A dog breed known for a heroic medical mission in Alaska a century ago became Maine’s official state dog over the weekend.
The Seppala Siberian is a breed of Siberian husky that takes its name from early 20th century trainer and breeder Leonhard Seppala, who inherited his first sleddogs from the explorer Roald Amundsen.
The movement to honor the breed in Maine was inspired by the actions of Togo, the lead sled dog in Seppala’s team for much of an emergency trek across Alaska in 1925 to deliver diphtheria antitoxin and avert an epidemic in the remote town of Nome.
The journey across Alaska is the subject of Disney’s 1995 animated film “Balto,” named for another dog on the team.
Togo eventually retired and lived at Poland Spring Resort in Maine until the age of 16. Descendants of his team are sought-after sleddogs known as Seppala Siberians. Locally they have raced in the annual 250-mile Can-Am race in northern Maine.
The bill was introduced by Rep. David Boyer, R-Poland, who said it is hard to dispute the cultural and symbolic value of the dog. He called the proposal “a simple gesture that strengthens our connection to those who came before, and serves as a unifying force in times fraught with political division.”
The bill passed the Maine House and Senate earlier this month and became a law on Sunday without the governor’s signature.
The Legislature previously considered making the Labrador retriever the state dog. At the time, in 2015, lawmakers were told that only 18 percent of all licensed dogs in Maine were Labs, according to a report from Maine Public.
BDN writer Christopher Bouchard contributed reporting.
