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- The dogs used by the Inuit
throughout Alaska, Canada and Greenland have proven through
DNA testing to be the same 4,000-year-old breed. This breed is recognized
under different names and with somewhat varying standards, and at different
times, by various registries, fanciers and authors.
- Inuit Sled Dog is the name by which the breed is recognized
by people who breed and use their dogs for their original purpose, and
thus work to preserve working ability, hardiness and the hard temperament
that is necessary to survival under the primitive conditions in which
they developed to work.
- Canadian Eskimo Dog
is the name by which the breed is recognized by the Canadian Kennel
Club and other registries, and dogs under this name are sometimes bred
to be more petlike than the original. Canadian
Inuit Dog is
a more appropriate version of this name, out of respect for the Inuit
peoples once known by outsiders as Eskimos. Eskimo
Dog, or Eskimo, is a common nickname.
- The breed was called the
Esquimaux by early European Arctic explorers and for many years
after, and was at one time recognized by the American Kennel Club under
that name; it lost its AKC recognition status when the number of registered
dogs fell too low.
- Qimmiq and Kingmik
are names used by the Inuit for these dogs.
- Greenland Dog (Grünlandshund
and Grønlandshund)
is the name used for the breed as found in Greenland, and it is recognized
under this name by the FCI. It is sometimes referred to as the Greenland
Husky.
- The
Kennel Club of England recognizes the breed under two names as separate
breeds: the Greenland Dog and the Canadian Eskimo Dog,
with slightly different standards.
- An offshoot of this breed
is the Alaskan Malamute, which
was somewhat altered by crossbreeding during the Alaskan Gold Rush,
and has since been bred for a more petlike disposition and according
to a slightly different aesthetic standard.
- This breed is not to be
confused with the American Eskimo
Dog or the Northern Inuit Dog, neither of which has anything to
do with Inuits or dogsledding.
- People breeding for working qualities are not using the same measures
of quality as those breeding to show standards and/or for pets, which
has caused the divisions of type, temperament and instinct within the
breed. These dogs come from the same stock and were originally bred
for the same purpose, which dictated their original form and temperament,
and they are genetically still within the tolerances of a single breed.
At some point, the division of breeding goals and resulting genetic
isolation may result in strains developing into separate breeds, as
has happened in a number of other breeds (Cocker Spaniels, Irish Setters,
Collies, etc.).
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"Genetic
variability in East Asian dogs using microsatellite loci analysis"
by KS Kim, Y Tanabe, CK Park, and JH Ha. In: The Journal of
Heredity, September-October 2001, vol 92, p 398-403. This
DNA study looked at samples from eleven dog populations, including
three mixed populations and eight breeds of which six were spitzes,
to determine breed relationships. Breeds included in the study are
the Akita, the Hokkaïdo,
the Kishu, the Korean
Jindo, the Shiba, and
the Eskimo Dog, as well as the Sapsaree and the Shih Tzu. This fascinating
study proposed two dendrograms picturing the surprising relationships
among these breeds, with the Tibetan Terrier-like Sapsaree closely
related to the spitz Jindo, and the Shih Tzu not nearly so distant
as one would expect.
- "Functional characerisation
of Eskimo dog hemoglobin: II. The interplay of HCO(3)- and Cl-"
by AJ Bardgard and O Brix. In: Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology;
Part A, Physiology, July 1997, volume 117, issue 3, pg 375-81.
Norwegian researchers found bicarbonate lowers the apparent heat of
oxygenation in the hemoglobin of Eskmo dogs almost as much as chloride
does 2,3-diphosphoglycerate at physiological pH of 6.7-7.6. These effects
safeguard oxygen unloading when at lower concentrations of chloride
in the red blood cells.
- "Functional characerisation
of Eskimo dog hemoglobin: I. Interaction of Cl- and 2,3-DPG and its
importance of oxygen unloading at low temperature" by AJ Bardgard,
I Strand, M Nuutinen, E Jul and O Brix. In: Comparative Biochemistry
and Physiology; Part A, Physiology, July 1997, volume 117, issue
3, pg 367-73. Analysis of the oxygen-binding properties of hemoglobin
and some hematological parameters in the blood of Eskimo dogsin Greenland.
