Set in the winter of 1925, Togo is the true story of a dog that saved a town. As a deadly and highly contagious bacterial infection—diphtheria, which affects the upper respiratory system—spread amongst the town’s children, the hospital that served the area informed doctors it did not have the necessary medicine to treat the outbreak. The closest supply of medicine was hundreds of miles away, a journey that would normally take two months across snow and ice during the shortest and coldest days of the year. By then, what was being called an epidemic, would have taken countless lives.
Ultimately, the strength, courage, and determination of one man and his sled dog, Togo (a dog that as a puppy was considered unsuitable for sled work), were instrumental in the delivery of the life-saving serum.
Released in December 2019, the movie stars Willem Dafoe and Julianne Nicholson, and is a gripping tale suitable for all ages.