The History of the Samoyed

Samoyed dogs originate from North-Western Siberia. In a vast area of tundra east of the Ural Mountains between the Arctic Ocean, White Sea and the Yenisei River. They were bred by a number of nomadic tribes such as the Ostiak, Dolghan, Tungu and Urak who were known collectively as the Samoyed people as they all inhabited roughly the same area. They were very much multi-purpose dogs being used for herding and guarding reindeer (being more of a vocal alert than aggressive defense) and pulling sleds. The dogs were greatly cherished and often welcomed into their owners chooms (reindeer skin tents) to play with the children and keep them warm at night. Their fur could also be collected and spun to provide warm clothing.

Although not that many people seem to have heard of Samoyeds they have contributed to some great historic events, such as the first Arctic and Antarctic expeditions.

The early Arctic expeditions to use Samoyeds include:
Jackson on his Jackson - Harmsworth expedition to survey Franz Josef Land in 1894 and then Dr Nansen used them on his 1895 expedition to the Arctic.

The Antarctic expeditions include:
Borchgrevink on the first exploration of the antarctic continent in 1898 and then Shackleton in 1907.

So the next time that your little darling is hauling you up the street on your daily constitutional, don't get cross, just smile to yourself and be proud of his/her heritage and the great contribution they made to early exploration. Who knows, in their eyes they may be taking you on just such an adventure now!

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