Luigi Amadeo of Savoy, Duke of the Abruzzi expedition-StellaPolare expeditie - 1899-1900

What was common among 𝐍𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧, 𝐀𝐦𝐮𝐝𝐬𝐞𝐧, 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐲, and 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐧𝐢 All four great explorers obtained their dogs from a Norwegian-Russian businessman named Trontheim Ivanov. We owe to him the fact that the Samoyed dog breed  came to light in the Western world to be used as a sled dog during these expeditions. For the expeditions, the larger hunting and sled dog variants of the Samoyed peoples dogs were generally selected. 

The Duke d'Abruzzi has taken Samoyed dogs on his expedition with the "Polar Star" to the north pole. Houdin was a dog from the Abruzzi-expedition. On the picture out of his book you see them taking the dogs on board of the Polar Star. You can see a lot of white dogs. Text in the book:

"The best dogs for the sledge are to be found in Greenland and in Eastern Siberia; but the Danish Government has forbidden their exportation from Greenland, and it was difficult to procure them from Eastern Siberia. It was, therefore, decided to bring dogs from Western Siberia, as they, too, are good, and in July, 1898, an order for 120 was given to Alexander Trontheim (who had formerly provided Nansen with his dogs). The English Vice-Consul in Archangel, Mr. Henry Arthur Cooke, kindly took charge of the correspondence with Trontheim, in which he took a special interest and for which I am deeply grateful to him….

There were 121 – one more than the number at first agreed upon; some of them were white, others black and white, black, brown, and iron-grey; some were lithe, others thick and heavey; their hair was thick and short, or long and curly; their noses were pointed or blunt. They all had deep chests, strong legs, straight and pointed ears; their tails were long and bushy or fringed, like their hair, and were carried more or less curled up. Some resembled large foxes, others were like wolves; the former barked, the latter howled. The tallest were twenty-three inches in height. They were then nearly all losing their hair from the heat, and either from want of sufficient food or on account of the gnats, or because they were tired after their journey, seemed thin and weakly."

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐄𝐱𝐩𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐨𝐧

The goal of the expedition was to penetrate north along the coastline on the ship called Stella Polare, also known as the North Star, and then, wintering there, proceed towards the North Pole with dog sleds. The expedition took place in the years 1899-1900, and although it did not reach the North Pole, under the command of Commander Cagni, they reached a latitude that no one had ever reached before using sleds.

Abruzzi-expedition. About the length of the coat, the Duke writes:

"When it was very cold, they were often seen to raise their paws out of the snow from time to time, and to go about looking for straw of wood to lie upon. They often went up on the top of our tent to warm themselves round the kitchen shimney. Both while training the mand in stormy weather, we had become convinced that the shorthaired dogs resembling wolves, of the type described by Wrangell, were very much superior to the longhaired dogs of various races; they showed greater resistance to the inclemency of the weather and greater strength when drawing the sledges. When there was a storm, the hair of the longhaired dogs was filled with snow, which froze and formed a cuirass round the body, which prevented them from moving. This did not happen to the short-haired dogs, which were also more nimble, stronger, more willing and more strenuous when harnessed to the sledges, and also more courageous when hunting the bear."

The Samoyed dog "Houdin", also one of the dogs from the Abruzzi-expedition was mostly referred to as 'short-coated'. We posted a picture of this dog under Founders.

Alexander Ivanov Trontheim 

written by the Duke d'Abruzzi. About the breeds used on the expedition the book tells:A small number of our dogs resembled those of Eastern Siberia as described by Wrangell. They were, however, smaller in height; the others were Samoyed dogs or crossings of different breeds. In the district of the Lower Ob, whence Trontheim had brought them, which is situated between Eastern Siberia and the country of the Samoyeds, dogs are to be found from both parts of Siberia, as well as those bred from crossings of eastern and western races. Although all the dogs brought by Trontheim had been trained to draw the sledge, the great superiority in endurance and strenght of those which most resembled the type described by Wrangell was shown later on.