In this series, we will get to know famous dog personalities. Dogs play an important role in our life, so let’s take a look what they have already achieved during the time of our lives together. With his determination, Balto saved lives of many people from Alaska. Do you know his story?
Balto, a black and white Siberian Husky was born in 1919 and lived up to the nice 13 years. He was a sled dog, named after the Sami Polar explorer Samuel Balto.
In January of 1925, a doctor in Nome announced, that among the Eskimo inhabitants of the town, diphtheria had appeared and therefore, the delivery of a vaccine was necessary. Since transportation by plane or ship was not possible to Nome in winter, a 9 kg box with the vaccine was transported only to the town of Nenana 1085 km far away in the inland of Alaska.
Authorities contacted the mushers between the both towns and set up a relay team from twenty dog sleighs, owing to which, the medicine could get all the way to the ill. On the way, the teams had to manage even fifty-degree frost, Arctic snowstorms, bad visibility and discernibility of the terrain. The news services from the whole world followed the course of this journey.
The penultimate section of the journey was completed by the musher Kaasen, to whom Balto had been borrowed for this purpose by his owner Seppalo as the leading dog. It is possible, that only thanks to him, the whole expedition ended well, since Balto managed to avoid an unfrozen section of the river at the last moment. Besides, he was even capable of leading the team at a very bad visibility and blending of the terrain. Kaasen stated, that he almost couldn’t see his hand in front of his face. What is more, Balto led its team for almost the whole leg in almost complete darkness. When they reached the last station, both the dogs and their musher were asleep. Therefore, Kaasen decided to finish the journey on his own and the vaccine arrived on time. Thanks to this, the doctor managed to stop the spreading of the disease in time.
This successful mission provoked great attention of the media and Balto became an American national hero. Still in that year, his bronze statue was uncovered in New York’s Central Park. One should, however, not forget even Balto’s owner, who with his team and the leading dog Toggo finished the longest and the most dangerous leg of the journey with the vaccine. This pair received an award during a celebratory ceremonial in New York from the explorer Roald Amundsen.
However, afterwards, Balto became an attraction of a mobile animal show along with other dogs, where they were not treated well. After two years, however, thanks to the kids who started a fund-raising campaign and also a Cleveland entrepreneur, who made a generous donation, the dogs were successfully bought out and put into the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, where they were welcomed with great ovations.
Balto’s health condition started to deteriorate very much when he was 13 years old, he moved with difficulties and lost his sight and hearing. That’s the reason why, in 1933 the veterinarian decided to put him down using an injection. Balto’s body was stuffed and exhibited in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. In 1988, a request was made, for Balto to be permanently returned to Alaska, which was, however, not complied with by the Cleveland authorities. In honour of the journey to Nome, a race of dog sleighs Iditarod is held in Alaska and Balto’s life story became the original draft for an animated film and it was also the story of the comic super-dog Bark.
Sometimes, one dog is not enough and it is better to have a whole pack. Especially if you breed drafting (or also pulling) dogs. Of course, the more dogs you have, the more care and issues it means, but it also means there’s much more joy for the...
The modern world is not only rich in material things but also in the number of dog breeds. There are quite a lot of them, Fédération Cynologique Internationale (FCI) recognizes 360 different breeds. And they are not only different from each other when...
There are many ways to learn a new thing. One of the most pleasant ones for both the dog and its owner is positive motivation. Thanks to it, a dog learns new tricks in a simple and pleasing way and it also helps to develop a mutual social relationship...
Pregnancy is a difficult time for a bitch in all aspects. The body nourishes more organisms and it needs to be reflected in her energy and nutrient intake. A breeder, racer and sport cynology contestant, Jitka Duffková, gives advice on how to make...
You might be interested in this dog sport but you have many questions before you can decide to start with it. Will my buddy enjoy it? Do I have sufficient physical abilities? When should we start, isn’t it too soon or too late? This article and advice...
A healthy mouth is a very important part of the complex vitality of a cat and we shouldn’t neglect taking care of it. There are many oral diseases our furry friends can suffer from. What can you do to keep your cat’s teeth clean?
Korat is a very rare breed that isn’t very common even in Thailand – the country of its origin. Thanks to its beautiful, soft, silver-tipped hair as well as its special nature, it’s unmistakable. This breed definitely deserves some attention.
Have you ever thought about how the composition of the gut microbiota of your dog companion influences its mood, metabolism or immune system in addition to its digestion? Do you know how bacteria work in guts and how to keep the good ones inside?
Letting furious dogs with only one task – to detain and put you down – bite you is definitely not for everyone. But is it really as horrifying as it may look from the outsider’s point of view? Jan Böhm answers our questions about what it takes to be...
Snakes and scorpions are said to get out on Saint George’s Day. It has been a while since then, so it’s no surprise that we can see a lizard or a snake when on a walk somewhere or in our gardens. They already left their underground shelters designed...
The German Boxer can truly be called a versatile dog. With no doubts, it can be a family dog, a watchdog or a rescuer. It is also good at sports. A long-term boxer breeder, Ing. Michaela Martinů, can confirm that.
Bikejöring doesn’t mean that a dog simply runs next to a bike. The dog pulls the bike when doing this sport, it is similar to dog sledding. A famous Slovak musher, Marcel Dučák, will tell us what equipment you need for it, what dogs it is good for,...