Polar Bear and Husky Play in the Wild — Amazing Pictures!
Just when I start to get a bit jaded or tired of watching inhumanity among our species, I see something like this story from Speaking of Faith about the play dates of a Husky and a wild Polar bear. If you need a shot of hope, please check out this story!
Thanks to Karen, Roxie’s furmom, for barking in this story.
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Animals – how can you not love ‘em!
Now that was inspirational!!! If a wild bear and husky can get along why can’t people?
Awesome and inspiring. We can live in peace with one another, we can!
That was just absolutely amazing!
Absolutely inspiring and wonderful! Thank you so much to whoever sent this in.
Oh my dog! That’s amazing.
The pictures are very inspiring. Unfortunately, there is some controversy around the owner of this dog, part of a large pack of Canadian Eskimos owned and bred by Brian Ladoon, they are kept in a remote area, always on chains, outside of Churchill (famous for the polar bears nearby, a large tourist attraction) in an open “dog yard” with no shelter. Accounts from visitors to the area who have met Brian Ladoon and been taken to his camp state that they are fed once a day by Mr. Ladoon, he drives a truck with frozen food out to the yard and throws the food off the truck to the dogs. Some say he leaves frozen food at the perimeter of the yard for the bears as a deterrent to attacking his dogs. Its also stated he counts on “friendly dominant bears” to keep the less friendly bears away from the dogs. He has lost some dogs to bears, most notably six mauled and killed, approximately a dozen injured, in 1995 while Mr. Ladoon was not present in the camp. Just my opinion, the conditions the dogs are kept in (in particular no shelter in brutal conditions) and the risk he takes with their lives aren’t worth the opportunity he gives to photographers to catch photos like these, opportunities that come at the price of a “donation” for dog food.
Cute photos, but sadly the dog’s owner is very controversial, and the dogs live in poor & dangerous conditions in order to capture these adorable interactions.
Here are some links with photos and more info:
Sled Dog Watchdog – Churchill Manitoba sled dogs kept in deplorable conditions
Peta – Canadian Eskimo Dogs Who Are Still Suffering Without Shelter Need Your Help
Oh, that is not right at all. Although the pictures of the bear and dogs are precious, the one of the frozen puppies with their mom sticks in my mind.
Eeek with the additional infomation provided by some members I have to say that the pictures reminded me of that scene from Jursassic Park where they put the goat out on a chain for the T Rex to eat. If that bear wanted or needed to kill those dogs for food they are sitting ducks. And the other pictures of how they live with no shelter and the dead puppies are pretty horrific. There are plenty of mushers on the site here who take good care of their sled dogs. By all accounts their dogs needs are tended to even a higher standard then many pet dogs. What a shame someone can endanger the lives of dogs this way.
Hey all,
I would just like to say that I have been in chuchill for a while now and have been working with Brian Ladoon and his dogs. Although the conditions here may seem harsh and inhumane for the dogs, its actually not the case. The dogs that are supplied shelter more often than not sleep outside the houses or on top of them. This breed is an arctic animal, they are made to live in extreme conditions outdoors and with their winter coats NEED the cold. They thrive on it and love it.
The dogs here are well cared for, and are frequently visited by a vet who checks their conditions (and may I add that they have always been happy with the condition of the dogs).
As for the dogs being “mauled by polar bears” etc. There have been a lot of rumours of things like this happening. I have spent a lot of time out there everyday surrounded by polar bears and dogs, and have not once seen a single piece of aggression from a bear to a dog, in fact the bears quite often sleep in amongst the dogs in harmony.
What would help this situation is support. This breed of dog is near extinction and Brian is trying to save the breed, however recieves no support from anyone or any organizations. If you truly want to help the dogs then the best thing to do is donate money to the Eskimo Dog Foundation, Brian loves the dogs (believe me I see it everyday) and has a lot of plans for helping them more, however since everyone only sees one side of the story (this negative image that is portrayed) he has no help.
It is a wild area here, there is no doubt. There is a lot of controversy in regards to the bears and the dogs, however both are an endangered species and Brians life has been dedicated to helping both. Don’t for a moment think that animals don’t die even in the best of conditions. These animals are being kept in an environment that is natural to them, and keeps them as strong as the breed should be.
These dogs have been used for hundreds of years in the arctic, living OUTSIDE with NO shelter in colder conditions than this, for transport and such by the Eskimos. They are not living in bad conditions, to them they are living at peace with their natural surroundings in their natural environment that their fur and bodies are accustomed to. Taking the dogs further down south where it is too hot for them would be inhumane. Keeping them inside all day and night in a heated environment where it is too hot for them would be inhumane.
Other breeds of dogs would of course have problems here and it would be inhumane to keep them outside, however this is a unique breed of dog. It’s just like you don’t bring up a husky in a hot environment, these dogs need the cold.
These dogs are happy and the friendliest dogs I have ever met.
I also think you will find (in regards to the ‘Mother with the frozen puppies’) that the puppies would have died of something other than the cold and THEN frozen. Yes it sounds harsh, but it IS cold here, so of course anything that is outside is going to freeze, that’s just a fact. Puppies and animals die all over the world, owners or breeders dogs, it can happen anywhere. In a hot environment after they die they would probably bloat, in this environment they freeze. There is nothing inhumane about that, it’s just how it is after the fact. And just looking at that photo, it says at the bottom “Greenland Sled Dog with Frozen Puppies – Courtesy of Canadian Voice for animals”, That ISN’T even one of Brians dogs, so Takoda please get your facts straight and Joan you can rest easy about Brian.
Finally, the bears eating the dogs. As I’ve said I have not seen any aggression towards the dogs by the bears at all. In their natural environment the dogs will actually kill the bears in packs. We have anywhere from 8 – 12 bears around us at all times with the dogs and NEVER have I seen anything bad at all. If a bear were to attack a dog anyway, do you think it would make a difference if the dog had a house or not? Believe me it wouldn’t, unless it was made out of titanium. It’d be easier than a fox breaking into a chicken coop. A fence perhaps? That isn’t going to keep a bear at bay. Put the dogs inside? We’ve already gone over that.. and keeping a dog inside all the time would be inhumane regardless of the breed.
One more thing. How many dog breeders with 150+ dogs do you know that DON’T keep their dogs chained/tied up? Without a lot of help and money it would be impossible to care for dogs that could run around wherever they want, and even WITH help and money would probably be impossible. Dogs aren’t like cattle you can round up. If they were free it would be detrimental to the dogs health (cars, trucks etc) and also to humans (again cars and trucks.. its hard to stop on an icy road when something runs in front of your vehicle). And what would stop the dogs from just running away? Would you prefer to see them in cages? I doubt that’s a humane option too..
This is about saving a dying breed of animal so please, instead of spreading things when you don’t know all the facts, help out. Every dog has good access to water, is fed regularly, are in an environment they love and are built for and are happy. (I will add that they are not ALL tied up, there are sentinel dogs running free that patrol the area as well. They will not run away as long as the pack is in the area, however they keep the others safe and look after them as well as us.)
I had to put my piece in here because I have heard and read so much negativity about this place but have only seen wonderous things.
If there were a way to post photos here I would show you happy, healthy dogs, not just wide shots which show nothing but dogs on land.
I hope this sheds a bit more light on the subject,
Regards,
Caleb
Caleb,
Thank you for barking in. You ahve given us another side of the issue.
One way to get more of the story out would be to set up a Dogster page for one or more of the dogs.
Hey Joy,
Maybe I’ll do that. The above post was the first time I’ve been to this site but that sounds like it might be a good idea. When I get the time I will. It’s hard to find the time as I spend most of my waking time with the dogs every day (150+ is a lot of work!)
I’ll have a good browse through the site and get onto as soon as I can.
Regards,
Caleb
Caleb,
And I thought my four were bad. I guess I’ll stop complaining!
We’ll look forward to seeing your furkids on Dogster in the future.
Caleb,
Thanks for putting in a long detailed response. I have worked with sled dogs and what you say is very accurate. Most people are used to their pets and do not always know or understand the very different needs of sled dogs. Cheers!
Cromer – No worries, I can see it from everyone elses point of view as well, I didn’t always work with dogs like this.
