History of the Breed
I'm a bit NUTS about the rhetoric behind the history of the Alaskan malamute as a recognized breed. There is something fascinating about the arbitrariness of the discussion. Kotzebue? M'Loot? Third Strain (if we can call it that)? Husky-Pak? Who's right? Who's wrong? What IS a malamute - is it just a strain of Canadian Inuit Dog or Greenland Dog? Is it a separate "breed?" If I had been one of the founding members of the breed and could pick ANY two Inuit-looking dogs to be my foundation, what would I have picked? These are the things that I ponder on quiet Friday nights.
KOTZEBUE vs. M'LOOT
I threw together this little graphic about the origins of the Alaskan malamute (as an AKC-recognized breed) by focusing on the EARLIEST descriptions and images of the time. Credit to: Alaskan Malamute: Yesterday and Today, the Robert Zoller article, and Lisa Piccolo's seminar on the history of the breed.
Husky-Pak & ROBERT ZOLLER
When the AKC officially recognized the breed in 1935, there was a vast controversy over what constituted a malamute. There existed the two major camps - Kotzebue and M'Loot - which frequently erupted into heated debate. A third strain - called the Hinman-Irwin 3rd strain - existed, but was so small as to be less of a 'line' than a grouping.
Robert Zoller observed the strengths and weaknesses in both strains and decided to carefully interbred them in hopes that they balance each other's weaknesses. After a few experimental litters, Zoller acquired a Kotzebue dog named Toro of Bras Coupe and paired him with Arctic Storm of Husky-Pak (3/4 M'Loot and 1/4 Hinman-Irwin). The resulting litter was groundbreaking. Husky-Pak became a well-known name in the malamute world. Cherokee won three National Specialties, Sioux was undefeated and a top bitch in the country, and Cliquot lent his likeness to the AMCA emblem.
Zoller only bred a handful of litters, but in that short time, he paved a new path for the breed by proving the merits of these merged lines.
Robert Zoller observed the strengths and weaknesses in both strains and decided to carefully interbred them in hopes that they balance each other's weaknesses. After a few experimental litters, Zoller acquired a Kotzebue dog named Toro of Bras Coupe and paired him with Arctic Storm of Husky-Pak (3/4 M'Loot and 1/4 Hinman-Irwin). The resulting litter was groundbreaking. Husky-Pak became a well-known name in the malamute world. Cherokee won three National Specialties, Sioux was undefeated and a top bitch in the country, and Cliquot lent his likeness to the AMCA emblem.
Zoller only bred a handful of litters, but in that short time, he paved a new path for the breed by proving the merits of these merged lines.
