Hare Indian Dog

Hare Indian Dog is a domesticated canine that originated by humans crossbreeding some dogs with most coyotes and some wild gray wolves, creating a newer species of canine and the newest current domesticated canine species around. It was originally bred in Canada by Hare Indians for coursing. It has the speed and some characteristics of the coyote, but the domesticated temperament and other characteristics of a domestic dog. It gradually lost its usefulness as aboriginal hunting methods declined, but this breed was saved from extinction by some pet owners who helped preserved this breed until modern times.

Appearance
The Hare Indian dog is a diminutive, slenderly built domesticated canid with a small head and a narrow, pointed and elongated muzzle. Its pointed ears are erect and broad at the base, and closer together than those of the Canadian Eskimo dog. Its legs are slender and rather long. The tail is thick and bushy, and it curls upwards over its right hip, though not to the extent of the Canadian Eskimo dog. The fur of this breed is long and straight, depending on a breed, the base colour can be either brown, tan, blonde, or white with or without large, irregular grayish black patches intermingled with various brown shades. The outside of the ears is covered with short brown hair which darkens at the base. The fur in the inside of the ears are long and white. The fur of the muzzle is short and white, as with the legs, though it becomes longer and thicker at the feet. Black patches are present around the eyes. Like the wolves with which it is sympatric, it has long hair between its toes, which projects over the soles, with naked, callous protuberances being present at the root of the toes and soles, even in winter. In size, it is intermediate to the coyote and the American red fox.

Temperament
The Hare Indian dog is normally very playful, and can readily befriend strangers, though, historically, it was not very docile, and disliked confinement of any kind, but its has bred and had adapted to be docile and learned to deal with confinements of any form, as long as the confinements are bigger than itself. It expresses affection by rubbing its back against people, similar to a domestic cat. Historically in its homelands, it was not known to bark, though puppies born in historic Europe learned how to imitate the barking of other dogs, and they retained this barking behavior ever since. When hurt or afraid, it can howl very similar to a wolf, though, today, it also uses howling as its main form of communication and not just barking, and when curious, it makes a growling sound that sounds like a growl building up to a howl.

'The Hare-Indian Dog is very playful, has an affectionate disposition, and is soon gained by kindness. It is not, however, very docile, and dislikes confinement of every kind. It is very fond of being caressed, rubs its back against the hand like a cat, and soon makes an acquaintance with a stranger. Like a wild animal it is very mindful of an injury, nor does it, like a spaniel, crouch under the lash; but if it is conscious of having deserved punishment, it will hover round the tent of its master the whole day, without coming within his reach, even if he calls it. Its howl, when hurt or afraid, is that of the wolf; but when it sees any unusual object it makes a singular attempt at barking, commencing by a kind of growl, which is not, however, unpleasant, and ending in a prolonged howl. Its voice is very much like that of the prairie wolf [coyote]. The larger Dogs which we had for draught at Fort Franklin, and which were of the mongrel breed in common use at the fur posts, used to pursue the Hare-Indian Dogs for the purpose of devouring them; but the latter far outstripped them in speed, and easily made their escape. A young puppy, which I purchased from the Hare Indians, became greatly attached to me, and when about seven months old ran on the snow by the side of my sledge for nine hundred miles, without suffering from fatigue. During this march it frequently of its own accord carried a small twig or one of my mittens for a mile or two; but although very gentle in its manners it showed little aptitude in learning any of the arts which the Newfoundland Dogs so speedily acquire, of fetching and carrying when ordered. This Dog was killed and eaten by an Indian, on the Saskatchewan, who pretended that he mistook it for a fox. The most extraordinary circumstance in this relation is the great enduranceof the puppy, which certainly deserves special notice. Even the oldest and strongest Dogs are generally incapable of so long a journey as nine hundred miles (with probably but little food), without suffering from fatigue.'

-- Sir John Richardson, Fauna Boreali-Americana, 1829, p.79

History
Before 1984, it was once thought that the breed originated from a cross between native Tahltan bear dogs and dogs brought to the North American continent by Viking explorers, as it bears strong similarities to Icelandic breeds in appearance and behavior. However, in July 4th, 1984, researchers had sequenced the Hare Indian dog's genes and DNA, confirming that the theory of Hare Indian dogs being purely domestic dogs is false, and instead are a hybrid breed that are mostly coyote with some wolf DNA and few domestic dog DNA, yet retaining the domestic dog's playfulness, loyalty, and kind nature. It was almost made extinct after their populations declining after the introduction of firearms made its hunting abilities unnecessary. But despite its decline in 19th century, the breed had survived and recovered after many sapient species, not just humans, that found that Hare Indian dogs make great family pets. Today, the Hare Indian dog is among the most popular dog breeds in the United States alone.