Dogs became the most heavily publicized animals for sale. The use of these animals in the Far North dated back centuries. By the turn of the century, Tappan Adney, a correspondent for Harpers Weekly, had observed an extraordinary demand for dogs to carry sleds and saddlebags. Yukon miners had raked and scraped the Canadian Northwest in search of dogs, resulting in a shortage. [43] A single dog could draw 200 pounds on a sled, and six of these animals could carry a years worth of supplies for a miner. [44] Adney described a variety of breeds, including Eskimo, husky, malamute, and siwash. So similar were these dogs in physical appearance that he had difficulty distinguishing them. He did, however, detect differences in characteristics among the various animals. The Eskimo dog, for instance, featured a wolf-like muzzle, but lacked the wild wolfs hard, sinister expression. The malamute, on the other hand, was a dog without moral sense, often approaching the lowest depths of turpitude. [45] The Klondike trade in canines was not limited to these large animals; Seattle dealers also sold little dogs not much larger than pugs. [46] The scarcity of dogs made sale of these animals a lucrative business. Miners, according to Adney, were willing to pay almost any price, and dogs brought fabulous sums in the Yukon during the winter of 1897-1898. The best dogs sold for $300-400 apiece. By the summer of 1898, approximately 5,000 dogs had arrived at Dawson City, indicating the size of the market. [47] Teams of dogs waiting for transport remained a common sight throughout the commercial district in Seattle during the gold rush. [48] Businesses such as the Seattle-Yukon Dog Company imported all kinds of canines from as far away as Chicago and St. Paul. In addition to transporting the animals, the company trained them in preparation for their service in the Yukon. Dog drivers placed the animals two at a time in a harness attached to a sled, compelling them to pull it for half an hour. At first it is hard work, noted one observer, but nearly all of the dogs soon understand what is wanted and pull the sled without trouble. [49] As Adney pointed out, however, not all dogs that reached the Yukon were trained. [50] The vast number of dogs brought into Seattle for the Klondike trade created problems for merchants as well as for the animals. Some dog yards held as many as 400 animals at once -- all waiting to be shipped to the Yukon. One November morning in 1897, 200 canines, held together in a single yard, engaged in one big dog fight. The noise was deafening, prompting The Seattle Daily Times to dispatch a reporter to investigate the event. He described the animals as snarling, biting, fighting canines who were doing their best to annihilate each other. Not surprisingly, nearly every dog was wounded in the brawl. [51]
Posted on: Thu, 17 Apr 2014 21:54:51 +0000
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