Just happy to get out the other side of the story
Caleb
I am also glad Caleb left this response. Someone needs to speak up on Brian’s behalf. I am convinced that people who urge others not to support him and his cause of the Canadian Eskimo Dogs clearly do not have all the facts. My boyfriend and I have just spent a week in Churchill where we met Brian and many of his dogs. We were absolutly moved by his huge efforts to save this wonderful breed of Arctic dog. People need to understand that life on the Tundra and harsh weather conditions is what these dogs are genetically designed for. I think Brian’s dogs have even a better life than some Eskimo dogs of the past who were often beaten and pushed to extreme limits by their owners. On our last day in Churchill we purchased two of these indigenous Canadian dogs from Brian Ladoon, if you meet him it is easy to tell he loves all of his dogs and has their best interests at heart. We love our two new pups and will continue to support Brian however we can. Nov.30 / 2008
How can you people defend the scenes of these dogs chained to the tundra? What do you people use for brains? And Caleb, I will take your post with a huge grain of salt as you describe yourself as an employee of this person. Shame on all of you and shame on anybody who would treat his dogs so.
This, to me (and to many others), is just another example of exploitation of man’s best friend.
Someone hold my hair back while I vomit after reading Caleb’s fraudulent accounts of how these dogs are cared for and protected from the bears…the bears have mauled and killed over a dozen of these captive dogs on more than one occassion. Just recently a man from Churchill had to be called out to shoot one of “Brian Ladoon’s” dogs who had been disembowled by a bear and was alive with it’s intestines hanging out…all infront of TOURISTS!! BRAVO CHURCHILL TRAVEL AGENCIES and those thriving to maintain Northern dignity! I HAVE SEEN the dogs first hand…neglected, chained in fields, chained in front of stores for days on end…I am outraged that any one who calls themself an animal lover would even try to justify, minimize and rationalize the inhumane conditions these dogs endure all for the sake of Mr. Ladoon’s “legacy” as some noble and reputable sled dog breeder. What Ladoon operates is a GIGANTIC PUPPY MILL/ DRIVE THRU POLAR BEAR RESTARAUNT where he serves up Eskimo Dog on a leash. Did you know he charges tourists money to see the bears that conveniently “play” with his dogs…isn’t that called baiting the bears? Who hasn’t seen a cat play with a bird or a mouse before devouring it’s “toy”.
Please give your head a shake if you still think there is some kind of value in exposing these dogs to conditions you wouldn’t live in. They need protection, food, HUMAN ATTENTION, and a chance to enjoy the companionship and comfort of loving homes. If Mr. Ladoon has over 150 dogs that he can’t care for and is crumbing around for donations than maybe he has animal hording issues and should consider scaling down his operation to a size that is realistic and managable. If he is such a dedicated pet owner he should follow best practices of pet breeding!
It’s about money and reputation for Mr. Ladoon and his dogs…seems to me both are lacking.
“Eskimo Dogs as Polar Bear Bait” is what the headings for those pictures should read.
Hi Caleb,
I understand that these dogs are bred for these conditions and prefer to sleep outside and whatever. However, when I visited Brians’ Dogs, many of them were shivering and hopping from foot to foot trying to avoid the frozen ground. A couple of them were trying to lay down and curl up but as soon as they felt contact with the ground they jumped back up. They were obviously cold. Maybe they wouldn’t use shelter, but maybe they would, what’s the harm in setting something up?
And your comment about dog breeders with 150+ dogs keeping their dogs chained/tied up – it’s true, they’d need to, but to have that many dogs is ridiculous! You know that when he sells his dogs there’s a condition that you need to spay/neuter them? why would he do that if he’s trying to keep the breed going? sure, you’ll avoid mix-breeding, but you’re not going to get anymore purebred puppies either. Also these dogs are starved for attention, they want to just be with you so badly. Sure, Brian probably loves his dogs, but there is no way you can give that many dogs adequate attention. There was a puppy that had been injured over the course of my stay in Churchill. It had a cut above it’s eye and a swollen face and an oozing eye. It yelped and cowered when anyone neared it’s injury and she was shivering uncontrollably. I let Peggy know about it and she said she’d tell Brian. After the third day of seeing nothing done and the puppy’s condition not any better, I put a blanket in the puppy’s box and reminded Peggy again. Her reaction when I told her about the blanket was anything but appreciative and in response to the injury she said they’d put some peroxide in it – peroxide?! in and around the eye?! I felt awful for the puppy and cuddled her to warm her up and she snuggled right in and fell asleep in my arms. The whole time the other puppies wailed for attention. Like I said, these dogs want to be with you! they want to be with people, to deprive puppies of that is horrible. Brian needs to hire more help, and if he doesn’t have the money, then he needs to get rid of dogs until he has a manageable number.