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D is For Dog Tale of Heroism

4/3/2015

17 Comments

 
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"Every Hero Has A Story." My Blogging From A to Z theme bridges the summer library reading programs throughout the U.S. with storytelling opportunities, ideas, and activities.
Every dog must have his day.
-- Jonathan Swift

PictureJack
Wag those tails and tell those stories of courage under fire - Dogs are heroes every day. I know mine is. Jack, my 8 month old chocolate lab, wakes us up every morning, wagging his entire back end with a toy in his month and head on the bed, as close to mine as possible. We have no choice but to wake up laughing, kissing, and speaking dog talk! Dogs tell their stories through their actions of love, kindness, instinct, bravery and courage. Kids are drawn to dog tales, true and fictional - that's why there's usually a waiting list to check out those books from the library. As a storyteller, I have a favorite true story of Balto.  

Balto- Lead Sled dog  saves the lives of over a Thousand People

January 20, 1925 a call  went out  via radio signal from Nome, Alaska: Nome calling…Nome calling…We have an outbreak of diphtheria…No Serum…Urgently need help…Nome calling…Nome calling...
A race for life began to try and save the Inuit children who were so vulnerable. An anti-diphtheria serum was desperately needed to stop this raging disease. Anchorage, Alaska was able to send via train a twenty pound bag of the serum to Nenana, Alaska but there was nowhere to go from there - ships couldn't move because of packed ice, and no flights out because of blizzard conditions. The only solution found to travel the remaining 674 miles between Nenana and Nome would be a relay of dog sled teams. The planners estimated it would take as much as two weeks to complete.
PictureNorwegian Gunnar Kaasen and Balto soon after the Nome sled run.
Balto was the lead Siberian husky of Gunnar Kaasen's dog team and led the last relay dog sled team beginning on February 1, 1925  with the anti-toxin through -50 degrees Fahrenheit with biting winds that sometimes knocked over sled and dogs. Kassen would have quit through this blinding blizzard if it wasn't for Balto's instinctive push to move forward. Fifty-three miles of navigating through blinding whiteness and twenty hours later, Balto and his team reached Nome and the serum was delivered - 7 days total travel from Nenana to Nome - amazing! Although all of these huskies are heroes, it was Balto everyone will remember for his endurance, fidelity, and intelligence. 

Balto Links and Other Dog Hero Lore

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The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto by Natalie Standiford
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Balto: The Dog Who Saved Nome by Margaret Davidson
The Legend of Brave Gelert

Togo by Robert Blake

Akiak: A Tale From the Iditarod 

Top Dog: The Story of Marine Hero Lucca by Maria Goodavage

Pinterest Activities regarding Balto and Togo
17 Comments
Alice Gerard link
4/3/2015 01:43:23 pm

Sue, I am a storyteller wanna-be, and I thoroughly enjoyed the tale of the heroic Siberian husky, prevailing against tremendous odds. Lives were at stake and the weather conditions couldn't be worse. This beautifully written tale of never giving up really inspired me. Thank you so much for the story. I really appreciated it. --alice

Reply
Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 04:09:10 am

You are so welcome Alice! There are so many dog tales out there but so little room and time on a blog post. See you with "E"

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Alice Gerard link
4/4/2015 10:16:35 am

Happy Easter, Sue!

Carrie Ann Tripp link
4/4/2015 12:00:29 am

Minion Carrie dropping by to cheer you on! Keep up the excellent work! :D Enjoy your day off tomorrow and have a blessed Easter!

Reply
Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 03:56:57 am

Thank you Carrie for stopping by and for your encouragement - Love the A-Z Challenge.

Reply
Tarkabarka
4/4/2015 01:26:22 am

I'm such a dog person. The amount of love and endorphin you get from them is healing in itself. And what a great heroic story!

@TarkabarkaHolgy from
<a href="http://multicoloreddiary.blogspot.com">Multicolored Diary</a> - Epics from A to Z
<a href="http://hungarykum.blogspot.com">MopDog</a> - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary

Reply
Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 09:19:56 am

Csenge , there was a bit of jealousy among the mushers about who should receive the credit - Togo was brought up a lot. It seems to me that all of those teams and 20 mushers total, pulled off an almost impossible feat - dogs are amazing! Thank you for visiting and Happy Easter!

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Stephanie Finnell link
4/4/2015 03:42:18 am

on a historical note, my dog Fluff saved me from being ran over when I was barely 2. Mother said she neglected to keep a better eye on me and he dragged me out of the street when a car approached. Dogs are truly loyal and courageous!

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Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 04:06:56 am

Fluff IS a hero! Love our dogs! Thanks Stephanie for visiting!

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Liz Brownlee link
4/4/2015 04:41:28 am

What a fabulous story! I, too, have a dog hero... my dog, Lola is a mini Australian labradoodle, and she has been trained as an assistance dog to alert me to low blood sugar. I have no warning symptoms and my sugar level drops incredibly quickly leaving me at risk of falling unconscious, especially at night. She has saved my life many times at night, and during the day she is always there telling me if things aren't right. She has learned all by herself different ways of telling me if I'm not paying attention, or perhaps my blood sugar is too low to take notice, she escalates her alerts, from nudging, pawing, little 'talk growls' to doing a dance on her back legs, and in an emergency, dashing off to tell someone else. She is gorgeous and i love her to bits! I'm glad I found your blog, thanks for dropping by! Liz, http://www.lizbrownleepoet.com PS on my blog there are stories about Lola at the top.

Reply
Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 09:33:03 am

Liz - Lola is remarkable! I've heard that dogs are trained to save the lives of folks who are epileptic and have various serious illnesses - I am amazed but never doubted the talents and instincts of dogs Thank you for sharing your hero - she truly is!

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Veronica Gard
4/4/2015 06:30:59 am

I've visited Alaska when it was minus 35 and that was enough! I love this story - do we know if the second to last musher's daughter survived?

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Sue Kuentz link
4/4/2015 09:22:04 am

Veronica, I truthfully don't have much knowledge of the 20 mushers of this almost impossible feat or the last musher's daughter - sounds like there's a story there!

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Chuck Allen link
4/4/2015 07:51:57 am

Dogs can be heroic, can't they? It's amazing the drive and instincts they display at times. Great story!

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Pam Faro link
4/4/2015 12:46:16 pm

Great post! Aw, I love dogs - thanks for making your D post about dog heroes. :-)

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Sonia Lal link
4/4/2015 02:40:19 pm

Brave dog! And such great photos!

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Kari link
4/5/2015 03:10:04 pm

Dogs are my heroes!

Reply



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Photos used under Creative Commons from h.koppdelaney, ken ratcliff, pellaea, a.dombrowski, steveczajka, Mellicious, Dougtone, Peter G Trimming, CraigMoulding