Our Siberian Huskies

We have had huskies working for us since the end of the 1990's, however in 2007 we decided to buy some Siberian Huskies of our own to ensure our safari product quality and for our own pleasure. We both have long backgrounds in dogs, including hunting dogs and rescue dogs, working dogs and show dogs. Since undergoing Finland's Kennel Club's breeder training, we have bred Siberian Huskies under our own kennel name Usvatanssi.

Under this section, as well as on our News pages, are pictures of our Siberians and their activities. Each litter/dog will eventually have its own page showing their pictures since puppyhood as well as their pedigree.
Below, a brief (!) history of huskies.

Suohpan

The Siberian Husky’s origins can be traced to the ancient Chukchi sled dogs of the Kolyma River Basin in north-eastern Siberia. It is widely believed to have originated exclusively with the Coastal Chukchi tribes of the east-Siberian peninsula, but there is evidence that Siberian dogs were also imported from the Koryak and Kamchadal tribes. Recent DNA analysis confirms that this is one of the oldest breeds of dog in the world.

The breed was developed and encouraged by these ancient Siberian tribes, whose culture was based on the long-distance sled dog. Their origins began some 2,000 years ago and evolved in the harsh conditions and climate of that region. They were bred to pull light loads at moderate speeds over incredible distances on relatively little food, and are the smallest of all native sled dogs.

The Chukchis had to travel enormous distances in order to hunt for their survival. Over many generations of breeding, the best working dogs that were docile enough to cooperate in teams proved to be the most suited to the work and terrain. They also had to be hardy and eager workers that had enough common sense and dedication to their task to keep from constantly tangling themselves in the lines of the sled. But because of their size, they were unable to pull much weight. Therefore teams of up to 20 dogs at a time were required to pull the hunter’s load. Undoubtedly, one of the dog’s most important traits was its cooperative instinct and desire to run.

Additionally, the Chukchi often took their dogs into their homes as companions for their children. Anti-social dogs were not tolerated. This surely accounts for much of the gentleness of the Siberian Husky personality and legendary sweetness of temperament. They were not intended as guard dogs and those that were naturally friendly to everyone were kept close to the family unit, sleeping with them during the cold weather (hence the term "three dog night", which refers to a very cold night!). The Chukchi women reared the pups, keeping only the most promising bitches and neutering all but the most promising males. These elite males were allowed to wander and breed at will, thus insuring that only the very best perpetuated the breed.

The Chukchi people valued their dogs highly and often raced and traded amongst each other at the Markovo Fair, held at the Russian town on the Anadyr River. However, the moderate isolation and lifestyle of the tribe ensured that their way of life remained virtually unchanged until late into the 19th Century. It is then that the Russian fur trade began to influence the breed that became known as the ‘Siberian Husky’. Russian dog teams were very fast and competitive and the Chukchi people also traded dogs with the Russians. They probably used these dogs for bringing an element of speed into their otherwise versatile and intelligent dog teams. By the end of the 19th Century, the Siberian had become a tough cross-country dog, bred and built to cover long distances at speed.

In 1908 a Russian fur trader, Goosak, travelled to Nome in Alaska with nine Siberian dogs, referred to as Siberian Wolf Dogs, for the purpose of entering the 1909 All-Alaska Sweepstakes (AAS), a 408 mile (657 km) distance dogsled race from Nome to Candle and back, held in the early Spring. A third place finish by the little dogs astonished everyone and inspired a young Scot, Fox Maule Ramsay to import the first selected teams of Siberian dogs into Alaska during 1909. The son of a Scottish Earl, he had come from home to supervise the family investments in the gold fields. Fascinated by the excitement of sled dog racing and having seen Goosak’s small, fast dogs, Ramsay chartered a schooner and went to the Markovo Fair, selecting 70 of the best dogs there, possibly from both Chukchi and Russian traders.

The results of the 1910 All Alaska Sweepstakes were momentous. Ramsay’s three teams were placed first, second and fourth, setting a record that has never been beaten.

Historical sources tell us that the Chukchi people and other tribes had already travelled with their dogs over the Bering Straits to trade with their eskimo cousins in Alaska and vice versa for many hundreds of years. In fact, the first humans and dogs in America came via the ancient Bering land bridge. However, the Siberian dogs’ arrival in Alaska had now been officially recorded. These 70 dogs chosen by Fox Maule Ramsay, and a few more, formed the foundation of what is known today as the Siberian Husky. The few more, from the Anadyr River and surrounding regions, were imported into Alaska over the next two decades for use as sled dogs during the gold rush, but especially for the All-Alaska Sweepstakes. Smaller, faster and more enduring than the 100 to 120 pound (45 to 54 kg) freighting eskimo-dogs then in general use, they immediately dominated the Sweepstakes and continued to do so for many years.

