For the Inuit, the sled dog symbolized a way of life as well as a deep and abiding connection to the land. But from the 1950s to the 1970s, the Inuit's semi-nomadic way of life all but vanished. Families moved into settled communities. The sled dog population dropped from an estimated 20,000 to just a few hundred dogs. Many Inuit believe the dogs were killed by the RCMP as part of a government policy to force them off the land - and into 'civilization.' The RCMP argue that the influx of people into settled communities made the dogs redundant, and denies there was any conscious policy on their part, alleging these stories are either fabrications or the result of cultural misinterpretation.

Closed captioned for the hearing impaired. Originally produced in 2010.