A String of Malamute References Long Enough to Pull a Sled

in #ricky-skaggs6 years ago (edited)

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Jack London’s boyhood home burned down many years ago. Near its location at Third & Brannan Streets in San Francisco, the historical society affixed a plaque commemorating the place where the writer was born. Despite being a fan of London’s books, I never knew anything about his birthplace. So it was something of a surprise to see this commemorative plaque one day during a walk from downtown San Francisco to a ballgame at Third & King.

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California Historical Society

In fact, I didn’t notice the plaque. My daughter did. And at age 10, she’s already read the abridged versions of Jack London’s iconic works, The Call of the Wild and White Fang. Both are about dogs and take place largely in the Yukon Territory of Canada (via Skagway, Alaska) during the Klondike Gold Rush of the 1890s, a world which Jack London experienced firsthand.

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On the cover of my daughter’s White Fang book, there is a picture of a dog that looks like a husky. But it’s a little too husky for a husky. When you get huskier than a husky and the tail curls upward, then it’s probably not a husky but another dog which is larger but nearly identical in appearance: the Alaskan malamute. When Jack London envisioned the wolf-dog hybrid who was the central character in White Fang, perhaps he was imagining something like the malamute, one of Alaska’s native working dogs. We do know that the dog in The Call of the Wild was based on a real life dog that London had known, though it was a different breed. Movie versions of both these books used malamutes, which are descendants of the Arctic Wolf and of earlier domestic breeds.

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Alaskan malamute vs. Siberian husky. The malamute is heavier and its tail curls up, but they can be difficult to distinguish. To complicate matters, Alaskan huskies can be hybrids. akc.org

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An Inuit family with a malamute (according to the record, though the dog's face is not visible), 1915. Public domain.

Malamutes were developed by an Inuit people called the Mahlemuts or Malamiuts, who probably began breeding these dogs for their winter hardiness and their ability to carry heavy loads. They have been used for pulling sleds, for hunting, and for protection from animals as fierce as polar bears. Some believe these dogs came with people into the New World as they migrated from Siberia into Alaska. Like most primitive, indigenous dogs from around the world, malamutes feature pointed ears and a tail that curves upwards. They have a heavy coat, which is a necessity for northern dogs.

The Alaskan malamute is one of the breeds used in dog sledding, including in Alaska’s famous cross-country Iditarod race. Here is a video of someone dog sledding with malamutes.

The first time I hear about something, I often dismiss it. The second time, it rings a bell in my mind suggesting that I pay more attention. When I hear something a third time, I know it’s a pattern or a trend, and if I don’t pay attention it will fly right by me (or perhaps already has). In this case, I was not looking for another malamute reference so soon (especially after I wrote a recent post about wolves!). But a pattern emerged, and even if it was the product of random coincidence, that convinced me to write a post about these dogs.

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Malamute. Creative Commons via Flickr.com by giardetoteam.

You can’t predict fate. It was less than two weeks later that my other daughter and I were walking our terrier mix at the local park. Suddenly, there was a burst of white from the football field and WHAM! A huge dog jumped on my daughter. It looked like a large Husky and it was friendly; it had jumped on her because it liked kids and wanted to play. When the owner came over and apologized for the dog’s behavior, we learned that it actually was an Alaskan malamute, not a Husky, and that its name was Comet.

The third time malamutes came up was when I was reading about Star Wars and the origin of some of its characters, having recently watched the Solo movie. And there, within the article I was reading, was an obscure fact I had not remembered: the character of Chewbacca in Star Wars was inspired by a malamute. It was Star Wars creator George Lucas’ dog, named Indiana, a name which also works into the fictional storyline of the Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade movie. George Lucas’ malamute dog inspired the Chewbacca character because it used to sit in the passenger seat of his car and he liked the idea of a furry co-pilot. The dog also served as namesake for the Indiana Jones character (who originally was called Indiana Smith until George Lucas had a conversation about it with Steven Spielberg while the two were building a sandcastle on a vacation to Hawaii; Spielberg told him Jones would be better than Smith).

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Chewbacca apparently began as a malamute. Here, you can see the storyboard for Star Wars, which made Han Solo's co-pilot look more like a dog than a sasquatch. Last image is the final Chewie in Star Wars from Lucasfilm. The first two images are courtesy of the Denver Art Museum.

You might think Chewbacca is cute. You might think that a furry, wolfy-looking huskier-than-a-husky is cute. But let me tell you something...

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Malamute puppies. Creative Commons via Flickr.com by KittyGreen.66.

You haven’t seen cute until you’ve seen a malamute puppy. On my one and only trip to Alaska, my family stopped by a training facility for the Iditarod sled dog race that is held annually through the frozen landscape of Alaska. The sled dog puppies, mostly huskies, malamutes and mixes, had been born just a few weeks earlier. We held and petted some malamute puppies, which rolled all over us, and my kids couldn’t wait to get one of their own (a few years later, we did get our dog, though he’s a scruffy little goofball who does not resemble a sled dog). In practice, most Iditarod dogs are not purebreds, but mixes between traditional Northern dogs like huskies, malamutes, samoyeds, and additional breeds which provide desirable characteristics, such as border collies and greyhounds.

