|
 So What
Exactly is a Magua?
Magua (pronounced Măg wa) is the name of HSR
Director Ray Hayden's 125lb Alaskan Malamute and the
unofficial mascot of the Horseshoe Scout Reservation. Often
confused with a Husky, Alaskan Malamutes are about twice the
size. Both Malamutes and Huskies are sled dogs, however "Mals"
were bred to pull extremely heavy loads over long distances,
whereas huskies are more of a racing sled dog (you're not
likely to find a Malamute team racing in the Iditarod -
they're not as speedy as huskies
although there have been one or two dog teams that have
competed.)
This dog was actually never
destined to be a racing dog; instead, it was used for heavy
freighting, pulling hundreds (maybe thousands) of pounds of
supplies to villages and camps in groups of at least four
dogs for heavy loads. Malamutes are very
strong but also extremely friendly and very gentle. There's
a saying that "A Malamute has never met a person he didn't
like".
The rugged Alaskan Malamute is
a working dog and a unique breed which is truly native to
North American, best suited to people who love the great
outdoors.
Wolf-like in appearance,
Malamutes shed profusely as do all Arctic dogs. In fact, take
note of many bird nests throughout HSR. You'll see that many
of them are lined with Alaskan Malamute fur.
The Malamute is a
descendant of dogs of the Mahlemuts tribe of upper western
Alaska (the breed can be traced back 2,000 to 3,000 years
ago). These dogs had a prominent role with their human
companions – working, hunting, and living alongside them.
The interdependent relationship between the Mahlemut and
their dogs fostered prosperity among both and enabled them
to flourish in the inhospitable land above the Arctic
Circle. For a brief period during the Klondike Gold Rush of
1896, the Malamute and other sled dogs became extremely
valuable to recently landed prospectors and settlers, and
were frequently crossbred with imported breeds. This was
often an attempt to improve the type, or to make up for how
few true Malamutes were up for sale. This seems to have had
no long standing effect on the modern Malamute, and recent
DNA analysis shows that Malamutes are one of the oldest
breeds of dog, genetically distinct from other dog breeds.
The Malamute dog has had a distinguished history; aiding
Rear Admiral Richard Byrd to the South Pole, and the miners
who came to Alaska during the Gold Rush of 1896, as well as
serving in World War II primarily as search and rescue dogs
in Greenland, although also used as freighting and packing
dogs in Europe.
You can usually find Magua in
the Trading Posts on most Saturday afternoons or catching up
on his sleep in one of the Ranger's trucks but you're likely
to see him just about anywhere on the Reservation at any
time of the day. Stop by and scratch his chest . . . he'll
love you forever!
TRIVIA POINT: Magua was named
after a character in the book "Last of the Mohicans" as are
all of the campsites in Camp Ware.
UPDATE
(8/29/10): A new member of the pack has been added . . . his
name is Sequoia, who is a five month old Alaskan Malamute
puppy.
To find out more about Alaskan Malamutes,
Click
here for
the Animal Planet
video
|
