THE OVERVIEW

• The Suka is a hunting breed of dog that takes a heavy resemblance from low content wolf hybrids and other spitz breeds. They would find themselves classified much in the same way an Alaskan Husky might, based more so on purpose than a general and distinct look from one dog to another. However, it’s easy to see and point out some characteristics of the breed, such as their slightly thicker double coat of fur that protects them against the cold of air and water combined; often carried over the cheeks, neck, belly, and hindquarters, occasionally occurring on and in between the toes and ears. The head and profile are very defined and sharp with a stop and straight or slightly bent bridge of the nose. The eyes are expressive, rarely occurring in lighter colors, but when they do they can appear very intense and sharp. Around the eyes and flesh of the face there is often a liner of black or some other darker color, this liner can extend in some cases or not be present at all.  The ears should stand tall naturally and have an alert and high set feel to them. The body is compact and muscular, clearly defining the dogs natural anatomy and not obscured by heavy or copious amounts of fur. The legs are strong and the breed can oftentimes be leggy in comparison to the rest of their body, but they should never appear stout or too low to the ground. The tail is often saber, hanging low around the hocks or just before the hocks; it is common for the tail to curl tightly or loosely over the back. Docking of the tail or a natural stub is acceptable in show for the breed due to recent years, but most breeders and enthusiasts prefer the natural ‘wolf-like’ resemblance of a saber tail. 

• STANDARD LOOK: Short to Medium length coat with coarse fur and a double layer, alert prick ears, and a saber tail.

 

PURPOSE & ORIGIN

• The Suka Miortok (roughly translating to ‘fast howler’), known as the Suka for short, is a breed that is said to original as a culmination of many feral canines and spitz breeds in a very ancient world by the indigenous people of British Columbia and other parts of North America. It is said that the breed came about mostly for companionship, and therefore in its early days did not need to stick to any specific breeding looks or requirements. While that is not the case nowadays, it is said the breed looks very indistinguishable from other dog breeds and can oftentimes look ‘generic’ or is mistaken for a mutt. It is theorized that many breeds came into play to create the Suka, including but not limited to many Japanese spitz breeds, moose hounds, the various Laikas, and low content wolf-dog hybrids. 

• This breed was often used for minor protection of the outer home and companionship until they began to display unique and dedicated trailing and hunting abilities. Their name stems from their ability to bellow or howl during fast movements, especially running. The Suka are known for picking up scents or flushing out prey and howling as they pursue prey. Allowing their masters to follow easily in their tracks and locate their dogs (and game) based on sound alone. While this neat trick could easily scare off much smaller and easily spooked prey, certain animals that showed aggressive and territorial tendencies would often stay and defend themselves, or go after the Suka dogs. This allowed the dogs to easily bring the game to one location and keep the game at bay without losing it. This often meant that moose, cougars, bears, wolverines, amongst others were the targets of most Suka led hunting.

• While the Suka were known for their howling abilities, some strains of the ‘breed’ were trained to repress the instinct to be loud, allowing for other types of hunters to utilize the breed’s strong sense of smell and tenacity to chase down game. The breed would become particularly well known for the ability to fish in rivers alongside their humans.

• It would not be until the early 21st century, as the breed became more reclusive that their breeding would become more strict and their looks would become more tailored to a ‘standard’. It would not be until the breed began to spread out and down into the Pacific Northwest that more colors and mutations would start to show

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