Togo (dog)

Togo

Leonhard Seppala with sled dogs from his kennel – Togo is at far left. Other dogs from left to right: Karinsky, Jafet, Pete, Zeus, Fritz
Species	Canis lupus familiaris
Breed	Seppala Siberian Sleddog
Sex	Male
Born	1913 (1913)
Died	December 5, 1929(1929-12-05) (aged 15–16) Poland Spring, Maine
Resting place	Stuffed and mounted body, displayed at the Iditarod Trail Headquarters Museum in Wasilla, Alaska. Togo's skeleton is mounted separately, and is in the possession of the Peabody Museum of Natural History.
Occupation	Sled dog
Known for	1925 serum run to Nome
Owner	Leonhard Seppala
Parent(s)	Suggen x Dolly (Import)
Offspring	Togo (II), Kingeak, Paddy, Bilka (and others).
Appearance	Dark grey, black and brown coat (Agouti) of medium length with light undersides and patches. Grew to ~48 lbs in adulthood. Large front paws, wide muzzle, and damaged right ear which can be used to identify him easily in many pictures. Brown eyes.
Named after	Tōgō Heihachirō
Awards	Most Traveled Dog In Alaska, Champion Trophy Winner In Nome, Record of Longest and Fastest run in Serum Drive, The Most Heroic Animal of all Time

Togo (1913 – December 5, 1929) was the lead sled dog of musher Leonhard Seppala and his dog sled team in the 1925 serum run to Nome across central and northern Alaska. Despite covering a far greater distance than any other lead dogs on the run, over some of the most dangerous parts of the trail, his role was left out of contemporary news of the event at the time, in favor of the lead dog for the last leg of the relay, Balto, whom Seppala also owned and had bred.

Deemed at first a mere troublemaker, before being identified as a natural leader and puppy prodigy by Seppala, Togo had already shown extreme feats of dedication and endurance as a puppy, and as an adult continued to show unusual feats of intelligence, saving the lives of his team and musher on more than one occasion. Sled dogs bred from his line have contributed to the 'Seppala Siberian' sleddog line, as well as the mainstream Siberian Husky gene pool.^[1]