In considering the history of the breed, one immediately thinks of the Inuit people whose needs to hunt and travel were met in part by this animal.  That is a given.

What some of you might not be familiar with is the "other story",  not about birth, but resurrection.  In the early 1970's two men, who traveled throughout the arctic for the Canadian government, came to the conclusion that the pure Eskimo dog, as it was then called, was fast disappearing from the northern villages, as a result of previous government crossbreeding programs and replacement by snow machines.

Intoxicated by the sense of impending extinction of Canada's aboriginal freighting dog, the two friends decided one evening that if the breed were going to be saved, they would have to take matters into their own hands.  And so the Canadian Eskimo Dog Recovery Project was born.  With great personal and financial sacrifice, the pair dedicated the next several years to scouring the Canadian Arctic for quality dogs, developing a breeding program, and eventually obtaining Canadian Kennel Club registration.  Hundreds of dogs were returned to their roots in the arctic villages. 

The acquisition, housing, feeding, breeding, distribution, and fund raising was a monumental undertaking, a daunting task.  This story, and the two men responsible must never be forgotten.  Therefore the Inuit Sled Dog International takes this opportunity to express its gratitude to Bill Carpenter and John McGrath for restoring an awareness about this wonderful dog and for snatching it from the brink of oblivion.

Editor's Note:  The story of the Eskimo Dog Recovery Project is told in the National Film Board (NFB) of Canada video entitled "Qimmiq".  Contact information for the NFB appears elsewhere in this newsletter.