Don't be fooled by sled dog heroics

One quick look at Carolina Johnson and Randy Moore's back yard and you know this gig isn't for everybody.

The lawn is as worn as an old rug and rutted with holes, none so deep as an expanding trench cutting beneath the garage. The 6-foot-tall chain-link fence also distinguishes the house from the rest of the neighborhood.

Given the precautions and the damage done, one might suspect this half-acre residential plot is quarantine for Beowulf fiends. In fact, the three dogs who live here are handsome, intelligent and so friendly they rarely bark at strangers. They are Siberian huskies, the breed that stars in "Eight Below," one of the most popular films in the country this winter. That can translate into a huge problem - for dogs and humans.

The movie that likely will trigger a run on huskies is an engaging yarn about eight sled dogs who save the life of a geologist twice during a scientific mission in Antarctica, only to be abandoned for six months following a monster snowstorm. Obeying off-screen commands with apparently effortless enthusiasm, the Disney dogs walk a leash over to the scientist in peril, loop it over his head, sit promptly when ordered, and fetch tossed balls.

"I couldn't believe it when I saw that," says Peggy Wright, president of the Siberian Husky Rescue of Florida. "They're not retrievers. The only thing I could think of was, the ball must've been soaked in something really good."

"The breed is challenging," Johnson says. "It's like having a 2-year-old for the next 15 years. They're always asking why and constantly exploring."

Within the breed, however, personalities are as disparate as appearances, say owners.

Trainer Clara Mutter calls Siberians "very trainable, but only if you're prepared to give them a lot of attention." That means running them for several miles early in the morning or in the evening after work. But never take a Siberian out without a leash, she warns. "If you're walking to the left," she says, "they're looking to the right."

Consider these traits:
- Huskies are escape artists.
- Huskies require lots of exercise, are easily bored, and can be destructive (digging, ruining furniture).
- Huskies are not good guard dogs.
- Huskies shed massive clumps of fur.
- Huskies obey only with extensive training.
- Cats and other small animals trigger their predatory instincts.

Reference: www.greenbaypressgazette.com

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