Students cheer them on at sporting events, but recent studies have shown the husky dog breed, NIU’s official mascot, to be particularly fierce toward humans.

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, the purebred husky is the fourth most likely dog breed to fatally attack people. Other breeds deemed more dangerous than huskies are rottweilers, pit bulls and German shepherds. Cross-bred partial husky dogs also have killed humans and are fifth most deadly in a cross-bred dog list.

From 1979 to 1998, 15 human fatalities in the U.S. were attributed to huskies, but only two husky-caused fatalities occurred from 1995 to 1996 and only one from 1997 to 1998, said Holly Zielinski, media representative for the AVMA.

Zielinski reports that the overall number of killings by canines has been relatively steady over the years, with the number falling slightly from 1990 to 1997.

A total of 238 people were fatally attacked by at least 25 different breeds of dogs over the past 20 years — for an average of 10 to 15 deaths a year, according to the AVMA.

“A dog’s behavior and training are partially to blame for fatal dog attacks, and children are shown to be primarily the victims of dog attacks,” Zielinski said.

Most victims of dog attacks somehow know the dog, and in some cases it may belong to them, she said.

NIU theater and dance instructor Kathy Hubbard, who co-chairs the Gorden Cetter Rescue Center for animals and is on the board of directors for the county’s TAILS animal shelter, said that certain dogs like huskies were bred to be working dogs and are not necessarily the best pets.

Still, people often provoke dogs, Hubbard said.

“Dogs that lash out towards people may have a physical abnormality that causes them to have a random act of aggression, but the primary reason dogs lash out is through our mistreatment of them,” she said.

Despite any negative news surrounding the husky breed, the dogs have always been well received at NIU.

Mike Korcek, sports information director, said NIU adopted the husky as its official mascot in 1940.

“Prior to 1940, since NIU was primarily a college for teacher education, NIU’s nickname was sometimes the ‘Profs’ and other nicknames associated to the teaching profession,” Korcek said.

The husky may have been picked as the new mascot because of Illinois’ seasonably cold Midwest climate, he said.

“Obviously, the University of Florida (the “Gators”) would not be called the huskies with their warm location in Florida,” Korcek said.

In recent years, two real husky dogs have been paraded at school functions.Tammie Campbell, Huskie athletics community relations coordinator, said the dogs, “Serenade” and “Cinnamon,” owned by Phyliss Langer of DeKalb, are often used at Huskie football games.

“The dogs are run on the field by NIU cheerleaders … when the Huskies score,” Campbell said.

Killer reputation or not, the husky serves NIU well as its mascot, Korcek said.

“NIU as a whole should be proud to be nicknamed after such a loyal and hardy breed of dog as the husky,” he said.