Balto is the Universal Pictures animated feature from 1995 that tells the story of how one heroic “scrub” dog saves the town of Nome, Alaska, by leading the team sled dogs bringing the lifesaving diphtheria antitoxin from the 500 miles distant Fairbanks. Balto single-handedly saved…wait…what?
What do you mean that Balto isn’t the hero of this story?
Togo? Who’s Togo?
Like you, Eve and I are going a little stir crazy abiding by the stay-at-home orders of our respective states. The COVID-19 illness is a genuine, dangerous threat, and we are doing everything we can to help prevent it from spreading during this pandemic. That got us thinking about other times in American history when we’ve had to hunker down and wait out an illness. Like today’s quarantine, the pandemics of ages past have been fertile grounds for the breading of heroes and stories of heroism.
In the winter of 1925, Nome, Alaska, suffered an outbreak of diphtheria. By late January of 1925, there were more than 20 confirmed cases. Mail service, shipping, and recently established aeroplane services were all suspended due to weather. The illness would spread if something wasn’t done soon—despite efforts at quarantine—and it would ravage both settlers and native population with a fatality rate near 100%. If Nome didn’t get the antitoxin soon, all would likely be lost. The town would need a daring plan to get the lifesaving antitoxin. They came up with a strategy that involved the single most reliable method of transportation they had: dog sleds.
This month, we aren’t just watching the Disney+ streaming offering of Togo, starring Willem Dafoe and Julianne Nicholson. Togo tells the lesser-known tale of the real hero of the 1925 serum run to Nome that would become at least partial inspiration for the Iditarod sled race. Musher Leonhard Seppala (Defoe) and his sled team, led by Togo, mushed a staggering total of 261 miles as part of the community effort to get a critical antitoxin to Nome. The relationship between Leonhard (called “Sepp”) and Togo is the real star of the tale, though, as they work together to get their team of dogs across the most dangerous terrain imaginable in the race to save the lives of the children of Nome.
Togo is a remarkably clean movie that tells the truly heroic tale of the team of Sepp and Togo in their struggle, but it does have some very high tension perils. It is a good movie for children of all ages, but very young children might need a little extra support. For a full breakdown of the content of Togo, check out Plugged In’s review.
Mark Isham composed beautiful, sweeping music that is a fitting complement to the gorgeous Alaskan landscapes and tense, adventure-filled story.
First Impressions
When we come into a made-for-streaming movie, Eve and I are a bit jaded. We’re both old enough to remember the days of direct-to-videotape film that were, almost without exception, beyond bad. When Eve and I hear “made-for-streaming,” it is hard not to have old biases flare-up. The industry, as a general rule, has been changing that narrative, and Togo is an excellent example of those efforts. It is a well-done movie with beautiful music, breathtaking cinematography, really well-done effects, and—most strikingly—a cast that delivers. The acting is top-notch. I feel that Julianne Nicholson delivers an Oscar-worthy performance as Constance Seppala, Leonhard’s [very] hard-working wife, and puppy-Togo’s patron.
My very minor complaints about Togo were much a matter of preference. I felt like the drama wasn’t balanced well enough by humor. There is humor as fond memories of Togo’s puppy-hood, and those memories are always when Togo appears to be on death’s door.
I also felt like the CGI perils like the ice flow breakup on the sound or the blizzard’s storm wall, were just a little over the top. It did an excellent job of adding a sense of danger and tension but fell on the wrong side of the realism line for me. The dialog in the movie is also very heavy. Every single line carries with it both gravitas and importance. It’s something you might not notice if you are not trying to write down all the essential things. It’s not a big issue, but it piles onto the scale of the hard drama of Togo and makes it more substantial than it should have been. There were quite a few bright spots, though, including the too-seldom recurring banter between Sepp and Constance. Even with all the heaviness, all the characters are fully fleshed, multidimensional, real people that tell the real story as very real.
