The Working Siberian Husky

The heritage of the sled dog is a long and proud one, stretching back thousands of years. The people of the North depended on these animals for protection, companionship, hunting, trapping, and, most of all, transportation. The Siberian Husky was used by the Chukchi people of Siberia for transportation during their hunting expeditions. These dogs could travel long distances and survive on little food. They were also integral parts of the family. Samoyeds, Alaskan Malamutes, and Greenland Huskies have very similar histories. These dogs are bigger, though, and were used for carrying heavier loads. Sled dogs enabled explorers such as Byrd, Peary, and Amundsen to explore the North and South Poles. As early as 1873, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were bringing government to northern frontiers with dog-team patrols. Throughout Alaska and Canada, mail teams delivered the news to outlying settlements.

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Sled dog activities, as recreation and friendly competition, may have existed for almost as long as the relationship between dogs and humans in regions where snow was a seasonal probability. The first written account of a race was an informal challenge between travelers on the route from Winnipeg to St. Paul in the 1850s. In 1886, the first Saint Paul Winter Carnival featured sled dog races and ski competitions to glorify the attractions of winter in Minnesota. Sled dog races have been part of the Winter Carnival to the present day. The most memorable event was the 1917 race from Winnipeg to Saint Paul, on which a recent Walt Disney movie (Iron Will) was loosely based. In reality, the race that year was won by Albert Campbell, a Metis from The Pas, Manitoba, followed by his brother in second place. Spectators attending their first sled dog race are often astonished by the variety of dogs used in racing teams.

Most newcomers expect to see only Arctic breeds (Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, and Samoyeds) pulling sleds. In reality, many types of dogs can be sled dogs, including German Short-Haired Pointers, Greyhounds, German Shepherds, and Golden Retreivers. Any dog that has the desire and willingness to pull can be a sled dog. The most popular and fastest dog in the sport today is the Alaskan Husky, essentially a mixture of Arctic dogs with some hound cross-breeding. The Alaskan Husky is not an AKC breed. This animal was originally bred in the remote villages of Alaska for speed and stamina—two important attributes of a sled dog. Races are held all over the world—in North America, almost all European countries, Asia (including Russia and Japan), and the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, and South Africa.

Short distance speed races are 3 to 25 miles per day, depending on the maximum number of dogs allowed. Junior racers only go from 1 to 7 miles. Speed race teams have averaged just over 20 miles per hour on hard, flat, fast trails. Speed races are generally held on weekends and consist of 2 to 3 heats over the same course. Mid-distance races usually range from 100 to 300 miles over a continuous trail. Long-distance races range from 300 to 1,000+ miles. Distance sleds have to carry overnight camping gear and dog food. These sleds commonly weigh 50 to 100 pounds, and when fully loaded can weigh up to 300+ pounds. Speeds are, of course, much slower for distance racing teams, usually about 6 to 10 miles per hour. Many sled dog races are held without sleds. These are races where the musher, or person with the team, rides on skis instead of on a sled. Usually, only 1 to 3 dogs are allowed. During skijoring races, the musher is hooked directly to the dog or dogs. In ski-pulka races, the musher and the dog or dogs are hooked to a pulka (a small toboggan used to carry weights) which is in between them. The amount of weight on a pulka is determined by the number of dogs.

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In the 1950s and 60s the use of working dogs gradually disappeared throughout North America. Airplanes and snowmobiles eliminated the need for sled dogs as transportation. Joe Redington, Sr. conceived the idea of a long-distance sled dog race from Anchorage to Nome. The Iditarod, more than any other factor, is responsible for preserving mushing and continuing its traditions. The Iditarod a 1000+ mile race, is today the most reported and recognized sled dog race in the world. The course roughly follows an old mail route, the Iditarod Trail. About 60 teams enter the Iditarod each year. It takes the winner about 10 days to reach Nome.

One of the most famous Iditarod mushers is four-time winner Susan Butcher. Libby Riddles was the first woman to win the Iditarod in 1985. Look for another woman, Aily Zirkle, to be competitive this year. Aily won the other 1000-mile sled dog race, the Yukon Quest, in 2000. The teams consist of a maximum of 16 dogs. Dogs that are injured or tired can be dropped off with race veterinarians at checkpoints that are between 20-50 miles apart. The dropped dogs are well taken care of and flown back to Anchorage in small planes. They are cared for by volunteers in Anchorage until they are picked up by the musher's family. The dogs that run the Iditarod start training in the summer and may log over 3000 miles in training runs before they start the race. They are cared for like Olympic athletes, with special diets and training regimens.

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A demonstration race was held during the 3rd Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid, New York in 1932. In 1952, sled dogs raced at the Oslo, Norway, Winter Games. Just prior to the 1988 and the 1992 Winter Games, regular sled dog races were held in the Games area, but immediately prior to the start of the Games. In 1994, sled dog racing and sled dog transportation were shown off during the Lillehammer, Norway, Olympics as an official part of the Lillehammer Olympic Organizing Committee's Cultural Program.

