Nairobi, March 3 -- Gilbert Otieno had done the research before buying his now two-year-old Siberian husky, Tiana. He had watched the TikTok videos, YouTube explainers and read up on the breed's temperament. But none of it prepared him for the scene he returned to one evening after work.

"I hadn't fully understood that they shouldn't be left on their own for too long," he says. "I came back to find my mattress shredded and scattered all over the floor."

For some, this might have marked the end of the experiment. But for Gilbert, who would later add another husky to the mix, nine-month-old Bella, it soon dawned on him that he was not just adopting pets, but embracing an entirely new lifestyle.

"My daily routine has changed," Gilbert say...