Editing Sled dog (section)

===North America===
[[File:Three inuit men feeding Labrador huskies in Nain, Canada.jpg|thumb|upright|Labrador huskies being fed by [[Inuit]]]]

In 2019, a study found that those dogs brought initially into the North American Arctic from northeastern Siberia were later replaced by dogs accompanying the [[Inuit]] during their expansion beginning 2,000 years ago. These Inuit dogs were more genetically diverse and more morphologically divergent when compared with the earlier dogs. Today, Arctic sledge dogs are the last descendants in the Americas of this pre-European dog lineage.<ref name=Ameen2019>{{cite journal|doi=10.1098/rspb.2019.1929|pmid=31771471|title=Specialized sledge dogs accompanied Inuit dispersal across the North American Arctic|journal=Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences|volume=286|issue=1916|pages=20191929|year=2019|last1=Ameen|first1=Carly|last2=Feuerborn|first2=Tatiana R.|last3=Brown|first3=Sarah K.|last4=Linderholm|first4=Anna|last5=Hulme-Beaman|first5=Ardern|last6=Lebrasseur|first6=Ophélie|last7=Sinding|first7=Mikkel-Holger S.|last8=Lounsberry|first8=Zachary T.|last9=Lin|first9=Audrey T.|last10=Appelt|first10=Martin|last11=Bachmann|first11=Lutz|last12=Betts|first12=Matthew|last13=Britton|first13=Kate|last14=Darwent|first14=John|last15=Dietz|first15=Rune|last16=Fredholm|first16=Merete|last17=Gopalakrishnan|first17=Shyam|last18=Goriunova|first18=Olga I.|last19=Grønnow|first19=Bjarne|last20=Haile|first20=James|last21=Hallsson|first21=Jón Hallsteinn|last22=Harrison|first22=Ramona|last23=Heide-Jørgensen|first23=Mads Peter|last24=Knecht|first24=Rick|last25=Losey|first25=Robert J.|last26=Masson-Maclean|first26=Edouard|last27=McGovern|first27=Thomas H.|last28=McManus-Fry|first28=Ellen|last29=Meldgaard|first29=Morten|last30=Midtdal|first30=Åslaug|pmc=6939252|display-authors=29|doi-access=free}}</ref>
[[File:Engagé mit einem indianischen Hundeschlitten by Maximilian zu Wied-Neuwied.jpg|thumb|A Native American sled dog team of three near [[Fort Clark, North Dakota]], sketched in 1833]]

Historical references of the dogs and [[dog harness]]es that were used by [[Indigenous peoples of the Americas|Native American]] cultures date back to before European contact. The use of dogs as [[draft animal]]s was widespread in North America. There were two main kinds of sled dogs; [[Canadian Eskimo Dog|one kind]] was kept by coastal cultures, and the other kind was kept by interior cultures such as the [[Athabascan Indian]]s. These interior dogs formed the basis of the Alaskan husky. Russian traders following the [[Yukon River]] inland in the mid-1800s acquired sled dogs from the interior villages along the river. The dogs of this area were reputed to be stronger and better at hauling heavy loads than the native Russian sled dogs.<ref name="YQ1">{{cite web | url=http://www.yukonquest.com/news/sled-dogs-north | title=Sled Dogs in the North | publisher=[[Yukon Quest]] | work=Yukon Quest Sled Dogs | access-date=15 February 2013 | archive-date=9 April 2014 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140409111208/http://yukonquest.com/news/sled-dogs-north | url-status=dead }}</ref>
[[File:US mail carrier and dog sled team arriving at Seward, ca 1912 (THWAITES 238).jpeg|thumb|US mail carrier and dog sled team arriving at Seward, {{circa|1912|lk=yes}}]]

The Alaskan [[Gold Rush]] brought renewed interest in the use of sled dogs as transportation.<ref name="YQ1" /> Most gold camps were accessible only by dogsled in the winter.<ref name="Martin">{{cite book | title=Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race | publisher=Arcadia Publishing | author=Martin, Elizabeth Libbie | year=2012 | location=Mount Pleasant, South Carolina | isbn=978-0738596273 | page=11 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=scRaxgw1QiYC&q=sled+dogs}}</ref> "Everything that moved during the frozen season moved by dog team; [[prospecting|prospectors]], [[Animal trapping|trappers]], doctors, mail, commerce, trade, freighting of supplies … if it needed to move in winter, it was moved by sled dogs."<ref name="YQ1" /> This, along with the dogs' use in the exploration of the poles, led to the late 1800s and early 1900s being nicknamed the "Era of the Sled Dog".<ref name="Performance">{{cite journal | url= | title=A genetic dissection of breed composition and performance enhancement in the Alaskan sled dog | author=Huson, Heather J | journal=BMC Genetics |date=July 2010 | doi=10.1186/1471-2156-11-71 | author2=Parker, Heidi G | author3=Runstadler, Jonathan | author4=Ostrander, Elaine A | volume=11 | page=71 | pmid=20649949 | pmc=2920855 | doi-access=free }}</ref>
[[File:Dog sled team and driver, with cargo, Seward, ca 1914 (THWAITES 240).jpeg|thumb|Caption reads "Ready for The Long Mush, Seward, Alaska"  (click photo for further information) {{circa|1914|lk=yes}}]]

Sled dogs were used to deliver the mail in Alaska during the late 1800s and early 1900s.<ref name="Dispatch">{{cite web | url=http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/dogsled-mail-alaska | title=Dogsled mail in Alaska | publisher=Alaska Dispatch | date=2 June 2011 | access-date=18 February 2013 | author=Hegener, Helen | archive-date=5 October 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005013505/http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/dogsled-mail-alaska  }}</ref> [[Alaskan Malamute]]s were the favored breed, with teams averaging eight to ten dogs.<ref name="Dispatch" /> Dogs were capable of delivering mail in conditions that would stop boats, trains, and horses.<ref name="Dispatch" /> Each team hauled between {{cvt|500|and|700|lb|order=flip}} of mail.<ref name="Dispatch" /> The mail was stored in waterproofed bags to protect it from the snow.<ref name="Dispatch" /> By 1901, dog trails had been established along the entirety of the Yukon River.<ref name="Dispatch" /> Mail delivery by dog sled came to an end in 1963 when the last mail carrier to use a dog sled, Chester Noongwook of [[Savoonga]], retired.<ref name="Dispatch" /> He was honored by the [[US Postal Service]] in a ceremony on [[St. Lawrence Island]] in the [[Bering Sea]].<ref name="Dispatch" />

Airplanes took over Alaskan mail delivery in the 1920s and 1930s.<ref name="YQ1" /> In 1924, [[Carl Ben Eielson]] flew the first Alaskan [[airmail]] delivery.<ref name="IanYoung">{{cite book | title=The Iditarod: Story of the Last Great Race | publisher=Capstone Classroom | author=Young, Ian | year=2002 | pages=5–13 | isbn=073689523X | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FLfNdyiDs-EC | others=Illustrated by Timothy V. Rasinski}}</ref> Dog sleds were used to patrol western Alaska during [[World War II]].<ref name="IanYoung" /> [[Highway]]s and [[trucking]] in the 40s and 50s, and the [[snowmobile]] in the 50s and 60s, contributed to the decline of the working sled dog.<ref name="YQ1" />
[[File:White huskies dog sledding.jpg|thumb|A sled dog team of six white huskies hiking in [[Inuvik]], Canada]]

Recreational [[mushing]] came into place to maintain the tradition of dog mushing.<ref name="YQ1" /> The desire for larger, stronger, load-pulling dogs changed to one for faster dogs with high endurance used in racing, which caused the dogs to become lighter than they were historically.<ref name="YQ1" /><ref name="YQ2">{{cite web | url=http://www.yukonquest.com/site/modern-sled-dog/ | title=The Modern Sled Dog | publisher=[[Yukon Quest]] | work=Yukon Quest Sled Dogs | access-date=15 February 2013  | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131226050558/http://www.yukonquest.com/site/modern-sled-dog/ | archive-date=26 December 2013 }}</ref> Americans and others living in Alaska then began to import sled dogs from the native tribes of Siberia (which would later evolve and become the [[Siberian Husky]] breed) to increase the speed of their own dogs, presenting "a direct contrast to the idea that Russian traders sought heavier draft-type sled dogs from the Interior regions of Alaska and the Yukon less than a century earlier to increase the hauling capacity of their lighter sled dogs."<ref name="YQ1" />

Outside of Alaska, [[drafting (dog)|dog-drawn carts]] were used to haul peddler's wares in cities like [[New York City|New York]].<ref name="Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction">{{cite book|title=Outing: Sport, Adventure, Travel, Fiction|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fhygAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA134 |access-date=4 March 2013|year=1901|publisher=W. B. Holland|pages=130–137|chapter=The Sledge Dogs of the North}}</ref>

====Alaska and the Iditarod====
{{Main|1925 serum run to Nome|Iditarod}}
[[File:Col. Ramsay's entry, winning dog sled team of the 3rd All Alaska Sweepstakes, John Johnson, driver (LOC) (4484590704).jpg|thumb|Col. Ramsay's entry, winning dog sled team of the 3rd All Alaska Sweepstakes, John Johnson, driver ~ c. 1910]]
In 1925, a massive [[diphtheria]] outbreak crippled [[Nome, Alaska]]. There was no [[Antiserum|serum]] in Nome to treat the people infected by the disease.<ref name="IanYoung" /> There was serum in [[Nenana, Alaska|Nenana]], but the town was more than {{cvt|600|mi|order=flip|sigfig=1}} away, and inaccessible except by dog sled.<ref name="IanYoung" /> A dog sled relay was set up by the villages between Nenana and Nome, and 20 teams worked together to relay the serum to Nome.<ref name="IanYoung" /> The serum reached Nome in six days.<ref name="IanYoung" />

The [[Iditarod Trail]] was established on the path between these two towns.<ref name="IanYoung" /> It was known as the Iditarod Trail because, at the time, Iditarod was the largest town on the trail.<ref name="IanYoung" /> During the 1940s, the trail fell into disuse.<ref name="IanYoung" /> However, in 1967, Dorothy Page, who was conducting Alaska's centennial celebration, ordered {{cvt|9|mi|order=flip}} of the trail to be cleared for a dog sled race.<ref name="IanYoung" /> In 1972, the US Army performed a survey of the trail, and in 1973 the Iditarod was established by Joe Redington Sr.<ref name="IanYoung" /><ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995Intro" /> The race was won by [[Dick Wilmarth]], who took three weeks to complete the race.<ref name="IanYoung" />

[[File:Wattie MacDonald enters Iditarod finish chute (4458490799).jpg|thumb|Musher and dogs enter Iditarod finish chute]]
The modern Iditarod is a {{cvt|1100|mi|order=flip}} endurance sled dog race.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995Intro">{{cite book|author1=Lew Freedman|author-link=Lew Freedman|author2=DeeDee Jonrowe|title=Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer DeeDee Jonrowe|url=https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free|url-access=registration |access-date=27 February 2013|year=1995|publisher=Epicenter Press|isbn=978-0-945397-29-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free/page/n104 11]–15|chapter=Introduction}}</ref> It usually lasts for ten to eleven days, weather permitting.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995Intro" /> It begins with a ceremonial start in [[Anchorage, Alaska]] on the morning of the first Saturday in March, with mushers running {{cvt|20|mi|order=flip}} to [[Eagle River, Alaska|Eagle River]] along the Alaskan Highway, giving spectators a chance to see the dogs and the mushers.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995TRIO">{{cite book|author1=Lew Freedman|author-link=Lew Freedman|author2=DeeDee Jonrowe|title=Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer DeeDee Jonrowe|url=https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free|url-access=registration |access-date=27 February 2013|year=1995|publisher=Epicenter Press|isbn=978-0-945397-29-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free/page/25 25–33]|chapter=The Race Is On}}</ref> The teams are then loaded onto trucks and driven {{cvt|30|mi|order=flip}} to [[Wasilla, Alaska|Wasilla]] for the official race start in the afternoon.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995TRIO" /> The race ends when the last musher either drops out of the race or crosses the finish line in Nome.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995Intro" /> The winner of the race receives a prize of US$50,000.<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995Intro" /> It has been billed as the "World Series of mushing events"<ref name="FreedmanJonrowe1995TSL">{{cite book|author1=Lew Freedman|author-link=Lew Freedman|author2=DeeDee Jonrowe|title=Iditarod Dreams: A Year in the Life of Alaskan Sled Dog Racer DeeDee Jonrowe|url=https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free|url-access=registration |access-date=27 February 2013|year=1995|publisher=Epicenter Press|isbn=978-0-945397-29-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/iditaroddreamsye00free/page/17 17–23]|chapter=The Starting Line}}</ref> and "The Last Great Race on Earth".<ref name="Woolum1998">{{cite book|author=Janet Woolum|title=Outstanding Women Athletes: Who They Are and How They Influenced Sports in America|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DWmCWO6SpsYC&pg=PA94 |access-date=27 February 2013|year=1998|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|isbn=978-1-57356-120-4|pages=94–96|chapter=Susan Butcher (dog-sled racer)}}</ref>