AKA: Ilio, Poi Dog

Description: The Hawaiian Poi Dog is extinct. It had a short coat covering its low and barrel-shaped body. The head was flat due to lack of chewing, as it was on a vegetarian diet. The Hawaiian Poi Dog was raised basically to become a delicacy of a Polynesian tribe in Hawaii.

Dynamics: The Hawaiian Poi dog is described as clumsy, playful, and had a friendly temperament. It was fat and lazy, fattened up to be eaten. It was like a hog more than it was a dog. It was sluggish, and it was evidently not very smart.

Breed Group: Southern

Weight: The Hawaiian Poi Dog was overweight as they were fattened up.

Height: approximately 14 inches (36 cm)

Color: The Hawaiian Poi Dog came in various colors.

Country of Origin: The Hawaiian Poi Dog came to Hawaii with the Polynesians more than a thousand years ago. In the 19th century other breeds mixed with the Hawaiian Poi Dog until the breed was no longer pure. The Honolulu Zoo attempted to bring back the breed but failed. The Hawaiian Poi Dog is now indeed extinct.

Activities: The Hawaiian Poi Dog acted more like a hog than a dog. It was fat and lazy and slow.

Other Info: The Hawaiian Poi Dog’s life expectancy could not be determined because it was eaten before it would die of a natural death. It was fed with a vegetarian poi diet that made it inactive, slow, and obese. Due to the lack of chewing in the diet, the head of the Hawaiian Poi Dog became flat and enlarged.

The Hawaiian Poi dog was actually also used as guard dogs for the tribe’s children. It would even sleep with the children to protect them. A puppy would sometimes be given to a child at birth as a gift. If the child would die, the dog the was killed and buried alongside the child. If the dog died first, its teeth were pulled and made into a necklace to be worn by the child.