The dogs' hemoglobin exhibited a low heat of oxygenation, similar to
that of arctic ruminants.
- The Atlas of Dog
Breeds of the World, 5th edition by Bonnie Wilcox and Chris
Walkowicz. TFH, 1995. A survey of over 400 breeds of dog, with some
excellent photography. This book covers more breeds than most, including
rare breeds such as the Greenland Husky/ and
Canadian Inuit Dog.
- Eyewitness Handbooks: Dogs: The Visual Guide to Over 300 Dog
Breeds From Around the World by David Alderton, photography
by Tracy Morgan. DK, 1993. Capsule introductions to many breeds, including
the Eskimo Dog and Greenland Husky, with photographs: something of a
dog-watcher's guide with no detailed information.
- Bogen om Spidshunde
by Linda Sørensen.
Clausen Bøger,
1983. Introduction to several prominent spitzes, including the Grønlandshund.
In Danish.
- "Dog bites in the sledge-dog districts of Greenland" (title
translated) by JO Gottlieb and JC Misfeldt. In: Ugeskrift for
Læger, 5 October 1992, volume 154, issue 41, pg 2824-7.
A study of serious dog attacks on humans in an area of Greenland where
the Inuit still travel with sledge dogs. In this area, the law requires
keeping dogs on chains and cutting their canine teeth; despite this
there has been an average of one death per year from dog attacks in
this region and slightly more than one per year hospitalizations following
dog attacks, most of which were committed by dogs whose fangs were not
cut and who were unchained. Since 87% of the victims were children under
ten, the authors recommend children never go outdoors unescorted by
adults, and that infants and toddlers be carried in an amaat,
a traditional Inuit form of backpack. Additionally, they recommend a
higher priority be given to first aid training for laymen. In Danish.
- All About the Spitz
Breeds by David Cavill. Pelham, 1978. An introduction to several
of the many spitz breeds and varieties, illustrated with excellent color
photographs. One chapter deals with "Eskimo Dogs", under which
title he groups the Alaskan Husky
with the Greenland Husky and Esquimaux.
- Les Chiens Nordiques
by Al Vachellerie. Introduction to some of the Nordic spitzes, including
the Esquimaux. In French.
- "Clarkso, a 'Double
Heroine' Eskimo Dog" by Albert Payson Terhune. In: True Dog
Stories by Albert Payson Terhune, illustrated by Diana Thorne.
Saalfield, 1934.
- The Care and Handling
of Dogs by John Lynn Leonard. Garden City, 1928. Among the breeds
discussed is the "Eskimo".
- Des edlen Hundes
Aufzucht, Pflege, Dressur und Behandlung seiner Krankheiten. Vollständiges
Handbuch für jeden Jäger, Hundeliebhaber und Züchter
mit zahlreichen Illustrationen, denen Breschreibung der Rasse, ihres
Exterieurs und sonstiger Eigenschaften sich anschliesst by Carl
Zorn. Ceasar & Minka, 1901. In addition to sections on care and
training of dogs, this book features introductions to a number of breeds,
including the Esquimaux. In German.
- "The Esquimaux Dog"
by Vero Shaw. In: The Illustrated Book of the Dog by Vero
Shaw, B.A., Cantab., and leading authors of the day, with an Appendix
on Canine Medicine and Surgery by W. Gordon Stables, CM, MD, RN. Cassell,
Petter, Galpin, 1879. An introduction to the breed, accompanied by an
illustration by Mr. Shaw.
- Der Hund und seine
Racen. Naturgeschichte des zahmen Hundes, seiner Formen, Racen und Kreuzungen
by Leopold Joseph Fitzinger. 1876. Vignettes of a number of breeds of
dog, including the Eskimo, by a respected scientist. In German.
