A full-body reconstruction of Mutton compares the sizes of woolly dogs with Arctic dogs and spitz breeds.

The ancient DNA extracted from the pelt of a fluffy, white dog named Mutton is unravelling the mysteries of the woolly dog, an extinct breed nurtured by the women of the Coast Salish Indigenous nations in the Pacific Northwest.

Known by names such as “sqwemá:y,” “ske’-ha,” and “sqwbaý” in Coast Salish languages, these woolly dogs resembled modern Samoyeds. However, they were not considered to be pets. Instead, the Coast Salish community held them to the cherished status, as relatives. They were fed a special diet of fish or elk and had their wool woven into special blankets and textiles. Their keepers also ensured they did not interbreed with other dogs.

Mutton was the dog of 19^th century naturalist and ethnographer George Gibbs. Although his origins are not yet certain, researchers speculate he may have originated from a Coast Salish community near present-day Chilliwack, B.C., on the Fraser River, within the lands of the Stó:lō Nation. Mutton’s pelt, which was preserved upon his death in 1869, currently resides in the Smithsonian Institution’s collections.

Little is known of pre-colonial dogs within the Americas. Research indicates they migrated alongside humans approximately 15,000 years ago. However, these dogs eventually disappeared from the region, leaving only minimal genetic remnants in today’s canine population. Genetic analysis of Mutton’s pelt offered a unique window into this history.

Researchers sequenced Mutton’s genome and compared his DNA to that of a non-woolly village dog from the same region—who is believed to have died around the same time—as well as other modern and ancient North American dogs. Further analysis traced Mutton’s closest relative to a 1,500-year-old dog from Prince Rupert Harbour and revealed only a small part of his ancestry is European. Mutton was 84 per cent Indigenous pre-colonial dog.

The study, published in the Science academic journal, weaves together Indigenous ancestral and oral histories with genomic analysis to confirm woolly dogs existed for at least 5,000 years. It is the first definite scientific evidence of their existence in the Coast Salish territories.

Mutton’s pelt in the Smithsonian collection.