Breed History

The word " Samoyed" has a russian origin, with relations to the Lappish languages. In the past it was thought that the word " samojed" was a compound of the Russian "sam-est'-ed", meaning "he who eats himself". As a matter of fact, this is a ingenuous etimology, related to the fact that the Samoyed people were tought to be cannibals. In Russia the word was then changed with "samodij", while in the foreigh literature the word didn't change, remaining "samojed", without any pejorative meaning. The Samoyeds were a very old tribe with mongolian origin living in the deserted and icy siberian tundra. They could survive breeding reindeers, from which they obtained everything they needed. Because of the inhospitality of the land, they were forced to move ceaselessly. They were charitable people, who never knew war and were very religious. The samoyed breed has its origin from this tribe. The dogs followed the tribe in their peregrinations and were useful for watching reindeers, drawing sledges, hunting animals and as pets. In fact, the dogs were allowed to enter the "chooms", the traditionals tents made up with reindeer skins and birch wood, with a hole at the top of the structure to let the smoke of the brazier go out. The dogs were a company for the children during the long winter nights. Since the dogs grew up in such a frozen and inhospital land, there were no chance to mix up with other breeds, therefore, the original stock formed homogeneously. The main features were closely related to survival: a solid body, woolly and thick undercoat, a harsh and waterproofing outer coat; fetlocks covered with hair; small and thick ears; tail carried forward over the back, profusely covered with long hair with which protect the muzzle when sleeping; strong bones; free movement. With these features , the breed preserved itself through the centuries. A very fascinating dog, solid and rural. Elegant in his movements, a very kind character, full of dignity. In 1896 Mr and Mrs Kilburn-Scott began to select the breed, producing very interesting dogs that are the ancestors of the breed. One of the most known is Antarctic Buk, who was bought at the zoo in Sydney and brought to London. In America the first Samoyed, coming from Russia, was imported in 1908, called Mustang of Argentau. The selection was made using dogs already selected, coming from England too. In Italy, the first Samoyeds arrived in the first years of the '900. The first litters came in 20's and 30's. Among the first owners and kennels there were the "Sestriere" kennel and the one owned by the countess Guja di Arcisate (Va), in northern Italy. Only in the 60's the breed will spread in the Country, thanks to the work and passion of the Countess Del Balzo di Presenzano, which imported from England wonderful dogs of the Kobe blood line. After that period, the breed became known in our Country. Between 1986 and 1988, 824 puppies were born in Italy. In 1992 the number of puppies grew up to 1404. The climax was in 1993 with 1453 puppies. In the last three years there have been a dicrease in the number uf puppies, so that last year (2000) only 318 were born.