Dog rescue says surrender of Huskies on rise due to 'Game of Thrones'

OAKLAND, California -- A Bay Area dog rescue club says the popular show, 'Game of Thrones' is leading to more dog surrenders, especially ones that look like the show's popular Direwolves.

"They'd be like, 'Oh wow, Direwolves.'" Patty LaCava could barely make it around a San Francisco block with her two huskies when "Game of Thrones" debuted.

"One time, I counted 12 photo ops on a Friday evening walking around the block," LaCava told ABC7 News.

The breed is seeing a boom in popularity. The Bay Area Siberian Husky Club believes it's due to the popular HBO series.

The House of Stark is known for their connection to Direwolves.

"'Game Of Thrones' uses Inuit dogs," LaCava added. "Which are a type of sled dog-- and a lot of Hollywood uses sled dogs as a stand-in for wolves."

"I already wanted a Husky because of Balto when I was a kid, but I wanted to name her Stark," said Angelica Ingaunzo.

She adopted a Pomsky, part Pomeranian, part Husky as a compromise because she knew she couldn't handle a Husky. Others haven't done the research.

The Martinez shelter has seen a jump of 300 percent in Huskies since "Game of Thrones" started.

Tired dogs are good dogs-- two Huskies ABC7 News encountered had just gone on a five-mile hike and that's the kind of effort it takes to own a Husky.

When people realize they don't have the strength or the time, they surrender the high energy dogs to shelters.

The Husky club has meet-ups and resources so you can make sure it's the right dog for your before adoption.

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