February 2nd is Sled Dog Day

Sled dogs have been a part of human society since the 10th century and share a noble part of history in North America and Europe. The Iditarod Sled Dog race, held annually in Alaska, covers 1161 miles from Willow, AK (outside of Anchorage) to Nome. Teams are typically comprised of 16 dogs who work in partnership with their musher. While the race has received criticism from those advocating animal welfare, the spirit of the human-canine partnership is an age-old tradition.

During a 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome, AK, Inuit children were particularly susceptible to the disease – but the antitoxin was hundreds of miles away. Sled dog Balto guided his Norwegian musher Gunnar Kaasen on the last leg of the “Great Race of Mercy,” a heroic mission to deliver the life-saving serum. With no available planes to make the journey from Seward to Nome, the serum was sent by train the first 298 miles. The last 674 miles of the journey were divided among dog sled teams who ran in relays, with Balto and Kaasen arriving in Nome on February 2nd at 5:30 a.m. While Balto and Kaasen ran the final leg of the relay, Leonhard Seppala and his lead dog, Togo, covered the longest and most perilous part of the terrain.

February 2nd is celebrated annually as Sled Dog Day, honoring sled dog heroes, both known and unsung. These sled dogs are typically Alaskan Malamutes, West Greenland Huskies, East Greenland Huskies, Mackenzie River Huskies, and Greenland Dogs, although a wide range of dogs have been used in sled races, from poodles to mixed breeds.