Research Request: History of the Black Norwegians

 Norwegian Elkhound  2 Responses »
Feb 092012
 

Once in awhile, a dog is imported and is revered by the locals, yet very few people have recollections of who imported the dogs to begin with. It perks one’s curiosity where the dogs come from and when.

While it is easy to find out who aided in the import of some of the dogs found in America, such as West Siberian Laika, Norwegian Grey Elkhound and others, there is one breed which exists outside the major registries, neither the American Kennel Club or the United Kennel Club: the Norwegian Black. These dogs found in the Appalachia are indistinguishable from the FCI-recognized Norwegian Black Elkhounds under the Norsk Kennel Klub, however very little historical records exist. The oral history which does exist is reduced to “my grandfather hunted with these and his father before him did as well”. So these dogs must had come from somewhere since the cultural memory is still intact.

The dogs in question are smaller than their Norwegian Grey cousins, and they are much slender in appearance. The coat is much more dense and shorter. Their intelligence also differs in that they are much more head-strong and wilder, yet they are also more easily trainable than the single-track minded Norwegian Greys; and one can still find these dogs today readily in the classifieds simply as “Norwegian” for the purpose of working squirrels.

There is always a possibility the original Norwegian Black Elkhounds were part of the founding imports of the collective Norwegian Elkhound, which in modern times is now divided into at least  five different breeds or more, arriving in America in the early 20th century. The possibility should not be a surprise considering Jämthund and Norwegian Grey Elkhound were not formally separated as a breeds until 1946 much with the help of Aksel Lindström, Bjorn von Rosen and others. Also, Elkhounds at the turn of the century were much more variable in colours, and the splits in the breed such as the Swedish White  and others occurred much later when abnormal colours appeared in the litters due to the insistence of the purists all dogs must only be grey. However it would be more preferable to have something concrete and verifiable oppose to speculations and theories.

If anyone can provide a lead on these black dogs found in the backwoods of the Eastern Seaboard, do not hesitate to comment or drop an e-mail through info [at] prickeared [dot] com.

The American Way

 People, Politics, Ponderings  1 Response »
Feb 082012
 

There was an interesting discussion full of drivel on a dog forum filled with dog-mommies entitled “Does AKC Support Crossbreeding?”; however registering to respond to it seems to be a major drag. So instead, because countless of Europeans question why Canadians and Americans have so many dogs outside the major registries, perhaps it is better to explain why in the land of the free, people are free to make their own choices and why the American and Canadian Kennel Clubs, while they do not endorse nor recognize cross-breeding, lack the sufficient means to corral the general population.

Maybe AKC doesn't support cross breeding, but I am appauled at the fact that there are some breeders out there actively involved in 'local' kennel clubs... who show at AKC shows but yet still insist on advertsing designer breeds for sale. I was appauled that a member of the local Kennel Club breeds and shows Shih Tzu & Havanese and also sells Shih Tzu X Havanese puppies on a regular basis!!!!! And the AKC has no jurisdiction over these breeders. I guess I am still trying to comprehend the fact tha AKC is only a registery and obviously have no code of ethics. And if they do, they are not abided by particuarly well. I looked up the code of ethics but couldn't find anything much that protects actual breeds or dogs in general. I know this may seem naive, but I have only been in the USA for a couple years and I still am having major difficulty understanding how the biggest registry can operate this way. The Australian National Kennel Club (ANKC)... whilst they have their problems... is a membership registry which promotes responsible ownership, breeding practices etc... Surely if the AKC were run in a similar manner and required annual membership like a breed club, would then be required to have a code of ethics similar to the ANKC which enforce rules with breeding, no cross breeding, no breeding unregistered dogs, prospective breeders must pass an open book exam before breeding a litter and registering puppies... prospective breeders must be a member for a minimum of 12 months before taking the exam....

It is quite understandable why someone who recently immigrated to the country has a hard time grasping the American way. After all, the continent is quite vast and Europe and Australia are tiny compared to the seemingly endless land.  However there is a reason to all of this madness.

First off, do not focus on a subset of breeders. Consider the audience as a whole. A great number of pure-bred breeders are living out in the rural area; and with that there are events in life where pure-bred dogs cannot always fill in the niché, especially in the realm of working and performance dogs. Not everyone who is operating outside the registry are breeding “designer dogs”.

There is a reason why there are so many mongrels in North America. Firstly, it is actually quite common for ranchers and hunters to utilize cross-bred dogs. So it is unfair to ask everyone who manages cattle for a living, courses coyotes or pursues feral hogs to give up his or her hobby of showing and breeding pure-bred dogs because they have vested interests in other aspects of their lives. Whether it is mixing Catahoula Cur with Pitbull to improve their ability to physically hold a pig, or crossing in a Greyhound or Saluki with an American Staghound for managing coyotes as pests, or back-crossing a cattle dog derived from a Border Collie to Blue Heeler to work a new strain of cattle, many people have a practical reason for producing performance-bred mongrels. In addition, it is becoming quite common for dog-sports to be the arena of inventive nature with flyball opening way to winning Border-Jacks [Border Collie-Jack Russell Terrier mix] and Border-Staffies [Border Collie-Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix] leading while aceing the Frisbee championships; or Whippet crosses stealing the diving competitions where static breeds lacking innovations within the last 150-years are losing.

If the AKC or the CKC do not allow people to breed crosses outside the registry or even sell unregistered, then anyone who has serious investment in dog sports, agriculture, hunting et cetera will be pressed to forefeit either showing their purebred dogs or working alongside their crosses. The Kennel Clubs know they cannot afford to lose memberships, so the registries do not bother rocking the boat by forcing people into the “either or” position. It is both political and financial suicide for the Clubs to become anything more than being just a registry.

It is actually much wiser to enable people to have their little showing hobby on the side with FCI-recognized breeds, while allowing them to participate in other cruicial life matters which also involve dog-ownership. Otherwise, the registries will just collapse.

Just because someone is operating outside a registry, it does not means they will commit pedigree fraud or engage in other illicit activities; nor does it mean they are being unethical. If cross-breeding is regarded as unethical because of a few bad apples, then in the fairness of tits for tats, one might as well ban dog-breeding altogether since there are just as many horrific examples of pure-bred breeders committing great sins. Bad cases make for bad laws.

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