The Story of Our Pack
We began to build our pack in 2021, beginning with Mountain Myst Dream of the Arctic Wolf (Buck).
In the summer of 2022, we brought home our first female, Mountain Myth Najak A Wolf’s Duet (Natasha/Tashi), with the expectation of breeding her with Buck after she turned two.
However, in June of 2023, Tashi developed Pyometra, a life-threatening uterine infection, and had to undergo an emergency spay. She remained a beloved part of our pack, but had to be retired from our breeding program.
Eventually, we decided to rehome Tashi with a wonderful new owner, which was the start of our retirement program.
In October of 2023, we added Mountain Myst El Niño Dancer (Shelby), a four-year-old female, to our pack. We expected to breed her with Buck whenever she next went into heat.
In the spring of 2024, we joined Northern Inuits International Unleashed and learned that they capped the acceptable Coefficient of Inbreeding at 25%—a number higher than the COI between Shelby and Buck. To adhere to the NIIU Code of Ethics, we scrapped the plan to breed them with each other.
We were extremely fortunate, instead, to secure breeding units for Points Unknown Oken, an the old-line Hedlund Husky from the Hedlund Husky Preservation Project directed by Linda Newman.
We worked with the wonderful reproductive team at Broadview Reproductive Service for an In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) breeding between Shelby and Oken, It resulted in two male puppies. This was the Squam River Oken’s Northern Inuit Children Litter, whelped by C-section on September 30, 2024 We kept one of these boys—Squam River Oakes—for our own breeding program. Oakes is now one of our stud dogs.
In February of 2025, we brought Mountain Myst Molly from Colorado to join our pack. (Shortly thereafter we renamed her Willow).
Willow was sired by Otsoa Garden of Eden (Nero), making her 50% Northern Inuit. Her other 50%, which comes from her dam Mountain Myst Chinook, is a mix of Malamute, Siberian Husky, and German Shepherd Dog—all origin breeds for the original Northern Inuit dogs. This combination makes Willow an “F1″—a first-generation outcross.
Because Willow came to us rather unexpectedly in February of 2025, she had not yet been Embark (genetically) tested. We promptly ran the test, only to learn that she carries the recessive genetic variant for Degenerative Myelopathy. Because it is recessive, she will never develop the condition herself. If bred with a stud who is not a carrier, then although some of her puppies will be carriers, they too will never develop DM.
The one hitch was that Buck is also a carrier, which meant we could never breed the two of them together.
So, when Willow came into heat in May, we were most fortunate to secure breeding units for Roundhill Laphroaig from True North Northern Inuits of Canada. Once again, the team at Broadview Reproductive Service successfully used IVF, which resulted in a pregnancy. On July 20, 2025, Willow whelped seven puppies, six of which survived. This was the Squam River Mountains of New Hampshire Litter.
One of the female puppies, Squam River Piper Mountain (Piper) stayed with us. With a dam who is 50% Northern Inuit and a sire who is a full Northern Inuit, Piper is registered with the NIIU as a second-generation out-cross, or F2. After she turns two, she will become an active part of our breeding program.
In the Fall of 2025, we mated Shelby with Points Unknown MacKenzie through IVF as another approved out-cross breeding. Shelby whelped the Winter Solstice Litter on December 18—one male and one female puppy.
The female was born with her intestines outside of her body. Despite a successful surgical repair, she did not survive. The male puppy did make it, however, and thrived as what is known as a “singleton.”
His name is Squam River Maqk. He is registered with the NIIU as an F1 (first-generation out-cross).
Once old enough, Makq went out to Minnesota to Points Unknown as part of the Hedlund Husky Preservation Program. Eventually, we hope that, as an F1, he will pair with one of our girls to sire a future Squam River litter.
Because Shelby had now undergone two C-section whelps, our Code of Ethics required that we retired her from our breeding program. Fortuitously, her former owner contacted us to tell us how much he missed her, and to ask whether we might be willing to let her come back to him. We were delighted to agree, as we knew she would return to a home where she was known and loved. She is now back in Virginia!
