Trendy huskies meet unprepared local owners

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - South Bend Animal Care and Control keeps seeing huskies come in.

The director there says the HBO series 'Game of Thrones' has popularized the breed, but many people abandon or neglect their dogs.

SBACC Director Jenn Gobel owns a husky herself.

She says she adopted him from a friend who was in over her head.

“She was living in a one-bedroom apartment on the second story floor and he was a little bit more than what she was able to handle,” Gobel said

Gobel says since Game of Thrones started, this kind of thing has been happening more often.

Direwolf creatures in the show and books are depicted as loyal pets that resemble huskies.

“There’s always the designer breed,” Gobel said.

The problem is, after fans adopt the huskies, some find they can’t handle it.

Gobel says many run away from home in South Bend, or are given up by their owners.

“They don’t know what to do with them,” Gobel said.

Gobel says she sees breeds become trendy all the time with popular shows or movies, but research is always a good idea before adopting.

“Definitely do your research. There are plenty of sites online to do that,” Gobel said.