We, the human race, have shaped the civilizations from the dawn of our journey on this planet. But humans are not the only one to make history. Many of our friends in the animal kingdom have made their own incredible mark on history, in both positive and negative ways.

Here are some of the most notable examples when history was created by Dogs, our four-legged best friends in small but meaningful ways.

Laika: The dog who sacrificed her life to make space travel possible

In the early days of the space race, little was known about the impact of spaceflight on the human body. Scientists were not sure whether the human body would be able to survive the massive acceleration during the launch, or the microgravity environment of outer space. So, Soviet engineers decided to test animal flights, while continuously monitoring their health on board, as  a necessary precursor to human missions.

Laika was a 3-year-old stray dog, picked up from the Moscow streets, just over a week before the Sputnik-2 was set to launch. Soviet scientists chose to use strays since they assumed that such animals had already learned to endure conditions of extreme cold and hunger.

In 1957, Laika became the first animal to be launched into orbit. The experiment proved that a living passenger could survive space and endure micro-gravity, paving the way for human spaceflight and providing scientists with some of the first data on how living organisms react to spaceflight environments.

Sadly, the technology to de-orbit from space had not yet been developed, and therefore Laika's survival was not possible. After completing several orbits, Laika passed away due to overheating, and the Sputnik-2 capsule, including Laika's remains, disintegrated during re-entry.

After completing several orbits, Laika passed away due to overheating, and the Sputnik-2 capsule, including Laika's remains, disintegrated during re-entry.

Peritas : The Dog that saved the life of Alexander the Great

Peritas was Alexander the Great's favorite dog, who accompanied him during his military endeavors. He saved the legendary warrior, at least, twice on the battlefield.

According to legend, he leaped in front of a charging elephant during a Persian attack led by Darius III in Battle of Gaugamela. By biting the elephant’s face, he diverted the animal from Alexander, which allowed the troops to rescue Alexander just in time.

In another story, Peritas led soldiers to Alexander when he had been wounded in battle against Mallians and fought off enemies while the soldiers saved Alexander’s life.

Balto – The Dog that saved an entire town from epidemic

In January 1925, the Alaskan town of Nome was hit by a deadly diphtheria epidemic. The only serum that could stop the outbreak was in Washington. Due to frequent harsh blizzards and strong winds, it was not possible to transport the serum via aircraft. After considering all of the alternatives, officials decided to move the medicines via train to Nenana, and the remaining 674 miles distance via dog sleds led by Balto, a Siberian husky dog.

Soon after the team left Nenana, a blinding blizzard began, dropping temperatures to -50℃ and generating wind gusts in excess of 50 mph. The sled team found themselves unable to navigate and almost gave up all hope of making it to Nome in time. But Balto knew the trail well, and, following his instincts, started to lead the team through the cold and the snow, in almost complete white-out condition.

Over the next 20 hours, Balto slowly led his sled dog team over the final 53 miles. The next day, the team finally arrived in Nome. The dogs were too tired to even bark, but the serum had been successfully delivered.

The story was made into an animated movie in 1995, named after the brave canine, “Balto”, by Universal Studios.

Pickles – The Dog that found the stolen world cup

The Jules Rimet Trophy, to be awarded to the winner of the football World Cup, was stolen just days prior to the 1966 FIFA World Cup in England, which could have become an international embarrassment to England. Luckily, a 4-year-old white collie dog, named Pickles, saved the day.

On 27 March 1966, David Corbett and his dog Pickles were walking in the Beulah Hill district of southeast London, when Pickles began to sniff and ran towards a hedge. Pickles found a parcel wrapped in an old newspaper, tied with string. When Corbett opened the parcel, he recognized the trophy and handed the parcel to the police.

Pickles’ dog collar is still on display in the National Football Museum in Manchester. Diamond – The Dog that burned down Newton’s 20 years of work

Unlike the other heroic dogs on this list, this little Pomeranian owned by Sir Isaac Newton did not help during a crisis, rather he (she?) helped to create one – she burned down Newton’s handwritten notes, capturing 20 years’ worth of his work, in an era when keeping data backup was not an easy or a technological possibility!

On a fateful day, when Newton was working on his theories by candlelight, with the Pomeranian by his side, he was drawn away by a knock at the front door. Diamond was left alone in the study. She excitedly ran around the study and apparently collided with the leg of Newton's small writing table.

The shock of her collision caused the burning candle to tip over, directly onto the manuscript. The manuscript that Newton was working on for 20 years was completely destroyed.

Despite the incredible loss of years of work, Sir Newton was surprisingly understanding. He is said to have lifted his dog into his arms, exclaiming

"Oh, Diamond, Diamond, little do you know the mischief you have done me!"

It took years for Newton to reconstruct the theory of gravity in full. Thus several years of intellectual life and research was set back due to the actions of an innocent dog.

Do other canine legends come to mind? Comment or write to us at editor@blankslatechronicles.com