History of Siberian Huskies (Excerpt)

The Siberian Husky was originally developed by the Chukchi people of northeastern Siberia as an endurance sled dog. They were also used to herd reindeer. In 1909, the first large numbers of these Chukchi dogs were brought to Alaska to compete in the long-distance All-Alaska Sweepstakes races, and the Alaskan dog drivers quickly recognized the ability of these small, compact dogs from Siberia.

In the winter of 1925, when a diphtheria epidemic broke out in the isolated town of Nome, Alaska, a relay of dog teams brought life-saving serum from distant Nenana. This heroic endeavor earned national prominence for the drivers and their dogs. One of these drivers, Leonhard Seppala, brought his team of Siberian Huskies, descendants of the original imports from Siberia, to the United States on a personal appearance tour. While in New England he competed in sled dog races and again proved the superiority of Siberian Huskies over the native dogs. The New England drivers and pioneer fanciers acquired foundation stock, earned AKC recognition for the breed in 1930, and founded the Siberian Husky Club of America in 1938.

Stephen R. Lee
OooWoo Racing Kennel
Los Alamos, New Mexico (USA)
srlee@pobox.com
www.racingsleddogs.com

Read the entire article at http://k9web.com/dog-faqs/breeds/huskies.html
Copyright 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 by Stephen Lee.

Reproduced with permission.