he is an outdoor dog. FYI, most breeders we would consider reputable keep all their dogs outside, both show and working lines alike. Quite frankly, if the dog has shelter, food, and water, and you don't witness abuse, it's really none of your business.

You also need to understand that for some people, it is culturally unacceptable to keep dogs in the house. I didn't sit here and watch the entire video but she seems well taken care of, happy to see her people, etc. Like Nicole said though, she may not be getting enough attention / interaction but she does not look abused at all.

Eh, I see a dog who is bored and under stimulated. When her people appear at the door at 8:30 when the dog wakes up, I don't like the expression and generally body language the dog gives. Multiple attempts are made to call the dog in at which the dog doesn't seem sure what is being asked or if the dog is going to get in trouble. And that's sad. I wouldn't want my dogs to greet me like that. It's unfortunate for the dog, they really should just do it a favor and find it a family who enjoys it.

arooroomom wrote:

Eh, I see a dog who is bored and under stimulated. When her people appear at the door at 8:30 when the dog wakes up, I don't like the expression and generally body language the dog gives. Multiple attempts are made to call the dog in at which the dog doesn't seem sure what is being asked or if the dog is going to get in trouble. And that's sad. I wouldn't want my dogs to greet me like that. It's unfortunate for the dog, they really should just do it a favor and find it a family who enjoys it.

I have to agree. At around 8:43, you see them take in the dog and one of the owners flips the dog over on it's side hard enough that you hear the smack onto the floor. The dog immediately goes outside terrified. You can tell that at least this person has hit the dog one way or another, and that is really sad. She is terrified of him. She runs away with ears tucked and is completely unsure of what is about to happen next. Obviously, this video isn't proof of any abuse, but it's just what I personally see from it asides from the obvious boredom.

Rocio_Caballero wrote:

I have to agree. At around 8:43, you see them take in the dog and one of the owners flips the dog over on it's side hard enough that you hear the smack onto the floor. The dog immediately goes outside terrified. You can tell that at least this person has hit the dog one way or another, and that is really sad. She is terrified of him. She runs away with ears tucked and is completely unsure of what is about to happen next. Obviously, this video isn't proof of any abuse, but it's just what I personally see from it asides from the obvious boredom.

Ditto - at the 8:38 mark (plus/minus 1 minute) a man with a white shirt grabs the dog, flips him and I can't see what else - the dog comes out with significant submissive behavior than a girl comes out and looks to be be comforting the dog and she seems upset. Later, the other male in a tee shirt comes out, is brushing the dog and also seems to be comforting the dog - he also has some affect to suggest being upset, presumably with what transpired earlier.

wpskier222 wrote:

Quite frankly, if the dog has shelter, food, and water, and you don't witness abuse, it's really none of your business.

Yes, I agree with that. This dog though has escaped around 10 times. So when it's appearing on people's lawns or wandering in the streets of a crowded urban area then it becomes other people's business to a degree. The dog apparently used to howl quite often so the neighbors had to listen to that. (I am not a neighbor of the dog, was just asked to take some video by neighbors.) The added shelter, food, and water, only appeared after some neighbors made complaints. I agree that the video shows no egregious abuse, although apparently some neighbors have witnessed some abuse of one sort or another.

In any case, thanks for the input from everyone!

First off she is a twin to my girl. I was so sad for this dog, she has no outside room, no toys to play with. Obviously she is well fed, and groomed, but that dog is terrified of the larger guy. Huskies are pack animals they want to be with some living creature be it humans or another dog. She is bored and lonely, she made up her own game of tugs with the mattress. The containment that she has is way too small. To sleep out and eat, it is fine, but certainly not enough room for her to walk or play. To be honest it broke my heart. A dog needs room to play and to be loved and she is not getting enough of that. She is obviously submissive and because of the improper interaction of people, exercise, and toys, she escapes to find that. When she's there she is a shell of a dog, that's why she is so calm. To a certain extent she is in an abusive situation, she is not a beagle, or a chihuahua, if so there would not be a problem with space, exercise, etc. There needs to be more to life than what this husky is living, if you call it that. I gave my girl extra hugs and a kiss after completely watching both videos. I'm so sad for her. I hope she can find her way to a correct and loving forever home.

And by the way to the original poster, yes both videos displays husky behavior. If I were you I'd come up with some money and offer it to the college kids and take her off their hands and love her forever.

I also agree with everyone above. Nothing really screams abuse. The dog is taken care of.
But I do have to say she is skiddish of the guy in the white shirt, so he must have hit her before. And she doesn't seem to have much room to play. I wish I could take her.