Balto and the Great Race

The United States celebrates the achievements of Balto and his team. Balto is presented with a medal for his work. Seppala, Balto’s trainer, feels a deep pride for Balto, but also feels that Togo’s hard work was never recognized. Togo also put in serious effort for the Serum Run, taking Seppala’s sled 250 miles. A false report is made by The New York Times that Balto and his team died shortly after the journey—they did not. Balto and his team are invited to make a movie in Washington, which Seppala graciously permits, and Kaasen undertakes. Balto also travels to New York City in December of 1925 for the unveiling of his statue. After two years of traveling with the dog team, the dogs are sold to a museum in Los Angeles, where they quickly grow ill and thin. They are discovered by a man named George Kimble, who calls upon the help of the children of Cleveland to raise the $2,000 needed to buy the dogs and take them somewhere more suitable. Children across the city “emptied their piggy banks and sent their pennies in” (91) and raised a total of $2,342.