How Sled Dogs Work

They're physical marvels -- able to endure extreme conditions for extensive periods of time while running fast and pulling more than their own weight. Sled dogs have been around for generations, and today they remain a large part of a musher's, or dog driver's, life.In arctic regions, some 35,000 years ago, Eskimos' dogs bred with wolves and other dogs. Their offspring were well-adapted to the cold and snow. There's no saying exactly when someone thought to have dogs pull sleds, but it was well before 1000 B.C. [source: Casey]. Dogsleds provided a means of transportation and a way to haul goods.

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