Hero Sled Dog Togo Honored With Statue in Disney Renovation of a New York City Park

Togo, the sled dog who saved many lives in 1925 by delivering an antitoxin to victims of an epidemic, and has a Disney+ original movie telling his story, is honored with his own statue in New York City.

What’s Happening:

This morning, NYC Parks celebrated the Parks Without Borders’ milestone $5.9 million reconstruction of Seward Park, which now features new pavements and curbs, benches and tables, a storytelling alcove, fitness equipment, lighting, plants and lower fences. Seward Park is home of a bronze statue of Togo, the hero sled dog who inspired the Disney+ original movie Togo. Disney+ worked with NYC Parks to install a plaque alongside the statue to honor the famous dog who trekked more than 260 miles to help deliver life-saving serum to children in Nome, Alaska.
Starring Willem Dafoe, Togo is the untold true story set in the winter of 1925 that takes you across the treacherous terrain of the Alaskan tundra for an exhilarating and uplifting adventure that will test the strength, courage and determination of one man, Leonhard Seppala, and his lead sled dog, Togo. The original film debuted on Disney+ last month.
With a script written by Tom Flynn, Dafoe plays Seppala, the dogsled trainer who joined the serum run in the winter of 1925, when the first signs of a potential diphtheria epidemic appeared in Nome, Alaska. Seppala chose Togo, a smaller, older Siberian husky, to lead his team for the run. The true story features the heroic canine and dogsled trainer putting their trust in each other to save countless people.
In the past, all eyes have been on a different sled dog, Balto, belonging to a team led by a fellow worker of Seppala’s. Balto even has a statue honoring him in Central Park, despite Togo doing most of the work back then. Now, Togo has his own beautiful statue in the reconstruction of Seward Park to honor him with a plaque that reads: “In 1925 Togo led his dog sled team in blizzard conditions to Nome, Alaska to deliver a life-saving antitoxin during a diphtheria epidemic. He traveled nearly 300 miles, farther than any other dog in the relay, and his courage saved many lives.”