Don't Call Them a Husky

Brooklyn at Mt. Charleston in Las Vegas, NV.

Rule #1: Alaskan Malamutes are not Siberian Huskies. Loyal and cuddly furry friends come in all shapes, sizes and temperaments, but in my most biased opinion, one of the best breeds ever is the Alaskan Malamute. I guess I blame the dog shows for not spreading the word about Alaskan Malamutes more - since the footage typically skims over the whole Working Group of dogs and then quickly skips to do up close profiles of any breed but the Malamute. 


Now, they dog shows more often than not show the Siberian Husky, which really can look a lot different than the Malamute. It's the mask. It has to be the mask. People see a mask on my Malamute (meet Brooklyn) and the first thing out of their mouths is, "That's the biggest Husky I've ever seen!" Okay. Newsflash! She is an Alaskan Malamute. This is the point in the conversation when I typically go over the different traits that exist between the two breeds.


Shorter muzzle. Ears that are more on the sides of their heads rather than on top. A more stocky body frame. A mellower temperament. That's just a few. I tell people to just do some simple online searching and put a Husky image right next to a Malamute and the differences should be apparent.


However, as expert as I believe that I am in identifying the two breeds, there have been one or two Huskies who have fooled me in the past. They were actually larger than typical Huskies which made me think, "Is that a Malamute?" 


Plus, don't let me leave this out - there's the standard Malamute and the Giant Malamute. Brooklyn comes from the giant family yet I believe (I can't confirm) that she is the runt of her litter. The breeder had told us that no Malamute of hers had ever stayed below 100 pounds but Brooklyn has. She peaked at 97 pounds and she now comfortably sits at 93 pounds. 


I love my baby girl. She epitomizes the ultimate sense of loyalty. Meet Brooklyn. Brooklyn, meet everyone.