Balto
Gene Baumwoll sent the following to Chet’s Facebook page. Very apt, considering our relationship with Snowhook Kennel. (Many thanks, Gene.)
All this cold and snow reminds us of the heroic tale of Balto.
In New York’s Central Park stands a magnificent sculpture of Balto the heroic sled dog leader who delivered the diphtheria serum to snow bounds Nome, Alaska.
In January 1925 doctors realized that a potentially deadly diphtheria epidemic was poised to sweep through Nome’s young people. The only serum that could stop the outbreak was in Seattle, Washington, two thousand eight hundred miles (4,480 km) away. The engine of the only aircraft that could quickly deliver the medicine was frozen and would not start. After considering all of the alternatives, officials decided to move the medicine via multiple dog sled teams.
On February 2, 1925, the Norwegian Gunnar Kaasen drove his team, led by Balto, into Nome.
Balto proved himself on the Iditarod trail, saving his team in the Topkok River. Balto was also able to stay on the trail in near whiteout conditions; Kaasen stated he could barely see his hand in front of his face. Balto’s team did their leg of the run almost entirely in the dark. The final team and its sledder was asleep when Balto and Kaasen made it to the final stop, so Kaasen decided to continue on. At Nome, everybody wanted to thank Kaasen at first, but he suggested giving fame to Balto as well.
The bronze shines where heroic Balto patiently carries New York’s Children on his back as they wander to the park’s children’s zoo.
Tags: Balto, Gene Baumwoll, Iditarod, Snowhook
This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014 at 9:29 am and is filed under Chet The Dog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
9:44 am on January 29th, 2014
Good morning, everyone! Mom’s godson once named mom’s 3rd husky mix. A beautiful red girl with blue eyes. He called her “Jenna” because she was Balto’s girlfriend (thank you Disney)
Have a (choose one or more): 1) wet, 2) wild, 3) wintry, 4) wacky, 5) wonderful Wednesday.
And this from the Scenic City, TN at 7:30 this a.m.
9:49 am on January 29th, 2014
Good dog, Balto, good dog.
Can’t top you northern (and TN) folks, but for Texas this is frizzin’ cold
9:56 am on January 29th, 2014
Balto deserves the bronze sculpture.
Good morning all.
9:57 am on January 29th, 2014
Morning all.
Balto is our hero.
10:07 am on January 29th, 2014
HRH B: News this a m said MI has more snow on the ground (% of land area) than ANY other state in the union! Lucky you 🙂
10:26 am on January 29th, 2014
Can you say brrrrr?
10:27 am on January 29th, 2014
Little birdie says “I flew south for THIS?”
10:30 am on January 29th, 2014
HOH: There was a cartoon of the State of Michigan with the word “Closed” scrawled across it. I think it was on Facebook.
Here’s a picture that Jasper’s friend (they also reside in Michigan) put on Facebook.
10:33 am on January 29th, 2014
We have had over 40″ of snow so far, and should have close to 6″ more by Sat. night. Atlanta got 2+ inches and they came to a stand still! What’s up with that? Kids sheltered overnight in schools, cars abandoned on highways. Crazy weather. It will be back to 16 degrees here today and 29 tomorrow, which is a relief.
Great story about Balto. What a hero. Does anyone know how man miles he traveled between the 2 runs?
Howlers, How is Dima doing? We assume that is why your mom has been crying, but didn’t want to ask.
11:03 am on January 29th, 2014
Maggie, I am feeling tip top. Mom made me come in because she thinks it is too cold for me. I have no idea why she is treating me like a baby but heck! I got turkey when i came in so why not!!!
Andy is here with us. Mom got him started reading Dog On It!
11:58 am on January 29th, 2014
Redneck snowblower…You figure out which one 🙂
12:06 pm on January 29th, 2014
From Wikipedia:
“After the successful serum run, the freight dog Balto became the most famous canine of the run. Many mushers today consider Togo to be the true hero of the run, as Seppala’s team led by Togo covered the longest and most hazardous leg. They made a round trip of 365 miles. After that, Togo could never run again.
Immediately after the relay, Togo and another dog on the team escaped to chase after reindeer, eventually returning to their kennel in Little Creek. Seppala was dismayed that the champion was neglected by the press, commenting “it was almost more than I could bear when the newspaper dog Balto received a statue for his ‘glorious achievements'”. (Salisbury & Salisbury, 2003.)…Togo greatly impacted the modern day Siberian Husky. Many modern trainers of Siberian Huskies trace their dogs’ lineage back to Togo. This has never been definitely proven. The most common sled dog breed is actually the Alaskan Husky, a variant of the Siberian Husky.
