About Canadian Inuit Dogs

Their close association and ability to depend on each other became a partnership in a quest for survival that made the difference between life and death.

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Known as qimmiq, these dogs evolved in large part by natural selection, where only the strongest survive. They were Inuit's hunting and working companions and served as guardians and protectors of the humans with whom they lived. Based on archaeological findings, qimmiq has been in Canada's Arctic since the earliest Paleo-Inuit hunters arrived in the New World more than 4,000 years ago.

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It wasn't that long ago when the survival of Inuit living on the edge of the top of the world depended on qimmiq. As recently as the 1960s, qimmiq was still essential for many Inuit's semi-nomadic way of life. Together, man and dog travelled the Arctic in search of food, following the seasonal movement of the animals they hunted on land and at sea. Inuit would evaluate what their dogs were doing against what they thought was the course of action. Many a tale has been told about the lives qimmiq has saved. Qimmiq earned himself a place in the hearts, history, culture and traditions of Inuit, and on May 1, 2000, the Legislative Assembly of the government of Nunavut, with the official herald of Canada, designated qimmiq as its official animal symbol and named it Canadian Inuit Dog.

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