Alaskan Malamutes

The Alaskan Malamute is a very old breed of dog with a long and interesting history. In fact, they are considered one of the oldest breeds of dogs and evidence of them can be found as far back as 3000 years. They were traditionally used as a working and hunting dog. They have been used as sled dogs because of their ability to pull large amounts of weight. They were also used to aid miners in the Alaskan Gold Rush and helping explorers reach the south pole. Sadly though, many of these dogs end up in an Alaskan Malamute rescue.

Those who work at an Alaskan Malamute rescue can tell you that their dogs are actually the lucky ones because those who end up in animal shelters are usually put down within a very short period of time due to the sheer number of stray or unwanted pets that need to be accommodated. This is very unfortunate because the Malamute is a very friendly and devoted dog that does very well in families.

The Malamute does well indoors because it is very nimble. It is a good breed for indoor life as well because grows to be around 24 inches tall and only weighs around 80 pounds. There are larger Malamutes, but those are usually bred for size and are not necessarily typical of the breed as a whole. They are also quiet as well. They do not tend to bark, but rather have a habit of “talking”. If they do howl though, it sounds almost exactly the same as the howl of a wolf. If you would like to own a Malamute, an Alaskan Malamute rescue would be able to tell you how well suited a Malamute is to your lifestyle and possibly make some suggestions to help you easily adjust to your new pet.

Malamutes are not a single person dog either. They do well in families and even do well with other pets, though sometimes you will need to supervise their interaction with smaller pets or children until they become accustomed to them. The main reasons that these dogs end up in an Alaskan Malamute rescue is because their previous owners were unprepared for their new responsibilities and decided it was better to give the dog away than try to work through their problems. Many of those problems though are easily corrected through obedience training. These dogs are great family pets and they can stay with your family for years due to their relatively long lifespans.