DCHP-1 Online

Hare Indian dog Northwest

• a breed of small dog weighing 15 to 20 pounds and piebald in black and white or brown, found among the Indians of northern British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Mackenzie country.

  See also: bear dog  

  • 1833  We can here afford space only for a few lines regarding the Hare Indian, or Mackenzie River Dog. . . .
  • 1861  The Hare Indian dog, [Canis familiaris] var. Lagopus, is the race domesticated among the Indians of the Mackenzie River District. It is characterized by a narrow, elongated and pointed muzzle, by erect sharp ears, and by a bushy tail not carried erect but only slightly curved upwards, as well as by a fine silky hair mixed with thick under fur.
  • 1949  (1956)  The Hare Indian Dog (Canis lagopus), was found only with the Indian tribes which lived along the borders of Great Bear Lake and the Mackenzie [and] was much like the Collie in appearance.
  • 1963  Richardson's Hare Indian Dog is undoubtedly of the same breed as those we find in B.C. and the Yukon.