Siberian Husky Plays in Autumn Leaves: Kent Petersen’s Backyard Video

A Siberian husky dives into a deep pile of autumn leaves, vanishes, then bursts out again in a shower of colour. Kent Petersen's short home video, "Funny siberian husky playing in leaves", is a small celebration of the first weeks of autumn and of a breed that was built for snow but clearly enjoys any loose, cold, rustling pile it can find.

The husky and the leaf pile

The film is simple: one dog, one pile and a fixed camera. The leaves do most of the work. They hide the dog, reveal a nose or a tail, scatter as it leaps and settle into a new shape each time. The sound matters too, since a rustle often gives away where the husky is before its face pops up again.

Watch the full clip below.

Siberian husky facts

The Siberian husky was developed by the Chukchi people of north-eastern Siberia, who used the dogs to pull sleds and kept them as companions. The breed won lasting fame during the 1925 serum run to Nome, when sled teams relayed diphtheria antitoxin across Alaska. Balto ran the final leg, but Togo, driven by Leonhard Seppala, covered the longest and most dangerous stretch, about 261 miles. The American Kennel Club recognised the breed in 1930.

• Size: males stand about 53–60 cm (21–23.5 in) and weigh 20–27 kg; females are a little smaller.
• Coat: a thick double coat with a dense undercoat and longer guard hairs, which insulates against severe cold and also helps in summer heat.
• Shedding: the undercoat comes out in heavy seasonal bursts, so weekly grooming is a must.
• Character: friendly and gentle, strongly bonded to people and other dogs.

Why huskies love to dig and play

Huskies are high-energy working dogs. Bred to run for hours in harness, they need a lot of daily physical and mental activity, and without it they can become destructive. A leaf pile is a perfect outlet: it rewards digging, jumping and pouncing, and costs nothing but a rake.

They are also famous escape artists, so a fence about 1.8 m (6 ft) high is often recommended. A backyard leaf pile keeps the fun close to home.

Why autumn leaves change colour and fall

The colours in the husky's pile come from chemistry. Through the summer, green chlorophyll hides the other pigments in a leaf. As days shorten and temperatures drop, the tree breaks the chlorophyll down, revealing yellow and orange carotenoids that were there all along. Red and purple tones come from anthocyanins, which the leaf produces in late summer when bright light and sugars combine. The most vivid displays follow bright, cool days and chilly nights that stay above freezing.

At the base of each leaf stalk, a layer of cork cells then forms, cutting off water and minerals until the leaf drops. That layer is the reason a single windy afternoon can fill a yard with enough leaves to bury a husky.

More dogs and seasons

Explore more: a dog navigating snow instead of leaves; what happens to trees in winter.

Related reading:

• Helsinki Zoo’s Brown Bears Return to the Snow
• Stunning Snow Patterns by Simon Beck (Snow Art)
• A Guide to Snowflakes: Plates, Dendrites, Columns and Rime
• The President Sequoia in a 126-Frame Portrait
• Tateyama’s Snow Corridor and the Alpine Route

Sources