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A
Dog's History of America: How Our Best Friend Explored, Conquered,
and Settled a Continent by Mark Derr. North Point, 2004.
I have not yet confirmed it, but I believe this book should include
information on the Esquimaux.
- The Wild Northland: Being the Story of a Winter Journey, With
Dog, Across Northern North America by
General Sir William Francis Butler, KCB. 2004. Reprint of 1904 memoir
of a prominent British adventurer who traveled with Eskimo Dogs across
Canada at the turn of the 20th Century.
- Sled Dog Trails
by Mary Shields. Pyrola. Adventures on the winter trails with her dogs
of the first woman musher to finish the Iditarod.
-
Secret
Messages - Training a Happy Dog: Volume 3 of the Alaskan Happy Dog
Trilogy
by Mary Shields. Pyrola. Children's story in which the kids from
Can Dogs Talk? and Loving
a Happy Dog learn how to train their dog.
- Loving
a Happy Dog: Volume 2 of the Alaskan Happy Dog Trilogy
by Mary Shields. Pyrola. Children's story in which the kids from Can
Dogs Talk? learn that with a new puppy comes responsibilities.
- Can
Dogs Talk? Volume 1 of the Alaskan Happy Dog Trilogy
by Mary Shields. Pyrola. Children's story in which two children discover
the answer to this question with the help of Mary and her Huskies.
- Frozen Horizons:
The World's Largest National Park by Ivars Silis, translated
by Tim Davies. Atuakkiorfik A/S, 1995. Photographs and writing about
life in the wilds of Greenland, including three chapters detailing adventures
with the Greenland Husky sled dogs.
- Greenland Dogs on
the Eiger Glacier / Grønlandhunde auf dem Eigergletscher
by Annette Philipp.
Marion Hildebrand, 1984. A German-published book, but I haven't
seen it and don't even know if it's in German or English.
- The Wild Northland: Being the Story of a Winter Journey, With
Dog, Across Northern North America by
General Sir William Francis Butler, KCB. 1973. Reprint of 1904 memoir
of a prominent British adventurer who traveled with Eskimo Dogs across
Canada at the turn of the 20th Century.
- Book of the Eskimos
by Peter Freuchen. World, 1961. Memoir of a Danish anthropologist who
lived several years among the Inuits of Greenland in the 1910s studying
their culture, and even married into the community. The book captures
a moment in time just before this ancient culture underwent rapid changes,
and it deals with all the aspects of their lives, including their sled
dogs.
- The Wild Northland: Being the Story of a Winter Journey, With
Dog, Across Northern North America by
General Sir William Francis Butler, KCB. AS Barnes, 1904. Memoir of
a prominent British adventurer who traveled with Eskimo Dogs across
Canada at the turn of the 20th Century.
- The Great Lone Land
by General Sir William Francis Butler, KCB. Account of a prominent British
adventurer's travel with a team of Eskimo dogs.
- "Windsor, October
21" by unknown. In: The Times (London), 25 October
1823, p 2. Amidst the news in from Windsor is a paragraph about a pair
of dogs recently arrived in town that were brought back from Captain
Perry's recent Arctic expedition. The female of the pair was pregnant
and due any moment.
- "The North Pole Expedition"
by unknown. In: The Times (London), 25 October 1823, p
2. A first account of Captain Perry's Arctic expedition, including friendly
trading encounters with Eskimos. Among the souvenirs brought back were
"...fleecy, full-grown animals of the size and docility of the
Newfoundland breed; but with some of the appearance of the wolf species.
They are the draught dogs of the natives, and perfectly tame and tractable;
but at the present suffering severely from the change of temperature,
and some of them falling into the fits which are common to the canine
breed in oppressive seasons." Another dog on the expedition is
described as a "very fine Esquimaux dog" that had sailed twice
around the world with Captain Perry.
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- Many thanks to Sue Hamilton
of The
Inuit Sled Dog International, who clarified for me the confusing
issues of nomenclature in this breed, and gave permission to link to
the organization's website.
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