Creation, Animals, and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Speaking personally, as a resident of Hampton Roads, I see and hear more than my fair share about the activities and philosophies of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). I admire their implied mission to ensure that animals are ethically treated—it is, after all, in the name. What I don’t respect is their corporate opposition to what they call “speciesism.” Speciesism is defined as “a form of discrimination based on species membership and involves treating members of one species as morally more important than members of other species even when their interests are equivalent.” The idea that every living animal on the planet has the same moral importance as a human being, created in the image of God, is unbiblical and harmful to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Animals are important to us. Very important. I would feel lost without a dog in my family. I believe that the love and devotion of a dog are among the closest examples to true agape that we have in our lives. We may joke about all dogs go to heaven, but maybe, just maybe, the love of a dog is a piece of heaven’s glory.
God created all animals, and all of creation was given to man to rule and watch over:
God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” (Genesis 1:28)
The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. (Genesis 2:15)
As rulers and stewards of creation, the Word of God instructs us to be fair; not only to our fellow man but even to the animals of creation:
Do not muzzle an ox while it treads out grain. (Deuteronomy 25:4)
God tells us that a righteous man is a responsible man:
The righteous cares about his animal’s health, but even the merciful acts of the wicked are cruel.(Proverbs 12:10)
If PETA had stopped with simply promoting and supporting the ethical treatment of animals, they would have been on the same sheet of music as Scripture. But they have taken their philosophy and made it an idol in an of itself. All of creation has fallen as a result of original sin. All of creation exists to enable man to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The way we glorify God is by abiding by the greatest commandments:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-40)
What we see in Togo is a beautiful example of just that. Sepp is willing to sacrifice himself and his sled team on the slim chance that he would be able to make a dangerous sled run through a storm of biblical proportions. Togo doesn’t explicitly state it, but this is an act of love that can—and should—be used to bring glory to God.
Quarantine
Like so many Americans, Eve and I are under stay-at-home orders due to the COVID-19, going stir crazy in our houses, getting desperate to get back to any semblance of normal life. For good or bad, I have personal experience with COVID-19. From March 14th through March 29th, I went through the worst illness I have ever experienced in my entire life. Even the recovery process has been unbelievably long. Even now, a month after I first had symptoms, I still find that my strength is returning. I can easily see how, if my illness had been even a little bit worse than it was, I could have ended up in the hospital in mortal danger.
The precipitating event of Togo is a diphtheria outbreak in Nome, Alaska, during the winter of 1924-25. While diphtheria is not the same class of illness, it does share some symptoms and can result in death in similar ways. In fact, in 1925, in Nome Alaska, an unaddressed diphtheria outbreak would have had nearly a 100% fatality rate. Quarantine would have been their most important tool to prevent the illness from spreading.
The question arises, though: how should Christians address the fear of the COVID-19 outbreak? We are well aware that life is a terminal condition yet mindful that this world is not our home. We are also called to love each other as ourselves. Even among brothers and sisters in Christ there is disagreement about how we are best to show that love. Should we be pushing for reopening the economy, rescuing our neighbors from looming economic ruin? Perhaps we should all be staying in, doing our part to “flatten the curve” and work to prevent the spread of the virus from person to person.
One thing that all believers can agree on is that, regardless of which course of action we embrace, we are to do so without fear of death. We belong wholeheartedly to our Lord and Savior, Christ Jesus, and He is sovereign. We may die as a result of a COVID-19 illness, but if we contracted it as a result of serving God, we could be confident that it was still the right thing to do.
There are three examples of quarantine in the Bible that came to mind. The first was the ten plagues of Eygpt in Exodus 7 through 12. During the last plague, in particular, the Israelites were given specific, “stay-at-home” orders (along with a host of other instructions). They could be sure that failure to follow those orders would have dire consequences. (I’d have stayed inside during the invasion of frogs, too—just saying.) The second that came to mind was the plague of snakes among the Israelites wandering the wilderness from Numbers 21. Finally, in John chapter 20, we are told the story of the Apostles locking themselves away in the upper room after the crucifixion of Jesus, fearful of the religious leaders. In all three cases, our dependency on (and often lack of faith in) God, are key.
At the very least, we should be using this new reality to lead people to God.
