Tamaskan

In the early 1980s, various mixed-breed dogs were imported from the United States and Canada to England. Although their exact origins are unknown, these dogs were mainly mixtures of Arctic breeds such as the Alaskan Husky, Alaskan Malamute, Canadian Esquimo Dog, German Shepherd, Labrador Husky, and Siberian Husky. These dogs were then bred with various local mixed-breed dogs resembling wolves in the United Kingdom, which included crossings of Alaskan Malamutes, Siberian Huskies, and German Shepherds. Thanks to modern DNA analysis technologies, we now know that some of these northern mixtures contain, among others, Greenlandic Inuit Dogs and Samoyeds. Edwina "Eddie" Harrison, with a small group of breeders, continued to develop this wolf-like breed. Initially, the offspring was called "Harrison Wolfdogs" or simply "wolf-like". Genetic testing has since shown that wolfdog mixtures were included in this early selection program. These dogs formed the basis of what would become the Northern Inuit breed, founded in 1998. That same year, Lynn Sharkey / Hardey, one of the four original founders of the Tamaskan breed, joined the Northern Inuit Society committee and purchased her two first breeding dogs. Over time, disagreements within the committee regarding the development of the Northern Inuit breed led to a split. In 2002, the Utonagan Society decided to change the breed name to "Utonagan" to distinguish itself from Northern Inuits. In 2004, Lynn Sharkey visited Finland, where she discovered the Polar Speed kennel in Lapland. The owner of the Polar Speed kennel, Reijo Jääskeläinen, was also working on developing his own wolfdog breed for film, crossing Czechoslovak Wolfdog and American Wolfdogs with his racing huskies (FCI Finnish / Siberian). Bred for speed and endurance to pull sleds in extreme conditions, Polar Speed huskies were known to be among the world's best sled racing dogs. As such, Lynn reserved six Polar Speed dogs with the intention of using them as new crosses with the Utonagan in order to improve the breed's working ability as well as develop their wolf-like appearance. Unfortunately, the Utonagan Society decided it did not wish to include Finnish bloodlines in its breeding program. Thus, the Tamaskan Dog was founded when Lynn and her daughter, Jennie, left the Utonagan group to pursue their own breeding program. The etymology of their new breed name is significant: "Tamaska" means "powerful wolf" in the Munsee dialect of Delawarian, an Algonquian language. "Teme" (sometimes spelled tama) is the root word for "wolf" and "maska" is a word generally translated as big, strong, or powerful. In total, there were four original breed founders: Lynn Sharkey/Hardey of Blustag*, her daughter Jennie Peacock/Saxby of Blufawn, Liz Wilson of Alba (Scotland), and Zee Turner of Moonstone kennel (England). Together, the founders provided several Northern Inuit / Utonagan dogs that were bred and reproduced by Blustag, as well as Polar Speed dogs as founders of the Tamaskan breed. This is why the Tamaskan dog is generally considered a Finnish breed - it was primarily developed while Lynn and Jennie lived in Finland, and possesses a large genetic contribution from Polar Speed. However, the breed is not officially recognized in Finland. By combining the original English bloodlines (Northern Inuits / Utonagan) with new Finnish cross bloodlines, the first generation of registered Tamaskan dogs was born in May

Since the breed is not recognized by the FCI, certain disciplines are closed to them, but Tamaskans can participate in most obedience, sledding, obedience-rhythmic, and tracking competitions... Some Tamaskans are professional assistance, rescue, and search dogs.

The Tamaskan is a large dog, slender with an athletic body, an intelligent appearance and wolf-like look, testifying to its northern sled dog heritage. It is a well-balanced working dog, quick and light on its feet, free and graceful in action. Its body is covered with a thick coat, it has erect ears and a straight, fluffy tail. The Tamaskan stands well above the pads, with a proud posture, head held high and alert eyes showing interest and curiosity. Its characteristic gait is smooth and effortless, showing good reach forward and extension behind. It is a capable and adaptable worker: capable of working as a sled dog, assistance dog, or tracking dog, among other roles. It can easily carry a light load at a moderate speed over short distances. The Tamaskan is intelligent and learns quickly, and is also a dog with a strong desire to please. It should be considered a pet that is equally happy in its harness or at home. Its body proportions, shape, and movements resemble those of a wolf: a good balance between power, agility, and endurance. The male Tamaskan should be easily distinguishable from females. Males are larger and heavier than females and display a broader and fuller chest. Males' cheeks also have longer hair, which gives their faces a wider appearance. Any characteristic of a specimen, including temperament level, interfering with the achievement of the main objective should be considered a serious fault. The main colors are Wolf Grey, Red Grey, Black Grey, or different variations of agouti. Black Phase is also tolerated. The eyes are colored: yellow, amber, or brown. Paler colored eyes are very rare. Blue eyes are not accepted in the breed.