The dark consequences of Game of Thrones: Dog rescue charity takes in hundreds of abandoned huskies after hit show sparked surge in backyard breeding
- A NZ based husky dog rescue charity wants 'backyard breeding' banned
- It has been receiving hundreds of abandoned huskies since the launch of GoT
- Many abandoned dogs were named 'Ghost', 'Arya', 'Sansa', 'Nymeria' and 'Snow'
A husky dog rescue charity wants 'backyard breeding' banned and offenders slapped with a $30,000 fine.
Michelle Attwood, who founded the Canterbury-based Husky Rescue NZ, said her charity has received hundreds of abandoned huskies every year since the launch of Game of Thrones in April 2011.
Ms Attwood said their connection to the recently concluded HBO series was obvious as the abandoned dogs were named after popular characters such as 'Ghost', 'Arya', 'Sansa', 'Nymeria', 'Stark' and 'Snow'.
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A husky dog (pictured) rescue charity wants 'backyard breeders' banned and slapped with a $30,000 fine
Ms Attwood said huskies became a 'real status symbol' after they were featured on the show.
'Game of Thrones has an animal called a Direwolf. It has made the wolfy breeds very popular, especially huskies,' she told Daily Mail Australia.
'They are lovely pets for the right people who are educated about the breed and know what to expect.
'But most are not especially those who buy from backyard breeders.'
Michelle Attwood (pictured), who founded the Canterbury-based Husky Rescue NZ, said her charity has been receiving hundreds of abandoned huskies every year since the launch of Game of Thrones in April 2011
Ms Attwood said currently they have 53 huskies in their care.
She said people surrendered the dogs within six to 18 months of purchasing them for a variety of reasons.
'It escapes all the time... It won't come back when called... It killed the cat or small dog.. I don't have time for the exercise... I can't find a rental home' were some of the reasons owners gave when they surrendered their huskies.
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She said huskies require a lot of exercise and if left to their own devices get bored with inactivity.
'They become escape artists.'
'If the owner fails to establish their position as leader, the husky, with its strong pack mentality, will become the pack leader instead and be almost impossible to discipline or control.'
Ms Attwood said their connection to the recently concluded HBO series was obvious as the abandoned dogs were named after popular characters such as 'Ghost, Arya, Sansa, Nymeria, Stark and Snow'
Ms Attwood blamed the oversupply by backyard breeders as a major contributing factor and said it has to stop.
'We are asking that backyard breeding of dogs and cats be made illegal in New Zealand, she said.
'South Australia made backyard breeding against the law, but made some mistakes in their exceptions and in their starting dates in our collective opinions.'
She said backyard breeders should be imposed a $30,000 fine.
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