for instance, temperatures of minus-60 degrees are common. The Samoyede people lived in tents and huddled for warmth with their dog packs during the Arctic nights. This type of human-canine cooperation for mutual survival forged a tight bond between Samoyeds and people. When not sledging heavy loads across vast expanses of Siberia, Samoyed dogs earned their feed as watchdogs and hunters. The Samoyede depended on reindeer as a vital source of food, fur, and leather. At first, they used their dogs to hunt reindeer. But in time Samoyede culture shifted from hunting reindeer to herding them. The bold white hunting dogs and haulers found a new role as stock dogs, moving and protecting the herds. In the late 18th century, Arctic adventurers returning to England introduced the Samoyed to British Meet the breeds! This section is dedicated to those animals we love. Look for different breeds in each magazine. Information taken from www.akc.org. For more information, visit https://www.akc.org/ dog-breeds
The Samoyed is a substantial but graceful dog standing anywhere from 19 to a bit over 23 inches at the shoulder. Powerful, tireless, with a thick all-white coat impervious to cold, Sammies are perfectly beautiful but highly functional. Even their most delightful feature, a perpetual smile, has a practical function: The upturned corners of the mouth keep Sammies from drooling, preventing icicles from forming on the face. A Sammy sentenced to solitary confinement in the yard is a miserable and destructive creature. These are smart, social, mischievous dogs who demand love and attention. Sammies need structure in training. Teach them what’s expected of them early, and practice it with them often. Samoyeds, the smiling sled dogs, were bred for hard work in the world’s coldest locales. In the Siberian town of Oymyakon, for instance, temperatures of minus-60 degrees are common. The Sammy’s famous white coat is thick enough to protect against such brutal conditions. Powerful, agile, tireless, impervious to cold, Sammies are drop-dead gorgeous but highly functional. Even their most delightful feature, a perpetual smile, has a practical function: The mouth’s upturned corners keep Sammies from drooling, preventing icicles from forming on the face. The name Samoyed comes from the Samoyede, a semi- nomadic people from Asia who migrated to Siberia a thousand years ago. They bred dogs for hard work in the coldest habitable places on earth. In the Siberian town of Oymyakon,
dog lovers of refined tastes. Queen Alexandria was an admirer who did much to promote the breed as a companion and show dog. In America, a sparkling white dog named Moustan of Argenteau made history in 1906 as the first of the breed (then known as the Samoyede) registered by the AKC. American and European mushers of the early 20th century knew the Samoyed as an enthusiastic hauler of supplies, capable of sledging one and a half times their own weight. Scott, Shackleton, and Amundsen are a few of the era’s famous explorers who rode behind Sams through uncharted frozen wastelands. Did you know? The Samoyed has been used for generations as a constant companion dog and guard for reindeer. Queen Alexandra was in ardent Samoyed fancier, and descendants of her dogs appear in many English and American kennels today. Samoyeds accompanied Roald Amundsen in his successful landmark reach of the South Pole in 1911. The Arctic suns and snows have bleached the harsh stand- off coat and tipped the hairs with an icy sheen. Named for the Samoyed people, primitives of the family of sayantsi, described as a race in the “transition stages between the Mongol pure and the Finn.” The Samoyeds comprised a nomadic tribe that traveled from Iran to the vast stretches of tundra reaching from the White Sea to the Yenisei River.
Missouri Pet Breeders Association | Page 18
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