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APil J3 JS42 
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"Scotty" Allen's famous Alaska dog team on the trail. 
The Indian Sled Dogs of North America. 
By TOWNEEND W. THORNDIKE. 
Photographs by the Author and Others. 
riHE origin of the use of the dog as an animal of 
draught is not known ; but the weight of opinion 
is that it was introduced from Siberia and that 
the idea was probably Kamchatkan. 
The canine of the American aborigine, or 
Amerind, was simply a tame wolf, differing from 
its wild brother in the qualities that would natu- 
rally follow breeding in the semi-domestication 
of the savage. The dog used by the Indians of the plains was 
usually of coyote origin, rarely of gray-wolf stock; while the one 
bred by the Indians in the forest regions, and the Eskimos, was 
always derived from the gray wolf. With the advent of the white 
man came the European species. By crossing and intercrossing 
these strains wdth the native animal, the ancestor of the present-day 
sled dog was produced. As this mixed breeding has been going 
on ever since, there has been no opportunity to create a new va- 
riety of dog or to recover the primitive one, and to-day the Indian 
dog is nothing more or less than a canine potpourri of all kinds of 
breeds. In the districts remote from civilization the mongrel 
character of this dog is less marked than in those dogs nearer the 
settlements. 
The sled dogs of the Northern regions of this continent mav be, 
for convenience, divided into two groups : The Eskimo, or "husky," 
found in the Far North, and the so-called Indian "gidde," found 
in the tinil)er regions or Indian country.* 
The difference between these two groups, though not marked, is 
apparent. In general, the Eskimo dog dift'ers from the Indian 
*In Alaska the term, "malamut," is used synonymously for '■husky," although in 
some parts it is employed to mean a dog of small proportions and unadapted for heavy 
work. The term, "husky," is probably Innuit in origin and is Indian slang for almost 
anything that is Eskimo. Therefore, if one wishes to be correct, one should not refer 
to the Eskimo dog as a husky. 
The etymology of the term, "^iddc." is also obscure. I have heard it \iscd in sev- 
eral ditTerent ways. Dogs of Indian breeding arc often referred to as giddes. or the 
word may lu- applied to small or sickly dogs. In this latter sense it is used as a term 
of disparagement. Puppies are also called giddes. — The Author. 
variety in being more wolfish and in having less F!uropean strain. 
His tail is more bushy and he is cleaner-legged. His ears are more 
erect and pointed, while his body is larger in size and form. The 
temper of the husky is said to be better and his intelligence of a 
higher order; altogether, he is a better dog in every way. It is 
probably possible to find to-day the pure blooded husky dog in the 
regions about the Coppermine river and in lianks Land and \\ oll- 
aston Land. With the exception of these areas. I doubt if this dog 
is to be seen, in the uncrossed state, anywhere else. 
A typical specimen of the Indian sled dog is wild in api>earance 
and character. His weight, when full grown, varies tn>m sixty 
to 130 pounds. The muzzle is long, projecting and pointed, but 
not so pointed as that of the collie. Tlie nose shows good powers 
of scent. The ears are sharp, pricked upright and pointed fonvard. 
The eyes, obliquely placed, express neither affection nor friendli- 
ness. The general countenance is surly, unjileasant. and always 
expectant of a blow from the loot or some missile. The lK»dy is 
stjuarely and compactly built and somewhat smaller than that of 
the woif. The carriage is bold and the motions are quick. The 
tail is long, round aiui bushy and is usually curled ever the rump 
when the dog is at work. Occasionally it may droop, especially 
when the animal is fatigued. The feet are tough and broad. Tlie 
coat consists of an inner layer of very short, soft and wann hair, 
and an outer layer comixxsed of long, shaggy, coarse and wifA- 
hair with a tendency to curl. It is especially abundant over the 
bodv and around the neck and shoulders, and sparse on the legps. 
The chief colors of the fur are gray, black, brown, reil or white, or 
a mixture of these in varying proportions. White is the most com- 
mon. A black body with white paws is a combination often seen. 
The dark gray is perhaps the favorite color among the natives, and 
the dogs so colored are saiil to be the purest blooded and have the 
superior intellect. The nose is usually black. 
In choosing a sled dog. one should judge him along the follow- 
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