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In the twenties, just while the Seeleys were
acquiring dogs for their kennel of Alaskan
Malamutes in New Hampshire, a man called
Paul Voelker was similarly operating for
his kennel in Marquette, Michigan, known
as M’Loot kennel.
Voelker had spent most of his life breeding
and training dogs and had become familiar
with a good number of breeds. Now he was
looking for something different, so he began
to breed a new kind of dog, which he called
“Malamute”. The Malamutes of M’Loot kennel
had different origins: some dogs had been
purchased in Alaska, some from the Army in
Montana, others from Mackenzie River Huskies
in Minnesota and two bitches came from a
litter of an all white Canadian Eskimo Dog.
In a kennel brochure Voelker writes that
his foundation dogs, both males and females,
came from the film industry in California
(Barbara A. Brooks and Sherry E. Wallis,
"Alaskan Malamute - Yesterday and Today").
Owing to their different origins, the M Loot
Malamutes were not so uniform as the Kotzebues.
While the Seeleys’ Kotzebue strain included
only dogs of grey and white colour, the colours
of the M’Loots varied from black and white
to silver grey and white. The M’Loots were
also heavier and taller than the Kotzebues.
Like the Kotzebues, however, Paul Voelker’s
M’Loots had a thick straight coat, a bushy
tail carried over their back like a plume
and straight ears.
Just like Eva Seeley, Paul Voelker was a
skilful sleddog driver and his M’Loots were
excellent work dogs and received many an
official recognition for their performances.
Unlike Eva Seeley, Paul Voelker didn’t breed
only excellent sleddog subjects. M’Loots
were mainly publicized as excellent companion
dogs, ideal for whoever was looking for a
dog which was so beautiful and eye-catching
as to make people stop in the street (ibidem).
Paul Voelker’s M’Loots became popular thanks
to his kennel advertisements and lots of
dogs were sold to lots of houses all over
North America. As Voelker said: “The best
examples of the greatest breed have become
perfect company dogs for the families in
different places from the north in Alaska
to the states exposed to the sun in Florida,
California and in New Mexico in the south”
M’Loot dogs were not bred only by Paul Voelker,
but also by other breeders, who used them
as the foundations of their breeding programs.
Other M’Loot dogs soon became influential:
Gentleman Jim, who became famous for his
service in World War II, Silver King and
Silver Girl, and a dog called Mikiuk, bred
by Paul Voelker and owned by Raplh and Schmitt
of Silver Sled Kennels in Wisconsin. Mikiuk
was crossed with a bitch called Noma; this
combination bred two important champions,
Ch. Mulpus Brook's Master Otter (the
first Alaskan Malamute to come out on top
in show groups) and Ch. Ooloo M'Loot
(the first bitch to get a champion title
in the history of the breed). Both of them
were owned by Silver Sled.
Another important combination was between
a dog called Nanook and Ch. Ooloo M'Loot.
Two puppies were whelped by this mating:
Ch. Nanook II and Ch. Gyana. The descendants
of these first M’Loots became later the foundation
dogs for many a kennel and are the ancestors
of lots of today’s Malamutes.
In 19?? the American Kennel Club reopened
the Alaskan Malamute breed to registration.
This decision delighted the owners of M’Loot
and Hinman-Irwing dogs. They had been possessing
dogs that were not officially recognized
as Alaskan Malamutes. Eva Seeley’s followers
and the Kotzebues’ fans, instead, strongly
objected to the decision. In their opinion
only Kotzebues were really representative
of the breed. In order to be AKC registered,
the owners of the “new” Alaskan Malamutes
were to show their dogs till they reached
10 points. Strangely enough, no dog personally
owned by Paul Voelker, Dick Hinman or Dave
Hinman was ever registered. In all cases,
many of the breeders that had based their
breeding programs on M’Loots and many owners
that had bought their ‘original strain’ dogs
managed to have their Malamutes registered.
After 1950, most Malamutes had evolved thanks
to the mingling of Kotzebues, M'Loots
and a little Hinman-Irwin. Some breeders,
however, kept crossing pure M’Loots only.
Among these was the Canadian breeder Lorna
Jackson, owner of Lorn Hall kennel. Lorna
bought her first dogs directly from Paul
Voelker, and one of these, Oogorook M'Loot,
was the first Alaskan Malamute to become
a Canadian Champion. Oogorook has also been
the first all white Alaskan Malamute that
became a champion in the history of the breed.
Another breeder that went on breeding pure
M’Loots was Jean Lane, owner of Mulpus Brook
kennels. Like Eva Seeley, Jean Lane practised
sleddog and bred Alaskan Malamutes and Siberian
Huskies. Her Malamute breeding program produced
Ch. Mulpus Brooks The Bear, purchased from
Bill and Lois Dawsons of Kobuk kennel. “Bear”
was the first Malamute to win first prize
in the show group (B.O.G.) in 1954. He was
also the sire of Kobuk's Dark Beauty,
a black and white bitch owned by Mr. and
Mrs. Rifkind, from Kodara kennel. Kobuk's
Dark Beauty is one of the most important
dams in the history of the breed, and she
bred Ch. Sno-Crest's Mukluk, the first
Alaskan Malamute to win a Best in Show in
America.
In 19?? AKC suddenly decided to close breed
registration again. A lot of M’Loot owners
who hadn’t yet shown and registered their
dogs were bitterly surprised.
To achieve greater cooperation with AKC and
more influence in important decisions, the
Alaskan Malamute Club of America (AMCA) began
operating in order to become an AKC member.
This purpose was achieved in 1953, when AMCA
received a letter from AKC, which informed
that AMCA had been officially accepted as
a member.
After that, Kotzebue and M’Loot breeders
strove to get round their differences, and
the evolution of the breed gradually moved
toward the final fusion of the two strains.
Although she had strongly objected to M’Loot
dogs for years, at a certain point even Eva
Seeley took an interest in what this strain
could offer and agreed to cross Ch. Chinook
Of Kotzebue with Ch. Tuyah Of Silver Sled,
an M’Loot bitch owned by Delta Wilson Smith.
In 1960 a new breed standard was adopted
for the Malamutes, because of the increasing
number of M’Loot dogs which had remarkably
influenced their aspect.
M’Loots were bigger than Kotzebues, therefore
the breeders that mainly used the M’Loot
strain urged to increase height and weight
limits (the first breed standard had been
based on Gripp Of Yukon, one of Seeley’s
dogs). Nevertheless, several Kotzebue breeders
had different opinions, and the question
was eventually settled by means of a compromise:
the present standard is the outcome of that
compromise.
Reference:
Barbara A. Brooks
e Sherry E. Wallis, "Alaskan
Malamute - Yesterday
and Today", Alpine,
1998.
Joan McDonald Brearley,
This is the Alaskan
Malamute, T.F.H.,
1975.
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