Chinook Dogs

The Chinook is one of the few breeds of dogs created in America.  In the late 1920s, Arthur T. Walden began breeding dogs at his Wonalancet farm in the hopes of creating a superior sled dog.  His efforts resulted in a true American sled dog - the Chinook. State highway 113A, which passed through Wonalancet, is also known as Chinook Trail.

While dogs continue to serve in many of their traditional functions, dogs have also taken on new and unique tasks that enhance the lives of their owners and the community.  Therapy, medical assistance, and search and rescue are only a few of the many services dogs provide to the people of New Hampshire.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond.  Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

Arthur Walden sledding with his Chinook team.

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough,  the answer is often not what we imagine.

Over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been instrumental in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965 - present) there have been two (2) dog bite-related fatalities in New Hampshire, an average one (1) fatality every 22 years.

NCRC's 2011 Preliminary Report on Dog Bite-Related Fatalities illustrates the challenge of accurately reporting on these extremely rare, tragic events. Our mission of preserving the human-canine bond obligates us to be as accurate about these emotionally charged incidents as we can, so that they are calmly, correctly and, therefore, usefully understood. Accuracy takes time.

At least two different breeds/types of dogs were reported to be involved in these incidents.*

Both victims were children. In both incidents, the child had been left unsupervised with a dog.

In 1972, a two-year-old girl was left unsupervised with a dog. (Tilton)

In 1993, a five-year-old boy wandered over to a neighbor's chained dog. (Merrimack)

New Hampshire has not had a dog bite-related fatality since 1993.

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*Note: In recent years, scientists have established that visual identification of dogs of unknown origin is extremely unreliable; therefore, while we can be sure these listed incidents involved varied types of dogs, we cannot be certain of the accuracy of most breed identifications.

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Dog attacks are a negligible cause of mortality in New Hampshire:

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:

In 2007, five (5) New Hampshire children died from maltreatment (abuse, neglect).

In the single year of 2007, more than twice as many New Hanpshire children died from maltreatment than the total of all children killed by dogs in the state over the past 45 years.

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Fact is, people in New Hampshire routinely accept far greater risks from ATVs and bicycles than any that are associated with companion animals.

National Canine Research Council