Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-05-09
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 Paeks-in-
stances In Labrador Where They
Have Devoured Human Beings.

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, and 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 domesticHted and lose their origi-
nal savage character. 1t is. however,
quite otherwise.
The Eskimo dog Of today is still n
pure, unmitigated savage. Like his
congener. the wolf. he always hunts in
packs. Quite recently an Eskimo. with
his wife and child. was making a 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 Il 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. 4 poor Es-
Eimo 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 ard bones discovered next
morning told the tale of her tragic
| fate
The Newfoundland fishermen often
bring nome these Eskimo dogs from
Labrador Thpy invariably turn out
sheep killers. and the crUSSbred ones
have all the same savage instinct
They have been known to kill a score
or mere sheep in one night. all being
/ found with their threats torn. but not
one eaten. 1t is simply the savage lust
for blood. The early settlers in New.
found!lrd found the great timber
wolves Il terrible pest. They killed
their sheep and cattle ard sometimes
attacked worlrn and children. They
were continually CHASED ana killed.
but still they Increased \ handsome
bounty on w0lfSkinS. however. even
tually brought about their eXtirpatiOn
| Inn,
in packs always retain this character
iStic. The reindeer in l.apland have
been trai.rh AID luIrEti nird hy MAJ
for &C ,lntlr~S generations. hut they still
retain this instinct of the pack. \:
| soon. as the team moves all The rein
q or start off: nothing can stop them
While he savage pack hunlin" char
acter of the Eskimo dog remains 81,
long un"h"nHed. we havp. on the 9th
or hand. in setter aud retriever dog
Il very Siri,;in. illustration of how an
Artificial character can he given to IL
| implanted III Il brt,pd aud retained tOi
centuries II Is. however. purely arti
ticlal aud Is easily lost For instance
settlers and pointers kept by ladies H.
pets aud not trained lose the in>tinr
to point The unframed breed within.
Il generation lose ii altogether Ever
sport Sn,an knows that the young one
are very easily trained and point nat
urally. have seen setter pups only
six weeks old setting at AieS.
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 ant
courage Is the story Of Newfound
land settler. George Harvey. how witt
the aid of his dog and two children IL
saved ltS, lives IN lS:,2.. In the autumn
Of that year the brig Dispatch. on hel
way to Quebec with emigrants. in {;
tremendous gale of wind struck rocl
about three miles from Harvey'S resi-
dence ut Isle aux Morris. Harvey heart
the signals Of distress and immediatel,
launched his boat. His only help was
Il boy of twelve. his girl. sixteen year
old. and his dog. To get close to the
doomed ship in such a sen was to cotlr'
destruction. Hnrvey's dog understood
what was required Of him. He swan
toward the ship. The seas overwhelm
ed him and drove him back. but final
~ he came near enough. The sailors
threw him rope. which he caught
with his teeth. At last he got back te
Harvey's boat almost dead from ex
haustion. but with the ropes end firm
~ clinched In his teeth COmmunica
ton between the boat and the shiI
was then established. and with cart
and the most labOrious efforts every
soul was saved. Judge Prowse II