United States: In North-western Alaska, a tribe of Innuit, called the Mahlemuts, developed a breed of dog for hauling heavy loads in harsh weather and assisting with hunting. The dog they developed shares its ancestry with other arctic breeds: the Samoyed of Russia, the Siberian Husky and the Eskimo dogs of Greenland and Labrador. However, the Mahlemuts dog was not built for speed, but for power and his impressive stature supports this fact. Malamute is not a wolf hybrid. Although the American Kennel Club till 1935 did not officially recognise the breed, it is assumed that Malamutes contributed to the polar expeditions of Perry, Cook and Byrd. It was in pulling loads that Malamutes made their contribution to expeditions, as they are not a racing dog.