Our Dogs in Summer Time 273 



dogs, from several Indian families, will sud- 

 denly disappear shortly after the ice melts 

 in the early summer and will not return 

 until the ice is again forming in the 

 autumn. 



The fun begins when it is seen that some 

 of the mother dogs are followed by litters of 

 puppies, two or three months old. These 

 alert little dogs are as wild as young wolves. 

 Never having seen a human being, they re- 

 sent all attempts at familiarity on the part 

 of the Indians, especially of the boys, and 

 bite most viciously on every side. They act 

 as though they are astonished at their 

 mothers' familiarity with the Indians and 

 whine and cry to return to their usual 

 haunts. It does not take the Indians long 

 to familiarize them with their surroundings 

 and they say that puppies that come in this 

 way make the best of sleigh dogs. 



I never let my dogs run wild like this. 

 Jack and Cuffy were always house dogs, 

 and occasionally one or two others. When 

 I did not need any of my trains for plough- 

 ing they were all sent out on an island in 

 the lake, with an Indian fisherman, who, 

 plentifully supplied with nets, kept them in 

 good condition throughout the summer. 



