Chinook
Although the Chinook does not look like a classic northern breed, it is in fact a sled dog. Still a very rare breed today it is mostly kept as a companion.
Chinook Standards
- AKC (Working)
- UKC (Northern)
- 21-26"
- 65-90 lbs
- large sled dog
- ears may be drop, prick, or propeller
- tail reaches hock
- straight, strong, coarse coat
- tawny shades from pale honey to reddish gold
History of the Chinook
The Chinook was created by author and explorer Arthur Walden who had great skill as a sled driver. In 1917 he mated a "Greenland Husky", which was most likely a Greenland Dog, to a "Mastiff-type" dog of unknown ancestry. The result were three pups, one of which he named after a previous dog he had owned, Chinook. Chinook resembled a mastiff rather than a husky, but he excelled as a sled dog and became Walden’s lead dog and stud. His offspring were bred with Belgian Sheepdogs, German Shepherd Dogs, Canadian Eskimo Dogs and back to Chinook again. At age 12, Chinook and Walden joined Admiral Byrd's expedition to Antarctica. Unfortunately, one day Chinook went missing and could not be found. Walden returned home in debt and was forced to sell his kennels. They changed several times and the breed's numbers suffered heavily for it, dipping as low as 12 in 1970. Through dedicated breeding it managed to survive and today it is recognized by the American Kennel Club.
Related Breeds: