Tiki Inspired Dog Names

While we as humans are somewhat used to certain species of animals going extinct, dogs are generally not often high on the list, as throughout their history they eventually just evolved into something new and more appropriate to the life and times, many of which remained useful to human beings throughout our existence. The Molossus is a great example. Beloved by the ancient Greeks and Romans because of their high intelligence, massive size, and ferocity when necessary, these dogs eventually genetically changed into that of the modern day Mastiff and Great Dane. 

But one now-extinct dog actually developed in greater Polynesia, the Hawaiian Poi dog, and little seems to be left of its original appearance and personality. Originally Pariah dogs, this early Hawaiian breed, which is thought to have originated from somewhere in Indonesia, was held as a source of many things, from spiritual protection to companionship and even food. But what likely started as a much different breed soon developed into one almost entirely influenced by its cultural use and interaction with humans of the time. Since there were no animals larger than feral pigs on the islands, the dogs were not necessary for hunting. Meat was already a scarce item and therefore was never used to feed the dogs. Instead, the islanders fed the dogs a steady diet of poi, a staple in the region made from the stem of a taro plant. Because poi can range from dough-like to a runny liquid, it takes little chewing, if any, and because of it, it is believed to have been a factor in the wide, flat heads of Hawaiian Poi Dogs — their lack of chewing negated the need for strong jaw muscles, therefore reducing the head’s overall definition — which was a distinct quality, especially to that of outsiders. 

Unlike dogs used in many other parts of the world, who were used for many different types of labor, Poi Dogs were essentially useless in terms of their physical ability and were well-known to be as fat as lazy as pigs, being nearly as pot-bellied and short-legged. Because of the scarcity of meat, many of the fattened-up dogs were eventually killed and eaten as a source of food. Like a few other now-extinct breeds, their decline towards extinction came with the development of more advanced transportation, which not only introduced new dogs that were soon interbred, muddying the largely isolated bloodline, but also bringing with it new cultural influences that eventually deemed eating dog meat both unnecessary, thanks to the spread of trading, and unfashionable. By the early 20th century, the breed had disappeared almost entirely, leaving behind a somewhat mysterious history and only limited accounts of their existence, use, and genetic background.