Chinooks in Sandwich on June 3 play Simon Says with their owners. Photo by KATHY CLEVELAND - Milford, New Hampshire, USA 
Dog days in NH
When his family adopted a dog in 2005, Bob Cottrell did what few dog owners do: He researched its ancestory.
The dog, Tug – short for Mountain Laurel Tamworth Tugger – is part of a rare breed called Chinook, and his lineage is noble.
Cottrell gave a slideshow called “Harnessing History: On the Trail of New Hampshire’s State Dog” at the Wadleigh Memorial Library recently and talked about how Tug, and all Chinooks, are descended from Admiral Robert Peary’s lead sled dog for his Greenland expedition, a husky called Polaris.
They were bred by an adventurer named Arthur Walden, who owned an inn in Wonalancet, part of the town of Tamworth. Walden had spent time in the Alaskan Yukon during the Gold Rush days, and he wanted to create a sled dog that had strength, speed, stamina and a gentle temperament.
Walden bred Polaris to a mastiff-type dog called Kim. One of the puppies was named Chinook, and he developed into an outstanding sled dog who was also gentle with children.