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Dire situation: “Game of Thrones” leading fans to buy, abandon huskies

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Getty Images/Jeff J. Mitchell

(LOS ANGELES) — Some fans of HBO’s wildly fantasy drama series Game of Thrones love the show so much, they’re apparently buying and adopting Siberian huskies, because of their resemblance to the huge, wolf-like direwolves from the show. The problem: after the novelty wears off, many of these dogs are being abandoned at shelters.

“Huskies are a very high-energy breed,” Jodie Simard, executive director of Wagging Tails Rescue in Las Vegas, told ABC Las Vegas affiliate KTNV-TV. “They’re also very intelligent, so if you don’t keep them busy and keep them exercised, they can be destructive.”

In the past six months, Simard added, Wagging Tails has seen a, “huge increase in the amount of huskies surrendered.”  

It’s gotten to be such an issue that Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage issued a plea to fans buying or adopting huskies.  The actor, who plays Tyrion Lannister, says in a statement released by PETA, “Please, please, if you’re going to bring a dog into your family, make sure that you’re prepared for such a tremendous responsibility and remember to always, ALWAYS, adopt from a shelter.”

Dinklage’s co-star Sophie Turner, who plays Sansa, actually adopted the dog that played her direwolf Lady on the show.

“Growing up, I always wanted a dog, but my parents never wanted one. We kind of fell in love with my character’s dire wolf, Lady, on set,” Turner told the Coventry Telegraph in 2013. “We knew Lady died [on the show] and they wanted to re-home her. My mum persuaded them to let us adopt her.”

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