Mackenzie River Husky

The Mackenzie River Husky is a name for several overlapping populations of Arctic and sub-Arctic sled dogs rather than a formal breed. These dogs were bred to haul freight for the fur traders of the Hudson’s Bay Company and later for prospectors in the Klondike Gold Rush. A mix of native sled dogs and European draft dogs, they were valued for pulling heavy loads over long distances in snow with little care. Only small numbers remain.

History

The type emerged in the mid-1800s. George Simpson, an administrator of the Hudson’s Bay Company, was pressing for fewer staff and greater efficiency, and mushers needed bigger, stronger dogs that could carry heavier cargoes farther. They began crossing the native sled dogs of North America with European draft breeds such as mastiffs, Newfoundlands and Saint Bernards.

Freight dogs were customarily named after the place they came from, and the best known were those of the company’s Mackenzie River District. By the 1860s they were prized across northern Canada and Alaska. The Klondike Gold Rush added to their reputation but muddled the name, since newcomers could not tell the different dog populations apart and called almost any freighting sled dog a Mackenzie River Husky. Breeds such as the Alaskan Malamute had not yet been formally recognized, and the words husky and malamute were often used for the same dogs.

Numbers fell after the gold rush and dropped sharply in the 1950s and 1960s, when machines took over Arctic travel and the Canadian government tried to do away with native dog teams. Moving cargo by dog sled is now almost obsolete, and very few of these dogs exist.

Appearance

The Mackenzie River Husky stands 66 to 74 cm tall and weighs 29 to 47 kg. It is rangy, deep-chested and long-legged, built for hauling freight in single file through deep snow, and is usually long-coated. Colors cover the usual northern range: black and white, shades of gray and sable, tan, blond and red.

Temperament

Writers of the time described these dogs as solid and dependable, rarely aggressive toward people but apt to scuffle with other dogs. They make poor watchdogs and enjoy their work in harness.

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