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For most husky farms the dogs are first and foremost a business, so - as with any farm animal - it makes financial sense to 'retire' older, lazier or less pretty dogs at the vets. We too have to make money from the farm or we couldn't keep looking after the dogs; that is part of our commitment to sustainability. But our dogs are part of our extended family. At least five live indoors and sleep on or around our bed each night, and another five rotate through the guide house. In the process they are house-trained and we learn which of them would enjoy life more as a pet than as a working dog (quite a few, seemingly!).
- We do not put down healthy, happy dogs purely because they can no longer work
- At least five dogs live indoors with the family; another five rotate through the guide house each night
- Retired, epileptic and heart-condition dogs live out their lives at the farm with summer walks and play
- Lazier dogs run as a '7th dog' on 6-dog teams just to keep their fitness up
- Adoption and sponsorship help fund this higher standard of lifelong care
Philosophy of Care
We have decided not to put down any dog that is healthy and happy. So we have older dogs that don't run, an epileptic dog, a dog with a heart condition and others all happily hanging out at the farm, taken for summer walks and playing in the running fence. We also run our lazier dogs (generally castrated to prevent accidents) as '7th dogs' on teams that would otherwise have only 6, just to keep their fitness up.
This policy is very unusual among kennels, but it doesn't seem right to put a dog down simply because it isn't fast or good enough to work, if it is still enjoying a good quality of life.
What this means for our costs
This puts our costs up and - though it is not reflected in our prices - really should be. Most people assume all husky farms care for their dogs equally, and so choose a mushing venue mainly on cost. We live in hope that one day people will choose our kennel for the care our dogs are given.
Our adoption and sponsorship programme is part of that commitment, ensuring the dogs have the best possible lives in our care. We appreciate your interest in these schemes.