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These are really great fact file/profiles Balto Seppala! That will be handy! I can assure you that your information here will go to good use Down in England? I could go there too!!! It would take a long time for me though It would love to own a descendant of Frits or Togo! That would be awsome! I would name him after Frits or Togo of course! Who else? I like both names a lot! Not as much as Balto though

I have to admit, were I to actually convince a breeder of Seppalas to sell one to me (because the dog would be, for me, a pet...if even one I could do active stuff with), I'd name him "Togo" too, in honor of the old hero. Because I'd want one with the same markings as Togo had (or nearly so). So I can understand and appreciate your interest there!

To this day, it is Balto who is far more recognized by the general public as a hero dog of the Serum Run of 1925 (what little the general public knows about it and him, thanks mostly to the Balto cartoons and the sometimes-seen documentary "Balto: Endurance, Fidelity and Intelligence")

However, in the eyes of dog sled mushers and breeders of Siberian huskies and Seppala sled dogs (two very closely-related breeds, which arose from the same foundation stock), it is Togo, and his half-brother Fritz, who are the most famous. Togo and Fritz are still considered two of the primary foundation dogs of both breeds. The Seppala Sled Dog is still considered, by breeders who do actually breed and work with both, as the older and purer of the two...the closer to Togo and Fritz, and the original Chukchi stock. The Siberian husky, on the other hand, has almost split into two separate lines itself...the more-commonly seen show and conformation line, and the working (sledding) line.

The Siberian husky was officially recognized as a distinct breed, by the American Kennel Club, in 1930...the year after Togo's death.

The Seppala sled dog remains a purely working dog...not recognized by most breed clubs (and the breeders prefer it that way...they do not want their breed's sledding abilities and talent watered down by competition showing and conformation exercises).

The Siberian Husky...a photographic sampling: http://www.huskycolors.com/colors.html.

The Siberian Husky breed, as presented by the American Kennel Club: http://www.akc.org/breeds/siberian_husky/index.cfm

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The Seppala Sled Dog, some breed information: http://www.seppalas.com/page3.htm and http://seppalasleddogs.com/default.htm

The Seppala Sled Dog, some sample colors (photos taken from the following websites: http://members.tripod.com/Arcticsun/SeppalaKennelPage.html and http://galleries.seppalasleddogs.com/index.htm):