Like primitive dogs, the lead character in White Fang was born wild, but became domesticated. The first humans who found him did not treat him well; he became ill-mannered and turned into a fighting dog. Over time, another owner worked to tame him his fury. Eventually the dog in this story ended up further south in Jack London’s native California. He saved the life of the family patriarch and thereafter earned himself an easier life lounging in the warm sun.

The warm sun provides a good life for dogs, but it can get a little too hot in the summertime. My dog needs to be shaved at least twice during the warm parts of the year. He doesn’t have arctic fur, but he’s probably better suited for the cool weather of the Scottish Highlands than for hot, arid climes. I can only imagine that a thick-coated dog like a malamute would feel uncomfortable during summer months also. But I can’t imagine Chewbacca being shaved and I’m quite sure Jack London never wrote about doggy grooming salons.

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A well-groomed Chewbacca might start singing old Ricky Skaggs tunes. Credit for that idea goes to http://owlcorn.blogspot.com. Hey, that's amazing, Skaggs and Skagway both fit in the same post.

References:
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/alaskan-malamute/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raiders_of_the_Lost_Ark
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_London
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Fang
http://mentalfloss.com/article/56801/15-chewbacca-facts-honor-peter-mayhews-birthday
https://denverartmuseum.org/article/how-george-lucas-dog-inspired-chewbacca

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The top picture and this one show malamutes as working dogs in the late 1800s or early 1900s. They've often pulled sleds. This picture shows them pulling wagons full of Gold Rush miners and gear.

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@donkeypong, Firstly I want give you big thanks every your blogs so interesting to read and can be get massive knowledge about various fields. This would be story of malamutes and they are so adorable. Prefer to keep like as pet. Those Alaskan malamute were too intelligent I've heard before. Impressive video for see them and take idea what's strength of them. Every-time kept dogs between humans connectivity. So I think those malamutes gave massive helps to Inuit peoples. Absolutely brilliant blog posted included beauty images of puppy's and contexts. Thanks again Tom.

Thank you very much for big post.I like it steemit friend....

Siberian huskies are so cute, but you said that there are huskier than them and they are the Malamutes. Wow! They are really so cute, but I feel pity on them working ...Thanks for sharing sir @donkeypong.

Most are well treated. And if you ever see a crew of sled dogs getting hitched up for a trip, they are so excited and happy to be going out on the trail. They are smiling, barking in delight, and some are literally jumping up and down because they can't wait to get going. Yes, it's work, but they live for running with their pack and they absolutely love it. Hopefully, they get a nice retirement after the work is done.

Yeah, I hope,too they should get a nice retirement after the work...maybe a good dinner will do. He he.

Before now,
I don't know much about dogs, aside from the locals and the movies, I watch them just for fun, but your rich article have widened my knowledge.
Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!!

I wanted to say thank you because I have always loved malamutes and huskies!! This article is very informative and interesting.

Yes Jack London a notable author, the place where he born is well known for "The Sea Wolf".
But that place (Brannar streets) faced many natural hazard during beginning of 20th century, yet he survived and became a famous writer and social activitist.
I read about him few days back, but his love for his dog "Rollo" never fargetable..

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thanks @donkeypong for writing this article for "Jack Landon".

Yes, he wrote some other great stories also, but those are the main ones people know. Thanks for the comment!

Realy awesome photography.I have been never to London.I want to go to London.Would anyone help me???

It is a god thing to learn about Malamutes, first time I happen to learn about such breed of dog. It seems that they are a strong dog built for winter weather but maybe they have such a great endurance since they are used like horses in the Arctic environment @donkeypong

Jack London is one of my favorite childhood writers. Of course, he has works for adults, but "White Fang" - this is my strong impression from childhood. Thank you for reminding me of this book, I will recommend it to my daughter.

His books are for adults, but they also are possible for fairly mature kids to read and appreciate.

I use to think dog sledge was used in only in cold countries, you know like the snowy roads that will allow them to glide perfectly

Cold countries are where they are most useful. But they can pull a small wheeled vehicle in the summertime also, which is how many of them stay in shape for winter sledding.

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Wow never knew this, they look so fluffy and cool ridden in the summer too

Awesome indeed:)

Really beautiful Natural Many beautiful photography.

You are a right say.

You are a very big writer. Historical descriptions are needed in our great benefit. To know the past days or events left, we have to rely on our historical context. Here is a beautiful historical issue which we have learned from 1 beautiful past life left We got to know about the malamutes dog very well that you did this. Dogs were a very old resource in the past that helped our biographies and all of us have been partners. However, in this present society, nobody gives malamutes dog so much value. In your article, how much of a malamutes dog was needed in our lives. Thank you so much for presenting these everyday things.

Thank you for your thoughtful response. I enjoy bringing in history and connecting it with the present.

You continue to write about historical issues. I enjoy it very much. And like. I think there is a need to know the past.

Alaska malamute are very strong breeds and highly intelligent, well built stamina to withstand any challenges. Perhaps, they should not be grouped as dog breeds (just kidding). But their strength is really extremely unparalleled and extraordinary.

With most dogs, I'm still amazed they are the same species as a wolf. But these ones look so similar to wolves.