The very first episode of Game of Thrones introduced us to the concept of direwolves, a larger and fiercer breed of wolves, and the sigil of House Stark. We saw all six of the Stark children adopt these loyal beasts who go on to save their masters on multiple occasions. And many of us have often wished that these animals were real. Well, the makers of the show used Northern Inuit Dogs, a breed closely related to Siberian Huskies, while one of them is played by an Arctic Wolf.

Gameofthrones.wikia

And just like the show, these beasts haven’t had a great time since the show first aired on TV. Most dogs that resemble direwolves, especially Huskies have been found abandoned by their owners. Angelique Miller, President of the Northern California Sled Dog Rescue told The Dodo that there has been a massive spike in such cases. 

Gameofthrones.wikia

Especially during the period of last year and this year, her organisation has seen a number twice as they would normally experience. Now, to be honest, Game of Thrones might not be the reason for such increase. But Miller begs to differ.

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She claims that most dogs that show up at their claims that most dogs that show up at their doorsteps are named after GoT characters like Sansa, Stark, Ice and Ghost. She recalls an incident at their adoption fair where a young couple stopped near the Huskies and their first words were ‘direwolves’. Most of these people also want to know if the dogs have any wolf in them.

Sheknows.com

The problem with such people is that they are fascinated by the creatures and aren’t doing their research. Huskies are big dogs that need a lot of space and require lots of exercise to vent out their excessive energy. The dogs are also hunters by nature and hence cannot be adopted by someone with other smaller animals. Flight is also the natural state of such dogs and hence they would try to escape whenever they get bored. They also need to be in contact with humans and other dogs since they are pack animals.

Here’s hoping people come to their senses and only take on the upkeep of the magnificent creatures when they’re sure of it.