Hare Indian Dog Information & Dog Breed Facts

Introduction

There are multiple theories on both where these dogs came from and how they were bred. No one knows for sure which theory is the truth and we may never know. The Hare Indian Dog is now an extinct domesticated canine, possibly a breed of domestic dog, coydog, or domesticated coyote, formerly found and originally bred by Northern Canada by the Hare Indians for coursing. It had the speed and some other characteristics of a coyote, but the domesticated temperament and some other characteristics of a domestic dog.

History

The Hare Indian Dog was first located mostly in the Northeastern territories of Canada and the United States around the Great Bear Lake, Southwest to Lake Winnipeg and Lake Superior, and West to the Mackenzie River. It was said to be smaller than the typical Eskimo dog and different from the dogs related to Newfoundland. They resided among the Hare Indian tribe, hence the name, and were used as sled dogs at trading posts for fur. These Hare Indian Dogs would battle coyotes as hunting dogs, and coyotes would stand and fight back when the Hare Indian Dogs chased them.

When it came to red foxes, the Hare Indian Dogs seemed to like chasing them simply for fun rather than for hunting. However, the breed was debated as to whether it was a domesticated dog or a wild coyote descendant. Some believe that they were domesticated since they adapted well to human companionship, but on the other hand, others believe that they were wild dogs because they lived in packs and howled like wild coyotes. Some people argued that they were not related since they fought other coyotes, however, it is a fact that coyotes are not hostile towards each other.

Furthermore, as there were other villages and tribes that were attempting to domesticate coyotes, some believed that the Hare Indian people were attempting to do the same. Although they were named after the Hare Indian tribe, they were also owned by the Bear, Mountain, Dogrib, Cree, Slave, and Chippewa tribes. As well as being sled dogs, they were used as hunting dogs and could climb trees, silent hunting games,s and pull birds from trees.

Another theory is that the breed is linked to Viking Dogs that arrived in Northern Canada around 2000 years ago. They looked similar in appearance to the Icelandic dogs that are around today. Although it was not just their appearance but also their behavior that was similar. They were friendly toward all humans and loved being cuddled.

According to this belief, the Hare Indian Dog was produced by crossing older hare dogs in the area with Inuit canines. The Tahltan, a common dog at the time, was reported to have mingled with these pups after they were bred. However, Sir John Richardson of Edinburgh, on the other hand, investigated the breed in its natural form in the 1820s, before it was diluted by crossbreeding with other breeds, and he could detect no decided difference in form between the breed and a coyote, concluding that it was a domesticated version of the wild animal.

He wrote that “the Hare Indian or Mackenzie River Dog is related to the prairie wolf (coyote) in the same way that the Esquimeaux Dog (Malamute) is related to the great grey wolf”. The first Hare Indian Dogs to be taken to Europe were a pair presented to the Zoological Society of London, after Sir John Richardson’s and John Franklin’s Coppermine Expedition of 1819-1822.

Appearance

The Hare Indian Dog was a small-headed, slenderly formed domesticated canid with a thin, pointed, and elongated muzzle. It had pointed ears that were erect and broad at the base, as well as being closer together than the Canadian Eskimo Dog’s. It has slim and rather lengthy legs. The tail was big and bushy, curved upwards over its right hip, but not as much as a Canadian Eskimo Dog’s.

The fur was long and straight, with a white foundation and big, irregular greyish black patches mixed in with a variety of brown tints. Moreover, the muzzle’s fur was short and white, similar to the legs’, although it grew longer and thicker near the feet. There were black areas around the eyes.

Like the wolves with which it was sympatric, it had long hair between its toes, which projected over the soles, with naked, callous protuberances being present at the root of the toes and soles, even in winter. In size, it was in between the coyote and the American red fox.

Extinction

The Hare Indian Dog excelled in hunting and was highly regarded by hunters. On the other hand, hunting techniques were improved with rifles and firearms, rendering their competence and abilities useless to the general public. The Hare Indian Dogs perished from the planet as hunters gradually replaced them with weapons.

Despite the fact that they became extinct, it is thought that this breed was widely mixed with other domesticated dogs. As a result, their genes can still be found in modern canines such as the Newfoundland Dog, Canadian Eskimo Dog, and others. After their disappearance, the Hare Indian Dog’s genes were passed down to other modern breeds.