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Working Animals (7)

  • The Horse
    The Horse
    Michael Mills 1978 1 min
    This animated short illustrates how at one time horses provided man with unprecedented mobility and how the arrival of the iron horse brought this era to an end.
  • Don't Knock the Ox
    Don't Knock the Ox
    Tony Ianzelo 1970 13 min
    The International Ox Pull, highlight of the Bridgewater, Nova Scotia, annual fair, is a holdover from the pioneer past when oxen cleared the land and tilled the soil. These beasts of burden have lost none of their pulling power, as demonstrated when they drag tons of weight loaded on sleds (the winner pulls up to 6 tons!). Competing teams come from various parts of the Maritimes and the Northeastern United States.
  • Eye Witness No. 87.
    Eye Witness No. 87.
    Walter A. Sutton  &  Alvin Goldman 1955 11 min
    Winter Dogs Days: The fourth annual dog derby at Maniwaki, Québec, brings racing teams from different parts of eastern Canada and the United States to compete for honours on the twenty-mile snow-bound course. Steelworkers Go To Press: One of Stelco Steel's ten thousand employees in Hamilton, Cecil Lewis doubles as editor of Steel Shots, a monthly paper reporting on union aims and off-work activities.
  • Heavy Horse Pull
    Heavy Horse Pull
    Roberta King  &  Ronald Squire 1977 15 min
    This short documentary offers a humorous look at horse-pulling contests in Ontario and the people who prepare for them. We travel from the farm to the contest, where excitement runs high and the quips do not lack in local colour. Which of these magnificent creatures will be able to pull the heaviest load and win the prize?
  • Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths
    Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths
    Ole Gjerstad  &  Joelie Sanguya 2010 1 h 8 min
    This feature documentary offers an overview of the changes experienced by the Inuit from 1950-1970 with their loss of sled dogs and semi-nomadic lifestyle. A controversial issue at the time, many Inuit still believe that their dogs were deliberately killed by the RCMP as part of government policy to force them off the land and into "civilization." Qimmit: A Clash of Two Truths explores how and why the sled dogs disappeared, a mystery that has left deep wounds across Canada's Arctic.
  • Qimmiq: Canada's Arctic Dog
    Qimmiq: Canada's Arctic Dog
    1981 24 min
    The Eskimo dog--the Qimmiq--has been an integral part of northern Canadian life for almost two thousand years. Archival photographs and film footage illustrate how this hard-working purebred was used for hunting, pulling sleds and keeping polar bears at bay. However, by 1975, the breed, decimated by a changing northern lifestyle, was all but extinct. This inspiring documentary shows the dedicated efforts of biologist Dr. William Carpenter to revitalize the strain and how, with support from local Inuit societies, his breeding project has resulted in a growing and once again thriving Qimmiq population.
  • Tuktu and his Eskimo Dogs
    Tuktu and his Eskimo Dogs
    Laurence Hyde 1967 14 min
    This short docu-fiction film illustrates how traditionally dogs were used by the Netsilik Inuit, in winter and summer. We see puppies and sled dogs used as pack animals. Eskimo dogs were also used for hunting, being particularly skilful at sniffing out seal blowholes when deep snow covered the winter sea ice.