“Can my husky see in the dark?” Well the common belief is that all dogs have that ability, but that is actually not true. So, no, huskies do not have night vision, but they do see better than we do when the lights go out.
Especially, since huskies are bred to pull sleds during all times of day you would think they could see in the dark. Even if that’s not exactly the case there are some biological characteristics that increase their seeing capabilities.
Pupil Size
A dog’s eyes have more seeing potential than a human’s do because their pupils can grow greater in size. Larger pupils mean more light comes into the eye allowing huskies to see with increased clarity in lower light.
Green Glowing Eyes
Have you ever noticed that at times when you shine a light at your husky or take a picture of them they briefly have a green tint to their eyes? This is due to a layer of tissue called Tapetum Lucidum, an extra reflective layer some animals have evolved to have.
This tissue reflects the light already coming into the eye and, in turn, basically raises the probability the light will activate photoreceptors. Photoreceptors are the most important step in piecing together the picture that the eye sees.
Movement vs Distance
Dogs have 20/75 vision which means what a human is capable of seeing clearly at 75 feet away, they can only see clearly if they’re 20 feet away.
However, dogs have greater motion sensitivity than a human and are able to recognize movements tremendously well at such a distance even if what they’re seeing is blurry. This motion sensitivity is relied on heavily by canines and basically overshadows their inability to see far.
Low Light vs Pitch Black
It may come as a surprise, but dogs can’t see at all in a pitch black environment. If there is any light though, frankly, that’s all they need. Their eyes work hard to take advantage of any light they can take in.
Huskies, like all dogs, have a high number of light-sensitive rods in their eyes which enables them to need less light to see clearly.
Huskies Can’t See In The Dark, But…
They might not have super powers like you hoped which would enable them to see when it’s pitch black, but your husky is at least a lot better off than you are in low light situations. Thanks to an extra layer of reflective tissue, movement sensitivity, and larger pupils they have an exceptional amount of seeing potential.
The biggest thing to keep in mind is that if you tend to let your dog wander off on night time walks or such you should not let them get too far away from you. Huskies can’t see clearly at far distances and low light situations will just make that more difficult.
