“Savage beasts,” “great companions”: the first dogs to winter on the Antarctic continent

By investigating the nature of the social interactions between “sledge dogs” and explorers in the first land-based exploration in Antarctica, this research contributes to an animal-human perspective in Antarctic historical studies. Consideration of the interspecies interactions provide further insight into attitudes to nonhuman animal welfare, including towards wildlife, at the turn of the twentieth century. The companionship of favored animals appeared to have alleviated some of the stresses of isolation and confinement in the inhospitable Antarctic environment.