Samoyed Dog Breed History, part 2
Bjelkier dogs remained relatively pure and healthy in their genetic markup and they are easy to reproduce. Samoyede destroyed and recycled (for clothing) dogs that did not behave properly. The Bjelkier dog is also close to the wild wolf-like dog that humans first accepted into their camps. Humans felt a sort of kinship with wolves or wolf-like canines because their pack hierarchy and hunting ways resembled those of humans. Humans used naturally occurring instincts in these dogs to help them with various chores such as hauling sleds, hunting and herding caribou.
The Bjelkier was generally respected and loved by its Samoyede companions, being allowed freedom of movement. Some tribes however also used this dog for clothing and food. The breed had a gentle and pleasant disposition. Samoyede trusted these dogs with the lives of their children which they sometimes guarded. Several Bjelkiers together could protect a tribe and send away hungry Polar bears.
Russian explorers made their way to Siberia during the 17th and 18th centuries and they appreciated the Bjelkier’s beauty and qualities. Like other Spitz dogs around the world, this one became quite popular among Russian royalty, and was sometimes offered as a special gift to European nobility. The dog was protected from outsiders, and other groups of people such as tax collectors and explorers that traveled by sled greatly appreciated the Bjelkier as well.
Bjelkier dogs became the breed of choice for a Norwegian explorer name Fridtjof Nansen, an important professor at the University of Norway, who was interested in exploring the Artic. He traveled there with a ship, built by him, on 5 occasions over a time period of 35 years. His thorough research indicated the Bjelkier would be the best type of dog for such purposes, and his findings influenced many great Arctic and Antarctic explorers of the late 19th century period. These explorers preferred Bjelkier dogs to Siberian Huskies or Greenland dogs because they had a much better and friendlier disposition.
