Scientists Analyse Pelt Of ‘Mutton’, The Only Known Woolly Dog Fleece. Study Unravels New Mysteries

For thousands of years, Coast Salish tribal nations in Washington and British Columbia grew and cared for woolly dogs which were prized for their thick undercoats.

The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat & fox-like face bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing.

Source : Karen Carr/Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Scientists have analysed the pelt of ‘Mutton’, the world’s only known woolly dog fleece. The Salish Woolly Dog was a small, mostly white-coloured, long-haired dog with a thick fur coat, a fox-like face, and prick ears bred in Coast Salish throughout southern Vancouver Island, the Strait of Georgia, and Washington state for the creature’s hair that was used to weave blankets and clothing. The Salish Woolly Dog became extinct around the 1900s. The study, conducted by