Canadian Eskimo Dog

There are not many dogs like Kaya. Actually, there aren't many of her breed left, period. But there's more than just that sad fact making Kaya so special. I am hoping that conservation breeders can carry on the heritage of this incredible workaholic dog! Hopefully, the efforts to increase the breed will be successful.

We don't work Kaya, at least not in the traditional way of pulling a sled with a team of work-mates. But she's the first to jump into the SUV with us to head off ice fishing on some frozen lake here in the Canadian Rockies. She lays near when we're huddled around the camp fire, but that's just to be sociable. She really loves the frozen wilderness and doesn't seem to feel the cold at all with her multi-layered coat.

Kaya is happiest in the cold and she prefers to forage for her food, just the way her ancestors did. In fact, she may be one of the few dog breeds left that actually likes to hunt for its own meals. We have purposefully refrained from discouraging her prey instincts; we just govern her boundaries.

After dinner we delight in the warmth of our camper-trailer. In there, Kaya lays on top of our feet, warming them throughout the night. In mid-summer we'll come up to the lake again and play in the cold springs that run after the snow melts. Kaya will splash around until she is soaking wet, playing like a kid at camp. And she has a little kid's sense of humor: she will always wait until she's right next to us before shaking off the ice cold water from her coat! I just can't imagine this breed not being here anymore. I hope you'll join me in working to protect them.