It is a paradise for dog lovers and, especially, huskies. At the Husky House, located in the Ciutat Vella district, clients will be able to enjoy a pleasant time with four Siberian huskies, pet them, play with them and learn many curiosities about this breed.
Shen, Shining, Sherly and Sherman are four five-year-old brothers and are the huskies of Natalia Suslova, a woman originally from Siberia who decided to open this store in Barcelona to pass on her knowledge about the breed. Suslova opened the location in 2019 and, after a change of location, they are now located at number 6 Colomines Street.
In Catalonia “everyone likes dogs and I thought it would be a very good idea, especially for those who are interested in the breed or cannot have a dog for any reason.” To access the premises it is necessary to make an appointment and pay an entrance fee, which may or may not include a drink. Once inside, the visitor can stay for an hour with the four huskies, who do not stop demanding petting at all times. It is a “therapeutic” time for many people, explains the owner to RAC1.cat, who is a great lover of dogs and huskies in particular.
Now, the main objective of this space is “to educate people about what huskies and dogs in general are really like.” During the time the client spends at the Husky House, Natalia explains curiosities about this breed, such as, for example, their character, why they do not need to run dozens of kilometers a day and why they are not affected by the heat. “At first they seem surprised when I tell them these things, but then they understand why.”
Natalia remembers that “in Siberia there are also summers and, depending on the region, they can reach 40 degrees.” At this time of year, when the thermometer reaches extremes above 0, huskies “do not migrate to the North Pole” and can tolerate these temperatures without any problem because “their coat adapts.” They have summer hair and winter hair, but here in Catalonia they always have the same type. “The winters here are a joke,” she says humorously, adding that the huskies “don’t grow winter hair and, instead of two, they only shed once a year.” Therefore, “they change their coat, but always to the same type, the summer one.” That is why this breed of dog can live perfectly in a country with a Mediterranean climate.
If a person finds the Husky House by chance, they will not be able to enter it if they have not booked an appointment in advance. Natalia also insists that the store’s hours are not fixed, since at all times, the priority is the dogs and their well-being. “They expect the people who come to pet them, but you can also tell when they are tired. When we see that they are no longer comfortable, we close and go home,” details the owner of the bar.
Many people, Natalia points out, when they leave the meeting “comment that it is a very calm and therapeutic space, very different from what they expected to find: a crazy concert as seen on the Internet.”
Husky House opened five years ago and was initially designed for the people of Barcelona. “We didn’t know that tourists would come,” confesses the owner, who details that before Covid the visits were 50-50. However, after the pandemic the public has changed and now the clients are mainly foreigners who want to share an hour with the huskies before continuing with their visit to the city.
Natalia is satisfied with the fact that her place attracts the attention of tourists, but she also acknowledges that she would “like more local people to come” for the possibility of raising awareness about the commitment of having a pet in a country where “ “There is a big dog abandonment problem.”
Natalia explains that huskies need to walk for at least two hours a day. She and her four huskies spend about three hours total outside. One hour during the morning walk, one more to go to the place and another to return home.
There are three hours in which Natalia walks her four beautiful, elegant and educated huskies and, as expected, they do not go unnoticed. “I feel like Shakira when I go with them,” jokes the woman, who explains that they often record them and take photos of them on the street. “It’s very nice when they all go together,” she adds.
Customers also have a separate area to have a drink and, in addition, there is the option of buying some gift items that are made with the hair of the four Siberian huskies that have become very famous on social networks.
