Togo - The Most Heroic Animal in History
If you haven’t seen the Disney movie “Togo”, you should. The heroic story of Leonhard Seppala, his lead dog Togo and the Serum Run in 1925 is as incredible as it is inspirational.
Togo’s Rough Childhood
Togo on the shoulders of his musher, Norwegian Leonhard Seppala living in Alaska.
Togo had a challenging beginning to life. He was ill as a young puppy and required intensive nursing from Seppala's wife. He was very bold and rowdy, thus seen as "difficult and mischievous". He never seemed suited to be a sled dog, so Seppala gave him away to be a pet dog at 6 months of age. After only a few weeks as a house pet, Togo jumped through the glass of a closed window and ran several miles back to his original master's kennel. This devotion to the team impressed Seppala, so he did not try to give him away again. However, Togo continued to cause trouble by breaking out of the kennel when Seppala took the team out on runs.
“I had found a natural-born leader, something I had tried for years to breed.”
Proving Himself as Natural-Born Lead Dog
When Togo was 8 months old, he proved his worth as a sled dog. He had run after the team yet again and slept, unnoticed, near the cabin where Seppala was spending the night. The next day, Seppala spotted him far off in the distance, and understood why his dogs had been so keyed up. Togo continued to make Seppala's work difficult, trying to play with the work dogs and leading them in "charges against reindeer", pulling them off the trail. Seppala had no choice but to put him in a harness to control him, and was surprised that Togo instantly settled down.
“I never had a better dog than Togo. His stamina, loyalty and intelligence could not be improved upon. Togo was the best dog that ever traveled the Alaska trail.”
As the run wore on, Seppala kept moving Togo up the line until, at the end of the day, he was sharing the lead position with the lead dog Russky. Togo had logged 75 miles on his first day in harness, which was unheard of for an inexperienced young sled dog, especially a puppy. Seppala was amazed by Togo’s performance and called him an "infant prodigy".
Leonhard Seppala with his team of dogs, with Togo at the far left.
The Great Race of Mercy
In 1925, in response to an epidemic, the first batch of 300,240 units of diphtheria serum was delivered by train from Anchorage to Nenana, Alaska. Here, it was picked up by the first of twenty mushers and more than 100 dogs who relayed the serum a total of 674 miles (1,085 km) to Nome.
Togo and Seppala traveled 260 miles (420 km) from Nome in three days, and picked up the serum in Shaktoolik on January 31. The temperature was estimated at −30 °F (−34 °C), and the strong winds causing a wind chill of −85 °F (−65 °C).
Map over the Iditarod and Serum Run Trail in Alaska.
The return trip crossed the exposed open ice of the Norton Sound. The dark night and snowstorms damaged Seppala’s ability to see the trail, but Togo navigated the team safely to the roadhouse at Isaac's Point . After traveling 84 miles (134 km) in one day, the team slept for six hours before continuing at 2 AM.
Before the night the temperature dropped to −40 °F (−40 °C), and the wind increased to 65 mi/h (105 km/h). The team crossed across the ice, which was breaking up, while following the shoreline. They returned to shore to cross Little McKinley Mountain, climbing 5,000 feet (1,500 m). After descending to the next roadhouse in Golovin, Seppala passed the serum to Charlie Olsen, who in turn would pass it to Gunnar Kaasen and Balto.
Balto Stealing the Attention
Togo - The Untold True Story. A Disney Film released in 2019.
Even though Togo covered almost five times as much of the Serum Run in 1925 as Balto, it was the lead dog of final stretch musher Gunnar Kaasen, who got the fame. Balto received incredible attention from all over the world for his seemingly heroic efforts. A statue of Balto was erected in Central Park, New York in December 1925.
Through Disney’s film adaptation of the legendary Serum Run, Togo gets his well deserved credit for his achievements. Togo was also voted “The World’s Most Heroic Animal” by Time Magazine in 2011.
