In Draft Dogs I wrote about the use of pack dogs in wartime. But long before those European conflicts, dogs were hauling goods in the Americas. Dogs were an important part of early native American life – besides hunting and religious uses, dogs were used to carry loads. In fact pulling sleds across the snow was probably one of the first human uses of dogs. Dogs filled these roles because prior to arrival of Europeans, the people of North America did not have horses to carry their loads. That meant that the traditional pre-automobile method to transport loads, by horse and/or wagon, was unavailable to them. So dogs served as pack animals for certain native American tribes – in summer pulling an A frame type device that had two trailing legs that were dragged along the ground. Next: The Vietnam Ratter.
