Northernwolf Siberian Huskies | Olaf Swenson | Swenson, His, Dog, Chukchi, Were

Friendly and gentle, alert and outgoing.

Olaf Swenson

Ryrkaypiy, North Cape, Siberia

Sadly, there may be no pure Siberian Huskies left in the land of their birth. They disappeared during the Stalinist purges (along with most of the Chukchis and a few million dissident Russians). Happily for us, however, some Huskies were exported to North America first; the last of them made the trip in1929. These had been purchased by the Arctic explorer and fur trader Olaf Swenson, some at the then exorbitant price of $150. (Despite his Scandinavian name, Swenson was born in Manistee, Michigan) Swenson had cultivated friendly relationships with the Chukchis for many years. Indeed, he ws the only outside ever willingly allowed into Chukchi territory.

Swenson admired bthe the friendly temperament of the Siberians and the gentle treatment the dogs received fromthe Chukchi families. He understood that the two factors were intimately related. Many of the other northern breeds received nothing but brutal treatment at the hands of their owners, and in time became brutal themselves.

There was one dog in particular Swenson coveted. In his fascinating 1940 memoir, Northwest of the World : Forty Years Trading and Hunting in Northern Siberia, he recounts how he spent two years trying to buy a certain Billkoff (Snowball). He was always rebuffed, no matter how much he offered. Finally, Swenson stopped bidding on the dog because he could see how deeply attached the Chukchi owner was to his animal, and what a terrible internal conflict Swenson was instigating by his extravagant offers. Besides, Swenson admired the man greatly for his loyalty to the dog. A little later, Swenson says, he went out of his way to perform a small favour for the Chukchi. Swenson did not see his friend for a yea, but when he visited him again, his Chukchi friend seemed uncommonly glad to see him. Going over BIllkoff, he took the dog by the collar and led him over to Swenson. Then he placed his hand on the dog's head. "Your dog," he said solemnly. The man refused to take a penny for him.

As he had suspected, Billkoff proved to be the finest lead dog Swenson had ever owned. No matter what the conditions, Billkoff could cope. Even the most recalcitrant dogs on the team would follow his lead. This was a critical advantage.

From the team's point of view; the lead dog may be even more important than the driver. After all, the driver has no reins to guide the team - they are following the lead dog.

Knowing that the unique Siberian Husky was in great danger of disappearing forever, Swenson had some of the finest Chukchi dogs shipped directly to America. Some went to Maine; others were shipped to Quebec. Still others were bred to the dogs of the legendary Leonhard Seppala. It is an interesting footnote to history that the two outsiders who knew the Siberian Huskies the best were the same two men who brought them to America, thus preserving for all time one of the truly great dog breeds of the world.

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