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| The original "Chinook" and Arthur Treadwell Walden |
Last week I wrote a blog post about Sgt. Beaubien, the famous New Hampshire dog who served as a member of Roger’s Rangers during theFrench and Indian War. There is another famous dog from the Granite State, who is also our official state dog- The Chinook.
The first Chinook was a male dog owned by Arthur Treadwell
Walden (1871 - 1947) of Wonalancet, New Hampshire. Waldren had experience driving sled dogs in
the Yukon and with Admiral Byrd on his 1929 Antarctic expedition. “Chinook”
was a sled dog half husky and half from a mastiff mutt. Chinook’s husky parent was one of the dogs
from Admiral Peary’s North Pole expedition.
“Chinook” was bred to several breeds such as sheepdogs and Eskimo sled
dogs, and the progeny was bred back to “Chinook” resulting in dogs who shared
his traits. “Chinook” died during
the 1929 Byrd Antarctic expedition.
Walden continued to bred his dogs, and the breed was passed on
to Perry Green of Waldoboro, Maine in the 1940s. He was the only breeder of Chinooks, and
after his death only a handful of Chinook dogs survived. In 1965 the Guinness Book of records named it
the rarest dog in the world. By 1981
there were only eleven Chinooks, which were saved from extinction by breeders
in Maine, Ohio and California. The breed
was registered with the UKC in 1991, and the AKC in 2001. In 2013 the Chinook was registered as a
working breed with the AKC, and participated in the Westminster Kennel Club
show in 2014. Chinooks are one of the
few American dog breeds.
The Chinook was designated as the official state dog of New
Hampshire in 2009. The original bill was
the brought forward by the seventh grade class of the Lurgio Middle School in
Bedford, New Hampshire.
The first time Chinooks competed at the Westminster
Kennel Club Dog Show, the Chinook from Londonderry, New Hampshire was “Lakeside
Run’s Little Bear” AKA “Birr”. He won
best of breed against the four other dogs in his breed category. His owner, Kristine Holleran owns three
Chinooks, and they all travel to winter events and carnivals in New England,
and give sled dog rides. She is also a
science teacher at the Londonderry High School.
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| Kimana, the official Chinook of Martha's Vineyard! |
My sister has owned a Chinook for many years. Her dog, Kimana, is a lovable pet on
the island of Martha’s Vineyard where it rarely snows. On the few occasions that it does snow down
there on the island, Kimana enjoys it very much!
From the American Kennel Club, the Chinook webpage: http://www.akc.org/breeds/chinook/index.cfm
The Chinook Owners Association http://www.chinook.org/
A children’s book The First Chinook: The Adventures of Arthur
T. Walden and His Legendary Sled Dog, Chinook
“NH’s top dog Birr taking his new found world fame in stride”
by Shawne K. Wickham, New Hampshire
Sunday News, February 15, 2014, http://www.unionleader.com/article/20140215/NEWS01/140219353/1012/news01
A biography and genealogical sketch of Arthur Treadwell Walden from Jan Brown's blog "Cow Hampshire" http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2006/05/27/wonalancet-new-hampshire-chinook-breeder-dog-trainer-and-antarctica-dog-driver-arthur-treadwell-walden-1871-1947/ Arthur Treadwell Walden is a distant cousin to me through our common ancestors, the TREADWELL family of Ipswich, Massachusetts. His ancestor, Jacob Treadwell (1699 - 1770) is my 6th great grand uncle. I descend from his younger brother, Jabez Treadwell (1713 - 1780).
The history of Chinook, the first of his breed, at the New Hampshire Historical Society website http://www.nhhistory.org/museumexhibits/chinook.html
A biography and genealogical sketch of Arthur Treadwell Walden from Jan Brown's blog "Cow Hampshire" http://www.cowhampshireblog.com/2006/05/27/wonalancet-new-hampshire-chinook-breeder-dog-trainer-and-antarctica-dog-driver-arthur-treadwell-walden-1871-1947/ Arthur Treadwell Walden is a distant cousin to me through our common ancestors, the TREADWELL family of Ipswich, Massachusetts. His ancestor, Jacob Treadwell (1699 - 1770) is my 6th great grand uncle. I descend from his younger brother, Jabez Treadwell (1713 - 1780).
The history of Chinook, the first of his breed, at the New Hampshire Historical Society website http://www.nhhistory.org/museumexhibits/chinook.html
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To cite/link to this blog post: Heather Wilkinson Rojo, "The New Hampshire State Dog – The Chinook", Nutfield Genealogy, posted March 17, 2014, ( http://nutfieldgenealogy.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-new-hampshire-state-dog-chinook.html: accessed [access date]).
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