Sled dogs or sledge dogs are a distinct breed of dogs, known for their superb running speed. These dogs have been used for sledge racing at popular North American and European sports festivals where teams compete to see which team of dogs is the fastest. The practice of using packs of dogs for traveling and hunting can be traced and recorded far back to the 10th century, and may be even before. The oldest and the rarest breed of sled dog is the Canadian Eskimo breed, which is a pure breed found mainly in North America. This dog has a typical wolf-like appearance and has a very muscular built.


Dogs accompanied humans when they migrated into North America almost 15,000 years ago. Dogs were an essential part of the Native American culture and were kept as pets, and used for help in traveling, protection, and hunting purposes. Later on when the Europeans encroached into the Native lands, this practice was adopted by the newcomers as well. When the Gold Rush began in 1896, the number of gold aspirants increased in large numbers. The terrains were highly inaccessible during winters, making it extremely difficult for humans to travel on foot. This is where the sled dogs came to the travelers rescue. These teams of dogs helped transport people, supplies, the injured and the ill, and even helped carry mail.

However, with the advent of technology and modernization, the sled dogs were no longer required for such purposes and instead were increasingly used for recreational sledge racing. This is how the sled dog era actually took off in a big way. In 1925, an Alaskan town called Nome, had an outbreak of diphtheria. The town did not have the medicine needed to cure this deadly disease, and the only place the medication was available was a thousand miles away in the town Anchorage. A team of twenty sled dogs and mushers were dispatched to collect the medication. The team of sleds reached Anchorage after running for six days, with very few resting breaks. This mission helped save many lives in Nome.




Overworking these dogs, amounts to animal cruelty and must be monitored by animal right groups and citizens. Sled racing is a barbaric act and must be either controlled and restricted or completely banned. These races have thousands of dollars as cash prize, which somehow does not justify the atrocities being inflicted upon these poor animals. There are but a few masters, who truly love their sled dogs and look after them like their own pets.