A Dog Called
Updated February 23, 2025
A new book by Von E. Martin
photo State Library of New South Wales
The True Story of Shackleton’s Heroic 1914
Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition Sledge Dogs
SHAKESPEARE
Publication Targeted for 2025
for more information please contact:
NorthwestMusher@aol.com
for more information please contact:
NorthwestMusher@aol.com
Shakespeare, the shaggy and fearlessly courageous Canadian dog recruited with nearly 100 dogs for Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition, endures almost unimaginable hardship as he rises to become "King of the Pack".
Hopelessly shipwrecked in the Antarctic without hope of rescue, Shakespeare and each dog of the marooned expedition, serve their masters with unflinching and steady dignity in a desperate effort to preserve the lives of both men and their dwindling supplies.
Hopelessly shipwrecked in the Antarctic without hope of rescue, Shakespeare and each dog of the marooned expedition, serve their masters with unflinching and steady dignity in a desperate effort to preserve the lives of both men and their dwindling supplies.
Synopsis
A Dog Called Shakespeare
About the Book
(excerpt)
This is a story about relationships. Specifically, it is a story of relationships fostered between the men of a tragically doomed Antarctic expedition and their faithful dogs. It is also intended as a tribute honoring and remembering the nearly 100 Canadian dogs who faithfully served their masters in a tragic tale of survival when stranded in the Antarctic over 100 years ago. It is a story of friendships, compassion, and loyalty. It is also a story of suffering, brutality, and sacrifice.
Above my tired, well-worn desk with its ill-fitting drawers hangs the stately portrait of a large shaggy dog whose image studies me daily from his perch upon the wall. His eyes are small for his massive head, set deep and wide upon his face. For several years, I witnessed those eyes gaze upon me with an almost human-like countenance as I set about breathing life into his story.
His name was Shakespeare, a name bestowed upon him by the English due to his wisdom in the “ways of man.” In a way that’s difficult to explain, I have probably come to know him nearly as well as any of the dozens of sled dogs who, for over 30 years, have graced my life. While typing during quiet hours on my keyboard, I often sensed Shakespeare’s presence, almost as if he were overseeing my task in a way that seemed to say, “Tell my story.”
For decades, reaching back to the early 20th century, numerous fine volumes have been written on Shackleton’s legendary “Endurance Expedition.” As a former history teacher, dog musher, trained veterinary assistant and a longtime enthusiast of Shackleton’s legacy, I was naturally drawn to the task of researching and resurrecting the complete story of those heroic dogs employed in the pursuit of his Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition.
