Just north of the Children's Zoo in New York's Central park, you can see the statue of a Siberian Husky named Balto. He is standing at attention on a granite rock.
In 1925, Balto led the final team of sled dogs through 674 miles of snow and ice to bring diphtheria serum to the stricken children of Nome, Alaska.
Amanda Foreman, writing in The Wall Street Journal says the statue is a reminder of the debt of gratitude we owe to all the animals that served mankind and have given their lives for us. During most of history, humans have ignored the debt, but there were exceptions.
Roman historians have praised the sacred geese in the temple of Juno, whose squawks saved Rome from a surprise attack by the Gauls in 390 B.C.
Students of Socrates coined the word kynikos, meaning doglike, to encourage a return to nature.
Early Islamic teachings have a special place for animals doing God's work. The teachings mention Mahmud, a Yemeni war elephant that saved the shrine at Mecca in 570 A.D. He refused to lead invaders across the border.
During World War I, eight million horses, mules, donkeys, camels, elephants, pigeons and dogs were killed. One dog named Stubby survived four offenses and 27 battles in France. He was promoted to sergeant, the first canine ever to be given a rank in the U.S. Army.
Cher Ami, a carrier pigeon for the U.S. Signal Corps, helped to rescue 194 stranded men. Cher Ami was awarded the French War Cross.
Warrior, a war horse beloved by the Canadian cavalry, was so courageous that his obituary appeared in the London Times.
The tradition of rewarding bravery and loyalty lives on today with the PDSA Dickin Medal, an international prize for the animal world.
The last American recipients of the medal were Salty and Roselle, two Labrador guide dogs who safely led their owners out of the World Trade Center on 9/11.
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