Greenlandic Dog Names

Dr. Jochem Lastdrager is a veterinarian who works with Travelling Animal Doctors and Darwin Animal Doctors. Along with the Austrian animal welfare organization Robin Hood, he has been travelling to Greenland in an effort to improve the conditions for Greenlandic sled dogs. With less than 60,000 people living in Greenland, a sick or injured dog is typically shot as a result of the lack of veterinary care. Though he can’t provide year-round veterinarian care, he is seeking to provide education programs, particularly ones focused on kids, that will show people how to appropriately care for their animals.

Wolf-like, the Greenlandic sled dog is an indigenous dog who has lived and worked with the Inuit people for hundreds of years. Currently, there are about 21,000 dogs of the breed living in Greenland above the Arctic Circle. These sled dogs are typically utilized for transportation for hunting during the winter. During the summer, when there is no use for the pups, many can be found chained a short distance from town. As climate change leads to more warmer weather, the dogs are chained for longer lengths of time, where they are often neglected, often being fed only once a week and not getting enough water. Many in Greenland are struggling financially, with most living off of welfare payments from Denmark as a result of scarce employment. The means there is not enough money for food for dogs, who are often fed whatever has been hunted. Chains also get tangled, resulting in injury and sometimes the death of a dog.

While in Greenland, Dr. Lastdrager spotted a puppy that had a broken leg about an hour before his planned departure from an area. The pup was limping and his back leg was at an odd angle. Without help from the vet, the puppy would likely die. Despite his injury, the veterinarian struggled to catch the pup, who kept running away and hiding in one of the doghouses.

Before he was able to catch the little dog, the veterinarian had spoken to a local girl, who happened to be the daughter of the owner of the dog. She expressed a fondness for the puppy and he talked with her about putting a splint on the dog’s leg. He was able to set the bone and make a splint out of plastic tubing found at a construction site. He covered the splint in duct tape in order to protect it from rain. Lastdrager expressed that he was concerned upon leaving, as the splint would require being checked occasionally and ultimately removed. He noted though that the little girl was motivated to assist the pup, even bringing the pup home with her, which is not typical.

Lastdrager is not sure what happened to the white puppy after he left, though he hopes that with the help of the young girl, the pup recovered fully. He has more visits scheduled and along with members of Darwin Animal Doctors, intends to work on opening a summer sanctuary where the dogs can be together for the warmer months and receive proper care.