INTRODUCTION:

Although an ancient breed, the Mud Husky has never gained the popularity of other Northern Breeds. Some fanciers attribute this to hesitation of many Kennel clubs to allow the Mud Husky to be shown in competition. This reluctance is most probably because that in its natural state the Mud Husky presents a hazard to the carefully bathed and groomed coiffure of "fluff" breeds that frequent these shows.

Another factor in the Mud Husky's popularity, or actually complete lack thereof, is that to date, there is no one who will admit to being a Mud Husky breeder. We know that there are breeders out there, these dogs crop up in the most unlikely places, however there is no one willing to take responsibility for perpetuating the breed.

STANDARD:

Height: About 22 inches. Hard to measure since Mud Huskies spend most of their time asleep or rolling in something, and it is hard to get them to stand up for measurements to be taken.

Weight: 60 pounds. However we estimate that approximately 15 pounds of that is dirt.

Colour/Patterns: Undercoat-all colours, and patterns permitted. Including solids, brindles, pie-balds and saddled. Overcoat-brown.

Fur: Greasy dirty texture, which transfers to anything it comes in contact with.

Head: Shark like.

Eyes: Beady and devious. Often described as having a "hungry look".

Ears: Large, all the better to hear you eating something my dear.

Bite: Not often, only if they mistake your hand for pizza.

Legs: Long, well suited for their original function of running away.

Feet: Covered with mud, used to hit people wearing clean clothes.

Running away is something Mud Huskies are expected to do very well. If they are in a situation where running away is not an option, for example they are trapped on an island, then they are expected to swim away. When swimming away it is not important that the mainland is far away from them. The objective is to make the humans panic, and race to get them back. If a Mud Husky is trapped inside of a fence, it should climb or jump over it. If that isn't possible then the Mud Husky should burrow under. This has the added bonus of getting the Mud Husky very dirty. If both of these options are unavailable, then the Mud Husky should destroy something.

Mud Huskies steal food. A proper Mud Husky should within minutes of entering a new environment be able to pick out the person most likely to leave food lying around unattended and follow that person everywhere. Mud Huskies should also know how to steal food directly from a person's hand. Mud Huskies from excellent working lines are able to steal food directly from a person's mouth.

Mud Huskies get along very well with other dogs, however they are prone to petty bickering. Usually this will resolve on it's own when one actually bites another, and gets a mouthful of dirt.

GROOMING

Depending on your outlook, grooming Mud Huskies can be a fulltime occupation. However the more experienced owners (identifiable by their resigned look) simply let them be. Note: if you plan on being a guest of one of these owners it is best if you bring a vacuum for your bed if you object to sleeping in sand.

EXERCISE REQUIREMENTS:

They like to run, and run, and run, and run…….