A pack of Siberian huskies gazing through a gate after their owner created special spy holes for their eyes and noses is captured in these amusing photos. The curious Siberian huskies have become quite the attraction in their village of St Neots, Cambridgeshire, looking out at passers-by. Their eyes and noses are frequently seen lined up at the bottom of the gates, staring out the small ‘Mickey Mouse’ openings.
Andy Grannell, 57, said he drilled the holes in the wooden gate shortly after he and his girlfriend, Maxine Adamson, moved home in 2014. ‘When we first bought the house, there were no gates, but we needed gates because of the dogs,’ he explained. ‘We had the large gates installed, but we saw that the dogs would stick their noses through the space at the bottom of the gates, trying to get a sight of what was going on outside.’
‘They’re nosy and inquisitive, and when they hear activity outside the gates, they like to see what’s going on.’ ‘So, rather than forcing them to crane their necks to gaze beneath the gates, I thought it would be wonderful for them to be able to look out from their typical vantage points.’ So Andy began drilling holes for his five Siberian huskies, Amber, Topaz, and Talon, who are 12 years old, and Rocky and Vinnie, who are three years old.
‘I actually have five dogs, but there are only holes for four of them because Amber is deaf now,’ he explained. ‘As a result, when she hears noises outside, she doesn’t jump up and rush to the gates as the others do. ‘However, they all like the attention they receive from passers-by as they poke their noses and eyeballs out of the holes.’ ‘I think a lot of people recognize them since I’m frequently seen strolling around St Neots with them all strapped to my waist, which is rather unusual.’
‘I enjoy seeing the Facebook posts from individuals who have seen my dog’s peeping through the gates.’ Jenny Polhill, 26, was going past Andy’s house last weekend when she noticed all four huskies peeping through their holes. Jenny, who works at Cambridge’s Addenbrookes Hospital, posted a photo of the dogs on the St Neots Facebook page, which earned over 1,000 likes. ‘My day was made yesterday when I finally spotted the dogs peeping out of their various holes,’ she wrote.
‘We noticed one, and he looked at us, then three more joined in short succession, and it was incredible.’ On Saturday, Jenny said she was walking her parents’ dog by Andy’s house when she noticed one of the huskies laying on the ground on the opposite side of the gates. ‘I discovered the holes a few months ago, but I’ve never seen any of the dogs peering out through them,’ she claimed.
‘Then, on the weekend, I was walking past with my mother’s dog and my partner, and I noticed one of the dogs’ front paws lying down behind the gate.’ ‘So I went over and called attention to it – and then everyone else ran over and put their noses through the holes.’ ‘It was incredible to see folks peering out like that for the first time because I’d seen the holes before but never seen them in action.’
People in St Neots are familiar with the dogs, Jenny said, because Andy walks them regularly. Locals reacted positively to her Facebook post, with some stating they had been waiting ‘years’ to see the dogs peering out of their tunnels.