#direwolves
The Night Wolf and true queen.
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Outfit referenced from @kraehenkunst ‘s gorgeous Arya/Nymeria post
Day 1: creatures (a PSA for direwolves and huskies)
I once dressed up as Arya (season 7) for Halloween and brought my husky Mochi to work to be my Nymeria :) His coat resembles Nymeria, but he is more quiet and calm like Ghost.
I admit that the first airing of season 1 inspired me and so many others to want our very own direwolf, and thus increasing the popularity of the husky breed. Unfortunately that increase of popularity also increased the business of puppymills and the number of huskies ending up shelters—given up by owners who couldn’t handle the working breed and its high energy.
Please research on the breed’s behavior traits if considering to adopt: Huskies are notoriously high-maintenance. Their majestic dense double coat will constantly shed throughout the year and blowout the entire undercoat twice a year. There will be A LOT of hair (say goodbye to your dark clothes and hello to white strands in your food). This high energy breed requires at least an hour of intensive exercise everyday or else they will destroy your house or jump a 6-foot fense out of boredom. Like wolves, they are very intelligent but independent and willful—training is a challenge and the breed is not recommended for first time dog owners. The owner must be strong, confident, and assertive if they want to inspire leadership in the pack (think Robb Stark or Jon Snow). You cannot change the nature of a husky to fit your lifestyle, but you can change yourself and your lifestyle to fit the needs of your husky.
If still up for the challenge of owning a husky, I’d like to encourage people to adopt grown huskies either from shelters or rescue groups instead of pet stores. I adopted my Mochi from a rescue group that specialized in fostering and finding homes for discarded Siberian huskies. Mochi was retired from a puppymill and was already house-trained and crate-trained when he entered my home (thanks to the foster home he lived in). Also, one of the biggest advantages to adopting an older husky is that you skip the overwhelming puppy energy years (and that last about 3 years).
Despite how much work they require, huskies are affectionate, friendly with strangers, and loyal (just don’t let them off leash cuz they’ll run). They are wonderful dogs and deserve all the love in the world ❤️