Evening journal., 1910-05-16
FIERCE ESKIMO DOGS,
They Retain Their Wild Nature
Despite Long Training.
AS SAVAGE AS THE WOLVES.

And Like Their Feroeious Conseners
They Always Hunt In Paeks-ln-
stances In Labrador Where They
Have DeVoured Human Beings.
There undoubtedly is an affinity be-
tween the wolf and the Eskimo dog.
For generations the dog has been
trained by the Eskimos, chiefly by the
women. aud taught to haul a sledge in
winter. The Hudson Bay company's
agents and the settlers on the coast OF
Labrador vie with each other in get
ting together splendid teams. One
would naturally suppose that dogs of
this kind, so long trained and associ-
ated with men, would become more or
less domesticated and lose their origi-
nal savage character. 1t is, however,
quite otherwise.
The Eskimo dog Of today is still
pure, unmihgated savage. Like his
congener. the wolf, he always hunts in
packs. Quite recently an Eskimo, with
his wife and child. was making jour
ney with his team TO a nearby settle
ment. On his way the driver became
I'll and weak and quite unable TO con-
troll his team. The dogs turned on
them and devoured the whole family.
An old resident at Labrador told me
that one winters evening he was sit
ting reading when he heard a furious
barking among his dogs outside.
Fighting among the pack was so com
mon that he took no notice Of the dis
turbance Next morning the cause Of
the row was discovered. A poor Es-
kimo woman was coming to the house
for medicine for her sick child. she
stumbled over the heap of snow near
the door. The pack sprang on her. and
some rags and bones discovered next
morning told the tale Of her tragic
fate
The Newfoundland fishermen often
bring home these Eskimo dogs from
Labrador. They invariably turn out
sheep killers. and the crossbred ones
have all the same savage instinct.
They have been known to XIII a score
or more sheep in one night, all being
found with their throats torn, but not
one eaten. 1t is simply the savage lust
for blood. The early settlers in New
foundIand found the great timber
wolves a terrible pest. They killed
their sheep and cattle and sometimes
attacked wc'oen AID children. They
were continually chased and killed
but still they increased. A handsome
bounty on wolfskins, however, even
tually brought about their exurpation
Animals that hunt or move together
in packs always retain this character
istic. The reindeer in Lapland have
been trained and domesticated by mar
for countless generations, but they still
retain this instinct OF the pack. Az
soon as the team moves all the rein
deer start of; nothing can stop them
. While the savage pack hunting char
acter Of the Eskimo dog remains 81
long unchanged. we have, on the 9th
er hand, in setter and retriever dog
a very striking illustration OF how al
: artificial character can be given to th'
dog and q special characteristic firml!
= implanted in a breed and retained foi
centuries. 1t is, however, purely arti
= fcial and is easily lost. For instance
settlers and pointers kept by ladies az
/ pets and not trained lose the instinc
to point. The unframed breed within
q a generation lose It altogether Ever
sportsman knows that the young one
are very easily trained and point nat
|. urally. have seen setter pups only
Cd .-,of~- ola anftfro. Of afna
The instinct for retrieving is perpet
! uated in no breed so strongly as tn
I real Newfoundland dog, the fisher
e mans friend and constant companion
i and the most splendid of all retrieyers
A remarkable instance Of his gifts AM
courage is the story of a Newfound
2 land settler, George Harvey, how wit
I the aid Of his dog and two children h
saved 163 lives in 1882. In the autumn
= of that year the brig Dispatch, on be
: way to Quebec with emigrants, in
tremendous gale Of wind struck a roc
= about three miles from Harvey's res
dence at Isle aux Morts. Harvey hear
the signals Of distress and immediatel
launched his boat His only help wa
a boy Of twelve. his girl. sixteen year
old. and his dog. To get close TO tn
doomed ship IN such sea was TO cOuT
destruction. HGrvey's dog underst0o
what was required Of him. He swar
toward the ship. The seas overwheln
ed him and drove him back, but fina
~ he came near enough. The sailor
threw him a rope, which he caugh
with his teeth. At last he got back
Harvey's boat almost dead from el
haustion, but with the ropes end frn
ly clinched in his teeth. COmmunics
ton between the boat and the shi
was then established, and with car
and the most laborious efforts ever
soul was saved. - Judge Prowse i
London Standard