Everyday Heroes
Sepp and Constance are authentic, and it is easy to sympathize with them. Neither of them wants the responsibility that this serum run is going to put on them. They know, though, that if they do not do it, it will not be done. In fact, they are not going to do it all the way up until they are the only choice. That is very much like what our healthcare workers, our truck drivers, our emergency responders, and even our fast-food workers are feeling during the coronavirus pandemic. They are essential. They do what needs to be done because it needs to be done. They do their jobs despite the genuine possibility that it will mean severe discomfort and exposure. The essential personnel are the everyday heroes of our current pandemic, just as Sepp is the hero of Togo.
Doing what needs to be done to ensure the health and safety of your neighbors is 2nd greatest commandment in action. Sepp possessed a level of skill in his trade that was unsurpassed. His talent was a gift from God. When he used it to serve his community, he was a good steward of God’s grace:
“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve others, as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10)
Credit Where Credit is Due
The reason that Balto got all the credit for the successful completion of the great serum run is that he was one of two lead dogs on the sled that delivered the serum into Nome. The other lead dog’s name was “Fox,” and the reporters decided not to mention it because they thought the readers would mistake it for an actual fox. Balto was a much more newsworthy and news friendly name. Balto didn’t have an easy time of it, to be sure, but his accomplishments in the run pale in comparison to those of Sepp, Togo, and the team. Sepp knew both dogs—they were both from his kennel. He knew that all the glory and fame that the news reporters heaped on Balto should have been Togo’s. Togo saved Sepp’s life and the lives of everyone treated by the serum.
For decades after the run, Sepp was bitter that Togo never got the credit that he deserved. That got us wondering, how does a Christian address credit? Is it right for us to desire recognition for our accomplishments?
“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. Otherwise, you have no reward with your Father in heaven. So whenever you give to the poor, don’t sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be applauded by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you give to the poor, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:1-4)
We need to remember that what we do, we do for God first and foremost, and it is from Him that the credit matters. And God knows, unerringly, where we have done well and where we have fallen short.
When we do receive credit from our peers, we need to remember that even that is due to God’s specific plan:
A person’s heart plans his way, but the Lord determines his steps. (Proverbs 16:9)
Even that credit serves our primary purpose, to bring glory to God. No matter how great our accomplishment, it is less than nothing compared to the grace of God.
This is what the Lord says: The wise person should not boast in his wisdom; the strong should not boast in his strength; the wealthy should not boast in his wealth. But the one who boasts should boast in this: that he understands and knows me— that I am the Lord, showing faithful love, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for I delight in these things. This is the Lord’s declaration. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)
More than that, I also consider everything to be a loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Because of him I have suffered the loss of all things and consider them as dung, so that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own from the law, but one that is through faith in Christ—the righteousness from God based on faith.(Philippians 3:8-9)
Heartfelt Devotion
Togo’s backstory is told through flashbacks throughout the movie. In these flashbacks, you see just how much trouble Togo causes for Sepp. The dog was an escape artist, continually slipping out of the pen, the workshop, off his rope, or even from other houses, to run to Sepp. Sepp thought that Togo was just difficult, but by the end of the great serum run, Sepp realized his mistake. Togo was wholeheartedly devoted to Sepp with a single-minded passion that puts most human expressions of love to shame. It’s not a perfect parallel, but this conclusion does remind us of how devoted we should be to our Savior and Lord.
May all the peoples of the earth know that the Lord is God. There is no other! Be wholeheartedly devoted to the Lord our God to walk in his statutes and to keep his commands, as it is today.” (1 Kings 8:60-61)
This is a love and devotion that has to supersede all others in your life, and that is a tall order. Christ stresses just how hard that can be:
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, and even his own life—he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)
Conclusion
The story of Leonhard & Constance Sepalla, Togo, and the great serum run of 1925 is one that bears repeating, and repeating, and repeating. It is one of community, responsibility, and devotion, and above all, self-sacrifice. All are reflections of Christ in our history and inform us on how we are to comport ourselves—even in the middle of a pandemic.
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