Mishka the talking husky is a canine diva who’s gorgeous and talented, and has millions of adoring fans!
With their striking blue eyes and handsome markings, Siberian huskies turn heads wherever they go. But Mishka is extra special. This gorgeous girl has taken social media by storm, appeared on talk shows, and starred in TV commercials, gathering millions of fans around the world in the process. Like most huskies, Mishka has a melodious voice and likes to howl, sing and “yodel”. But some of her vocalizations sound amusingly like human speech, which is why she’s become so famous.
“My wife and I were planning on moving in together and we both always wanted a Siberian husky,” says her guardian, Matthew Gardea, when asked about how she came into his life. “When we met Mishka, we had to adopt her. She was nervous and we could tell she needed a loving home.” The couple soon found out she was also very talkative. “Ever since she was a puppy, she liked to howl. We used to do it as a bonding thing, then one day we noticed it sounded like she was saying ‘I love you’. So we started saying it to her, and to our amazement she started saying it back to us, very clearly.”
Charmed and delighted, Matt and his wife often had Mishka “talk” to their friends as a party trick. “One day about a couple of years later, I decided to post a video of her on YouTube, saying: ‘Watch, she’s going to be famous’. A year later, Mishka’s ‘I love you’ video had a million views! I thought people would want to see more of her, so I built her a social network and started sharing her with her fans. That brings us to today when her videos on YouTube have been viewed about half a billion times.”
Mishka has caught the attention of the media too, and has made numerous appearances on television. “She was on The Today Show twice, as well as Live with Regis and Kelly, Nightly News with Brian Williams (he’s a fan!) and the Fox News Morning Show. The Today Show was our favorite. They even came to our house and did a special on Mishka and our family.” Mishka has also starred in TV commercials for Sony and Purina. “They saw our videos and reached out to us,” says Matt. “You could say I’ve become my dog’s agent in a lot of ways!”
Not surprisingly, Mishka loves the attention. “She’s a diva,” laughs Matt. “She has a strong personality and acts like a princess most of the time. She likes to sit high up on her ottoman with her front paws crossed while she surveys her domain. She also goes to the pantry and signals with her head when she wants treats – and what Mishka wants, Mishka gets!” Matt adds that one of Mishka’s favorite treats is cheese. “We mix it in her dog food, and we also add olive oil to her food to keep her coat nice and shiny.”
When she’s not maintaining her celebrity status, and gearing up for her 14th birthday on June 16, Mishka (whose name means “teddy bear” in Russian) enjoys playing, sunbathing and chasing squirrels. She also likes hanging out with her younger “sister” Laika, a five-year-old red Siberian husky — and a rising star in her own right who is learning to talk and sing from Mishka, and like her elder, also has her own YouTube channel and Facebook page.
“Mishka is a blessing to our family and the world,” says Matt. “She brings happiness to so many around the globe. We really love how talkative she is. It’s fun having a dog that likes to converse with you!”
