It’s Doggityday!

Posted on March 9, 2022 by Stella

Balto. A hero of the very first Iditarod

Per Wikipedia:

Balto (1919 – March 14, 1933) was a Siberian Husky and sled dog belonging to musher and breeder Leonhard Seppala. He achieved fame when he reportedly led a team of sled dogs driven by Gunnar Kaasen on the final leg of the 1925 serum run to Nome, in which diphtheria antitoxin was transported from Anchorage, Alaska, to Nenana, Alaska, by train and then to Nome by dog sled to combat an outbreak of the disease.

Balto lived in ease at the Cleveland Zoo until his death on March 14, 1933, at the age of 14. Following his death, his body was mounted and displayed in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, where it remains today.

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12 Responses to It’s Doggityday!

  1. Pa Hermit says:
    March 9, 2022 at 6:44 am

    I’ve owned a few dogs in my life and a couple of them were very close. After reflecting on these memories the common denominator was that there were little quirks that seemed to indicate that we were together before. Something unique about that. My last dog would circle his food in one direction, take a bite and circle in the other direction. A previous dog I owned did that too. There are others too. The love is unconditional! Any wonder dog spelled backwards is God?

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  2. WeeWeed says:
    March 9, 2022 at 9:32 am

    And Togo, too!

    In 1925, diphtheria affected an isolated village in Alaska. Due to the severe cold, it was not possible to transport the medicines by plane and ship, so the transport of the medicines to the town of Noma was organized with the help of mushers (guides or drivers of a dog sled team).
    About 1200 miles had to be covered in five days. There were several teams and they took turns on different sections. The Norwegian Gunnar Kasen and his main dog Balto were the first to bring the serum to the village.
    It turned out that Kasen had not made a mistake in choosing the main dog, because when the team had an accident, Balto helped his musher, saving him from certain death.
    When the storm reached its peak and visibility became low they crossed 52 miles. Balto is considered a hero, and in 1925 a monument was erected to him in Central Park in New York.
    He was truly a hero, like all the other dogs during this mission. However, the dog that did the most difficult part of the work was Togo who crossed the longest distance (418 kilometers). He was part of Leonardo Seppala team of dogs. Togo is the husky, in the photo.
    Togo was already known for his incredible leadership qualities, which he demonstrated again in this race.
    The mission was successfully completed and these brave dogs saved numerous lives.

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  4. The Tundra PA says:
    March 10, 2022 at 12:32 am

    If I ever make it to New York City, I want to see that statue of Balto. I named one of my sled dogs Balto. He was a great wheel dog (the position right in front of the sled). It takes a strong dog to run in wheel position, because they get jerked by the sled more than any other position. I called Balto a logger because he chewed down any tree he could reach. When he ran out of trees he chewed on his house. Nearly ate one plywood dog house.

    Sorry I didn’t get an Iditarod update done today. The race is moving along! Leaders are at the halfway point. I’ll write about it tomorrow.

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