| The Alaskan Malamute is an Inuit dog, not to be confused
with the Inuit dog found in Eastern Canada and Greenland,
bred to haul freight over long distances. Its name derives
from a group of Inuit called Malemute who occupied the area
around Kotzebue Sound on the west coast of Alaska.
Alaskan Malamutes found their way into the
lower 48 states of the USA with returning fur traders, who
brought their dogs with them, and probably more significantly,
as a result of the requirement of polar expeditions for
dogs to haul freight.
Chinook Kennels contributes much to the
history of the Alaskan Malamute. Named by Arthur Walden
in the early 1920’s the kennel took its name from Walden’s
first team of “Chinook Dogs”, the chance offspring of a
German Shepherd dog and an Inuit Dog. They themselves took
their name from the lead dog of that first team, the famous
Chinook. The kennel was located at Walden’s Wonalancet Farm.
Having already organised sled dog races in New Hampshire,
Walden formed the New England Sled Dog Club in 1924. Significantly,
he also hired Eva (“Short”) Seeley and her husband Milton
as kennel managers that same year.
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