The word husky comes from the shortening of eskimo to eski. The dogs were consequently known as eski-dogs which became husky-dogs and as such a generic term for all double-coated, prick-eared dogs. It is also used in the term ’Alaskan husky’ which was a dog bred by mixing malamutes (a native dog of the Eskimo Mahlemuit people) and dogs imported to Alaska during the gold rush. As the demand for sled dogs was so high, even dogs which looked only remotely suitable were being kidnapped and sold to the north. This included Saint Berhards, Dobermans, foxhounds, greyhounds and setters. Wolves have also been mixed in. The Alaskan husky falls short of being a breed in that there is no preferred type and no restriction as to ancestry; it is defined only by its purpose, which is that of a highly efficient sled dog where function is preferred over form. Nowadays, a top level racing Alaskan husky is very valuable, with lead dogs costing up to 10,000 euros, but those that fail to meet performance standards are worth very little or nothing, resulting in a high level of culling.

Leonhard Seppala, a young Norwegian fisherman turned gold miner, became involved with Siberian dogs when he was asked by his employer to train a group of females and pups for the 1914 AAS. After a poor start his first year, Seppala dominated the races thereafter, winning the next three years in a row. When Ramsay left the Klondike he sold what was left of his Siberians to Seppala, who was later acknowledged to be the greatest dog driver of all time. In 1925 he was a key figure in the serum run to Nome which delivered diphtheria serum from Nenana by dogsled after the town was stricken by an epidemic and bad weather stopped other forms of transport. Seppala set out from Nome and travelled 275 km until he met the team carrying the vital serum. He and his team had already covered 70km that day but turned around to make the journey back, in terrible conditions. His daring 140km leg of the famous serum relay won him and Siberian huskies international acclaim, whilst saving the township of Nome. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race commemorates this famous delivery and is depicted in the children’s movie Balto.

Leonhard Seppala was the first to introduce Siberian huskies into the lower United States out of Alaska when in the following year he toured the USA with two teams of his dogs, starting a mania for Siberian husky sled dogs and dogsled racing, particularly in the New England states. His dogs won every race and their beauty, speed and temperament intrigued American racing enthusiasts. Seppala, along with Mrs. Elizabeth Ricker, established a Siberian Husky kennel in Maine and thus the spread of the breed began.

The importation of dogs from Siberia proved to be a very important event for the survival of the breed. In the early 1900’s the monarchy in Russia was overthrown and replaced by a Communist regime which did away with elite aspects of Russian life. By the 1930’s these forces reached north-east Siberia, and so did smallpox. Because the Chukchi dogs were revered highly and were greatly desired by the Chukchi people, those in the tribe that bred and maintained the finest dogs had assumed a high position and measure of wealth. Such people along with their dogs were viewed as hindrances to the new way and most were eliminated. In the course of a few years, the Chukchi dog breed all but disappeared from Siberia, being replaced with much larger freighting dogs thought to be more effective for the proposed expansion of the fur trade.

It was in the 1930’s that the last Siberian huskies were exported as the Soviet government closed the borders of Siberia to external trade. The same year saw recognition of the Siberian Husky by the American Kennel Club. Nine years later the breed was first registered in Canada. Today’s Siberian Huskies are largely the descendants of the Siberia imports of the early 1900’s and of Leonhard Seppala’s dogs.

The first Siberian Husky to be registered in Finland was in 1965 which later became a Finnish Champion. A year later another two followed, one of which had been mated before leaving the USA. In 1967 the number of dogs registered was 13 and there were enough owners to start the Finnish Siberian Husky Club. Sled dog racing followed and by the 80’s around 300 Siberian Huskies were being registered yearly. During the 90’s sled dog driving became a popular activity for visitors to Lapland. Unfortunately, some businesses used dogs that were far from the Siberian Husky used in Lapland’s marketing images and therefore what visitors expected to see.

However, Siberian Huskies continue to be used in many places and their future still looks bright. They are in essence a hardy, versatile and charming dog, with a sense of humour seen by the twinkle in their mischievous eyes. It is wonderful to experience this and their sweet personality, and to witness their deep sense of pleasure and elegance in their work and play. Enthusiasts and visitors who drive with them find they are soon addicted. Beware!!!