Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
During the thousands of years people have occupied the North, dogs have been the first line of defence against bears. Yellowknife-based outfitter Boyd Warner is trying a modern version of the old idea.
Warner has a pair of Karelian bear dogs -- a stout hunting breed that originates in Russia and Finland.
"You look at them and they look like they won't even chase away a rabbit," said Warner. His breeding pair, Sultan and Gauge, gave birth to four pups two months ago.
Medium-sized black and white dogs, full-grown Karelians weigh about 22 kilograms. What they lack in size, they make up for in alertness, agility, courage -- and bark.
The native name of the breed is the Russo-European Laika. Laika is from the Russian word 'Layat,' which means 'to bark.'
Warner said guides working for him earlier in the year reported the dogs' bark made the hair on the back of their necks stand up.
The guides had been doing some pre-season work on one of Warner's camps when they heard the intimidating bark at about midnight.
"Sure enough, sitting on the ice was this giant grizzly that absolutely would have been roaming through camp if the dogs hadn't noticed it," Warner said.
Though Karelians will reportedly give their lives to defend their masters from charging bears, their encounters with the much larger predators rarely go that far. Their bark is almost always enough.
"Once a bear is discovered, 90 per cent of the time they'll leave camp," said Warner. "They love secrecy, they love the dark."
The dogs are so effective as bear deterrents a former bear biologist, Carrie Hunt, is developing them to retrain 'problem' bears. Hunt believes the dogs can drive the bears back into the wilds, away from populated areas.
Warner is considering adapting the same idea to Northern needs.
He believes the dogs could be used to drive away bears, wolverines and foxes attracted to barrenland mines and exploration camps.
