I have always wanted to get a husky.
They're great animals to have. In general, they're associated as a sled dog in northern regions, but what sets them apart is that they have a fast pulling style.
So are they pets or working dogs or both?
They can be both. They just recently became used more and more as simply pets, where groups have been working to find pet homes for retired racing and adventure trekking dogs.
Oh I should look for a retired one then maybe. Can they live in southern states?
It's possible, yes, but they're more appropriate for northern regions because of temperature, as they're an arctic breed. Speaking of arctic people, the term "husky" came from Eskimos originally.
Oh ok. What does the term husky mean?
So the Eskimos, or Inuit people, they formed it from a contraction of "Huskimos," and that's essentially a pronunciation that was given to the word Eskimos by none other than English sailors who came by on trading vessels.
That is so interesting, do you know anything else about huskys?
Well, they're often compared to the Alaskan Malamute, especially when it comes to sledding. But whereas Huskies are fast, the Malamute is a bigger dog, so it's powerful, and for heavier loads.