Druid and Vodka are two of Jonathan Hayes’ Seppala Siberian sled dogs in action. The musher from St. Agatha in Aroostook County is bringing about 20 of his Seppala Siberian sled dogs to Alaska this month to follow in Togo’s pawsteps on the anniversary of the original trek across Alaska. Jason A. Frank photo

POLAND – The Board of Selectpersons unanimously gave its support Tuesday to the effort to have the descendants of Togo, a famed sled dog who died nearly a century ago, named the state dog.

The Seppala Siberian sled dogs eyed for the honor trace their ancestry back to Togo, who lived most of his final years at Poland Spring after his days of pulling sleds through the Alaskan wilderness came to an end.

Selectperson Stanley Tetenman said he favors the push to honor the dogs.

“I’m just hoping the people in the Legislature will go along with it,” Tetenman said. “It just has to go through the process.”

The board agreed to sign a letter urging lawmakers to back the bill first championed by Republican Rep. David Boyer of Poland.

Maryanne Hawkes, vice chairperson of the board, said the letter they signed was “beautifully written.”

The letter said town leaders believe that naming the sled dog breed as the state dog “would celebrate a significant aspect of our heritage and foster a sense of community and state pride.”

“Given Maine’s rich history of winter sports, selection of the Seppala Siberian sled dog, specifically recognizing Togo, the renowned sled dog, as our state dog is appropriate,” it said.

Togo won international acclaim as the lead dog of a team that helped deliver much-needed medicine to Nome, Alaska, during a midwinter diphtheria outbreak in 1925. In 2011, Time magazine named Togo the most heroic animal in history.

The town’s letter said Togo’s “bravery and endurance” during the hard trek “exemplifies the spirit of resilience and perseverance that we as Mainers hold dear.”

A statue of Togo stands outside the Maine State Building at Poland Spring and a walking trail there is meant to teach young people about the dog’s history.

The effort to name the Seppala Siberian sled dog as the state dog is tied to the centennial celebration of Togo’s famed role in saving the children of Nome.

His descendants number somewhere between 100 and 200, breeders say, and continue to exemplify the “strength, loyalty and ability to thrive in harsh conditions” that Togo showed a hundred years ago, according to Poland’s letter to legislators.

Jonathan Hayes, a musher in St. Agatha in Aroostook County, is bringing about 20 of his Seppala Siberian sled dogs to Alaska this month to follow in Togo’s pawsteps on the anniversary of the original trek across Alaska.