The Evolution of Racing Sled Dogs
by Bryan Pearce
As the 21st century began, people involved in sled dog sports had participated in World Championships in both Europe and North America. The growth of dog powered sports had been phenomenal over the previous twenty years. An Arctic and North American transportation necessity had evolved into a sport practiced throughout the world in many fashions. This article reflects upon the evolution of Sled dog racing – and the dogs – during the 20th Century. It is a general overview, hopefully encouraging further reading in the many resources available.
Indigenous in Arctic and sub arctic climes, sled dogs had been integrated into the life styles of winter lives from Alaska through Canada and into the northern American states. As the 19th Century came to an end, gold was discovered in Alaska and the Yukon. The subsequent rush of people to these areas made a greater demand on transportation needs than could be met. Consequently, all dogs were tried in harness. Those who demonstrated a willingness to work in harness were kept. These dogs could be described as freighting dogs – large, strong and able to haul incredible loads. As the winter season began to wane, dog drivers would gather in “urban” centers and competitions would be held to test the mettle of these various dog teams – freight teams, trappers’ teams, and mail teams (The dog version of the Pony Express!) would race – long distances – to show who was best! It is important to remember that these were “working teams” – essential elements of the life in arctic territories.
The Nome Alaskan Sweepstakes, which began in 1908, is generally regarded as the beginning of organized racing. In 1915 and 1916 Leonhard Seppala was the winner. Seppala, who introduced huskies from Siberia, had a most significant effect on the evolution of sled dogs, throughout North America, into the middle of the century. During this time, it was the dogs that could – and were willing to – do the job that were kept. Some of the attached post cards will show the range of mixed breeds which were sled dogs.
Since the second half of the century (my own time of involvement), the evolution continued with the goal being competition, not working to survive. In the 1960’s, the race in Ste. Agathe, Quebec – a significant eastern race – led to the newspaper headline – “Doc Lombard Runs the Largest Team Ever at the Ste. Agathe Race – 9 dogs.” Since that time, we regularly see teams of 16 dogs or more in our world championships.
During the 60’s and the 70’s, times between teams were in the range of minutes. Now, it is not uncommon to find 8, 10 or 12 teams all in the range of one minute! The emphasis on competition has led to more knowledge, and application of this knowledge, in the areas of nutrition, training and, of course, the dogs themselves.
In the middle decades of the 20th century, the Nordic breeds began to be recognized by National Kennel Clubs. Consequently, the selection of these dogs on the basis of performance was further qualified by the requirement of pedigree.
In the 1980’s, in eastern North America, a race in Saranac Lake, New York, brought the best teams in Alaska into a new territory. Their capacity led to an evolution in which Alaskan Huskies – the product of decades of breeding for the purpose of racing – began to replace other local breeds (e.g. the well known Quebec Hound – a true “mixed” breed).
Today, through the exposure to the development of sled dog sports in other parts of the world – particularly Scandinavia – further adaptations have been introduced into North America. It is the rare competitive team which does not have at least one Pointer cross in its team.
As these racing dogs demonstrated their capability, the pure Nordic breeds began to disappear from the race scene – they simply weren’t competitive in this type of racing. However, a recent resurgence of interest in pure breeds and dog powered sports may lead to a new niche for these dogs in the total scheme of dog powered sports.
About the Author: Bryan Pearce is a well known musher in Quebec, Canada. Past champion of the Quebec Professional Open Class, his racing career took him from Quebec to Alaska. Bryan recently retired from racing after 33 years of competition but he continues to do some sled dog sports consulting.