Steve Coxhead lets the huskies out for a run and a howl. Photo / Dan Hutchinson

Steve and Taniya Coxhead love their huskies – it’s their passion and their livelihood – but they spend a lot of time explaining to people why they shouldn’t get one.

The couple run Timberline Huskies from their small block at Broadlands, running tours for the public and racing them in their spare time.

More than 12,000 people have done the tours which involve a demonstration, a bit of background on the breed and lots of cuddles with the friendly team of 16 Siberian huskies and one German shepherd.

Racing is mainly done in the forests around New Zealand, using wheeled rigs, with just one snow course available for sled racing, at Wairau Snow Park near Wanaka.

Steve said they moved to Taupō specifically to start up the business, and because Kaingaroa Forest, with its pumice soils, one of the best spots for racing in the country.

It soon became obvious that people were completely unaware the dogs actually made terrible pets for most people.

He said there were three things that made them a bad choice,

Firstly, they are not companion dogs and they have no loyalty to their owner, Secondly, they don’t come back when you let them go and thirdly, they have a strong prey drive which makes them a hazard to other small animals and pets.

“The Siberian Husky is the most rehomed dog in New Zealand and we get rung on a regualar basis by people wanting to know if we will take their huskies ... We would have a couple of hundred over there by now if we took every one. But we are not a rescue service.”

And the rescue services also get overrun by them.

He said there were only two registered Suiberian husky breeders in New Zealand, but a lot of what he calls backyard “puppy farmers” who breed them and sell them online for thousands of dollars, and don’t warn people of the inherent shortcomings of the breed.

The popularity of TV Show Game of Thrones, which featured ‘dire wolves’, had only made the problem worse, Steve said.

“You are better off to get a labrador or a good companion dog. These guys are like the drug trade. There would be no drug trade in the world if silly people don’t buy drugs. If there is no demand for these pups then the puppy farmer is going to have to find a real job.”

Their own male dogs are neutered and they only breed the bitches when they need replacements for their pack.

“If 30 people come and you’ve only got four dogs to pat, it’s not much of a show is it?”

He said they are classified as a menacing dog by councils and if they came to the attention of the local authority for the worng reason, there was every chance they could be put down.

“We believe the only solution is to educate people. This problem is huge and there is all these beautiful dogs getting killed out there and their recall is pretty much non-existent so they are also going to get run over on the road.”

The couple has been involved with huskies for 30 years and moved to Taupō because it was the ideal place to set up a tourism business based on the dogs and because the Kaiangaroa Forest was such a good place to run the dogs with wheeled rigs.

The Department of Conservation doesn’t allow the dogs to be raced on Crown land, so private forests were needed.

“We get a permit every winter and either go to the high level gate off Napier – Taupō road or we can go up through the off-highway road. We are the only people with a sled dog team in Taupō and Rotorua.”

The became interested in the dogs through a friend who had an Alaskan Malamut.

“After our third visit out there he was starting to get called Steve’s pup.

“All these things I’m telling you about - no recall and all that - we had to learn for ourselves. We got him because he was a beautiful looking dog.”

But they persevered with him and after attending husky racing events at a former logging camp in Kaingaroa Forest, they got into the sport.

“It was an outdoor education camp for a while but it became a center for our sport - we went out there, started entering all the single dog races and got hooked on it from there.”

After they set up their business at Broadlands, it quickly became obvious there was a general misconception about huskies and a lack of understanding about their characteristics.

“We have people come here saying ‘I really want to get a husky’ and they leave here, hopefully, seeing the other side and think ‘maybe it’s not the dog for us’.

“They are a specialist dog and they are not suitable for most people for a pet unless you are going to be an exceptional owner, have the time and the know-how to exercise them safely.”

They can be exercised by letting them tow the owner on a bike or skateboard or other wheeled device, using special harnesses, available from most vets and pet supply shops.

“I got a ring about six days ago from a woman ... Her exact words were ‘I just want to get rid of it’. It’s escaping, it’s killing their chickens, it’s menacing the sheep and it’s causing trouble and they just want to get rid of it – they obviously hadn’t researched the breed.

“We believe the only solution is to educate people.”

They have 16 huskies and a German shepherd which plays an important role in the tours, helping people compare the different characteristics of the two breeds.