Canadian Eskimo Dog

THE ESKIMO DOG, which is the only breed of dog associated with the aboriginal people of the Arctic, has a history dating back between 1100 and 2000 years. Authorities suggest that the breed was probably taken to the North American arctic by the Thule Eskimos and that the dogs gradually spread from Alaska to Greenland. The Eskimo people call this dog the "Kingmik" and for centuries have used him to pull their sleds in winter, a job the dogs do joyfully despite low or non-existent rations. In summer the Kingmik is a pack dog, and in all seasons he is a companion on the hunt being keen enough of nose to locate seal breathing holes in the ice, and brave enough to hold large game at bay for the hunter to come in for the kill.

The Eskimo Dog figured prominently in polar expeditions and was highly regarded by the explorer Robert Peary who said this was the only dog in the world that could work "so long in the lowest temperatures with practically nothing to eat." In addition, contrary to much that has been written about the Eskimo Dog, the breed has a loving, happy nature.

Why then has the breed not been taken up by sled dog fanciers farther south? Possibly because the breed is said not to fare well in temperate climates. What is more probable is that the Eskimo is an in-between breed-not so swift as the Siberian Husky nor so strong as the Alaskan Malamute.

Because the breed has been left to the fortunes of the Northland his future seems uncertain. In the 1920s it is reported there were 20,000 Eskimo Dogs in the north. Fifty years later there were less than 200 pure-breds left. While the breed is still being used extensively for sled work in northern Greenland, this job has been taken over by the snowmobile in other regions. Struck with the seriousness of these declining figures, early in the 1970s William Carpenter, with the help of The Canadian Kennel Club, began a project to re-establish the Eskimo Dog and save it from extinction.

Funding came from private citizens and a grant from The Canada Council. Carpenter's goal was to bring breed registrations to a total of 300 over a three-year period.