Contact Us |
 You are here : Buying a Malamute > History
 Welcome to Kaytoo - A brief history of the Alaskan Malamute Our Malamutes

The Alaskan Malamute is an Inuit dog, not to be confused with the Inuit dog found in Eastern Canada and Greenland, bred to haul freight over long distances. Its name derives from a group of Inuit called Malemute who occupied the area around Kotzebue Sound on the west coast of Alaska.

Alaskan Malamutes found their way into the lower 48 states of the USA with returning fur traders, who brought their dogs with them, and probably more significantly, as a result of the requirement of polar expeditions for dogs to haul freight.
 
 
 
Chinook Kennels contributes much to the history of the Alaskan Malamute. Named by Arthur Walden in the early 1920’s the kennel took its name from Walden’s first team of “Chinook Dogs”, the chance offspring of a German Shepherd dog and an Inuit Dog. They themselves took their name from the lead dog of that first team, the famous Chinook. The kennel was located at Walden’s Wonalancet Farm. Having already organised sled dog races in New Hampshire, Walden formed the New England Sled Dog Club in 1924. Significantly, he also hired Eva (“Short”) Seeley and her husband Milton as kennel managers that same year.