Born in the White Mountains of Wonalancet, New Hampshire in 1917 and forged on Admiral Richard E. Byrd's 1927 First Antarctic Expedition, the Chinook combines the hauling power of massive freighting dogs with the speed and gentle devotion of an American working companion.
Unlike northern Nordic spitz breeds, the Chinook was purposefully developed in New England to blend heavy freighting strength, trotting endurance, and calm, human-centered trainability.
Chinooks are renowned for a calm, willing, and non-aggressive disposition. Bred to work closely in multi-dog teams and live indoors with families, they are affectionate, eager to please, and exceptionally patient with children.
Arthur Walden crossed a sturdy Mastiff-type farm dog (Kim) with a Greenland Husky descending from Admiral Peary's North Pole lead dog (Ningo), creating a long-striding trotter capable of hauling heavy loads over mountain passes.
Every purebred Chinook wears a thick, weather-resistant double coat in shades of golden honey to reddish-gold tawny, accented by dark shading on the muzzle and ears, buff cheek markings, and expressive dark almond eyes.
Today's Chinooks excel in recreational mushing, carting, skijoring, pack hiking in the White Mountains, agility, therapy work, and wilderness search-and-rescue across North America.
From the snow-covered trails of Chinook Kennels in Wonalancet to the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica and back from the brink of extinction.
Veteran Klondike Gold Rush dog driver Arthur Treadwell Walden bred his farm dog, Kim, to Ningo at Wonalancet Farm in New Hampshire's White Mountains. Three tawny puppies were born on January 17, 1917: Rikki, Tikki, and Tavi. One puppy grew into a 100-pound natural leader with extraordinary intelligence and endurance; Walden renamed him Chinook after a warm winter wind from the Yukon.
Walden founded the New England Sled Dog Club and won the inaugural 1922 International Sled Dog Race from Berlin, New Hampshire to Montreal, Quebec with Chinook in the lead. In 1924, Chinook led the first dog team to scale the 6,288-foot summit of Mount Washington in midwinter.
At age 56, Walden was appointed lead dog driver and trainer for Byrd's Antarctic Expedition. His 16 Chinook dogs—led by the 11-year-old patriarch Chinook—transported tons of critical supplies from the barrier edge to Little America base camp. On his 12th birthday in January 1929, old Chinook walked out onto the Antarctic trail and vanished peacefully into polar legend. Walden received the Congressional Medal for his service.
Following Julia Lombard and Perry Greene's stewardship of the breed in Maine, the Chinook population dwindled perilously. By 1965, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the Chinook as the rarest dog breed in the world. When Perry Greene passed away, only 11 breeding Chinooks remained alive by 1981. Dedicated breeders in Maine, Ohio, and California divided the surviving dogs and launched a carefully managed genetic recovery program.
Spearheaded by seventh-grade students from Bedford, New Hampshire, the state legislature officially named the Chinook the State Dog of New Hampshire in June 2009. In January 2013, the American Kennel Club recognized the Chinook as its 176th breed in the Working Group.
Every detail of the Chinook standard reflects functional survival and tireless traction in cold, mountainous terrain.
With fewer than 1,200 registered Chinooks worldwide today, the breed remains a cherished living monument to New England sledding history and polar exploration.
Breeders actively track coefficients of inbreeding (COI), hip clearances, and ocular health through the Orthopedic Foundation for Animals (OFA) to ensure long-term vitality while preserving Walden's original working phenotype.
A historical marker on Route 113A in Tamworth/Wonalancet, New Hampshire commemorates Chinook's birthplace and the trail network where Arthur Walden trained the dogs bound for the South Pole.
