Month: February 2021

History of Siberian Huskies

The history of Siberian Huskies starts in Siberia, Russia. The Chukchi people were isolated, so they needed to figure out a way to expand their hunting grounds. If they didn’t, then they would end up starving. This caused them to start breeding Siberian Huskies. The Huskies would pull sleds across large frozen wasteland. It wasn’t until the 1900s that Siberian Huskies became more known. The dogs would start winning sled races. But it wasn’t until the “serum run” when these dogs blew up.

In 1925, there was an illness break out in Nome, Alaska. There was medicine that could help with the outbreak, but there was only one way that the medicine could get to Nome. It was by using huskies to pull a sled to Nome. There was a few different sleds that were helping out with this journey. The dog sleds were spread throughout the trail. This was because the medicine was 658 miles away from Nome. There was no way that one sled could pull it all the way. This would be too tiring on the dogs. Another reason that it was so difficult was because of the weather. There were blizzards that were happening throughout the 5 and a half days. The person that was on the sled could not see, but the dogs were able to pull through.

 Huskies are able to deal with the harsh cold weather because of how they are built. Huskies have fur that is thicker than most dogs’ fur. Their fur is two layers. The bottom layer is a shorter and warmer layer. The top layer is longer and it is water-resistant. They are able to squint their eyes, so no snow gets into them. This helps the huskies when they are out in the snow pulling sleds. They have huge, fluffy tails that can protect them from the cold. They will wrap their tails around their face to keep them warm. The last thing that really helps them is that they can control their metabolism. This helps them when they go on long sled runs. It helps them not become fatigued. Also, Huskies can get hypopigmentation. This is when the dog’s nose starts to turn white. This a thing that naturally happens to their nose. When summer comes back around, their nose will lose the white pigmentation.

Siberian Huskies are amazing pets, but they also have some requirements. They need a lot of exercise. This because they were bred to run. Siberian Huskies can be very mischievous, so watch them carefully. Overall, these are amazing, gorgeous, and friendly dogs.

Resources:

https://foreverhusky.org/husky-101/about-the-breed.html

Siberian Husky

History of Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is a very popular commercialized holiday. It is celebrated in many different countries, like America, United Kingdom, Australia, and more. There are many theories on how Valentine’s Day came to be.

The first one is that it came from martyrs of the Catholic faith. It is hard to tell from which martyr it came from because there were a few. The first well known Valentine’s was a priest that married people behind the emperor’s (Claudia II) back. The emperor thought men that were married and had a family weren’t good soldiers. This made the emperor outlaw marriages. But Valentines still decided to marry people, in secret. When the emperor found out, he executed Valentines. The second Valentines was Saint Valentine of Terni, a bishop. Claudia II also killed him, but it is believed to be for different reasons. It was believed that Saint Valentine of Terni was helping Christians escape the persecutions that was happening in the Roman prisons. Valentine’s Day is named after Saint Valentine of Terni. The last theory is believed to be a priest that was in jail, who sent a letter to jailor’s daughter. This priest signed the letter “From your Valentine”. It is unknown where Valentine’s Day originated from. These theories come from a Christian perspective and beliefs, but the Pagans have a different beliefs.

The Pagans believed that the Christians were trying take over Lupercalia, a Pagan holiday. Lupercalia was a fertility festival that was dedicated to Faunus, Romulus, and Remus. Faunus is the Roman god of agriculture. Romulus and Remus were both the founders of Rome. This festival would start on February 15th. An order of Roman priests would gather in a sacred cave. It is believed that infant Romulus and Remus grew up in this cave. The priests would then sacrifice a goat and a dog. The goat represented fertility and the dog represented purification. The Roman priests would cut the goat’s hide into strips and dip is in the sacrificial blood. Then they would go out and gently slap the women and crop fields with the strips of bloody goat. The women didn’t mind being gently slapped by the bloody goat strips. They thought that it would make them more fertile. Later on, the women would place their names in an urn. The city bachelors would then would come and pick a name. This meant that the women and men would be paired for a year. In the 5th century, Lupercalia was outlawed.

Pope Gelasius declared that Valentine’s Day would be on February 14th. At this time, the holiday wasn’t associated with love. Around 1400s-1500s, valentine messages started appearing. In the 1800s, printed Valentine’s Day cards were being printed. This would happen later on. In present time, Valentine’s Day is a huge commercialized holiday. But this year’s Valentine’s Day, will be interesting, due to Covid.  

Resources:

https://www.history.com/topics/valentines-day/history-of-valentines-day-2

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valentines-Day

Guard Dogs VS. Protection Dogs

Did you know that there is a difference between guard dogs and protection dogs? It is very easy to think that they have a similar meanings, but they are two different type of dogs.

Guard dogs are trained to be working dogs, alerting their owners if there is intruders. It is hard for these dogs to stop training mode. There are 3 different types of guard dogs. The first one is an alarm dog. This type of guard dog is not physical. They have a low, threatening bark. Alarm dogs will usually use this type of bark to inform the owner of an intruder. The intruders usually get scared when the dog barks and will leave.  The second type of guard dog is a sentry dog. These dogs are trained to be on big properties. The owners will let the dogs roam around the properties by themselves because they are trained to attack intruders. The third type of guard dog is attack dogs. These dogs are trained to attack, and if needed, kill. They will only listen to their handlers. Attack dogs are not meant to be pets. They are not sociable dogs. The police and military are the only ones who should have these dogs. Guard dogs are not meant to be pets. They are meant to protect and work. Protection dogs can be pets.

Protection dogs create a connection with the family and can be considered a family member. These dogs don’t need to be trained on what they are naturally made to do. But they do need obedience training. It is important to get obedience training because they can start becoming dominant. Having a dominant dog in the family can be dangerous because they can get their roles confused. Reminding the dog that you are the alpha in the family will remind them of their role. Also, it is important to exercise the dog. This is important because the exercise helps them behave.

Guard dogs and protection dogs both require training, but they trained in different ways. It is important to think about how you want your dog to be trained and what kind of work you want them to do.

Resources:

https://www.mypspa.org/article/more/guard-dog-vs-protection-dog

The Difference Between Protection Dogs and Guard Dogs