February, 1911 
\i !•: C K !•: A 'I" I O N . 
75 
ing lines: Tlie weight, or substance, should be for the most part 
forward; body long and agile-looking; chest deep; shoulders slop- 
ing and muscular; loin straight and without suspicion of roaching , 
legs straight with muscles and sinews well developed ; feet shcnild 
have a well-padded sole and with little feathering. If there is mucli 
feathering it must be clii)i)ed off in winter; otherwise, it will cause 
balling of the snow between the toes, thereby laming the animal 
and sometimes putting him entirely out of commission. 
The resemblance between these dogs and timber wolves is so 
marked that at a distance a band of them may be mistaken for the 
latter. Moreover, it is not an easy matter to differentiate their 
tracks. I have never been able to distinguish the difference, and 
the Indian himself must be an unusually cbse observer to note the 
<listinction. To the experienced eye, the spoor of the dog spreads 
out more than that of the wolf and the detail of its imprint is not 
so sharply defined ; that is, the balls of the toes and tiie si)aces be- 
tween them are less definitely outlined. 
Their affinity with the wolf remains so close that they readily 
breed with it. The Indians take advantage of this fact and resort 
to it when they want to increase the ferocious character, or when 
there has been too much interbreeding with domestic stock. The 
I)uppies thus secured are wilder and bolder than the bitch. On 
the other hand, emasculation has been resorted to in order to subdue 
the spirit of the wild. Now and then a wolf is seen doing team 
work with the dogs. In the case 1 saw, I noted no apparent differ- 
ence in the quality and quantity of his labor and he certainly im- 
pressed me as being more docile and attractive in every respect than 
the average Indian dog. 
The vocal sounds of these dogs are the growl, whine, yelp and 
sniff. They never bark unless they live in the vicinity of settle- 
ments, where they ac(|uirc the custom from domestic dogs. They 
soon drop, however, the habit when removed to a community where 
there are no other kind of dogs. Their howling is prolonged and 
so e.xactly in the pitch of that of the wolf that it is sometimes im- 
possible for the ])ractised ear to discriminate between them. At 
night, especially if the moon is up, the dogs often set up a steady 
howl in unison at it, the effect being most mournful and weird. 
In disposition, most of them are capable of no attachment to 
man, and I have never observed between the Indians and the dogs 
any demonstrations of affection. Occasionally one may meet a 
dog that is somewhat patronizing and will greet your advances with 
a peculiar, friendly growl. None, however, will accept any great 
amount of petting. They are whimsical and will even take a dis- 
like to other dogs, always greeting their approach with a snarl. 
Whenever a fight starts, the uprising attracts the other dogs in 
tlie neighborhood, who rush up to join in the general melee. If 
one falls, he is instantly pounced upon by his companions and may 
lie torn to pieces if not rescued by his owner. When angry they 
are absolutely dangerous, not only to their master, but to them- 
selves as well. An instance of their ferocity occurred several years 
ago when I happened to be in the district east of Lake Winnipeg. 
A four-year-old Indian child who had been left alone for a short 
time, was attacked by a band of these dogs, who devoured their 
victim so completely that, with the exception of blood on the snow 
and some pieces of clothing, not a vestige of the child was to be 
seen. 
The hardships that these dogs bear are at times terrible. They 
are slaves with the crudest of masters and liable at any moment to 
be subjected to the most extreme cruelty or want. No wonder they 
are vicious, obstinate and unsociable ! There seems to be an un- 
remitting struggle for mastery between the man and the beast. 
Some of the punishments inflicted are torture. The spot commonly 
selected for chastisement is the bridge of the nose. I have seen 
A fine team of typical Hudson's Bay dogs. 
some of the most fearful blows imaginable fall on the snouts of 
these unfortunate wretches. The imjilements often used are the 
butt of the whip or a good-sized tree branch. .Strange to say. I 
have never noticed a nose deformed or permanently injured ; nor 
have I seen a single muzzle free from .scars. Sometimes discipline 
makes the dog stubb<jrn. Then ensues a battle which is fierce and 
relentless. Under these circumstances, it is often necessary to 
Method of storing frozen fish for the dogs. 
string the inflexible brute up by the fore-limbs to a tree and scourge 
him. This is a most summarv means of bringing about submission. 
W'iitn the whip is used the dog throws him>elf on the ground, 
trembling, howling and groaning as the lashes fall on his side. 
Sometimes he utters not the slightest murmur. The dogs are con- 
stantly on the lookout for the driver's long lash, which is often useii 
with wonderful skill. The sight of a threatening gesture on the 
part of the driver is sufficient to bring out not only a most plaintive' 
howl from members of the team, but also renewed energy. 
With w-ell-trained dogs and a good driver, it is seldom necessary 
to use coercion. A skillful driver dislikes to punish his team while 
tripping, as it fatigues the dogs ; but the only way to keep them 
under control is by fear of the lash. If. in the course of punish- 
ment, the dog's eye is badly hurt with the whip, the drivers of the 
North put sugar into it. I tried to point out the folly of this, but 
to no effect. 
Notwithstanding the grievous cruelty extended to these animals 
bv their trainer, they exhibit, nevertheless, a certain kind of resf>ect 
A dog team carrying llio L nitod States mail out ot Council, .-\laska. 
