The Siberian Retriver comes
from the breeding of a Labrador Retriever with a Siberian Husky. The breeding
of this designer-dog started two decades ago. The Labrador Retriever origins
are in Canada, more specifically in the northeastern Atlantic coast of the
country, in Newfoundland. At first, the breed was dubbed St. John’s dog after
the capital of the region of origin. In the 1700s, the local fishermen owned
Labradors for companion use and assistance with the catching of the fish. These dogs would work with the
fishermen during the day and spend the night with the family. It is believed
the St. John’s dog descended from the Newfoundland dog and small water dogs.
Eventually, the English noticed these dogs and observed their good disposition
and obedience, and decided to take them to England to be retrievers for
hunting. The second Earl of Malmesbury took St. John’s dogs to England in 1830,
being one of the first Englishmen to do it. He was also the first person to call these dogs Labradors. This breed was almost extinct in the 1880s and the Malmesbury family is credited with saving the
breed. In Newfoundland, the government set restrictions and taxes for having
these dogs. The restrictions were that one was allowed to own only one dog and having a female was highly
taxed. This caused the disappearance of the breed in the region. These dogs are
now the most popular breed in America and were recognized by the American Kennel
Club in 1917. The breed was imported in the 1920s and 1930s from England. The
Siberian Husky dogs are believed to come from the Chukchi, a Siberian tribe of
nomads. There’s not much information about this breed’s origin, but it is known
they are one of the oldest dog breeds thanks to DNA tests. The Chuckchi tribes
used the Siberian Huskies for fast transportation, and they were as well family
dogs, interacting with children. In 1908, this breed was imported to Alaska to
be sled dogs during the gold rush. The Huskies raced in the 408-mile dogsled
race All-Alaska Sweepstakes, and are still current competitors in the
Sweepstakes. It is recorded that the last Siberian Husky exportation from
Siberia was in 1930 when the borders were closed. The Husky was recognized by
the American Kennel Club in 1930.