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The Labrador Husky is an unknown, often misunderstood, but important part
of our province's history. A medium sized, powerfully built husky, with an
average weight of 80 - 100 lbs. for adult males; 60 - 80 lbs. for adult
females, this husky is a native of Coastal Labrador.
Generally white with black spots, black, black with white underbelly, grey
or reddish brown, the Labrador is a very handsome looking animal. It has a
broad, slightly domed head with small, well defined, pointed ears. The eyes
are small, golden in colour and slanted to create a wolflike appearance.
The similarity between wolf and Labrador does not stop there, for although
they cannot bark, they are more than capable of howling like a wolf. The
muzzle and teeth are very strong and useful for breaking the bones found
in seal and deer meat, the main staples of the Labrador's diet. Not unlike
the wolf in shape, the body is powerfully built, with very wide, muscular
shoulders and chest. The legs are straight, heavy boned and muscular, but
appear to look short in comparison with its massive body. With a rough,
straight haired, double layered coat, the Labrador is well suited for
survival in the harsh climate of its native land. Curled up in a tight
ball, its muzzle tucked into its tail, no flesh (foot pads, muzzle, jaws,
etc.) touches the snow and its thick, double layered coat shelters it from
the elements.
Belonging to the northern group of dogs, which include the Alaskan Malamute,
Samoyed, Canadian Eskimo Dog and Siberian Husky, the predecessor of the Labrador
Husky was probably brought to Labrador by the Thule Inuit around 1300 AD and
introduced to the Dorsets, who had yet to master the use of dogs.
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Dog teams were important to the Thule, hauling their food and supplies
from one camp to another in winter. Teams may have had anywhere from two
to 28 dogs, with the usual number somewhere around 16. This was more
than was common among dog teams of the Central Arctic.
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Dogs could carry heavy loads, sometimes as much as 1,000 kilograms. Mud
runners were glazed with ice for faster, easier travel. Average speed
was about 7 kph.
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Harnesses and sled bridles were made from sealskin, and the wooden sled
bars were lashed to the runners with skin line. Dogs wore bridles so
that they could "fan-out" when travelling through the forest. Sometimes,
when going down a steep cliff, the driver had to brake the sled with
his feet, or use a "drag" made of walrus hide. (Borlace, 1993, p. 100)
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The Thule, ancestors of today's Inuit, first lived in Alaska (900 - 1000 AD),
where their Mongolian forefathers had settled after the last ice age. Over the
centuries, the Labrador's predecessor had become cut off, geographically, from
the other northern breeds. To maintain the desired qualities of strength, vigour,
stamina and intelligence inherent in their dogs, the descendants of the Thule
Inuit allowed the Labrador to breed with the native wolf populations. This
practice, carried on until the recent introduction of snowmobiles replaced the
huskies, allowed the continuation of the line and resulted in a new breed,
which according to W. T. Grenfell (1922) was "a very slightly modified wolf"
(p. 272). So much so does the Labrador Husky resemble a wolf in size and shape,
that Grenfell (1922) recounts an incident that occurred at Davis Inlet:
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"The general resemblance to wolves is so great that at Davis Inlet,
where wolves come out frequently in winter, the factor has seen his
team mixed with a pack of wolves on the beach in front of the door,
and yet could not shoot, being unable to distinguish one from the
other. (P. 272)"
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This new breed of husky is slightly smaller than the Canadian Eskimo Dog and
the Alaskan Malamute, but larger than the Samoyed and Siberian Huskies. To put
the Labrador in perspective of the other breeds, if you think of the Siberian
Huskies as sports cars, the Alaskan Malamutes and/or Canadian Eskimo Dogs as
freight trains, the Samoyeds as family vans, then you might consider the Labrador
Husky to be the 18-wheelers of the draft dog world:
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"Grandfather used to raise dogs for the MacMillan expedition because
the Labrador dogs were more durable than the Greenland dogs and the
Alaska malamutes. (Samuel J. Broomfield, Them Days, 1996, p. 28)"
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With little food it can run for days towing heavily laden komatiks (long Inuit
sleds), but when pinched with hunger, they will eat almost anything. Although it
can eat commercial dog food, it will do very little for this animal in the way of
sustenance, for it requires raw or cooked meat to fuel its powerful body. Not
known for its speed, their never-ending wolfish gait will get you to your
destination, while the sports cars, freight trains and family vans have run out
of fuel.
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Information provided by Mr. Greg Drover of Cartwright (Labrador)
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