Famous Huskies

Siberian huskies are medium-size dogs who are resilient, active and high-energy, making them great working dogs. They were originally imported into Alaska as sled dogs during the Nome Gold Rush, but quickly moved into Canada and the United States as working dogs, show dogs and family pets. The breed has become quite popular since the first dogs were exported from Siberia.

  1. Balto

    • Balto is probably one of the more famous huskies, but he was actually considered a slow dog and had never been the lead on a sled team until the last leg of the trip to Nome. Gunner Kaassen, Balto and the rest of the sled team was the last leg to deliver serum to Nome, Alaska, during the Diphtheria breakout in 1925. Balto's team only ran the last 53 miles of the trip, but he has become one of the most popular huskies in history. Balto's portion of the trip has inspired the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog race, which is run from Anchorage to Nome every year since 1973.

    Togo and Fritz

    • Togo was the lead dog on Leonhard Seppala's team, which was the first leg of the trip that delivered the serum to Nome, Alaska. Togo was 12 years old, and Fritz, the co-lead, was 10. They traveled with the serum over some of the most treacherous terrain of Alaska. Togo, Fritz and Seppala traveled the first 262 miles to get to the town, traveling over the most difficult stretch known as the ice of Norton Sound.

    "White Fang"

    • It doesn't take a real dog to be able to become a famous aspect for a breed. Jack London's "White Fang" definitely helped shape the popularity of the breed. Even though he was only one-quarter husky and three-quarter wolf, the fictional character proved to be a great example of the breed's finer characteristics. In "The Call of the Wild," London describes a dog who is independent, hardy and capable of deductive reasoning, which are key temperament traits of huskies.

    Husky Mascots

    • A few universities, such as the Houston Baptist University, the University of Connecticut and the University of Washington, that have a husky as their school mascot. Jonathon is the mascot for UCONN, but HBU and UW do not typically keep the same name every time they get a new live dog mascot. Each university has its own reasons for picking the husky to be its mascot, but HBU finds that the breed is a perfect mascot because endurance, fidelity and intelligence are three words that describe both the dog and the school.