Trivia Facts About Alaskan Malamutes...
and Sled Dogs
The
sled dogs in the movie Tomb Raider: All the dogs in the caves are Siberians.
The stunt double for Anjelina was Eunice Euhart from Gladiators. She wore special
studded boots for the 'barefoot' bit - and took a couple of nasty falls. Pinewood
Studios originally wanted all white dogs (I think to tie in with the footage
they already had) but then added a few different coloured ones for effect. The
filming took weeks. They had to get the dogs used to running in the caves then
adding the smoke and the firing as they got more used to it. There was a vet
in attendance at all times who was very thorough and examined the dogs every
day. They were running on white painted tarmac so I guess it could have been
a bit tough on the old paws!!! (courtesy Julie Breame, UK)
Did
you know... these famous people owned an Alaskan Malamute?
Judy Collins (singer)
Dom DeLuise (actor/comedian)
Herbert Hoover (U.S. President)
George Lucas (film director)
Robin Williams (comedian & actor)
Vida Blue (baseball pitcher)
Ian Dunbar (author & dog trainer)
Melissa Gilbert (actress)
Cheryl Ladd (actress)
In
1984 the United States Postal Service produced 4 AKC centennial stamps honoring
the sport of pure-bred dogs. One of the stamps honored the Alaskan Malamute.
The
Star Wars' character Chewbacca was inspired by Indiana, George Lucas' pet Alaskan
Malamute. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, they show Indie's house as
a boy and guess and what kind of dog he has? Yup, a mal! At the end of the movie
they said that he got his name from the dog, so it must have been an hommage
to George Lucas, who's a close friend of Steven Spielberg's! (Thank you Andrea
Hobson for this neat Malamute trivia!)
These
are real stamps that have been issued honoring the Alaskan Malamute:
- Most dogs bark, the Alaskan Malamute and the Siberian Husky are the only two breeds that howl instead (though they CAN bark if they learn from other dogs).
- Dog mushing is the official state sport of Alaska. The Alaska Legislature adopted it in 1972.
- Remember this old TV show (Yukon King was a Malamute): (click on photo)
A
neat poster was found by Mark & Laura Robinson depicting one of Eva B. Seeley's
Chinook Kennel Malamutes named "Lag" advertising dog food. The inset appears
to depict the dogs used by the military in WWII. The dogs in the inset photo
may be the ones the government blew up rather than bring back after the third
Byrd Antarctic Expedition. So Lag probably did his tour, helped promote dog
food, and as a thank you was killed. Sad isn't it?
Famous
Dog Quotes:
