merimask | Grrr!

Crap crappity crapstick! The freaking sump did NOT pass inspection this morning (even though we had it installed just a few months ago BY A PLUMBER WHO OUGHT TO KNOW WHAT "UP TO CODE" MEANS!! *snarl*). So now I need to get some electrical work done and it's just ONE more thing that's making me growly.

AND!

Did you know that Siberian Huskies are apparently vicious killers? Yes. According to our insurance company, that is so. They have a list of about 6 dog breeds that'll prevent you from getting homeowner's insurance and the Sibe is on the list...right between German Shepherds and Pit Bulls.

*sigh*

So we are going to have to get homeowner's ins. from someone else besides Traveller's, which would have sucked because we get our car ins. from them and bundling different ins. policies should have saved us money. HOWEVER! Turns out we got a better quote on car & homeowner's from a different company so we'll just be going with someone else for all our insurance needs, thank you. Buh-bye Travellers...don't let the door hit you in the ass on your way out.

The funniest part is Kiba is absolutely the sweetest dog I've ever owned. Really, he's a creampuff. Loves children and strangers. The only person he barks at is the mailman...and that's 'cause he's begging for a treat (the mailman always brings biscuits for him). I just don't get it...he's the least aggressive, least territorial dog I've ever seen (which is true to breed standard...Siberians are just sweeties by nature). S'funny. *shrug*

Oh well!

To console myself this morning (because all these setbacks are character-building, don'tcha know) I have attempted to restore balance to the universe by paying off my Target card and filing my sales taxes early like a good girl. Perhaps that will appease the perverse whim of whatever godlings I somehow pissed off, and they'll stop messing with me now. Please.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

OMG your insurance company is WHACKED! We had a German Shepard for years and she was so docile she didn't even back, and she was easily frightened! I can't believe they judge dog breeds like that!

Your dog is GORGEOUS by the way. Huskies was our school mascot at NIU so at the football games they would bring the Huskies form local shelters out to the field to run. The were all so gorgeous and well behaved.

*didn't even bark, I mean

My aunt had a German Shepard, and that was the evilest dog under the sun...violent to the extreme. So it seems to vary a lot with that breed. But I've never heard of a violent husky. I mean I'm sure it happens, occasionally, as it would with ANY animal, dog or otherwise...but the only ones I've ever known were fawningly friendly.

Some breeds *are* naturally more territorial and violent, though.

I wonder if it's the psychology of the dog too, because our Shepard was rescued from a shelter. They told us she was so shy and scared because she'd been abused so badly since she was a puppy.

But still, it's not like I haven't *heard* of violent Shepards before, same for Pit Bulls.

But Huskies? WEIRD.

I think it is the psychology of the dog. I knew this horrible little beagle that was psychotic as hell. And by nature Beagles are not violent dogs. His owner was an idiot too. Guess it rubbed off on him.

German Shepherds had the misfortune of becoming a really popular breed in the 50's...probably had a lot to do with Rin-Tin-Tin, a famous German Shep used in movies. Anyway, they got so popular that breeding for brains became secondary ('cause the pups were sought after so just everyone was breeding them), and the breed became really unstable in North America. Lots of attacks, lots of aggression, and really terrible hip dysplasia. The European strains of the breed are still wonderful. Smallish, solid, and SO sweet and smart, but that breed type isn't popular here (everyone wants really BIG sheps), which is unfortunate.

Popularity is the kiss of death for the stability and integrity of any breed in the USA. Right now labradors are getting messed with and miniaturized so that they hardly resemble the hunting dogs they once were. It's a shame, really.

I just can't imagine why huskies are on the list of "high-risk" breeds...it makes no sense to me or anyone who knows what huskies are like, really. All I can guess is they maybe lumped Siberians with malamutes (who can be a little...wolfish in nature and need a good strong alpha trainer). Or maybe people who have wolf hybrids misrepresent them as Siberians which I'm told happens a lot. *shrug* I dunno.

