Each of Heather Wilson’s seven huskies has its own named Christmas stocking at their Kirriemuir home.
And Heather has already started shopping to fill them, such is her love for the pack she sees as her children.
Zeik, Aspen, Atlas, Blaze, Storm, Beau, Axel – they sound like Santa’s reindeer.
But unlike others of their breed, they would be unlikely to pull his sled.
“We tried that once,” recalls Heather, “and it was hilarious.
“It was during the Beast from the East when we only had three dogs.
7 huskies and 5 humans share Kirriemuir home
“We got the sledge out but they looked at us as if to say you’re having a laugh!”
As well as her seven furry children Heather, 54, shares her spacious – it has to be – Kirriemuir home with husband Colin, daughters Paula, 30, and Nicole, 28, and Paula’s partner Sean, 30.
She says: “Everyone thinks having so many dogs in the house must be mad.
“It has its mad moments but coming home to the welcome I get never gets old.”
The Kirriemuir huskies have a platform in the garden so they can see Heather drive down the track as she returns from work as a guide dog trainer.
She comes home to a chorus of howls as the dogs show how pleased they are to see her.
I experience a little of their affection as I interview her, particularly from Atlas ‘the needy child’ who keeps putting his head in my lap for a cuddle.
How Kirriemuir huskies pack grew
Having so many huskies was unplanned for Heather and Colin, 61.
“I used to bring the working dogs home, which was great but the kids got really attached,” Heather says.
“There was one we’d had for a while, a Lab cross retriever called Orchy, and we’d all fallen in love with him.
“I was convinced he was going to be withdrawn (as a guide dog) but then we found a client he fitted perfectly with.
“So he went and we were all heartbroken. We thought we can’t keep doing this, maybe we should get our own dog.
“We didn’t think about breeds specifically but then we saw this little pup advertised.”
That pup was Zeik, who is now 12 years old.
When they took him home he was so poorly they didn’t think he would make it through the night.
How Zeik’s destructive tendencies got him a playmate
It cost a fortune at the vet’s to have his tummy sorted out.
But the Wilsons fell in love with him.
Despite his destructive tendencies.
“We had to change our range (cooker) because he would open the door and stand on it.”
That’s just one home modification the Wilsons have made for their dogs.
“They’re very, very bright,” explains Heather.
“All the doors have to have child locks on them, because they can open them. We’ve put a knob on the kitchen door because Atlas can open it and let everyone in!
“We can’t have any windows open on the ground floor.”
That’s a saving grace for the many rabbits we can see outside.
It was Zeik’s destructive behaviour that led to the Wilsons getting their second husky.
“We thought maybe he needs company. So about a year later we got Aspen,” says Heather.
Then came Atlas.
Indie and Blaze came following an urgent appeal for fosterers from the Siberian Husky Welfare Association. Indie was rehomed but Blaze was adopted as a permanent member of the pack.
Mornings in the Wilson household are like “feeding time at the zoo”, says Heather.
The dogs munch their way through a 50kg bag of dry dog food a week, as well as frozen chicken legs and wings Heather buys when they are reduced at supermarkets.
But she doesn’t grudge a penny spent on them.
“We have them because we want them. Seeing the rescue centres burst at the seams, it’s just heart-breaking.
A dawn chorus of howling
“In an ideal world we’d win the lottery, buy an island and bring them all to stay!”
When Heather leaves around 8am each day, the dogs create their own dawn chorus.
“As soon as I head off for work they’re quite funny, one starts singing and then the others start singing too,” she says.
But they’re quite lazy, she says, and enjoy a post-breakfast nap.
The Wilsons have a large, fenced garden which the dogs will spend much of the day running around.
It’s difficult to walk more than two at a time, so exercise is at a nearby dog park.
“We load them into the van,” says Heather.
“Then we turn up at the dog park, drive in, shut the gate and they run until we say come on guys, time to go home.”
Do they sleep in a kennel like many huskies do?
Sleeping where they drop – and on the bed
“A kennel?” replies Heather. “They’re my children!”
During the day, they sleep where they drop. Which can create canine obstacle courses.
Bedtime is a “stampede” when the stairgate is opened, says Heather.
“Atlas, Blaze and Storm are on the bed. Aspen stays downstairs because she’s getting a bit old and doesn’t want to be bothered with them. Zeik likes the cold lino in the ensuite.
“We’ve got a super king-size bed but during the week when Colin is on nightshift I use the double bed in the spare room. It’s a squeeze trying to get in!”
Heather admits her pack are “very spoiled”.
Their personalised Christmas sacks illustrate her point.
“Their sacks are more important than anybody else’s Christmas present!” she laughs.
The strict training routines Heather uses for her trainee guide dogs go out the window at home.
So her vision of having “super well-behaved” huskies remains unrealised, she admits.
Huskies are known for being friendly, energetic and intelligent. But they can also be stubborn and challenging to train, deemed more suitable for experienced dog owners.
Heather, who has paws tattooed on her hand, says the breed is unlike any other she has worked with before.
“I like to think I’m quite knowledgeable about dogs; it’s my job.
“But when I got huskies I realised I knew nothing, absolutely nothing.
If I could have more I would
“They’re just different from others dogs.
“But their personalities are amazing. They’ve all got their own unique little characters.”
Storm, she says, is the delinquent. Atlas has a split personality, one minute craving the attention, the next wanting to be left alone.
“They’re just great fun,” says Heather.
“If I could have more I would but I think we’re at our limit now!”
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