Extinct woolly dog pelt returns to British Columbia museum

The only known surviving pelt of the extinct woolly dog has returned to British Columbia. On loan from the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, the pelt will be displayed at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver from September 2026 until August 2027.

Woolly dogs were a distinct breed raised by Coast Salish and Makah peoples for their thick, white, cloud-like coats. The hair was shorn and used to weave ceremonial blankets, robes, and textiles. The species has been extinct since the end of the 19th century.

The pelt belonged to a dog named Mutton, a companion of American naturalist George Gibbs, who participated in boundary surveys between British Columbia and the U.S. Pacific Northwest in the late 1850s. The loan was pursued at the request of the Stó:lō House of Respect Caretaking Committee, as the dog is tied to the territory of the Stó:lō people. Indigenous weavers and researchers note that the return of the pelt provides a connection to ancestral knowledge and the history of Salish and Makah weaving traditions.