Capsule History of Togo

Thought I'd give you a little introduction to ANOTHER great canine hero of the 1925 Nome Serum Run!






Named after Heihachiro Togo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togo_Heihachiro), a Japanese Admiral who fought in the war between Russia and Japan (1904-5) as well as other conflicts.

Born: 1913 (exact date not yet uncovered by my research, but probably better-documented than Balto's)

Died: December 5th, 1929

Owner: Norwegian Leonhard Seppala (pronounced LEH-nerd SEP-luh), a breeder and racer of Siberian dogs from the Chukchi Inuit stock of Siberia. He also trained dogs and mushers. Was employed by Norwegian Jafet Lindeberg’s (pronounced "YAH-feht LIN-deh-berg") Pioneer Gold Mining Company (Jafet Lindeberg was one of the “Three Lucky Swedes” who discovered gold at Anvil Creek in 1898, near where Nome sits).

Sire (father): Suggen (a half Siberian husky, half Alaskan Malamute, and one of Leonhard Seppala's other great lead dogs before the days of the serum run)

Dam (mother): Dolly (a Siberian husky imported to Alaska, from Siberia, to Leonhard Seppala's kennels)

Offspring: Kingeak (most likely named after young Eskimo Theodore Kingeak, who assisted Seppala in 1926/7, when he visited the U.S. on tour with 44 of his dogs, including his serum run team, as a dog and equipment handler), Paddy, Bilka (and others)

Breed: Dark brown (w/cream, black and gray markings) Siberian husky (of the Chukchi Inuit Siberian tribe’s stock). Eyes were ice blue. He was small for his breed, only topping out at about fourty-eight pounds (Seppala liked to referred to Togo, in his racing days, as "fifty pounds of muscle and fighting heart").

Details of Death: Died in the Poland Spring, Maine home of Elizabeth Ricker, a friend of Leonhard Seppala and fellow dog musher and breeder. Seppala left Togo, with great sadness, with Ricker to retire in comfort in 1927 (Seppala remembered it as one of the saddest moments in his life. He was quoted as saying "It was sad parting on a cold gray March morning when Togo raised a small paw to my knee as if questioning why he was not going along with me.") In 1960, in his old age, Seppala recalled "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."). Togo sired some offspring during that time, and then died of old age in 1929 (Seppala had him "put to sleep" to ease his passing).

Notes:
- Togo was 12 years old in 1925...that's pretty advanced in age for a sled dog, let alone a lead dog (most of them are retired by that age)! However, it also demonstrates just how much Seppala trusted Togo, and speaks volumes about the amount of experience the dog had.

- As far as coloration, it is known that Togo's coat was what is known as "agouti" (http://www.huskycolors.com/agouti.html and http://www.huskycolors.com/willie.html). His colors were mostly gray, brown, black and creamy white.

- One CLEAR way of identifying Togo out of a line-up of other Siberians (with the same coat pattern) in a photograph (or even assuring that a photo of a dog is or ISN'T Togo) is to look for Togo's damaged right ear. There is no mention in the historical record of how this happened. It could have been a birth defect, or it's just as likely (and probably moreso) that it is the result of damage from an argument or fight with another dog. Sometimes ear damage just doesn't heal right. Of course, there is a mention in his history that, while still a puppy, he ventured too close to a trail-hardened team of Alaskan Malamutes, and must have upset one of the dogs, which mauled him. Togo was saved and attended to medically, of course, but that too could have been the cause of this injury.

- Togo's father was a dog named "Suggen", a half-Siberian husky/half Alaskan Malamute, whom Seppala had also used as a lead dog (and in whom Seppala had a great deal of faith and trust)...especially during his racing days prior to World War I. Both Suggen and Togo worked on Seppala's racing teams, and did much to earn him the many trophies in his personal collection.

- Togo, as a puppy, had developed a painful throat disorder which at first caused Seppala to lose interest in him, and even give him up for adoption. But Togo was a persistent puppy, and wouldn't be parted from Seppala and his teams. After a few short weeks, he escaped from the adoptee's home by jumping through a window, and meticulously working his way back to Seppala's home (a good distance away from where he was living at the time). In some pictures, you can see the effects of this if you look at Togo's neck. The disorder was treated of course, and Togo turned into a remarkable sled dog in spite of it.

- Unlike Balto, whom Seppala had neutered at six months of age, Togo sired many litters of puppies for Sepp's breeding program, and today is widely considered one of the fathers of the modern Siberian Husky breed (as well as a strong contributor to the much older "Seppala Siberian Sled Dog" breed...the genetic forerunner of the modern Siberian Husky, and the breed which was once called "Siberian husky").

- Togo also worked for a living, helping Seppala's freighting teams in his employ with the Pioneer Gold Mining Company.

- Togo and his team ran nearly five times as far, during the Serum Run, as any of the other nineteen teams which participated (a grand total of 261 miles/420 kilometers). Due to changes made after Seppala left Nome with his team, and the inability to get word to him on the trail, Seppala ran the team much farther than was actually necessary.

- After Seppala arrived at the roadhouse at Golovin, thus completing his leg of the serum run, he rested and then started out for a leisurely return home to Nome. On the return, the team picked up the scent of a reindeer on the trail, and both Togo and another dog broke free of their leads, and went running off after the deer. Seppala had to remain to restrain the rest of the team, and in doing so lost sight of Togo and the other dog. He continued on into Nome without them, worried that Togo, especially (whom he had a great fondness for, and a strong bond with), would be mistaken for a wolf and shot by a hunter or other local citizen, or that one or both of the dogs might get their feet caught in a fox trap, which apparently was a fairly common occurrence for sled dogs at the time. Some days later, however, the two dogs wandered back to Seppala's kennels, and were happily reunited with their worried owner.