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In the twenties,
just while the Seeleys were acquiring dogs for their kennel of Alaskan
Malamutes in New Hampshire, a man called Paul Voelker was similarly
operating for his kennel in Marquette, Michigan, known as M’Loot kennel.
Voelker had spent most of his life breeding and training dogs and had become
familiar with a good number of breeds. Now he was looking for something
different, so he began to breed a new kind of dog, which he called
“Malamute”. The Malamutes of M’Loot kennel had different origins: some dogs
had been purchased in Alaska, some from the Army in Montana, others from
Mackenzie River Huskies in Minnesota and two bitches came from a litter of
an all white Canadian Eskimo Dog. In a kennel brochure Voelker writes that
his foundation dogs, both males and females, came from the film industry in
California (Barbara A. Brooks and Sherry E. Wallis, "Alaskan Malamute -
Yesterday and Today").
Owing to their different origins, the M’Loot Malamutes were not so uniform
as the Kotzebues. While the Seeleys’ Kotzebue strain included only dogs of
grey and white colour, the colours of the M’Loots varied from black and
white to silver grey and white. The M’Loots were also heavier and taller
than the Kotzebues. Like the Kotzebues, however, Paul Voelker’s M’Loots had
a thick straight coat, a bushy tail carried over their back like a plume and
straight ears.
Just like Eva Seeley, Paul Voelker was a skilful sleddog driver and his M’Loots
were excellent work dogs and received many an official recognition for their
performances. Unlike Eva Seeley, Paul Voelker didn’t breed only excellent
sleddog subjects. M’Loots were mainly publicized as excellent companion dogs,
ideal for whoever was looking for a dog which was so beautiful and
eye-catching as to make people stop in the street (ibidem).
Paul Voelker’s M’Loots became popular thanks to his kennel advertisements
and lots of dogs were sold to lots of houses all over North America. As
Voelker said: “The best examples of the greatest breed have become perfect
company dogs for the families in different places from the north in Alaska
to the states exposed to the sun in Florida, California and in New Mexico in
the south”
M’Loot dogs were not bred only by Paul Voelker, but also by other breeders,
who used them as the foundations of their breeding programs. Other M’Loot
dogs soon became influential: Gentleman Jim, who became famous for his
service in World War II, Silver King and Silver Girl, and a dog called
Mikiuk, bred by Paul Voelker and owned by Raplh and Schmitt of Silver Sled
Kennels in Wisconsin. Mikiuk was crossed with a bitch called Noma; this
combination bred two important champions, Ch. Mulpus Brook's Master Otter
(the first Alaskan Malamute to come out on top in show groups) and Ch. Ooloo
M'Loot (the first bitch to get a champion title in the history of the breed).
Both of them were owned by Silver Sled.
Another important combination was between a dog called Nanook and Ch. Ooloo
M'Loot. Two puppies were whelped by this mating: Ch. Nanook II and Ch. Gyana.
The descendants of these first M’Loots became later the foundation dogs for
many a kennel and are the ancestors of lots of today’s Malamutes.
In 19?? the American Kennel Club reopened the Alaskan Malamute breed to
registration. This decision delighted the owners of M’Loot and Hinman-Irwing
dogs. They had been possessing dogs that were not officially recognized as
Alaskan Malamutes. Eva Seeley’s followers and the Kotzebues’ fans, instead,
strongly objected to the decision. In their opinion only Kotzebues were
really representative of the breed. In order to be AKC registered, the
owners of the “new” Alaskan Malamutes were to show their dogs till they
reached 10 points. Strangely enough, no dog personally owned by Paul Voelker,
Dick Hinman or Dave Hinman was ever registered. In all cases, many of the
breeders that had based their breeding programs on M’Loots and many owners
that had bought their ‘original strain’ dogs managed to have their Malamutes
registered.
After 1950, most Malamutes had evolved thanks to the mingling of Kotzebues,
M'Loots and a little Hinman-Irwin. Some breeders, however, kept crossing
pure M’Loots only. Among these was the Canadian breeder Lorna Jackson, owner
of Lorn Hall kennel. Lorna bought her first dogs directly from Paul Voelker,
and one of these, Oogorook M'Loot, was the first Alaskan Malamute to become
a Canadian Champion. Oogorook has also been the first all white Alaskan
Malamute that became a champion in the history of the breed.
Another breeder that went on breeding pure M’Loots was Jean Lane, owner of
Mulpus Brook kennels. Like Eva Seeley, Jean Lane practised sleddog and bred
Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian Huskies. Her Malamute breeding program
produced Ch. Mulpus Brooks The Bear, purchased from Bill and Lois Dawsons of
Kobuk kennel. “Bear” was the first Malamute to win first prize in the show
group (B.O.G.) in 1954. He was also the sire of Kobuk's Dark Beauty, a black
and white bitch owned by Mr. and Mrs. Rifkind, from Kodara kennel. Kobuk's
Dark Beauty is one of the most important dams in the history of the breed,
and she bred Ch. Sno-Crest's Mukluk, the first Alaskan Malamute to win a
Best in Show in America.
In 19?? AKC suddenly decided to close breed registration again. A lot of M’Loot
owners who hadn’t yet shown and registered their dogs were bitterly
surprised.
To achieve greater cooperation with AKC and more influence in important
decisions, the Alaskan Malamute Club of America (AMCA) began operating in
order to become an AKC member.
This purpose was achieved in 1953, when AMCA received a letter from AKC,
which informed that AMCA had been officially accepted as a member.
After that, Kotzebue and M’Loot breeders strove to get round their
differences, and the evolution of the breed gradually moved toward the final
fusion of the two strains. Although she had strongly objected to M’Loot dogs
for years, at a certain point even Eva Seeley took an interest in what this
strain could offer and agreed to cross Ch. Chinook Of Kotzebue with Ch.
Tuyah Of Silver Sled, an M’Loot bitch owned by Delta Wilson Smith.
In 1960 a new breed standard was adopted for the Malamutes, because of the
increasing number of M’Loot dogs which had remarkably influenced their
aspect.
M’Loots were much bigger than Kotzebues, therefore the breeders that mainly
used the M’Loot strain urged to increase height and weight limits (the first
breed standard had been based on Gripp Of Yukon, one of Seeley’s dogs).
Nevertheless, several Kotzebue breeders had different opinions, and the
question was eventually settled by means of a compromise: the present
standard is the outcome of that compromise.
Reference:
Barbara A. Brooks e Sherry E. Wallis, "Alaskan Malamute - Yesterday and
Today", Alpine, 1998.
Joan McDonald Brearley, This is the Alaskan Malamute, T.F.H., 1975.
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