Last Updated on May 24, 2022 by Marco
Have you ever heard of the Togo Siberian Husky breed pup who helped save the lives of many Nome, AL inhabitants? This is a town that was rampaged by an epidemy of diphtheria in 1925 and that same Togo pup was able to deliver the medication to the people of Nome, completing the round trip in just 5 days! This healing serum was especially important to be administered to the children as they were the most vulnerable category since Nome’s quarantine.
There was no way the medication could be delivered by plane because of the poor weather conditions, so it had to be transported by specially trained canines. That’s where the aforementioned Togo, together with another very brave and clever pooch Balto, comes into the picture.
Togo’s owner Leonhard Seppala, a very experienced, smart musher, was participating in the run, accomplishing something the world will never forget (especially the people of Alaska). The kennel where Togo the pooch came from does still exist and has some direct Togo descendant pooches who live right there, never leaving the premises. There are currently no adoptions taking place and no re-breeding of Huskies. Now, let’s learn more about the Togo Siberian Husky breed to see what makes these dogs stand out.
Togo Siberian Husky Breed: Main Characteristics
-
Origin
Togo Siberian Husky breed pooch was born on October 17, 1913 (the exact place of birth is unknown), and was kept at a Norwegian breeder Leonhard Seppala’s kennel. He was named after a Japanese Admiral, who fought against the Russian army in the Russian-Japanese war of 1904. At first, Togo wasn’t going to stay with his master. The reason being that the future hero pooch has developed a very painful throat disease which made Seppala lose interest in this inquisitive pup as a potential working dog.
The latter tried to give Togo up for adoption to no avail: a witty mutt escaped his new home and returned to his original owner. That’s when Seppala thought of making him join the sled dogs’ pack and immediately the strong hound was showing great results.
-
Temperament
Togo was very unruly and anxious initially, just like any other Siberian Husky doggo before and after him. However, his master did the best thing possible: while trying to keep Togo calm, he decided to work him out really hard and made him join the harness dogs’ pack. This robust pal was running alongside the leader in no time, later becoming the lead sled pooch.
-
Appearance
Togo looked a lot like a wolf: thick, agouti-colored coat, slender body with lean long legs, big perky ears, sparkly fierce blue eyes, and an extremely fluffy tail. He might’ve looked intimidating, but appearance can be deceiving! This mutt was a very intelligent dog, even though he was mischievous and disobeyed a lot in his puppy stage. Hence, needed to be vigorously trained to follow the rules and become one of the working dogs’ teams. And eventually, Togo had successfully graduated!
Learn more about: Pure Black Husky With Blue Eyes: 5 Main Characteristics and Some Interesting Facts About The Husky Species
-
Trainability
At first Togo, the Siberian Husky was nothing else but a trouble-maker as well as an escape artist. Not only did he run away from his owner who adopted him from his original breeder Leonhard Seppala, but also he tried to escape his kennel a few times, always coming back though. After Togo’s first escape, his breeder decided not to give him up anymore but rather channel his over-the-top energy into something productive by working him out in a harness, running side-by-side with the other Husky hard workers. He did very well on his first run with the pack and was soon made the leader.
-
Health
When Togo was a puppy, he had a painful throat disease that made him unsuitable for the working dog category. He was adopted to be a regular house pet, but Togo didn’t see it as an ideal living scenario. Hence, he escaped one day by breaking through the window, shattering glass in its way. He ran many miles to reach his original home: a kennel that was run by his owner Leonhard Seppala. Other team members were astonished at how this clever pooch was able to find its way back and suggested he stay with them forever.
There was a point when Togo got severely injured from getting into dog fights with the other four-legged creatures. He had to recover for a few months and then eventually stopped being the instigator. Since he loved running next to the harnessed sled dogs as a pup, Leonhard decided to train him to become one of them.
Curl-Up
We have just discussed the main characteristics of the canine hero, the Togo Siberian Husky Breed dog who engraved his name into history forever by being the savior for the Alaskan epidemy-struck people. His funky spirit, intelligence, and smarts were chosen to be procreated, therefore he was bred about six times before he finally retired.
Humankind will never forget his bravery, determination, and diligence, as he was the one leading the whole team through the most dangerous areas of the entire trip. His furry descendants proudly carry on his genes and the Togo Siberian Husky breed doggos are still among the most popular species to be adopted by many pet parents worldwide.
FAQs
Does Togo’s bloodline still exist?
Yes, actually it does, believe it or not! Togo was one of the hero dogs who successfully delivered the much-needed healing serum to the population of Nome in 1925 when the diphtheria epidemic struck and practically wiped out the majority of the city’s population. The trained sled Husky dogs carried the essential medication through unbearable weather conditions (a very heavy snowstorm) to help stop the disease. By the time it was delivered, it got semi-frozen but was used almost immediately and the pandemic was stopped.
There are still a few descendants of the hero pup, including Winnie, the racing as well as a show dog. He is from the same kennel as his famous ancestor Togo: the Seppala kennel. Leonhard Seppala is a renowned trainer, breeder, and musher who was participating in the Nome serum run together with his beloved hero pup Togo. Another strong Siberian Husky pooch Balto was included in this important trip and ran alongside Togo for five long days to get the much-needed medication to the Nome people.
Did Siberian huskies come from Togo?
There’s a high probability of that, actually. The majority of the modern-day Siberian Huskies can trace their DNA all the way to their renowned canine relative Togo who was made a hero after the 1925 Nome serum run. The breed used to be called the Chukotka Sled Dog and now it is officially the Siberian Husky breed.
Are all Siberian huskies related to Togo?
Pretty much yes! The Siberian Husky Club of America states that most of the modern-day Siberian Huskies can, in fact, trace their DNA to the Seppala kennel dogs, particularly to its most famous member-the super doggy Togo.
Are Seppala Siberians still alive?
Yes, there are still some living Seppala Siberians living comfortably in the Seppala Kennel of Manitoba, Canada. Those pups are not being used for adoption/breeding and the kennel owners actually posted on their website that nobody should be contacting them about getting Husky mutts as pets. You can visit their website for more information: https://www.seppalakennels.com/#:~:text=At20seniors.
