The evening times., 1899-10-24
Dogs That CATCH FISH.
A Wolf-Like Breed Used by the
People Of Labrador.
They Are Trained to Jump From
Boat and Secure the Cod Hauled
Up by Their Masters-Their Feroc-
ity, Intelligence, and Jealousy,
and Ability to Endure Hardships.
(Frnm the New York Sun. !


the features OF everyday life on the BAR
rem shores of that distantHpar of Labra-
4 dor which belongs to Newfoundland. The
| valuable cod fisheries along the !, 100 miles
| of Labrador's coast yield about one-fifth OF
| Newfoundlands total catch of cod, and
| furnish employment annually to thousands
OF hardy fisher folk They fish with lines
| from $50 to 200 fathoTps long, two men to
boat, and each man using two hand
lines. The usual bait is 7capelin. When
| fish are plentiful it takes avery short time
! to fill a boat with cod. ,iAainumer of fish
ermen have trained their dogs to assist in
| catching fish,. - hi
/ The rapidity with which the fishermen
| haul up their long linesawhen they feel a
bite, robs the fish almost entirely OF life
and breath by the time it reaches the
| surface of the sea. 1t comes to the top as
completely exhausted as a salmon that has
| been played by an angler until he can tail
| ii with his hand and SO avoid the necessity
of gaffing it. 1t is one thing, however, to
bring a heavy cod to the surface of the
water and another TO get 1t into the boat
| Cats and landing nets are unknown to
| these toilers OF the sea. Ii they can lift
| the fish into the boat by the line, all is
we'll; but this is often where they fail.
| II the fish is large and but lightly hooked.
as is often the case the hook breaks away
! from its mouth when the attempt is made
! to haul it from the water. The fish, still
| quite inanimate in manner and appear
| ance, floats away from the boat on the sur
! face OF the waves This is only for a
moment, however. The fishers trained
dog, often without a signal from his mas
! ter leaps over the gunwale of the boat,
! plunges into the sea, swins after the
| floating fish and seiZes il in his mouth.
Returning consciousness haSfenpl hY the
new sensation of being taken entirely from
the water and firmly gripped between the
! jaws of its captor, often produces lively
struggles on the part of the fish, which
add considerably to the difficulty the dog
| has in swimming back with his burden
| to the boat The dog rarely releases his
hold upon his wriggling captive until
safe within the boat
Sometimes these dogs have larger game
than Goldfish to struggle with in the water.
They are trained to plunge into the ice
cold water in the spring of the year and to
act as retrievers for their masters HISn
seal are shot from the shore on the surface
OF the sea.
The dogs employed by the fishermen of
Newfoundland and Labrador are by no
means the specimens of canine magniti-
cence usually known as Newfoundland
I dogs. They more neaxly resemble Eskimo
quite wolfish in both manner and appear
ance Ii is even believed by many people
that the blood of the wild brutes of the for
est flows in their veins. AT a post near
Hamilton Inlet not long ago the door OF
a house in which an infant was sleeping
in cradle had been left open for short
time during the temporary absence of the
other members of the family. When the
mother e-entered the house she found
NIL ba pf ber child Tho
had been completely devoured by dogs.
The Labrador dogs are excessively quar-
relsome, and, wolflike. always attack the
weaker. All seem anxious to take part in
the fray, and scarcely season passes with
out the settlers losing two three dogs
during the summer from wounds received il
quarrels among themselves Peace is in
stantiy restored, even if=twenty Or more are
engaged in the arFay1 by the sound, or
even sight of the dreaded Eskimo whip
used by the Labradorians- These people
have seldom succeeded in raising any Other
domesticated animal or the coast: cats
cows, and pigs have all been destroyed BY
the dogs. If ever dog is brought up in the
house his doom is sealed, At the first op-
portunity, the others viii popnce upon him
in the absence of his master and worry him
TO death This is the inyariable fate of
any privileged dog on the, coast that is
permitted TO enter his masters house and
TO receive the caresses OF the different
members of the family. Theipreference ex-
cites the deepest jealousy in the breasts of
the Labrador dogs. and they patiently wait
for an occasion to avenge themselves.
/ In the winter these animals will drag
commetique, or sleigh, fifty or sixty miles
day over the snow. They haul wood
from the interior; carry supplies to the
! rA. Il
rocky and desolate coasts; merri.y draw
their masters from house to house, and
with their wonderful noses pick out the
right path even in the most p.tiless storm.
II the traveller will only trust to the sa-
gacity of an experienced leader he may
wrap himself up in his bear and sea,skin
robes and regardless of piercing winds
and binding snowdrifts, these sagacious
and faithful animals will draw him secure
ly to his own door or to the nearest post.
The commetQue is about thirty inches
broad and ten or twelve feet long. The
runners are shod with whalebone, which,
by friction over the snow, soon be ONES
beautifully polished and looks like ivory.
The commetique is well fico-ed with seal
SKINS over which bear or seal skins are
nailed ali round, with an opening for the
traveller to introduce his body. The har-
ness is made of sealskin; the foremost
dog, called the guide, is placed abo 1t thirty
feet in advance, the others are ranged in
pairs behind the guide. Sometimes three,
sometimes four pairs of dogs are thus
attached to one commetique, besides the
guide.
The Eskimo dog of pure breed, with his
strongly-built frame, long white fur,
pointed ears, and bushy tail, is capable OF
enduring hunger to a far greater extent
than the mixed breed But the latter beats
him in long Journeys, even when fed but
once day. An Eskimo dog will travel for
two days without food one of the mixed
breed must be fed at the close of the first
day, or he is good for little the next. In
winter their food often consists chiefly of
dried capelin-the small, smelt-like fish
used by the cod fishermen for bait. An
expert driver can hit any part of the lead
ing dog he chooses with the extremity Of