Raising a Siberian Husky in the Philippines

If you plan on raising a Siberian Husky in the Philippines, we’d be more than happy to help give you “The Breakdown” on what you may expect in  terms of cost for this breed 🙂 For the past years, Game of Thrones, La Luna Sangre and other shows we love, have brought about an increase in  the interest of owning these great dogs. Unfortunately, not all people understand what it takes to actually raise a Siberian Husky. I see people in groups trying to get one for cheap or even asking for others to pity them and give them one for free. Bless these souls who’d probably be giving these puppies good and loving homes. But I for one believe, and this does not apply to all, that if you cannot purchase a husky at minimum price, how is it that you’d be even able to maintain one?

Please consider all of the aspects and think if you will be able to give what it takes to properly raise one. I have seen alarming articles abroad of huskies being abandoned. Although this may not be the practice here, what I see is some huskies not living up to their full potential. If you haven’t seen our guide to Bringing Home a Siberian Husky, please do so by following the link here. And for those who still have a misconception about how fierce this dog is. That this dog can help you guard your home, please know: A Siberian Husky is not a guard dog! If that is what you want, you’d be better off with another breed.

There has been a lot of misconceptions. I am not going to tackle this here, but what I will say is: A Siberian Husky is not a beginner’s dog. It is a high maintenance dog. It is not an easy dog. Coupled that it is a northern breed, there are additional needs that it has for it to be able to live in a tropical country. Given all of the joys, fun and cute weirdness you see on YouTube and Facebook about these breeds, you also have to look into the other side of it. That’s what I’d like to show you today. The “responsibility side” of the story.

Here’s a background on how much it takes for us to maintain a pack of four:

Monetary

We do not claim to be experts, but this is our monthly approximate expense in Pesos (PHP):

1. Food – for 4 dogs, we average aroundPhp 7000~ for 2 15kg bags. Note that huskies need high protein grain free diets as this is what their body needs.
2. Electricity/Water – Php 1000~ (2 dedicated industrial fans, cold water consumption, A/C)
3. Vitamins – in order to keep our huskies healthy, we provide them with the following vitamins:
   

   Nutripet Php 550~
   Kawu Php 800~ around 2 bottles

4. Vaccines/Regular trips to the vet – let’s put an average on the below in assumption that they will get regular checkups (based on rates from Fil-Chinese Group of Animal Clinics as of Aug 2017 – per dog):

   Deworm – Php 500 2-4x per year (depends if your dogs go on regular walks or have frequent contacts with soil)
   Anti-Rabies – Php 250 per year
   Biocan – Php 550 per year
   5 in 1 – Php 350 x4 for first year (if puppy), then Php350 per year
   Heartworm Test – Php 550 (per test)
   Heartworm – Php 550 per year
   ProHeart – Php 2200~/year, if 21Kgs per year
   Kennel Cough – Php 400 per year

   If considering all of this, this will be aroundPhp 17800-27400 for 4 dogs for only standard shots and visits per year. So let’s peg this at Php 2500~ per month.

   

5. Grooming – as we only have our dogs groomed once a month – if groomed correctly, huskies shouldn’t smell — they just shed a lot :-)Php 2000~
6. Protection – this will be Frontline, anti-ticks, powders, sprays, etc.Php 2100~
7. Dog Stuff /Activities (Treats, Celebrations, Toys, Leashes, Cages, etc.) This won’t be all the time, but we can average this at around Php 1000~
   

   Collars, couplers, leashes Php 8000~
   Dog Cage Php 9000~
   Toys Php 5000
   Treats Php 1000

   

8. YayaDog (optional) – a dedicated caretaker for our dogs who ensures that they are fed, walked and hydrated and cooled-off everyday with icy treats:Php 5000
9. Dog Trainer (optional) – we had Cody trained to compete in Dog Shows before, he averaged aroundPhp 5000 a month for just one dog.

So that is the breakdown of raising a Siberian Husky for us here at Crescent Siberians. Let’s now enumerate that down into an easy to understand table!

Item	Cost
Food	7,000
Electricity/Water	1,000
Vitamins	1,350
Vaccines/Regular trips to the vet	2,500
Grooming	2,000
Protection	2,100
Dog Stuff /Activities (Treats, Celebrations, Toys, Leashes, Cages, etc.)	1,000
Total	PHP16,950~

Roughly for four (4) huskies, you should have a budget of aroundPhp 16,950, so that will be aroundPhp 4,000++ per dog if you are not opting to provide them with their own YayaDog and Trainer (which is +Php 10000-25000 based on how many you want to be trained — this still doesn’t include competition fees/costs). This is still a considerable amount, also including the time you’d need to allocate to make sure that your dog’s energy is spent everyday. See below!

Non-Monetary

1. Grooming – regular brushing of your dogs is required as they are heavy shedders. You’d not want come home to your house with fur all over the place.
2. Walks/Runs – we have our dogs walked everyday — recommended twice for at least 45mins. We also make it a point that they get to run whenever the opportunity presents itself. They need to get tired to put on that body mass and not make them look lanky. This will also help increase their appetite and keep them healthy and strong. That was why I got into bikejoring. 🙂 For more information on how to bikejor in Manila, follow this link.
3. Training/Socialization – we give our dogs every opportunity to get socialized with other dogs and also get trained on basic commands. Nothing is more impressive than a dog that can listen to what you are saying and also behaving in front of other dogs. I always shake my head whenever I see dogs who bark or try to attack other dogs in public. It just shows how neglected they are in being socialized and disciplined by their owners.
4. Other Activities – we also make it a point that if ever we leave Manila to take a vacation, if possible, we bring our dogs with us and be off leash! 🙂 There is no point in getting a beautiful dog and just leave it inside the house in a cage. If you are planning just to do that, don’t get one.

   

Given the above and the other activities you’d need to do, you can see that raising Siberian Huskies don’t come cheap – money and time-wise. This is a default for high maintenance dogs. Some of these you’d probably don’t agree with, but we believe that a well-rounded dog will always be better than a dog just kept in a cage. Adopting a husky is not just having a status symbol that will cater to your ego, you’d also need to cater to its needs. I see previous dog owners giving the dog up right after they have adopted one as the husky puppy proved to be more active than regular dogs they been used to. So before you ask your mom, your dad, BF or GF to get you one, think about it. If you can’t give the husky your time and money, just go to a Dog Cafe instead 🙂

Hope this helps, and a shoutout to the good fur-dads and fur-moms who make ends meet for their huskies!

Cheers!

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