The Fan Hitch Volume 4, Number 4, September 2002

Newsletter of the Inuit Sled Dog

Table of Contents

Editorial
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We Are Not Alone
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Research Paper II: Occupational Osteoarthritis
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Who is an ISDI "Member"
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Northern Inuits (sic), Again!
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High Arctic Mushing: Part IV
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The Inuit Dog: Its Provenance, Environment and History
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Preserving "Bear" Dogs
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Janice Howls: Extinction
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IMHO: Little Minds, Little Worlds
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Index of The Fan Hitch, Volume IV


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Ordering Ken MacRury's Thesis

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Editor's/Publisher's Statement
Editor: Sue Hamilton
Webmaster: Mark Hamilton
The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog, is published four times a year. It is available at no cost online at: https://thefanhitch.org.

The Fan Hitch
welcomes your letters, stories, comments and suggestions. The editorial staff reserves the right to edit submissions used for publication.

Contents of The Fan Hitch are protected by international copyright laws. No photo, drawing or text may be reproduced in any form without written consent. Webmasters please note: written consent is necessary before linking this site to yours! Please forward requests to Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Rd., Harwinton, Connecticut  06791, USA or mail@thefanhitch.org.

This site is dedicated to the Inuit Dog as well as related Inuit culture and traditions. It is also home to The Fan Hitch, Journal of the Inuit Sled Dog.

Media review…


Ken with two pups from his last litter.   Nora Sanders photo

The Inuit Dog: Its Provenance, Environment and History

reviewed by Sue Hamilton

This is the title of Ken MacRury's (unpublished) thesis submitted in 1991 to fulfill, in part, his Master of Philosophy Degree in Polar Studies undertaken at the Scott Polar Research Institute (Darwin College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom).  Its sixty-plus 8.5 inch by 11 inch pages are loaded with a wealth of information about the Inuit Dog: its origins; physical and behavioural descriptions; nutrition; history of use by the Inuit, explorers, Antarctic scientists and the Sirius Patrol. Included are several tables with information on weights and diets and comparisons of wolves to Inuit Dogs. The reader will also find a large list of figures describing historical geographic range of the Inuit Dog, coat patterns and head markings, hind limb gait in the dog at work. More diagrams and tables appear in the appendices. The reference list and bibliography alone total well over one hundred entries! This scholarly work belongs in every ISD owning home and should be of great appeal to all sled dog enthusiasts and anyone interested in primitive breeds. Previously available directly from the author, Ken has recently turned over the reproduction, distribution AND all sale profits to the Inuit Sled Dog International!

The electronic version of the thesis was received in mid-August and we are in the process of preparing it for publication. Once we determine what the selling price will be of this newly revised third printing, we will post the availability on the ISDI web page and other suitable venues.  This information will be included in the next issue of the Fan Hitch as well. We can tell you now that copies will be available from ISDI, c/o Mark and Sue Hamilton, 55 Town Line Road, Harwinton, Connecticut 06791 U.S.A. Readers who anticipate purchasing a copy should feel free to contact us now to express their interest.  We will contact you (a stamped, self-addressed envelope for those needing to be contacted by snail mail would be appreciated) as soon as we have a price set.  Those of you who have access to the internet may contact us at <qimmiq@snet.net> 

Thank you, Ken, for sharing your intimate and extensive knowledge of the Inuit Sled Dog with the rest of us and for your generous donation!

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