Game of Thrones is not the best show to watch in search of role models. Whether it’s about parenting, friendship or just plain staying alive, well, pick another show if you’re looking for advice. The same goes with pet care.
Animals are our friends, which is why you should take better care of your dragons than Dany and protect your dogs better than the Starks protect, well, anything. Still, at least one pet shelter thinks Game of Thrones has directly influenced an unfortunate pet trend: an uptick in Siberian Husky breeds that need adoption.
This story comes from NBC Los Angeles, which says Riverside County’s animal shelters are seeing more huskies in recent years as the animal’s wilder lookalike — the dire wolf — appears on screen on HBO.
Animal Services Chief Jaclyn Schart says the shelter feels the dire wolves people see on TV lead to adoptions of Siberian Huskies, which are adorable but a lot to deal with. That leads to people giving up their dogs when they become too difficult.
“We really do believe the series has caused our husky spike,” said Schart, in a Department of Animal Services press release according to the station. “It’s the same trend shelters experienced with ‘101 Dalmatians’ or ‘Beverly Hills Chihuahua.’ Popular culture drives up interest in certain breeds.”
According to NBC Los Angeles, Riverside County shelters have seen a significant rise in Siberians in their ranks since Game of Thrones became a worldwide phenomenon.
In 2013, 351, or 1.7 percent of all impounds, consisted of husky or husky mixes in the county’s shelters.
As the show has gained popularity, the number of husky or husky mixes has increased to 1,027, or nearly seven percent of impounds in the county’s shelters.
The show’s pilot episode sees the Starks find six dire wolves and subsequently adopt them, and huskies look a lot like dire wolves do when they are young.
And indeed, these stories always seem to pop up when animals are used in wildly popular forms of media. Remember all those difficult to care for clown fish that were plucked from coral reefs and put into the homes of people not ready to care for a salt water fish tank after Finding Nemo hit theaters?
It’s almost certainly likely that there are other factors in play here, as those that run the shelter themselves have noted.
“They’re very cute as puppies, but then they grow up to become huskies and they’re hyper active,” Schart said. “Then the adopter brings them back.”
The shelter’s numbers say that 13 percent of huskies are returned, more than any other dog breed. An HBO show certainly doesn’t change those numbers, but the visibility of those cute, fluffy dogs on the air does, logically, attract pet wanters into adopting huskies more often in the first place.
(via NBC Los Angeles)