12:18 pm on January 29th, 2014
Post!….Hey! I was expecting the Pete Seeger RIP post this morning…snort! …What a pleasant surprise…grunt!
12:30 pm on January 29th, 2014
Happy 5th Birthday to Annie and Biddy, and Carly and Dougie too.
1:01 pm on January 29th, 2014
Happy birthday to Macy’s gang.
Thanks Bee for that info on Balto and Togo. Very interesting.
Dima, glad to hear you are tip top, and turkey, what could be better!
HOH, is that a Bluebird?
1:08 pm on January 29th, 2014
I spent this morning getting my hair cut. Patrick asked me how long since I had short hair. I THINK it was when OTAS was four or five. He’s just over thirty now.
He was able to do ten inches for Locks of Love. And then cut my hair. It is not very short. Very curly. AND wash and wear. I need that now.
As you can see from my picture I am ready to take a nap. 🙂
1:21 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie!…You are so cute…snorkel!slurp!
1:51 pm on January 29th, 2014
B&M: YES, a bluebird. Most here don’t migrate which is why mom feeds birds. Saw some warblers during the storm.
Melanie: Good, cute, versatile hair-do. We approve 🙂
Wowser, mom drove off the mountain to get dog food. She loves her Scooter-roo!
A totally uneventful snow drive after a 40 year hiatus.
2:05 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie: I love your hair cut. Looking good!
Barb: It was C.Harris who posted the info on Balto and Togo.
2:15 pm on January 29th, 2014
Bee, Thanks for the correction, and thank you instead to Hobbit. Great story.
Melanie, We here LOVE the haircut. Incredible! You look great and it makes you look younger too.
2:31 pm on January 29th, 2014
🙂
2:36 pm on January 29th, 2014
Macy’s family: Whoo hoo, yodel, howl! whoo hoo, yodel , howl. Whoo hoo, Macy’s family. Whoo hoo, Yodel, howl! (burp, excuse you Darah!)
2:44 pm on January 29th, 2014
We can’t believe HOH has a bluebird in January!!! How cool is that!
And Sibaroos … Nothing better in our opinion. Dog tested. Kat approved.
Melanie, we LOVE your do! It looks so darn cut and, yes, much easier too. But did we say how cut you look?
Happy happy birthday to Macy’s kids!!!!
2:45 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie: you look great! Wash and wear is the way to go.
2:56 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie – add our vote to the “great hair cut!” Tally. Love love love it.
Cheers to Togo. Cheers to Balto. Cheers to each and every dog that worked that run, and to their mushers. Every single one of them is a hero of the first order.
2:58 pm on January 29th, 2014
Wow! Melanie, Look’n good!
CHobbit: Thanks for the background on Togo. It’s a shame his part in the serum run was passed over.
Macy’s family: Happy B-day.
3:26 pm on January 29th, 2014
Cute Cute Cute not cut. huh we hate our typos.
And about Togo and Balto: we’ll drink to that! slurp!
3:33 pm on January 29th, 2014
Barb&Magpie: Although this is normally WeatherKat’s Territory, I wanted to give An Explanation about the recent Atlanta Snowstorm. No.2 son lives in the area and works in D.C. It snows so infrequently that the City is quite simply Unprepared for Bad Weather; hence the Big 2Do over a couple of inches of snow.
WoooHooo!!! Can’t get over Melanie’s New Do..It is soooooo Cute!!!
Staff: We Here have talked it over and can toss in an additional $15 from our Treatie Fund. GO SNOWHOOK!!!
O’Howlers: A Toast to Balto & Togo from us too…we just feel bad that Togo wasn’t included in the Glory. But he certainly IS included in our toast.
3:55 pm on January 29th, 2014
Chattanooga’s local stations said “No worry” about yesterday’s weather. The Weather Channel sent out alerts on SDD at 2:20 a.m. Kids had to hike from stuck busses. City and Stations have made apologies. Who would you believe…DUH! Oh well, i a city with 3 snow plows 🙁
4:26 pm on January 29th, 2014
Happy birthday to Macy’s brood!!
Melanie, you look beautiful! Love, love, love the hair!!!!
4:32 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie, love your haircut! It looks great.
Happy birthday to Macy’s pups!! Don’t know how you carried all the babies in your teeny tiny tummy!
Mom has friends in Alabama and one of them got caught at work and stranded for 6 hours. It would have been worse if there hadn’t been a Mexican food restaurant in her strip center.
At least she got alcohol!!
