Bothie, also known as Bothie the Polar Dog, was a long-haired Jack Russell Terrier who was the only dog to travel to both the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or Points of the compass, compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Pro ...

and North Poles. Bothie was owned by Ranulph Fiennes and

Ginny Fiennes Virginia Frances, Lady Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( Pepper; 9 July 1947 – 20 February 2004), known as Ginny Fiennes, was an English explorer. She was the first woman to be awarded the Polar Medal, and the first woman to be voted in to join the ...

and accompanied the team on the circumpolar

Transglobe Expedition The Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) was the first expedition to make a longitudinal (north–south) circumnavigation of the Earth using only surface transport. British adventurer Sir Ranulph Fiennes led a team, including Oliver Shepard and Char ...

from 1979 to 1982.

Expedition

The Transglobe Expedition (1979–1982) was the first successful longitudinal (north–south) circumnavigation of the Earth using only surface transport, traversing both the South and North Poles. The expedition was conceived by

and led by her husband Ranulph Fiennes. Bothie, a stray long-haired brown-and-white Jack Russell Terrier, was given to the Fiennes couple in 1977, two years before the expedition. He was flown to join the Transglobe crew following the Africa segment, which was considered too hot for him. Bothie accompanied Ginny Fiennes throughout the rest of the expedition. This included enduring an

Antarctic The Antarctic ( or , American English also or ; commonly ) is a polar region around Earth's South Pole, opposite the Arctic region around the North Pole. The Antarctic comprises the continent of Antarctica, the Kerguelen Plateau and other ...

winter during his nine-month stay on the continent, and spending six weeks at the pole. During this period Bothie participated in the first

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

match ever held at the South Pole. To help him with the cold temperatures Bothie was kitted with tailor-made red coat, balaclava facemask, and boots, though he was said to consider these as "seldom needed". From Antarctica the team sailed north on the MV ''Benjamin Bowring'' to Canada. After travelling through the Northwest Passage Ranulph Fiennes and Charles Burton made the trip to the North Pole by powered

sledges A sled, skid, sledge, or sleigh is a land vehicle that slides across a surface, usually of ice or snow. It is built with either a smooth underside or a separate body supported by two or more smooth, relatively narrow, longitudinal runners s ...

arriving 10 April 1982, before signalling to base camp that they had arrived. To celebrate their achievement, a

Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada, which produced the aircraft from 1965 to 1988; Viking Air purchased the type certificate, then restarted ...

aircraft was sent out to deliver the two men supplies, including champagne, as well as Bothie. At this point Bothie became the first dog to ever "set paw on both the South and North poles". During the three-year expedition, Bothie was considered by members of the team as "a friend and welcome distraction to everyone", bringing a "sense of home and normality" to the venture.

Return

Upon return to Great Britain, following a six-month anti- rabies quarantine, Bothie achieved a level of celebrity including featuring on the ''

Blue Peter ''Blue Peter'' is a British children's television entertainment programme created by John Hunter Blair. It is the longest-running children's TV show in the world, having been broadcast since October 1958. It was broadcast primarily from BBC Tel ...

'' TV programme, being voted Great Britain's Pet of the Year and presented a prize at Crufts in 1983, inspiring a soft-toy range, and entry into the ''Guinness Book of Pet Records''. In 1984, Ranulph and Ginny Fiennes released a best-selling book on his adventures called ''Bothie The Polar Dog''. Following his return, Bothie retired from polar exploration aged 7 years.

Legacy

No other canine is expected to match Bothie's achievement of visiting both poles after the Antarctic Treaty of 1994, which has subsequently forbidden dogs from the Antarctic continent to protect the native seal population.

References

{{reflist Polar exploration Individual dogs

Expedition

Return

Legacy

See also

References