On more than one occasion, I have championed the idea of dog agility in the Olympics. Many responded with scoffs and skepticism. Horses compete in the Olympics; why can’t dogs compete as well? But then, I stumbled across a bit of history that had escaped me all these years. DOGS WERE IN THE OLYMPICS!
The rise of dog sledding in North America
In the 1800s, explorers, gold rushers, and mail carriers across North America discovered the importance of sleds pulled by teams of dogs to navigate snowy landscapes. By the early decades of the 20th century, dog sledding had spread from Siberia down into Canada and New England. International mushers raced the La Pas Dog Derby, the Ottawa Winter Carnival race, the Eastern International Dog Derby, the All-Alaska Sweepstakes, and the Lake Placid Dog Derby, in addition to several smaller local races
Dog sledding at the Olympics
At the 1932 Lake Placid Winter Olympics, 12 teams of sleds and dogs gathered at the James C. Sheffield Speed Skating Oval. Mushers had to apply to compete with the Olympic Demonstration Dog Derby Committee of Quebec. All the teams were either from the USA or Canada and each included a driver and seven dogs. They ran two races on successive days, February 6 and 7, over a 22.46 mile course that passed landmarks like John Brown’s Farm (the 19th century abolitionist) and Mirror Lake. According to contemporary news accounts, enthusiastic spectators lined the whole course to cheer the sleds. The two greatest dog sled racers of the day, Canadian Émile St. Godard and American Leonhard Seppala, battled for the title. On the first day, one of Seppala’s dogs collapsed and finished the race in the sled. St. Godard beat the Alaskan Seppala in both races and took the overall title. Seppala hung on to second place over Canadian Shorty Russick, who finished third. It is the only time dog sled racing was included as a demonstration sport in the Olympics. No word on whether the dogs received medals.
Canadian Harry Wheeler finished fourth in the race. He later developed Mont Tremblant Ski Resort in Quebec and founded a ski school. Wheeler created and popularized consistent training methods in alpine skiing and his daughter, Lucile Wheeler, won bronze in the women’s downhill at the 1956 Winter Olympics in Cortina. Two of the competitors, Roger Haines and Norman Vaughan, served with Admiral Richard Byrd on his first expedition to Antarctica in 1928.
Most teams raced huskies or malamutes. Earl Bunnell brought his team of Irish Setters from New Hampshire to join the race but fellow competitor Eva Seeley protested, claiming that the breed could not handle the difficult terrain. Officials agreed and Bunnell did not start. Seeley was a maverick herself. “Short,” as she was called because of her height, was the only woman in the race.
Leonhard Seppala had been a champion throughout the 1920s but his fame came not only from races. In the brutal winter of 1925, Nome, Alaska suffered an outbreak of the deadly disease diphtheria. Extreme winds, dangerous temperatures, and blinding snow made it impossible for medicine to be delivered by ordinary means. Once the serum reached the furthest outpost of the train in Nenana, sled teams took over. Seppala and his team carried the medicine over 91 miles through some of the most treacherous sections of the 674 mile route. The medicine reached its destination, saving the residents of Nome. The Great Serum Run became the basis of the modern-day Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. All those good boys and girls deserved extra treats and belly rubs!
Has dog sledding returned to the Olympics?
No Olympic host city has repeated the dog sled demonstration. You can still take a dog sled out on Mirror Lake. If the weather is cold enough and you have $20 to spare, hop on in and let the dogs take you back to the races of 1932.
–Alison Brown
Photo courtesy of the IOC Olympic Museum.