5:02 pm on January 29th, 2014
Mexican!….I wonder what Mexican food tastes like in Alabama…grunt!
5:11 pm on January 29th, 2014
Melanie, short and sassy, and we like your hair, too. Oh, not short? Just sassy then.
Thanks for all the b-day wishes for my brood, both here and away. Mom went to the la-te-dah cookie place, and they gave her free birthday cookies for Annie and Biddy, which I hope they know they are going to share.
5:19 pm on January 29th, 2014
Happy birthday Macy’s brood. I know you’ll enjoy the cookies.
5:22 pm on January 29th, 2014
Mom can’t remember if we posted this the other day. If so, sorry, mom is old.
5:23 pm on January 29th, 2014
Does anyone else thing a few little whispy or fringy bangs would be darling on Melanie? Just a few, not a big chunk hanging all the way to her eyes. Anyone else?
5:39 pm on January 29th, 2014
Macy – that is a hoot. We are checking bus schedules as we speak.
5:45 pm on January 29th, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=uQB7QRyF4p4
awwwwwww
6:08 pm on January 29th, 2014
Macy, mom, in her last life, lived in Sun City, CA and one of the Budweiser breeding farms was right there. Really amazing, majestic BIG horses, and well cared for 🙂
6:26 pm on January 29th, 2014
awwww…
6:34 pm on January 29th, 2014
I have envied both your and Rebecca’s hair. Beautiful cascading curls. Now you have both given that hair to Locks of Love. It’s such a good cause so I will have to do without. You both were lovely with the hair and more lovely with the new haircuts.
I am still envious.
6:47 pm on January 29th, 2014
That Budweiser ad is adorable and brings a little tear to your eyes. The Cheerios ad is great too.
6:52 pm on January 29th, 2014
Lyla has super long hair. She has said she would like to donate to Locks of Love. Is there an age limit?
6:55 pm on January 29th, 2014
Sorry, just too many good things to share today.
7:00 pm on January 29th, 2014
B&M: Yes, I do think Melanie would look very nice with fringy, side swept bangs.
7:23 pm on January 29th, 2014
For some (two) of the Plunderers. And I’m off to bed. TTFN
7:28 pm on January 29th, 2014
Chortle, chuckle, ha. ha.
M&M’sMelanie and Macy) Y’all are cracking us up! Heh, heh, heh.
7:35 pm on January 29th, 2014
Sammie!….Don’t forget! American Idol is on tonight…snort!snort!….Harry Connick Jr….heh!heh!
7:47 pm on January 29th, 2014
Barb – there is no age limit to Locks of Love – the only thing is that there must be 10 inches of usable hair. Check this link for the donation rules and form:
http://locksoflove.org/donate.html
8:05 pm on January 29th, 2014
So many smart people on this here blog.
8:15 pm on January 29th, 2014
Thanks for the donation Bear Spirit. I have it noted!
Thanks so much Bear!
Only 180.00 left to match guys.
8:21 pm on January 29th, 2014
Rio, thanks for the reminder. I have it on right now.
8:25 pm on January 29th, 2014
Idol!…It won’t start here for another 35 minutes…grunt!
8:44 pm on January 29th, 2014
Don’t worry Rio – we will tell you what happens in just a few more minutes so you don’t have to be bothered watching it.
(tee hee)
8:52 pm on January 29th, 2014
Tupper!…I know you don’t watch the show, otherwise you would know it is still Auditions…snort!….There is nothing you can tell me that would matter one little bit….chorkel!
8:53 pm on January 29th, 2014
SiberH!….Does anyone know when that hole-digger is going to be back with us?…grunt!
9:11 pm on January 29th, 2014
Rio: Siber’s computer is at the computer v-e-t to get refreshed. I think he said that it may be up to a week that it would be gone but he was hoping for less.
Staff: I have gained a couple of pounds so won’t be going out to eat this week (I usually eat out once or twice a week). So…I will donate $20 for the matching Bootie challenge. I will send you a SDD.
9:21 pm on January 29th, 2014
Rio: someone wins, someone loses, someone goes on to next week, someone cries, someone cheers and someone faints!
9:24 pm on January 29th, 2014
Week!….grunt!…A whole week? Will he be back in time for the big Supper Bowl Blow-Out at Rose’s place?…sniff!…He said he would pick up me and Beau in the Porche…wheeze!…Now I am worrit I will miss the party…sniff!
10:00 pm on January 29th, 2014
Oh, oh, g’day to Liz and Red Dog and nighty night to all else be zzzzzzzzz, oops, no drooling on the pawboard!