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An outbreak of diphtheria was diagnosed by Dr. Curtis Welch on January 21, 1925, in Nome, Alaska. Nome is a remote village on Alaska's northwestern coast. No roads connect Nome to the major cities of Alaska. The only way to get to Nome is by plane, boat, or dog team. Dr. Welch immediately sent telegraph messages to Fairbanks, Anchorage, Seward and Juneau, asking for help. The only serum in Alaska was found in Anchorage at the Alaska Railroad Hospital, where they had 300,000 units. The problem was to get it to Nome in the shortest time possible. The only two planes available were in Fairbanks and had been dismantled and stored for the winter. A pair of pilots offered to attempt the flight if the planes could be made ready, but it was left to Alaska's governor to decide. Many thought dog teams were the only reliable answer. In Juneau, Governor Scott C. Bone decided on dog teams. He ordered an additional supply of antitoxin from Seattle. Then he called on the Northern Commercial Company to arrange for relay teams. Mail, people and cargo were transported by dog teams in Alaska in those days. There were no roads, and dog teams were the best mode of transportation. (They still are today, in many parts of rural Alaska.) The Army Signal Corps, at their scattered telegraph stations, also assisted. It was decided to send the serum to Nenana by railroad and then relay the serum to Nome using local mail carrier dog teams. At Anchorage, Dr. Beeson packed the serum in a cylinder, which he wrapped in an insulating quilt. The whole parcel was then tied up in canvas for further protection. The parcel left Anchorage by train on Monday, January 26, in charge of conductor Frank Knight of the Alaska Railroad. It was at 11 p.m. on Tuesday that the train reached Nenana and Knight turned over the parcel to the first driver, William "Wild Bill" Shannon. Shannon carried the serum 52 miles to Tolovana, where he handed it over to Dave Green. Green carried it 31 miles to Manley and handed it over to Johnny Folger. Folger went the 28 miles to Fish Lake. Sam Joseph picked it up there and carried it 67 miles to Tanana. Titus Nickoli carried it 34 miles to Kallands and Dave Corning carried it 24 miles to Nine Mile. Edgar Kalland picked it up at Nine Mile and went 30 miles to Kokrines and Harry Pitka carried it another 30 miles to Ruby. Billy McCarty carried it 28 miles to Whiskey Creek and turned it over to Edgar Nollner, who carried it to Galena. George Nollner carried it from Galena to Bishop Mountain, 18 miles. Charlie Evans went the 30 miles to Nulato and Tommy Patsy went the next 36 miles to Kaltag. At Kaltag, Tommy Patsy picked it up and took it 40 miles to Old Woman. Jack Screw carried it 34 miles to Unalakleet and Myles Gonangnan carried it 40 miles to Shaktoolik. Leonhard Seppala left Nome intending to rest at Nulato and return with the serum. But Seppala met Gonangnan at Shaktoolik where he took the serum and turned around, heading back for Nome. He carried the serum back over Norton Sound with the thermometer 30 degrees below zero. Seppala had to face into a merciless gale and in the darkness retraced his route across the uncertain ice. When Seppala turned the serum over to Charlie Olson in Golovin, after carrying it 91 miles, he had traveled a total of 260 miles. Olson turned the serum over to Gunnar Kaasen, who took it the remaining 53 miles to Nome. The serum arrived in Nome just one week after leaving Anchorage and 127 1/2 hours from Nenana. It arrived in time to prevent a large outbreak of diptheria. Balto, Kaasen's lead dog, owned by Seppala, was memorialized with a statue in Central Park in New York City. The inscription reads: Dedicated to the indomitable Spirit of the sled dogs that relayed the antitoxin 600 miles over rough ice, treacherous waters; through Arctic blizzards from Nenana to the relief of stricken Nome in the winter of 1925. Endurance. Fidelity. Intelligence.

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Teams can be as small as 1-dog or as large as 20-dogs. When there is no snow, dog teams can either pull a wheeled cart (looks like a horse-racing chariot) or a 4-wheeled ATV. But there are many types of contraptions used for sled dog sports. Some people have 1-2 dogs pull them on a mountain bike or a scooter. Mushers in Scotland and England use a 3-wheeled gig that looks like a large tricycle. Mushers are very inventive and use whatever works! Within the team, there are many roles. The musher acts as the coach and decision-maker. The lead dog listens to the musher's voice commands and will lead the team in the right direction. The dogs right in front of the sled are called wheel dogs. They help to move the sled smoothly around corners. The dogs in between the leaders and wheel dogs are called team dogs.

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	Skijoring	Driver skis on cross-country skis with dogs attached to him/her by a belt. Usually 3 dogs maximum.
	Hike! Let’s Go! All Right!	Commands to move forward.
	Whoa!	The command to stop.
	Gee	The command to turn right.
	Haw	The command to turn left.
	Straight Ahead	Command used when there are alternative trail crossings and the driver wants to go straight.
	Leaders	The dog or dogs at the front of the team who are trained to respond to the driver’s commands. When two dogs are used, it is called “double lead.”
	Wheel Dogs	The dogs directly in front of the sled who help the driver to pivot it around corners.
	Point Dogs	The pair of dogs directly behind the lead dog(s) who support the leaders in taking commands.
	Swing Dogs / Team Dogs	All dogs in between the leaders and wheel dogs.

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This information comes from a combination of personal knowledge from a TOTTSHR volunteer and articles on the following web sites: The International Sled Dog Racing Association, The International Federation of Sleddog Sports, The Iditarod Trail Committee