Aloha dog lovers!
This is a quick story about a dog named the Hawaiian Poi Dog. The history of this dog is right here. PS I found this on the internet.
History
The original Hawaiian poi dog derived its name from
poi, a Hawaiian
staple food made from
kalo or
taro root. Poi was used to fatten the dogs for use as food because meat was too valuable to be used as dog food. Since the
Hawaiian Islands
did not have large land mammals other than feral hogs, Poi dogs weren't
needed for hunting. The dogs were never deliberately bred to a
standard, but
human and
natural selection still came into play.
European explorers like
Captain Cook
encountered pot-bellied, short-legged poi dogs that freely associated
with hogs in the village. The dogs had very short hair that could come
in any color, but brown poi dogs were regarded as distinct enough to
warrant a specific name. The dogs also had peculiarly flattened heads.
The latter trait is sometimes ascribed to the diet of the dogs in some
unspecified way. Considering that poi does not require chewing, the dogs
might have lost the need to maintain strong
temporalis muscles; a reduced
temporal fossa will cause a dog's head to appear flattened.
[1] Poi dogs were considered rather dim-witted and sluggish
[2]
– any good hunting dog with acute senses would neither make a good poi
dog, nor be particularly useful on the islands – however, the dogs were
strong-willed and not easily commanded.
The poi dog was a two-purpose breed – used for food and as a
lucky charm.
Unsuited for anything else, the breed declined to extinction as the
native religion was abandoned and eating dog meat became unfashionable.
Feral dogs
of European settlers interbred with the poi dogs, and by the early 20th
century at latest, the breed disappeared as a distinct entity.
Usage
Today, the term "poi dog" is most often used to refer to mix-breed
dogs, but also attribute specific characteristics to Poi dogs, including
the ability to eat anything, a strong will, and a unique appearance
composed of different breeds. "Poi Dog" is also used to describe
mixed breed dogs;
sometimes, the term is colloquially used to describe people of mixed
Hawaiian-Anglo heritage, although the more common term in use is
hapa.
Here is a picture of the Hawaiian Poi Dog
Thanks for listening!
-Daria
