Dog days in Antarctica

From companionship and cuddles, to transportation and food, dogs have played an important role in Antarctic exploration.

A Canterbury Museum exhibition, Dogs in Antarctica: Tales from the Pack, opens on September 21. Dogs have been off the ice since the late 1990s, when environmental protection protocols kicked in, but their association with the continent is long lasting.

Jill Haley, Canterbury Museum curator of human history, wanted people to realise dogs in Antarctica ‘‘weren’t just there to pull sledges’’.

‘‘There were a whole raft of things they did and needs they met for explorers.

‘‘The biggest one that I’m hoping is communicated through this exhibition is they were there for companionship. Even after the 1950s when motorised transportation replaced dogs, they were kept on.’’

Among exhibits on display will be a canine parachute harness used by the United States in the 1950s, dog boots used on the ice, and a whip. A range of historical photographs complete the exhibit.

Osman was a favourite dog of famous Antarctic explorer Robert Scott. Osman arrived in Christchurch from Siberia in 1910 and trained on Quail Island before hitting the ice.

The Press reported at the time that Osman was ‘‘a dog of importance’’ and ‘‘his heart would break if he were made other than the leader’’.

He returned from Antarctica without Scott and much of his team, who perished in the deep south. Osman was gifted to Scott’s friend Joseph Kinsey, who eventually gave him to Wellington Zoo. He died there around 1917, age 10.

Osman’s collar will be on display at the Canterbury Museum exhibition.

Another dog, Deek, was part of the team that searched for Scott after their doomed journey in 1912. He also returned to Christchurch and lived as a pet for years before he died. His Kiwi owners mounted his head and gifted it to Canterbury Museum.

Sustenance was the darker side of taking dogs to the ice. Explorers were often strategic with their pack, fully expecting to cull a certain number during their expeditions.

‘‘Depending on how you want to look at it, it’s a smart thing because you’re in an area that has no food source,’’ Haley said.

‘‘It’s only our taboo that say they are not food.’’

The exhibition is on until March 2019, and entry into the museum is free.

ALDEN WILLIAMS/STUFF Canterbury Museum human history curator Jill Haley says dogs were used in a range of ways on the ice, from transportation to companionship, even food.