February 2 is a holiday dedicated to the animal, whose devotion and service to man continue to amaze the imagination today. This is Sled Dog Day.
For most people, sled dogs are uncontestedly associated with a breed such as the husky. Many will name Laika and Malamute. But in reality there are about 20 varieties of sled dog breeds. All of them continue to faithfully serve people in harsh natural climatic conditions, where modern special equipment sometimes turns out to be powerless.
Sled dogs – are a group of dog breeds bred as traction force to transport people and cargo on snow and ice. They are distinguished by incredible physical endurance, unpretentiousness, the ability to travel vast distances, and devotion. However, they also have other qualities and characteristics that dog handlers urge to remember.
Sled dogs are very active, require constant intense exercise, a lot of attention and patience, especially during training, they always need movement, are curious and do not tolerate loneliness well. All this must be taken into account by future owners, many of whom are very irresponsible about the issue of establishing a dog (husky, for example), not understanding that they doom their future pet, and sometimes themselves, to suffering.
Sled dogs began serving humans millennia ago, which is confirmed by the results of archaeological finds on the New Siberian Islands, where dog bones, remains of sleds and dog sleds were discovered.
It is also worth mentioning that the conquest of both poles of the Earth was carried out on dog sleds: in 1909, Robert Peary reached the North Pole, and in 1911 – by Roald Amundsen – South Pole.
These dogs continue to faithfully serve humans in harsh natural climatic conditions, where modern special equipment sometimes turns out to be powerless (Photo: Avatar_023, licensed from Shutterstock.com)
But in 1925, an event occurred that made sled dogs heroes. It also served as the starting point for choosing the date of the holiday. From January 27 to February 2, 1925, dog sleds were delivered to the diphtheria epidemic-ridden Alaskan city of Nome Medicine. This run, which went down in history under the name «Great Race of Mercy», took place in harsh climatic conditions, when the air temperature sometimes dropped to minus 50 degrees. At that time, no equipment was capable of delivering medicines to that region.
City residents were rescued by dogs and their mushers. They covered a distance of almost 1,100 kilometers in 6 days in relay mode. The nicknames of the two huskies who led the teams on two sections of the route became known all over the world: Togo and Balto. The cargo was delivered on February 2, and this day was taken as the date for celebrating Sled Dog Day.
The longest transition on sled dogs was the expedition from Whalen to Murmansk, which took place in 1982-1983. The dog teams then covered about 10 thousand kilometers.
Currently, there is even a – sled dog racing sport. True, a number of organizations advocating for animals call these races fierce competitions, since they unnecessarily undermine the strength of dogs that work « to wear and tear» not for the sake of benefit, but for the sake of fame, which is needed, first of all, by people.
One way or another, Sled Dog Day is a – holiday that is designed to remind people how loyal and reliable friends animals can be. The best way to celebrate this date will be to tell children about the exploits of four-legged friends, watch a film about sled dogs together, visit a shelter for homeless animals, and help him.
Well, if you are the responsible owner of a sled dog –, pay more attention to it that day than usual and make it happier.