1909: "Haying" in North Dakota with farm dog

How many faithful dogs served their masters well in North Dakota can never be known. What is known, is that throughout the years many people in North Dakota have relied on dogs to assist in everyday life and to provide companionship.

While dogs continue to serve in many of their traditional functions, dogs have also taken on new and unique tasks that enhance the lives of their owners and the community. Therapy, medical assistance, and search and rescue are only a few of the many services dogs provide to the people of North Dakota.

Today, dogs contribute more to the welfare of individuals and society than perhaps any other time in the history of the human-dog bond. Additionally, over the past three decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been successful in drastically lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

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Statue of Seaman - Lewis and Clark's Dog

Washburn, North Dakota

In June, 2006, a six-foot tall statue of Seaman, the dog who traveled with Lewis and Clark, was dedicated. Seaman stands watch at a spot on the Missouri River where the Corps of Discovery wintered in 1804-1805. Seaman, a sturdy Newfoundland, was the pet of Meriwether Lewis. He is chronicled in their journey logs as a faithful companion and even a hero, carrying food to an injured explorer and fending off predators around the camp.

The double life-size steel sculpture was created by artist Tom Neary for the Lewis & Clark Fort Mandan Foundation, and stands on Seaman Overlook at Fort Mandan.

The Washburn statue is only the latest monument to Seaman. Statues commemorating the expedition and featuring Seaman stand along the entire length of the Lewis & Clark Trail, from Missouri to Oregon.

(Historians, because of blurred ink in the expedition log, thought the dog's name was "Scannon." This error influenced many Newfoundland owners to name their dog Scannon, in honor of Lewis' famous companion. Historian Donald Jackson discovered the error in 1916.)

National Canine Research Council

What is a dog bite?

While the question seems simple enough, the answer is often not what we imagine.

Over the past 3 decades, increased awareness of the importance of humane care and control of dogs, the enactment and enforcement of leash laws, and dog bite prevention education, have all been successful in lowering the number of reported dog-related injuries nationwide.

National Canine Research Council

Over the past 45 years (1965 - present) there has not been a single documented case of a fatal dog attack in the state of North Dakota.

National Canine Research Council