THE DOG FAMILY-DOMESTIC DOG. 



231 



and his cunning expression of countenance. His 

 demeanor indicates a certain degree of independ- 

 ence and liberty, though he enjoys these privileges 

 but temporarily. He has closely allied relatives all 

 over the north of the Old World, and is employed 

 as much for guarding 

 Cattle as for drawing 

 sleds. 



Nearly the whole life 

 of the Eskimo Dog is 

 spent under the yoke, 

 and is employed either 

 in drawing sleds or in 

 carrying burdens. In 

 arctic America and on 

 its islands he is a real 

 beast of burden and the 

 only one which Man 

 has there appropriated. 

 Only during the short 

 summer does his mas- 

 ter give him a limited 

 amount of liberty, but 

 in winter he is a per- 

 fect slave. 



A well-fed Eskimo 

 Dog may be termed a 

 handsome animal; but 

 unfortunately his food, 

 if he does not procure 

 it himself, is adminis- 

 tered to h i m by his 

 master in such scant 

 proportions, that for 

 many months he re- 

 sembles a skeleton 

 more than a living be- 

 ing. His relation to 

 Man is peculiar. He 

 knows that he is bound 

 by the chains of slav- 

 ery, and he tries to 

 break these fetters. He 

 is Wolf-like in a phys- 

 ical as well as mental 

 aspect. He resembles 

 the arctic Wolf so much 

 in his thick fur, his erect 

 ears, the width of the 

 upper part of the head, 

 and the pointed muzzle, 

 that from a distance the 

 two can not be distin- 

 guished from each 

 other. The Eskimo 

 Dog is an inveterate 

 thief, but on the other 

 hand is as fawning as 

 only a fear- tormented 

 slave can be. A rather 

 numerous pack is usu- 

 ally put before a sled, 

 and they follow the 

 leadership of an old, 

 experienced Dog; there 

 is no semblance of hu- 

 man guidance accord- 

 ing to our ideas. The *»*«'«•) 



Dogs are fastened to a strap in a primitive manner. 

 In the Hudson Bay country the Dogs are sometimes 

 put in single file. Occasionally a fight ensues during 



the journey; and then the whole team is huddled to- 

 gether in inextricable confusion; they are all bark- 

 ing, biting, growling and rushing together and not 

 even the powerfully .wielded whip of the owner of 

 the sled suffices to restore order in the turbulent 



ESKIMO DOG. Servant and slave of the people of the frozen North, the Eskimo Dog is indispensable in those 



regions. It is the only beast of burden and a valuable assistant in the chase, very Wolf-like in its build and to a large 



extent in its disposition. It is scantily fed and usually hungry, and the picture well depicts its eagerness for the fish 



that is to serve for its dinner. This Dog has a warm, shaggy coat, and needs it in the frozen climate that forms its 



e. \\ hen the Dog is too old to work it is killed for its fur. which is used for clothing. (.Canis familiaris domestic™ 



pack. Finally the entanglement reaches such a 

 stage that free progress is rendered impossible, and 

 then the journey is interrupted until the driver 



