Huskies are filling up animal shelters throughout Riverside County, a trend likely attributable to a television series that features the breed, officials said Wednesday, asking residents who don’t mind the dogs’ trademark hyperactivity to consider adopting them.
According to the Department of Animal Services, huskies now rank as the fifth most impounded breed at county shelters, with 1,027 dogs sheltered in the 10-month period ending Oct. 31. During all of 2013, only 351 huskies were impounded, while in 2017, 943 came into the county’s possession, agency spokesman John Welsh said.
He said several employees discussed the trend and recently concluded that the HBO series “Game of Thrones” was likely connected to the surge. The show features “direwolves” — analogous to Siberian huskies — as characters, and animal services staff pointed to that as the impetus for people initially seeking the dogs as pets.
“We really do believe the series has caused our husky spike,” said Department of Animal Services Kennel Operations Chief Jaclyn Schart. “It’s the same trend shelters experienced with `101 Dalmatians’ or `Beverly Hills Chihuahua.’ Popular culture drives up interest in certain breeds.”
Schart said that adopters who take huskies as puppies often aren’t prepared when the canines mature and begin to exhibit their high-energy traits.
“They’re very cute as puppies, but then they grow up to become huskies, and they’re hyperactive,” she said. “Then the adopter brings them back.”
According to Welsh, huskies are the No. 1 returned breed at shelters.
Although the dramatic jump in husky impounds is worrying, Welsh said the breed is still outnumbered by others that are admitted to county shelters. Chihuahuas currently lead the pack, with roughly 2,800 impounds from Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, while 2,539 pit bulls and pit bull mixes were impounded. Just over 2,500 German shepherds were taken in, and about 2,000 terrier mixes ended up sheltered during the same 10-month period, according to Welsh.
Anyone interested in adopting the abandoned or surrendered huskies — and confident in being able to manage the dogs — was encouraged to contact the Department of Animal Services at (951) 358-7387, or visit www.rcdas.org.