Mary R. Tahan - Roald Amundsens sled dogs: the sledge dogs who helped discover the South Pole

The sled dogs of the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 19101912 are the unsung heroes of Antarctic history the key players in the historic discovery of the South Pole. Without them, Roald Amundsen possibly may not have reached the South Pole prior to Robert Falcon Scott perhaps he would not have reached the Pole at all. Amundsen is the world famous Polar explorer who strategized how to employ these canine explorers to win the race to the Pole, but the dogs themselves are the ones who made it happen; they, indeed, are the underdogs in this story. Their passion to help their fellow human explorers and their sacrifice of life, limb, and body especially, sometimes, at the hands of their human companions have earned them a place in history. It is my hope that, through the telling of the sled dogs story, a new recognition will be brought to these brave animals, a new awareness will be created about their accomplishments, and a new consideration will be given to the role of animals in human history.

This book analyzes how Roald Amundsen used sled dogs to discover the South Pole in 1911 and is the first to document the complete preparations, use, controversy, philosophy, and internal dynamics involved in this historic discovery, as well as the first to identify all 116 Polar dogs whom Amundsen hand-selected and trained for the Norwegian Antarctic Expedition of 19101912, tracing them from their origins in Greenland to Antarctica and beyond and presenting my findings regarding which of the dogs actually reached the South Pole and which ones returned. I utilize the expedition members own diaries, reports, and letters of correspondence to explore the strategy, methodology, and personal insights of the explorer and his crew in employing these canines to achieve their human goal. All mentions of the dogs by the various men in their journals, reports, and correspondence have been traced and compiled by me to create an overall picture. Through piecing together the personal accounts of the men given in the original source material, I was able to reconstruct the historic events as they relate to the individual dogs. The books narrative presents the entire story of how the South Pole was truly discovered using animals and how deep and profound the differences of perception were regarding the use of canines for exploration.

There has been vast interest in Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Ernest Shackleton and their feats in Arctic and Antarctic exploration. This book portrays how canine explorers aided these humans in scientific discovery and brings animals into the fold of Arctic and Antarctic exploration, giving recognition to the role animals played in this important part of human history. In particular, it depicts Amundsens race against Captain Scott and the British Antarctic Expedition through the perspective of how the Norwegian Expedition employed and relied upon Polar dogs. It traces, step by step, how Amundsen was able to reach the South Pole using sled dogs and records how the human explorers felt, treated, and responded to these dogs. In the book, I name, identify, and track all the sledging dogs and their individual contributions to the expedition and to the South Pole discovery. This recognition is important for the understanding of Antarctic exploration history and for the consideration of human-nature and human-animal relations. Certain comparisons are also made with Scotts own use of dogs and ponies and with the Britishs and Norwegians opposing and contrasting views and perspectives regarding the use of animals for exploration.

The sled dogs of the Amundsen expedition performed remarkable historical feats and acts of endurance under the severest of conditions. Had the canine explorers not been a part of this expedition, the human explorers would not have been able to succeed in the manner that they did. Amundsen himself stated that the dogs were the key to his success, and he charged his men with making the dogs their priority, as the fate of the entire expedition rested on their canine shoulders. The dogs heroic deeds resulted in the first humans successfully reaching the earths southern axis, with no casualties among the humans, the geographical mapping of the globes southern region, and the expansion of human knowledge and understanding regarding our world. With these achievements also came an empowering feeling of mastery over ones physical surroundings an empowerment that changed human history and, sometimes, earths environment. The irony is that, at times, nature has paid the price for humans better understanding of it both during the quest for discovery and in the wake of the final result. The dogs employed in the discovery of the South Pole paid that price, in many respects.

Though they were the primary consideration in making the quest for the Pole, the dogs were also deemed dispensable once they had performed their role. The at best questionable, and many times ruthless, treatment of the dogs extended from the ships voyage to their work in Antarctica. As the Pole grew ever nearer, with the dogs diligently pulling the men toward their goal, Amundsen destroyed the loyal animals who had brought him there. The contention that most of the dogs were killed out of necessity is not quite accurate. A careful analysis of the events leading to these killings, a questioning of motive, and a close look at the reasons for consuming the dogs are undertaken in this book. Moreover, the dogs loyalty, courage, and endurance in the face of the harshest conditions dealt by nature and the harshest treatment dealt by humans are documented in this story. This book tells many of the trials, tragedies, and adventures that are referenced in the expedition members personal diaries but not included in their official published accounts. It brings to light the complete story regarding the dogs.