Granted they shed and require a lot of brushing, but their disposition makes up for it. Our Husky has about 12,000 miles under his paws and it is going to be hard to see him go.

The hair production, and brushing lead one friend to label following us as "hair ball navigation".

Also they have a dislike for swimming. They don't look over their shoulder and ask "Go swimming now?" as they clear the rail. One of his additional duties is anchor watch. For this he is in the cabin, usually with the hatches open and just sleeps. When someone comes on board he sits with his tail in a slow swing and a grin on his face. If they don't know him their question is "Does he want to be petted, or saying 'Make My Day?'.