Good afternoon to everyone!

Me and my family reside in wonderful upstate NY. We own a home with .75 acres but it is in a country setting, so plenty of room get out and about. It's a pretty quiet area, with some other dog owners (one husky owner about 1/3 mile down road) and a dog kennel business. Our backyard is a good size and fenced in. We have a son who is Autistic, he has a high amount of energy. He has a very curious nature for animals of all sorts but at the same time is very scared because of animals unpredictability. We also have plans on having another child in the near future. Me and my wife also would love to have a running/walking companion (running after 1 yr old). Downside when things go back to "normal" after covid-19, he or she will be home alone 7 - 8 hrs Monday - Friday.
Guess I'd just like to know from owners, and their experiences if a Husky would be a good fit for us. We're both dog lovers, and after doing a little bit of reading I want to be sure things will work out even if it requires some hard work on our end of course. Any advice or thoughts are appreciated. Glad to be here and thank you in advance.

Please don’t take this the wrong way but I would say no, just because huskies are so high energetic when they get excited he/she would easily knock over your son who you said is scared of animals as it is, so having a medium size dog bouncy and knocking you over isn’t going to be a good mix,
Also leaving a Siberian husky alone in a house for 7-8 hour will have extreme consequences as a bored husky is a destructive husky and it wouldn’t be fair to create him/her for that long either.
I don’t want it to be a “bad dog you’ve destroyed the sofa” and then said dog being punished because you’ve left him/her for so long.

Also huskies need a lot of mental stimulation and exercise every day, or you will end up with a very over ruling destructive dog on your hands.

Although it seems a lot of negative, I’m saying but if you do decide to get a husky you will need to give him/her the proper training and time they will need, and after look down when you are at work if you could find a doggy day care a dog walker or sitter that can spend a few hours with him/her every day so they aren’t left alone for long hours, you will have the most loyal loving and amazing dog on your hand that will love you unconditionally! Dogs are for life not just covid-19 lock down time passer, And I say this because I’ve took in so many Cockapoos/labradoodles spaniels In to my kennels because they are being dumped because we are now coming out of lockdown in the uk and people dont have time for there pets any more!

Liv_Skye,

First thank you for responding to my post, it's appreciated. I should have mentioned a few other things in my original post. One, my son isn't small by any means and he is also 14 yrs old, I don't think he'll be easily knocked over especially starting off as a puppy. Also I don't know if you know anything about autism but when I say sacred I don't mean running away terrified. We currently have no pets what so ever and I know with good guidance, education, and the right pet (obviously why I'm here) he will do great. I think it's more a question of a good match in overall temperament and personality? Which brings me something else I should have mentioned which I can understand you've probably seen a lot of due to covid-19. We've never had a pet before due to the fact we've just purchased our home under a year ago and we were previously in a small apartment which barely fit us. We in no way wanted to bring a pet into that situation as it would have been unfair for both parties. This is something we've talked about for years, not something we're trying to do on a whim due to covid-19 or anything else.
The home alone issue is something I've always been concerned about. I'd hate to have he/she alone for so long due to both of us working which is unavoidable. Never really considered a dog walker but it's a good idea. I have a couple other ideas but still feel they wouldn't solve the loneliness issue. If anything this is number 1 or 2 on my list of reasons not to go ahead with a Husky.
I really appreciate your response Liv thank you for some insight, anything else you can tell me is more than welcome!

After reading your second message, I'd argue with @Liv_Skye. Husky's can be a real mess but one the other hand, they;re also one of the most sensitive breeds I've seen.

If you can get him out for a walk before work in the morning and then a decent amount of exercise in the evening crating him during your work day shouldn't be a problem - they seldom do much except sleep while you're gone and they're home alone.

If you get a puppy, then it should be fairly easy to train him to respect your sons boundaries - you might be surprised to find them bonding well ... stranger things ... depending where your son falls on the scale, you might be able to get him involved in feeding / training which should help him.

And I have to ask, my definition of "upstate New York" begins north of Syracuse ... what's yours?

Sorry I just assumed your son was of younger age! but huskies are social dogs they love to be around people and other dogs, so I disagree with you(sorry) I don’t think creating a dog in a confide space where they can’t run or stretch they legs properly for 7-8 hours isn’t fair on any dog, especially a husky that are known for having so much energy and the do have so much energy isn’t fair on them.

@liv_skye, and I agree with you on the 7 - 8 hrs. The only thing I've come up with is a runner in our backyard which as I mentioned it a really good size. Backyard is pretty much a square space roughly 200" x 120" and just thought may be able to convince my retired neighbor to come over during the day (a really friendly guy), but who knows.

@alijones, thank you for your input sir. The idea would be definitely to have our son involved as much as possible especially with feeding and training. And as far as upstate NY, Syracuse is western NY in my opinion. We live on the outskirts of the capital region, anything below the latitude of Albany I don't see as upstate.

So mine are mixes but mine are at completely opposite ends of the spectrum. Squirt with all her issues would actually be a perfect dog for you whereas spider would make you never want a pet again.

Even as a puppy squirt was easy.. housetrained at 5 months went to bed when they played taps at 10 stayed in bed until reveille knew to sit and shut up during the stuff on the pa system. Squirt can stay home alone upwards of 12 hours a day.

Spider is still only mostly housetrained, rude and loud but extremely sensitive. For all her bad qualities, she is a wonderful seizure alert dog and she trained herself but i cant leave her home or she will eat the house.

I dont live in a doggy daycare type place but that could solve alot of problems

If you are committed to training and exercise then there's no reason you couldn't have one. I have 3 and am gone to work 8+ hours a day. Huskies do fine in a normal full-time work away from the house scenario. Older dogs are much easier. I tend to avoid getting puppies because of the extra headache of potty training that can be a struggle when away several hours at a time. I think the biggest thing in your situation is finding the right dog. Not jumping at the first puppy that you think is pretty and works with your timeline. If you need a dog that is calmer for your son then looking to adopt an adult might be a better call. And you can go right to being gone for work for longer hours if need be without worry as much about accidents and you can go right to running once the dog has been medically cleared. Wear it out before you leave and again when you return home. Crate train or dog proof a room of the house to keep it in while away to reduce destruction until you get a routine and learn the dog.

Now, if you are looking for the dog to be a support dog, then I would look at a different breed. It can be very difficult to get huskies to pass the support dog testing. They are head strong and don't do well off leash and if put in a scenario of being let loose it can be very difficult to get them back so that would also be something to take into account depending on the tendencies of your household and potential for gates/doors being left open.

I like the goofy puppy stage but in this situation an adult dog might be a better fit. Another thing you didnt mention is sounds. Most autistic children i have been around have issues with barking or sudden noises and with an adult dog you will kind of be able to get an idea of that.

I would recommend fostering until you find the "right" dog for your family. It will give you time to make a decision

I also agree that an older dog and perhaps a different breed would be a better fit for your circumstance. One that comes to mind is a Greyhound if the running you're planning isn't too intense. They tend to be friendly, tolerant, are not big barkers, and are laid back.

On top of walkers, daycare can be an option for high energy dogs. They're the same thing as people daycare. They watch your dog while it socializes and burns energy with other dogs. Most require the dog to be at least 5 months old.