Did American Indians keep dogs before Europeans brought dogs?
Yes, in fact it was horses that Europeans brought that changed things. Native Americans had dogs, possibly like huskies, that were used to transport items-they would put their belongings on a sled like thing (no runners) and the dogs would pull them. They were used for hunting and used for guarding the villages. In about 1990, a relative by marriage, who is 1/4 Indian, took me to a ‘Pow Wow”, or Native American gathering in the middle West. There were a lot of stalls selling handmade goods, etc. Many of the people had dogs with them. Some looked like German shepherds, some like huskies, some American type breeds. One family had a little French Poodle. I joked with the owner and said “I didn’t know Indian dogs looked like that” He said “What do you think the French explorers wanted? Our dogs!” It’s nice to know love of dogs and silly humor comes in all ethnic groups.
