Was the Hare Indian Dog as Quick as a Rabbit?

Narrated from: Dog History

The Hare Indian dog was originally bred for speed by the Hare Indians around 1836 as a hunting dog quick enough to catch a rabbit. The Hare Indian dog was smaller than your typical Eskimo dogs which were found throughout northern Canada and used for hunting.

They were very small animals, sized between the American red fox and the coyote, with a small head, narrow pointed muzzle, and a slim build. The broad and erect ears were closer together than the Eskimo dog and the legs were long and slender. The tail was very thick and bushy, curling up over the right hip but not as much as the Eskimo dog’s tail. The foundation color of the fur was white while the fur itself was straight and long with irregular grayish black patches among shades of brown. The ears had short brown hair on the outside and long white hair on the inside, while the muzzle and legs had short white hair which became thicker and longer towards the feet.

Playful and friendly, the Hare Indian dog was not very obedient and strongly disliked any kind of confinement. Similar to a cat, it demonstrated affection by rubbing its back against people and was not commonly known to bark. When afraid or wounded, it would make a howling sound similar to a wolf and when inquisitive, it would make a sound like a growl building into a howl. They existed in the areas of the northeastern territory of the United States and Canada and were nearly identical in build to the coyote, with the exception of the smaller skull and the length of their fur.

Sadly for the breed, after firearms came into being, their hunting abilities were less and less in demand. As the land became more populated by European immigrants, inbreeding occurred.

Eventually the breed was lost through inbreeding during the 19th century and the Hare Indian dog eventually lost its uniqueness due to the intermingling with other breeds, such as the Canadian Eskimo dog and various mongrel breeds, until it became fully extinct.

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