The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1897-06-10
HIGH PRICED DOGS.
MORE VALUABLE THAN HORSES
NOW IN THE MORT INVEST.

i. areat Demand for Them TO Haul Sup
niles to tho Gold Miners In the Yukon
coupty In Alaska. boarding Houses
Kant for their Special Purpose.
Word comes from Tacoma, Wash,
,bot dogs have suddenly become more
yaluable than horses in that section
of the Northwest This state of affairs
rpsults from the great aud growing de-
mand for dogs to be used In hauling
aledges In the Yukon country. Alaska.
While thousands Of horses for
which their owners cannot get SO
head are roaming over the
n,aips Of Eastern Washington and
Oregon, good-slEed dogs are bring
Ing from SIS to $50 each In the
,oeal market At Jeneau their value
Is double what 1t Is here, and on
the Yukon River good dog brings
from 500 to $3.50. To the Yukon mi
ner the dog has become what the
reindeer Is TO the Laplander and the
pony TO the cowboys of Texas and
Mexico-a beast Of service and most
valuable one.
The sledge dogs are too valuable
not to be taken well care of where
that Is possible. Their owners first
thought In this respect Is to obtain
nleuty of food for them. Their food
consists principally of fish, usually
salmon. caught In the Yukon River by
the natives. An ordinary dog will eat
daily two pounds of dried salmon,
which equals seven pounds OF fresh
fish. At Forty Mile last winter dried
salmon sold at from 20 to so cents
n pound. and bacon that was fit only
for dogs to eat sold for 371a cents Il
mound. lu some of the larger camps
on the Yukon dog boarding houses
have been established, where the an
imals are properly cared for at from
Sc to SIS II month according to the
season and the price Of dog food.
The native Yukon dog is much more
valuable than the importations from
Puget Sound. The dogs must be ac-
climated in order to stand the sever
tiles of winter. 1t Is found that dogs
taken from Montana and Dakota en-
dure the Yukon winters with less
suffering than those bred In the milder
climate of Puget Sound. Two splendid
specimens Of native Alaska dogs were
brought here few days ago. their
owner finding II cheaper to pay their
passage on the steamer than to have
them boarded at Dyea during his trip
here for supplies. The animals weigh,
one So and the other SO pounds. The
large one cost its owner Sl17 ut Circle
City. Both animals are stout, well
proportioned and muscled, and have
exceptionally short and heavy necks
Their ears are short and lifted like
those Of the Eskimo dog. Their coats
are dark, and the hair, while not close
is smooth and heavy enough to form
comfortable protection against the
Arctic winters and the Yukon mos
Ouitoes, by the side of which the fe
rocity of the New Jersey variety pales
into insignificance. A specially pre-
pared dog food made out of meal ant
coarse meat from the packing houses
Is now being manufactured in the
form Of cracker and seems likely
to come into general use.
Buskskin moccasins are provided b!
many owners to keep the feet OF th'
animals from being worn raw on th'
ice and snow. They are about nine
inches long and made much after th'
pattern Of child's stocking. Paci
saddles are also coming into use thi
spring. These are so arranged tina
dogs can carry a weight of from III t.
20 pounds besides drawing a sled. Th
saddlebags fall on either side. an'
Straps are arranged to prevent TN
pack from sliding forward or back
ward.-Nsw York Sun.