Thank you! Kiba is such a pretty boy. When we walk down the street people stop us all the time because he's so handsome. Just yesterday at the gas station I had a crowd of about 6 people standing around my car talking to him...I had to let him out so everyone could fuss over him. If he was at all agressive, a crowd like that would've freaked him out, but he loves attention & people.

I love German Sheps by the way. :-) One of my favorites, provided they're well-bred for brains & temperament. They can be the smartest breed around...really amazing dogs.

That's complete crap about Huskies being violent dogs! They're not violent breeds at all. I can understand about the Pitt Bulls, but not a husky. Pitt Bulls were bred for violence. Huskies were bred for working and guarding. Where in that is the violence against man?

That's like saying all Rottweilers are mankillers. Everyone I've ever encountered have been especially sweet. It all depends on the owners and their control.

It's mystifying to me...I can't imagine how Siberians made that list. :-/ Chows are on it (which I can see...they can be really aggressive), and pits too (understandable), and the rest of the dogs are just big. Maybe it's because they're large-ish and active and can potentially hurt someone?

Or maybe it's not for aggression at all. I've seen Kiba shred something in seconds when he's really motivated...maybe it's because the little miscreants are literally homewreckers! That'd sort of make sense.

As a former dog groomer I have dealt with everything from a toy spaniel that would tear out your throat if only he could reach, to a rescued ex-fighting pit that was just happy to actually be loved and didn't even flinch the day I cut a nail too short. I've been loved by and/or bit by dogs every every breeed and size, both purebred and mixed. I firmly believe that while some breeds do have a basic temperment type the biggest influence in what kind of animal the become is environmental. If we think about it we can probably find plenty of examples both to support breed specific fears and to refute them. Dogs are not people but one thing they have in common with us is individual personalities IMO.

Occasional there does occur true nutso cracker dogs that are just not right in the head (just like with people!) but I think most behavior/temperment issues are our fault and can be modified by someone who actually has a clue about dogs. Unfortunately I think the bulk of dog owners really are clueless.

Merimask you are 100% right that the worst thing that can happen to breed is popularity. A lot of decent pure breeds have been virtually ruined by crappy puppy mills and back yard breeders. There are tons of additions to the examples she cited there. Things like hemophilia in Irish Setters and sudden unpredictable violent outbursts in some spaniel breeds. Do not buy dogs from pet stores or amatuer breeders folks!

Kimmie

I hear you. For instance I ~love~ collies, they're so intuitive and clever. I will never have the collie I dreamed I'd have someday (when I was a kid I read every book by Albert Payson Terhune and Eric Knight...)because they've been so messed with that they're the saddest looking blind dysplastic needle-nosed things on four legs. :-(

I hate it when a breed gets popular. I got Kiba from a breeder who's line was from Oregon, because I noticed all the east coast Siberians were high-strung (not energetic; that's normal for huskies...I'm talking neurotic and shy, which isn't) and also really tiny with silky coats. That's the type that are winning East Coast dog shows, so that's what the breeders are looking for...dainty crazy soft fuzzy Siberians. These dogs would drop dead after an hour in a sled race, they're so fragile. Kiba is a big solid fellow and I have to say he really stands out among the other local huskies...people actually ask me if he's part wolf because with his size and his lovely coat and his big strong head he looks nothing like the wispy local Sibes. It took a year to find him though...I did a lot of research before I found him. It's hard to find a decent, healthy, stable dog these days.

I can kind of see Chows would be on there. That breed is very territorial. The few that I've been around have been prone to snapping. But I don't think the owners respected the breed. They kind of let them have the run of the place and do whatever.

Ya know, you're most likely right about it not being aggression.

lmao Didn't Kiba shred his kitty pool?

LOL! Oh that bad guy! He shredded that pool and then did it again with the replacement pool! The third one is the charm though because he's leaving it alone. I think I know why he was messing with the other pools; they had decals on the bottom, and I think he was trying to pry them off. The pool that's lasting is plain. He is SUCH a booger! I swear that dog is the reincarnation of a problem child . I always have to be one step ahead of him (good thing he's so pretty!).

Grrr!

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IMO Breed specific codes are bulls#$%t

Re: IMO Breed specific codes are bulls#$%t

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