You Can't Be Sirius?! The World's Only Military Dogsled Patrol

Just read this article in January's National Geographic.  It profiles Denmark's elite Sirius dogsled team, which is entrusted with patrolling the 8700-mile coast of Northeast Greenland National Park. At 375,00 square miles, it is the largest national park in the world.

Thanks to its rigorous training program required for membership, Sirius is basically Denmark's equivalent to the US Navy SEALs.  The author of the article, Michael Finkel, chronicles a two-man patrol unit (Jesper Olsen and Rasmus Jorgensen) and their team of thirteen dogs as they traverse the endless expanse of rugged and frozen coastline.

It all makes for a great story, and the type of feature that National Geographic does best.  However, there was one part of the article that really affected me, and it has nothing to do with man's triumph over Mother Nature and the exhilaration that comes with surviving such a perilous adventure.  Rather, it has to do with the fate of the dogs that Sirius breeds to thrive in such a harsh climate.

Finkel writes:

There's no room at the Sirius base for retired dogs.  And the dogs--as much wolf as pet--cannot be adopted.  They must be euthanized, an act the patrollers do themselves with a pistol.  Both Rasmus and Jesper say it's the most difficult part of the job.

Talk about an understatement.  What makes this news even more unsettling is that it is placed at the end of the last major section of the article, and Finkel chooses not to further pursue this aspect of the story.  And this little ray of sunshine comes after a full page display of individual photos of the dogs in Olsen and Jorgenson's team, complete with each dog's name.

With this bombshell weighing on the reader's mind, Finkel then closes the article with some trivial details about Olsen and Jorgenson's dinner, and commentary on their relationship, as well as Sirius patroller relationships, in general.

I understand that this is a journalism piece, and therefore wholly objective.  I appreciate the grim and impersonal tone fostered by the rather bleak subject matter, which gives the article a Jack London-esque feel.  What I would have also appreciated is some elaboration on Sirius's euthanization policy with their dogs, as it seems a rather unjust fate for animals who so loyally protect and serve their human counterparts.