10:09 pm on January 29th, 2014
You see what we have to put up with?
10:17 pm on January 29th, 2014
T&G I see nothing wrong with that sentiment.
CHobbit – Staff says to say Thank You to your tummy for the donation….snicker! And the booty fund is now at minus 1713300 and counting. Or, 1330.00 promised.
WhooOOooOoooOOOoooHOOoooooOoooOOOoooooo…
10:18 pm on January 29th, 2014
What? Damn I paw…minus 170.00 and counting…sniff
10:20 pm on January 29th, 2014
Staff!….Woooo!Hoooo!…Alice, go flop on a quilt…sniff!
10:27 pm on January 29th, 2014
A Catty Librarian posted this video on Facebookie about little Maggie Voisin’s video for last years Whitefish MT film festival. Look how young she is!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl0fFKsf510
So now you know what kind of skiing she does. OhmyDog! I hope she stays safe at the Olympics. yeep.
10:37 pm on January 29th, 2014
Pup!…Both are just wee pups!…snort!…She will be great at the Olypics!…..Wooooo!
10:46 pm on January 29th, 2014
Riö: Let us hope our pals Siber and Rose are successful in their reconnaissance mission. The big day quickly approaches.
Alice: Great video!
See y’all in the am.
10:51 pm on January 29th, 2014
Maskers!….Yes, the day the big day is approaching quickly…snort!snort!….Not quick enough for Beau. He is out of control and watching all the hype!….grunt!
11:02 pm on January 29th, 2014
Sammie!…I don’t know about you but I think this year Idol is going to be one of the best ever…snort!…I have never seen so many good auditions…snorkel!…Plus, we get to watch Harry all season long. What a clown…chorkel!
11:05 pm on January 29th, 2014
Maskers!….The Empire State Building is lit up with Broncos colors…heh!heh!
11:06 pm on January 29th, 2014
Maskers!….The Empire State Building is lit up with Broncos colors…heh!heh!….Beautiful!
11:07 pm on January 29th, 2014
Snort!….How many times can I post almost the same thing?….chorkel!
11:12 pm on January 29th, 2014
Sammy, how is little LouLou these days? Do you see her much?
We are saying good night now, see you on the flip side, as Masquers says.
11:18 pm on January 29th, 2014
We here love, love, love Melanie’s new do! I like the idea of wispy bangs also.
It’s hard to believe that her kidney is misbehaving.
We here are also putting another 20 bucks in the bootie fund.
11:39 pm on January 29th, 2014
Staff: If BSD’s donation made it $180 to go on the Bootie fund, wouldn’t my $20 make it $160 to go? Math isn’t my strong point and it is more than 2 so I don’t know.
11:57 pm on January 29th, 2014
For the love of a cat…Would you walk over 2 avalanches to take a sick cat to the vet to be saved? That is what happened to two young adults who ended up arrested trying to get their cat to the vet. The troopers packed them all in a helicopter–not to save the cat but to charge the owner. Part of the story:
“22-year-old Copper Center woman was arrested by an Alaska state trooper Saturday after walking over two avalanches that were blocking traffic on the Richardson Highway — all in a desperate bid to get her cat needed medical care in Valdez.”
Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2014/01/29/3297584/jailed-avalanche-crossers-were.html#storylink=cpy
12:12 am on January 30th, 2014
Wolfie, got your 20.00 heh. Thank you.
CHObbit yes your math is right (but my earlier math was wrong.) Drat it all. I had somehow thought that 1310.00 donated left 180.00 to go. sniff. But really it was 190.00 to go. ACK.
Why didn’t you catch that before I shot off my big mouth Huh??? gurgle. So I corrected that error and THEN you saw it. grunt.
Oh well, It is now correct and hopefully I will not screw up again in the 170.00 dollars left.
Oh and Wolfie’s 20.00 makes it 150.00 left to match. So only 150.00 dollars to the toffee! Thanks Wolfman! If you wiggle your butt is that shaking your booty? Heh heh heh.
Whew!
12:18 am on January 30th, 2014
CHobbit… see how I made it YOUR fault? That takes talent.
Avalance? I think they were crazy, but kats are worth it. sniff. I love my kitties.
7:36 am on January 30th, 2014
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/cat-plays-with-squirrel-on-roof-video.html
12:04 am on September 25th, 2014
B-tan’d Tanning Salon
5:42 pm on February 22nd, 2016
Hello there! This post couldn’t be written much better!
Reading through this post reminds me of my previous roommate!
He always kept preaching about this. I am going to forward this article to him.
Fairly certain he will have a very good read. Thank you for sharing!