Norway's history

The breed reappear in Norway in 1973 , when seven dogs from Wakon kennel’s were imported by mr. B.Kiønig. These dogs were:

Wakon’s Talook Okiluk (Ro-Ala-Ken’s Tumuk of Knik x Wakon’s Cascadia)
Wakon’s Noocha Okiluk (Wakon’s Grizzly Bear x Wakon’s Klatrush)
Wakon’s Bella Kula Bear (Wakon’s Polar Turf Bear x Wakon’s Tawne Chena)
Wakon’s Nooka Bear (Wakon’s Timber Bear x Vaga of Redhorse)
Wakon’s Wild Wynooche (Wakon’s Beacoup Bear x Vaga of Redhorse)
Wakon’s Wind Song (Wakon’s Bucca of Kuzak Bear x Wakon’s Cascadia)
Wakon’s Wunga (unknown, never registered had HD)

The first litter was born on 9th of November 1975, seven males and two females.

At the same time another person was interested in the breed; mr. Øyvind Moen. He had a friend who was a sled dog driver and he heard from him about a breed called Alaskan Malamute. He decided to take a trip to USA and get to know these dogs better. He found the breed very interesting, particulary dogs of the "old type", and he decided to bring a dog back to Norway. He took his time because he wanted a very good dog that was healthy and bred from HD-free parents. At last he ended up with the Tote-Um kennel, and imported:

Tote-Um’s Alaska Snobird (Tote-Um’s Arctic Panther x Polarpaw’s Sno-cloud of Tote-Um.) She became Norway’s first champion.

The breed did not have a good start in Norway, illness and hereditary defects put the breed to a hard test. A lot of these first dogs were taken out of breeding, and the future for the Alaskan Malamute did not look very bright.

Fortunately we had a group of very enthusiastic people who worked together to solve the problems. Deciding to take a lot of dogs out of breeding in so small a population was not easy, but because of this decision we got a population which was healthy, nearly without HD and other hereditary defects.

Mr.Moen imported three more dogs:

Orm’s Dorms Moosmoos of Tote-Um (by Tote-Um’s OO Malik x Orm’s Dorms Klondike)
Tote-Um’s Ballard Queen (by Baronof x Polarpaw’s Akela Akamai)
Targhee Strawberry Shaman (by Inuit Sweet Lucifer x Skookum’s Mika of Tugidak)

These dogs became the most importent foundation dogs in Norway, and can be found in more or less all Norwegian pedigrees. They became the foundation dogs for the TOPKOK kennel.

Some of the other early imports were:

Moose Creek Thule (by Oogruk’s Russian of Arctic Storm x Tina of Carlo)
Kenkea (by Taaralaste Copper Karu x Taaralaste Lume Helveke)
Moose Creek Tulugak ( by Good Karma’s Salcha of Kobuk x Moose Creek Shy)

These last three dogs, imported from Alaska, lived in the very far north of Norway. They were a different type than the "Tote-Um" dogs in the south. Thule and Kenkea got four litters together, they were never used with other lines. The breeders in the south, did not like this type, so today there are almost none of these dogs left. Mr. Kåre Holmsen imported Tulugak, and bred a litter with an offspring of Kenkea and Thule. They got 13 offspring, but the ones used in breeding got "watered out" by the existing lines. Today there are no dogs left after these lines, but you will find them on some pedigrees.

Other important imports to Norway:

Alvaasen’s Wolf (by Parker’s Thor x Dark Oak’s Sweet Gypsy Rose) and
Alvaasen’s Mitzy ( by Parker’s Thor x With Molly’s Pitcher)

These dogs got importerd from USA but got a litter in quarantaine first, in Great Britain. They came to mrs. Parker from Seacourt kennels, the Seacourt Christmas litter. Wolf was doing well in Norway, and became INT.N and D Uch, but Mitzy had not the temperament the breeder wished and was put down. Wolf was used in breeding three times and got 18 offspring, Mitzy was bred once and got eight offspring.

Barrenfield Lord Santana (by Barrenfield Rocket Torpede x Ziljo’s Cheyenne Autumn),
Barrenfield Canadian Sunset (by Maltrail’s Canadian Edition x Barrenfield’s Command Control). The first one became a very important part of our breed (eight litters, 58 offspring), Sunset had unfortunately light HD and was never used in breeding.
Tigara’s Snow Owl of Accomac (by Tigara’s Far Land Scot’s Pride x Tigara’s Snow Flurry of Artica) got used only once in breeding. He got 13 offspring.
Zagoskin Maleygmyut’s Kre Aklak (by Shamrock’s Atataq Taku x Zagoskin Maleygmyut’s Una) got used eleven times and has 70 offspring, and became one of the more important stud dogs.
Chorus Lines Pradet (by Karnak of the Wolf Chores x Cold Valley’s Made-Another Witch) was used five times and got 36 offspring.

The next to dogs got imported as frozen semen:

Joli Mapa Hero Boy: (by Iditarod Trail Cherokee x Cold Valley’s Farah), from Belgium got 2 litters, only 4 offspring.
Williwaw Red War Eagle ( by Williwaw’s Kodiak Cub x Williwaw’s Rain Dancer), from Finland got two litters, 11 offspring.

More recent imports have resulted in a fine genetic variation nowadays,
 

Use of the malamute

The Alaskan Malamute is primarily a family dog and a good companion on trips in the woods and the mountains. The average Norwegian family is very active outdoors, and many have found the Malamute a versatile and enjoyable dog. The dogs are used for backpakking, ski-pulling, pulling of smal Norwegian sleds (pulks), and a very few dogs are training obedience. A considerable number of dogs are seriously trained as sledge dogs. Topkok’s Eagle Bumper (by Orm’s Dorms Moosmoos of Tote-Um x Tote-Um’s Ballard Queen) would have been a dog which could easily become sleddog champion, if the titel was available at that time. He was a great sleddog who participated in many races. He was a very good lead-dog. His go-on spirit and working ability is seen in most of his descendants. Bumper and Nuna (Tokok’s Klondike Nuna) are the only two malamutes who have accomplished the hardest race in Norway "Finnmarks-løpet".

Finmarkløpet is a long distance race in the north of Norway and was at the time 1000 km long