Canadian Eskimo dogs originated with the Inuit people of the Canadian Arctic, most often working as sled dogs. They are particularly well suited to the extreme cold of the Arctic and have a thick coat capable of withstanding punishing weather conditions. They nearly went extinct in the 1950s and 1960s because of the increased use of snowmobiles by Inuit people and an alleged operation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to systematically slaughter the dogs in a bid to make life harder for the Arctic natives. The dogs were saved by an organization called the Eskimo Dog Research Foundation, which in the early 1970s bought and bred the last remaining dogs. At the low point, these dogs numbered in the hundreds. Today their numbers aren't that much better — there are fewer than 300 dogs registered with the Canadian Kennel Club, and a puppy can cost thousands of dollars.