The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1910-05-18
FIERCE ESKIMO DOGS,
They Retain Their Wild Nature
Despite leng Training.
As SAVAGE As THE WOLVES.

! AND Like fhsir Ferocious CoNaeNers
They Always Hunt In Paeks-ln-
stances In Labrador Where They
Asvs Csvsu cd Human Beings
There undoubtedly Is an affinity hs
tween the SIT 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 i'm gel
ting together splendid teams. One
would naturally suppose that dogs 81
this kind, so long trained and associ-
ated with men. would become morn 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 he heard furious
barking among his dogs outside
Fighting anon. 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
TIE door The pack sprang on her. and
some rags aud bones discovered next
morning ,ok the tale of her tragic
fate.
Tlr. Newfoundland fishermen often
bring home these Eskimo dogs from
Labrador. Thsy invariably turn out
sheep killers. and the crossbrcd ones
have all the same savage instinct
They have been known to kill score
or more 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!and found the great timber
wolves a terrible pest They killed
their sheep ard cattle and sometimes
attacked women ard children. They
were continually chased and killed.
but still they increased A handsome
! hn, f,I- th
tually brought about their extirpation.
Animals that hunt or move together
in packs always retain this character
istic. The reindeer In Lapland have
been trained and domesticated by man
for coultlcss generations. but they still
retain this instinct of the pack. AS
soon rs the team moves all the rein
deer start off; nothing can stop them
While the savage pack hunting char
acter of the Eskimo dog remains sc
long unchanged. we have, on the 9th
or hand. in setter and retriever dogs
a very striking Illustration of how al
artificial character can be given to the
dog and Il special characteristic firmly
implanted iii Il breed and retained fOi
centuries. II is. however. purely arti
ticial and is easily lost. For instance
settlers and pointers kept by ladies as
pets and not trained lose the inStnc,
to point. The unframed breed within
a generation lose it altogether. Every
sportsman Knows that the young one
are very easily trained and point nat
urally. | have seen setter pups only
six weeks Old setting ut flies.
The instinct for retrieving is perpCt
uatrd in no breed $50 strongly as the
real Newfoundland dog. the fisher
mans friend and constant companion
ana the most splendid of all rctrieVcrs
4 remarkable instance of his gifts anC
courage is the story of II Ncwfound
land settler, George Harvey, how witt
the aid OF his dog and two children hc
saved 1G3 lives in 1892. In the autumn
Of that year the brig Dispatch. ON hcl
way to Quebec with emigrantS. IN q
tremendous gale of wind struck II rock
about three miles from IIarvcY's resi-
dencc at Isl" aux Morris. Harvey heard
the signals of distress and Immediately
| a
Il boy of twelve. his girl. sixteen years
old. and his dos. To get close to the
doomed ship in such n sea was to court
destruction. Ilarvcy's dog understood
what was required of him. He swan
toward tie ship. The seas overwhelm
ed him and drove him back. but final
~ he came near enough. The sailors
threw him II rope. which he caught
with his teeth. At last he got back to
| lIarvey's boat almost dead from ey-
haustion, but with the ropes end firm
ly clinched in his teeth. Communion
ton between the boat and the ship
was then established. and with care
and the most labOriOus efforts every
soul was saved. - Judge Prowse in
L - ri