Alaskan Klee Kai (AKK) Miniature Husky? Small Dog like Mini Siberian

he Alaskan Klee Kai is a Spitz type dog that looks like a miniature Siberian Husky, was bred from the Alaskan Husky and other dogs to create a dog with the Siberian Husky look and temperament but small enough to fit the needs of city living. This small dog was bred in Wasilla, Alaska. In 1988 this new breed was made public and officially recognized in 1995 by the American Rare Breed association (ARBA).

The breed was developed by Linda S. Spurlin of Wasilla, Alaska. As she relates on her website, she was first inspired to develop a small breed of husky on a visit to her husbands relatives in Oklahoma. There they found a gray and white female husky which weighed only was only 17 lbs. They let her take the dog home. It turned out that it originated with other relatives in Fairbanks, Alaska who had a mating between a small dog and an Alaskan Husky. Her new dog was descended from that Alaskan Husky. Her brother-in law tried breeding them for awhile but 1n the 1980s stopped breeding the little dogs and sold them to her.

The Alaskan Husky is descended from a dog used by Indians in Alaska. It is not the same as the Siberian Husky, although the Siberian Husky does play a part in creating the Alaskan Klee Kai. Among sled dogs the Siberian Husky was the favored dog until the 1940s, according to Linda S. Spurlin's website. Mushers began to develop the Alaskan Husky from the village Indian dog. Ms Spurlin says she added a small dose of Siberian Husky to the Alaskan Klee Kai whose name comes from Eskimo words meaning “little dog.” The dog was bred from a combination of Siberian Husky, Alaskan Husky, Schipperke and the American Eskimo dog, according to Wikipedia.

The dog was originally released to the public in 1988. It was called the Klee Kai. In 1995 the breed split into Alaskan Klee Kai and Klee Kai. For political reasons in 2002 the breed was united as Alaskan Klee Kai. It was officially recognized by the American Rare Breed Association (ARBA) in 1995 and the United Kennel Club (UKC) in 1997.

They are a small version of the Alaskan Husky with wedge shaped head, masked face, prick ears and tails that curl over their backs.

The main colors are:

• white

• black and white

• red and white

• gray and white.

There are two kinds of coats—regular coat and full blown coat.

Height

Toy: 13 inches and under;
Miniature: 13 - 15 inches;
Standard: 15 - 17 inches.
Weight:5 - 22 lbs.

If you consider getting an Alaskan Klee Kai some things to keep in mind are:

They are intelligent dogs. The downside to an intelligent dog is that they get bored easily and unless kept occupied they can be destructive. Combining that with the fact that they are very energetic. Chewing and digging are favorite activities unless the owners divert them to more constructive activities. On the website “World of Wonder Alaskan Klee Kai” it is recommended that they be walked and walked a lot. The dog needs walking for exercise but also for socialization. It also helps establish the owner as the “pack leader.” They can be very loud. The website indicates that these dogs bark for 5 or 10 minutes when the owners come home

Generally they are healthy dogs but there are some health issues that breeders are trying to deal with. It would be best for a prospective owner of any breed to inquire as to possible health problems.

To sum it up, the Alaskan Klee Kai (AKK) is a fairly new breed of dog that is meant to be a small version of the Alaskan Husky. It was developed from the Alaskan Husky with some mix of Siberian Husky Alaskan Husky, Schipperke, and American Eskimo to attain the desired result.

Sources of information:

Wikipedia article on the Alaskan Klee Kai

World of Wonder Alaskan Klee Kai

Linda S. Spurlin The World of the Alaskan Klee Kai

DogBreeds.com

Copyright 2012 Don Hoglund