The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1910-07-22
FIERCE ESKIMO DOGS,
They Retain Their Wild Nature
Despite Long Training.
AS SAVAGE AS THE WOLVES.
And Like Their Ferocious congeners
They Always Hunt In Packs-ln-
stances In Labrador Where They
Have Devoured Human Beings.

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, and taught to haul a sledge In
winter. The Hudson Bay company's
agents and the settlers on the coast or
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 a
pure, unmitigated 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 be 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 homo 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 kin a score
or more sheep in one night, all being
found with their Threats torn. but not
one eaten. It is simply the savage lust
for blood. The early settlers in New
foundland found the great timber
wolves a terrible pest. They killed
their sheep and cattle and sometimes
attacked women and children. They
were continually chased and killed.
but still they increased. A handsome
bounty on wolfskins. however. even
tually brought about their eXrlrpatiOn.
Animals that hunt or move together
IL packs always retain this character
istic. The reindeer I'm Lapland have
been trained and domesticated by man
for countless generations. but they still
retain this instinct of the pack As
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 50
long unchanged, we have. on the 9th
er hand, I'm setter and retriever dogs /
a very striking illustration OF how an /
artificial character can be given TO the /
dog and a special Characteristic firmly /
implanted In a breed and retained for /
centuries. II is, however. purely artii /
fetal and Is easily lost. For instance. /
settlers and pointers kept by ladies as 4
pets and not trained lose the instinct 1
to point The unframed breed within
a generation lose IL altogether. Every 4
sportsman knows that the young ones /
are very easily trained and point nat
urally. I have seen setter pups only 1
six weeks old setting at flies
The instinct for retrieving Is perpet-
uated In no breed so strongly as the
real Newfoundland dog. the fisher
mans friend and constant companion
and the most splendid Of all retrievers.
A remarkable instance Of his gifts and
courage is the story Of a Newfound-
and settler, George Harvey. how with
the aid Of his dog and two children be
saved les lives IN 1892. In the autumn
II that year the brig Dispatch. on her
way to Quebec with emigrants, In a
gale Of wind struck a rock
about three miles from Harvey's resi-
ience nj Isle aux Morris. Harvey heard