Selfsufficientish.com

I have been thinking about what would be a good alternative to the car. I might have said this before but I now have a little day dream of getting 4 huskies and a cart. I will affix a sofa onto the cart and also have a chest or something to carry stuff in. A tarp could be affixed to the cart in times of rain.

So when those six numbers come up on Saturday you can expect to find me scooting around Bristol with my husky driven vehicle.

Mind you not without its drawbacks, I am thinking that huskies must eat a lot of food, would I have to pay much in road tax, insurance? Also Huskies need a lot of exersise so might have to make more trips than I would normally unless that is I start a huskie share scheme.

I have been trying to get my DH to agree to a pony and trap. The furthest I ever drive is 6 miles to the nearest town and back. I occasionally go further afield (if Mum is up visiting or something).

I am of the firm belief that taking a pongy and trap and trading in the car isthe way to go. I could feed the horse on the same it costs to run the car. I would get free compost. I have plenty of grazing, and room for a stable (yeah, initial outlay).

The only thing that worries me is keeping the kids safe. I make sure they are strapped into their car seats right now, but how would you affix a car seat to a trap?

I can just imagine it - Andy and his husky driven sofa stopped at the traffic lights and a cat runs across the road... yes, the team of huskies chase after the cat...

I'd LOVE a horse and cart though... that would be really cool. Can't see it going down well with other road users though who would be forced to drive MUCH more slowly than usual.

Well, the other day when I was rushing my bleeding two year old to A&E I got stuck behind TWO tractors (within 6 miles) and I wasnt chuffed, so I reckon they can wait behind me for a change.

billy goat cart?

Goat cart works for me!

I am not a big fan of horses, particularly seeing the crap my brother and sister in law went through with their horses. Take the horse and use it as feed for Andy's huskies, that works!

(sorry to all the horse lovers out there, just my personal opinion....)

Nev

hmmm,...huskies.

I used to have one.

They need to be kept in a pack, you have to identify the leader of the pack and then dominate him. When he submits to you, you tech him commands and behaviour, and then he teaches the other dogs and punishes them when they misbehave (the favourite way for them to deal with fighting is to bite the ears of both dogs involved).

However...you are at a great risk of losing a limb whilst trying to dominate Mr Alpha Male. Huskies are the closes we have domestically to the wild wolf. If you are unlucky, it will be closer to the wolf than a domesticated animal (as happened to us). In this circumstance, there is no way that you can keep it as a pet of any kind. it is also a danger to other people. If they are feral, or display feral behaviour patterns, then they are a liability.

Feeding huskies is not too expensive. Be warned that they will happily eat and eat. They still have the wild mindset of 'i don't know where the next meal is, so i'll make the most of this one'. They will also defend to the hilt any food they have, and they will steal to hoard. They will also eat roadkill. They are likely to chase cats, birds, other dogs and anything else they feel will be encroaching on 'their' terriroty, or coming too close to their owner.

However, once you have one trined to pull, they do an excellent job! The one we had was trained to pull a toboggan, he took to this idea quite quickly, and was quite speedy at it too!

You have painted quite a picture there Fee, not quite as straight forward as I first thought it would be to travel by husky.

Not so sure if goat travel would be the way forward either I would have thought that goats have too much of a mind of their own and would just pull you any old where.

Horses are a little too big for my liking. So whats left?? Cat travel?

multi hamster-ball travel?

sheep cart? (wooly jumpers as an added extra)

How about hitching up those slugs you keep finding? Slow, but very sedate, and you couldn't get lost. Just turn around and follow the silvery trail ...

wouldn't walking be the ultimate in self sufficiency? i know of people who actually drive themselves in petrol-guzzling internal combustion machines to gymnasiums where they can pay a small fortune in money for exercise they wouldn't need if they used their own bodies instead of machines for a change. mind you, i'm not talking about six miles there and six miles back. i'd go for the pony, or a camel like one of our neighbours, but with a good pack saddle, would you need the cart?
wyverne

wyverne wrote:wouldn't walking be the ultimate in self sufficiency? i know of people who actually drive themselves in petrol-guzzling internal combustion machines to gymnasiums where they can pay a small fortune in money for exercise they wouldn't need if they used their own bodies instead of machines for a change. mind you, i'm not talking about six miles there and six miles back. i'd go for the pony, or a camel like one of our neighbours, but with a good pack saddle, would you need the cart?
wyverne

One of my fellow students at college (many years ago) came up with an idea for a bus powered by a type of treadmill arrangement, where the passengers powered the bus by walking on a belt.
Until someone pointed out that "that would be like walking then? Plus you wouldn't need a giant bus / treadmill machine."

the.fee.fairy wrote:hmmm,...huskies.

Feeding huskies is not too expensive. Be warned that they will happily eat and eat. They still have the wild mindset of 'i don't know where the next meal is, so i'll make the most of this one'. They will also defend to the hilt any food they have, and they will steal to hoard. They will also eat roadkill. They are likely to chase cats, birds, other dogs and anything else they feel will be encroaching on 'their' terriroty, or coming too close to their owner.

That explains alot about our hound - when we got her from the refuge they said she was half german shepherd - as she has grown we've decided the other half is almost definitely husky - and your description above fits her PERFECTLY. She eats anything and everything and would chase everything and an ything if we let her . But she is incredibly gentle and an excellent mouse

Donkeys. I've always thought donkeys were the way to go, either as a pack animal to carry the shopping (and a local lady actually did this in the 1960s, leading her donkey round the shops on a dog lead) or with a little cart.
They do courses at the Donkey Sanctuary in Sidmouth for people who want to know how to look after them, and then they'll foster the donkeys out - but I think you have to take two so they won't be lonely.

the.fee.fairy wrote:hmmm,...huskies.

I used to have one.

They need to be kept in a pack, you have to identify the leader of the pack and then dominate him. When he submits to you, you tech him commands and behaviour, and then he teaches the other dogs and punishes them when they misbehave (the favourite way for them to deal with fighting is to bite the ears of both dogs involved).

However...you are at a great risk of losing a limb whilst trying to dominate Mr Alpha Male. Huskies are the closes we have domestically to the wild wolf. If you are unlucky, it will be closer to the wolf than a domesticated animal (as happened to us). In this circumstance, there is no way that you can keep it as a pet of any kind. it is also a danger to other people. If they are feral, or display feral behaviour patterns, then they are a liability.

Feeding huskies is not too expensive. Be warned that they will happily eat and eat. They still have the wild mindset of 'i don't know where the next meal is, so i'll make the most of this one'. They will also defend to the hilt any food they have, and they will steal to hoard. They will also eat roadkill. They are likely to chase cats, birds, other dogs and anything else they feel will be encroaching on 'their' terriroty, or coming too close to their owner.

However, once you have one trined to pull, they do an excellent job! The one we had was trained to pull a toboggan, he took to this idea quite quickly, and was quite speedy at it too!

I have two huskies and and find them to be complete darlings loveing loyal non aggresive etc but they love to dig!! which can be handy if you can get em to dig in the right places
we use puppy power and jolly gud fun it is!