Harsh Realities for Arctic Dogs

I’m back! I had a great week in Edmonton, even though I had to adjust to all the snow and the warm temperatures (yes, -10 does feel warm!). I barely made it out of Baker, as some nasty weather came up really quickly. We dodged the weather, getting out during a small pocket in the weather. I was so relieved!

As I returned to Baker, I was reminded that we truly are living in a harsh and unforgiving environment, prone with many risks for people and animals. I say that because, while I was away, wolves attacked and killed two dogs from one of our local dog sled teams. The dogs were tethered individually to their dog houses and would not have had a chance to defend themselves. The team is located just at the eastern edge of town. The owner of the dog sled team checks in on them every day, but no one lives immediately adjacent to them. The owner discovered the attacks the following day. The wolves not only killed the dogs, but also ate them.

My neighbour, who is an avid hunter and was out on the land the following day, said that he came across many wolf tracks. He believes it was a fair-sized wolf pack that attacked the dogs. The fact that they would have been able to smell human scent and know that humans lived very nearby, did not scare the wolves. Again, as I have been told many times, the need for caution is always there. Just because you live in a community, does not mean that you are safe from predators such as wolves who may be starving and desperate for food.

I love dogs, as anyone who knows me will attest to! Given the recent attacks, I’ve been asking the locals about the dog sled teams and how their use has evolved over time. The general consensus is that today, because of the use of snowmobiles rather than dog sled teams, hunters using snowmobiles do a lot more guessing. As one local said, “They do a lot of just driving around and looking and guessing with the limited senses that they have. In the old days the dogs used to have more senses than we do, because even if you can’t see the seal hole or the seal or the animal, the dogs could smell it. And today we’re basically hunting blind.”

Another local told me that the hunters were safer when they used the dogs rather than machines. If a blizzard was forming, the highly trained lead dog could sense a change in weather. They would also be able to smell the fire back at camp. Because of this, the locals did not try to direct the sled in severe weather. The hunter trusted the lead dog to lead everyone back to safety, even in zero-visibility blizzard conditions. She also told me that many more rescues take place today because people wrongly believe they can get themselves out of trouble, if need be, much like a lead dog would do. Sadly, this can often be a life and death decision.

For those that still use dogs, I found out that there are many dangers awaiting the dogs. As happened in our community, they can be hunted by wolves. When out on the land, dog sled travelers often prefer to use coastal trails, because food is more readily available for the dogs and there are many small communities located near the coast, ensuring help if needed. The winter and summer hunting camps are located in strategic places, not far from the floe edge and close to the sea mammals .

For dog sled teams, fall is the most dangerous time of year as some dogs will fall through the ice and into the frigid water where they cannot survive. It's not usually the lead dog that will fall through, as they change direction when they sense thin ice. However, the other dogs in the back who are not as familiar with the ice conditions can fall in. Because of this, the locals often take older dogs that are familiar with the ice conditions with them when they go hunting in the fall.

I’ve included a video of dog sled teams near the floe edge. The sound of the dogs is exactly like the sounds that I can hear from my place. You'll also see a kamatik (wooden sled) in both the video and the picture above. They are very unique, that is for sure, built with no nails. Rope is used to keep it together. The Inuit used to use sinew to do so, but that is quite rare today. My neighbour just built one to pull behind his ski-doo so I got a really good look at it. Very cool! Until next time!