Popular among local residents of the Amur region, the Sakhalin husky, also called karafuto-ken, is one of the oldest breeds, it formed as a working dog, used to ride in a harness.
External description
A dog of this breed is quite large, sometimes reaching a height at the withers of up to 70 cm. The average weight is 30–40 kg. The slightly elongated physique is distinguished by a strong skeleton and well-developed muscles. Ears are small, with pointed and tips, slightly inclined forward. The front part of the head and the front side of the limbs are covered with shorter hair. Thanks to powerful paws, these dogs are able to overcome any snow drifts.
The presence of a very thick undercoat allows dogs to withstand extreme frosts. Sakhalin husky can have a variety of colors: white, black, red, gray. In natives, these dogs, depending on color, played a certain cult role. Animals with a tiger color, distinguished by a calm character and a rough head shape, were especially valued.
Breed features
The breed karafuto-ken (Sakhalin husky) refers to a high-speed type of sled dogs. They are lighter, and the most characteristic gait for them is a gallop. The teams of these dogs in the last century served to deliver high-speed mail in the areas of the mouth of the Amur and Sakhalin. To do this, they underwent a lengthy selection for speed.
In addition to excellent driving qualities, Sakhalin husky can cope with the function of hunting dogs. Such qualities as calmness, poise and courage, which distinguish these dogs regardless of circumstances, help them to resist the bear and help hunters in fishing for sea animals.
Thanks to his extraordinary devotion, high intellect and courage, this breed was successfully used in the Red Army in the thirties and forties of the last century and was included in the list of the best military dogs.
The breed created for serious work in harsh climatic conditions is the Sakhalin husky. The reviews of the owners containing these dogs in the apartment (and there are very few of them) indicate that this is a very troublesome task, because the dogs require a lot of physical activity. Therefore, time for active walks they need to devote much more than any other breed.
A bit of history
The main habitat of these dogs has long been the island of Sakhalin. In Japanese, this word sounds like Karafuto, which is why the breed began to be called karafuto-ken. Bred by local peoples, which were called Gilyaks, the breed received another name - Gilyatsky Laika. After World War II, when the Japanese population was deported, most of the dogs were transported to Hokkaido . They still live there, only in very small numbers.
Antarctic Conquerors
Sakhalin husky became widely known at the end of the fifties, after, together with members of the expedition to the Antarctic, fell into a blizzard. This happened in 1958. All participants were forced to evacuate urgently. Fifteen sled dogs had to be left, because it was impossible to find them in the snowy gloom. Only a year later, the search resumed and, to our great surprise, two of the missing dogs were found in the Antarctic ice. These were Taro and Giro, who later became the national heroes of Japan. After their death, the remains of these dogs became museum exhibits at the University of Hokkaido and Tokyo.
These events formed the basis of the film, shot in 1983 and won a large number of audience sympathy. In the village of Lesnoy, located near Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a memorial plaque was erected in honor of dogs that saved the lives of Japanese researchers and who were left to their own devices.
Sakhalin Husky (karafuto-ken) is quite rare today. Only a few Japanese breeders continue to develop the breed. We have a better known husky dog, which is the closest relative and therefore has a lot in common with the karafuto-ken breed.