Salish Wool Dog

Salish Wool Dog
A Salish wool dog in a 19th-century painting of Coast Salish weaving
Origin	Washington State and British Columbia
Breed status	Extinct. Not recognized as a standardized breed by any major kennel club.
Domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris)

The Salish Wool Dog is an extinct breed of white, long-haired, Spitz-type dog that was developed and bred by the native peoples of what is now Washington State and British Columbia.

It has been suggested that the Salish Wool Dog (or Woolly Dog) is the only known prehistoric North American dog developed by true animal husbandry. ^[1] The small long-haired wool dog and the coyote-like village dog were deliberately maintained as separate populations. The dogs were kept in packs of about 12 to 20 animals, and fed primarily raw and cooked salmon. To keep the breed true to type and the preferred white color, Salish Wool Dogs were confined on islands and in gated caves.

The fur of the Salish Wool Dog was prized for making the famous and rare "Salish" blankets, as the Salish peoples did not have sheep and wild mountain goat wool was difficult to gather. The dogs were sheared like sheep in May or June. The sheared fur was so thick that Captain Vancouver could pick up a corner and the whole fleece would hold together. Ceremonial blankets were prized items in the pre-contact potlatch distribution economic system, almost as valuable as slaves. The dog hair was frequently mixed with mountain goat wool, feathers, and plant fibers to change the yarn quality and to extend the supply of fiber.

The extinction of the Salish Wool Dog began with European contact. A combination of 1) the availability of Hudson Bay blankets and later sheep, and 2) decimation of the indigenous population by European diseases causing the breakup of the native culture, caused the Salish Wool Dog to interbreed with other dogs and lose its unique identity. By 1858, the Salish Wool Dog was considered extinct as a distinct breed. The last identifiable wool dog died in 1940.

Osteometry of the Salish Wool Dog

Skull total length 162.0 mm
Condylobasal skull length 154.6 mm
Femur GL 154.3 mm
Tibia GL 150.0 mm
Humerus GL 143.5 mm
Radius GL 136.0 mm
Ulna GL 157.5 mm
Shoulder height of standing dog 44 cm ^[2]

References

↑ http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2005&PID=11071&O=Generic
↑ Crockford, S.J. (1997). "Osteometry of Makah and Coast Salish dogs". Burnaby, British Columbia: Archaeology Press 22, Simon Fraser University.

External links

Spitz-type dogs

Sled dogs	Alaskan Husky Alaskan Malamute American Eskimo Dog Canadian Eskimo Dog Chinook Eurohound Greenland Dog Labrador Husky Mackenzie River Husky Northern Inuit Dog Sakhalin Husky Samoyed Seppala Siberian Sleddog Siberian Husky Tamaskan Dog

Hunting breeds	Black Norwegian Elkhound East Siberian Laika Finnish Spitz Hokkaido Jämthund Karelian Bear Dog Kai Ken Kishu Korean Jindo Norrbottenspets Norwegian Elkhound Norwegian Lundehund Pungsan Dog Russo-European Laika Shiba Inu Shikoku West Siberian Laika

Herding breeds	Finnish Lapphund Icelandic Sheepdog Lapponian Herder Norwegian Buhund Swedish Lapphund Swedish Vallhund

Asiatic breeds	Akita Chow Chow Indian Spitz Japanese Spitz Nureongi Thai Bangkaew Dog

Miscellaneous	Alaskan Klee Kai Eurasier German Spitz (Keeshond, Kleinspitz, Mittelspitz & Pomeranian) Schipperke Volpino Italiano

Extinct breeds	Guejae Gae Hare Indian Dog Hütespitz Sakhalin Husky Salish Wool Dog Seskar Seal Dog Tahltan Bear Dog

Types	Husky Laika

Extinct dog breeds

Dogs originating in the United States

Extant	Alaskan Husky Alaskan Klee Kai Alaskan Malamute American Bulldog American Cocker Spaniel American English Coonhound American Foxhound American Hairless Terrier American Pit Bull Terrier American Staffordshire Terrier American Water Spaniel Australian Shepherd Black and Tan Coonhound Black and Tan Virginia Foxhound Black Mouth Cur Blue Lacy Bluetick Coonhound Boston Terrier Boykin Spaniel Carolina Dog Catahoula Bulldog Catahoula Cur Chesapeake Bay Retriever Chinook Cur Feist King Shepherd Kyi-Leo Longhaired Whippet Majestic Tree Hound McNab Miniature American Shepherd Miniature Australian Shepherd Mountain Cur Old Time Farm Shepherd Olde English Bulldogge Plott Hound Rat Terrier Redbone Coonhound Shiloh Shepherd Dog Silken Windhound Stephens Cur Swinford Bandog Teddy Roosevelt Terrier Texas Heeler Toy Fox Terrier Toy Manchester Terrier Treeing Cur Treeing Tennessee Brindle Treeing Walker Coonhound Trigg Hound White Shepherd

Extinct	Hare Indian Dog Hawaiian Poi Dog Salish Wool Dog

Dogs originating in Canada

Extant	Canadian Eskimo Dog Labrador Retriever Landseer Newfoundland Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever Seppala Siberian Sleddog

Extinct	Hare Indian dog Tahltan Bear Dog Salish Wool Dog St. John's water dog

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