A great piece of sled dog writing here, check it out after the excerpt:

They’re skinny and don’t look particularly strong at a glance. They’re lithe and wiry. And they all look different; their ears, coat colors, and tails all vary. A lot of them have icy blue eyes. We’re talking about the Alaskan husky. No kennel club recognizes them as an official breed, but this is because they are, at this point in history, essentially a performance mutt with many varieties of dogs mixed in. But their base genetics are ancient and trace back to Alaska thousands of years.

Consider how long humans have been using dogs to pull themselves and their gear and supplies by sled — for at least hundreds of years, maybe longer. The Alaskan husky is the premier version of a sled dog, combining the best elements of Native huskies with that of Siberian huskies, Alaskan malamutes, Chukotka sled dogs, Canadian Eskimo dogs, and Greenland dogs. And more. When European traders and settlers showed up here, they immediately threw some Pointers, Greyhounds, Labs, and Setters into the genetic mix. Today, no dog rivals the Alaskan husky in feats of endurance. 

https://www.uafsunstar.com/community/iditarod-2024-a-sled-dog-named-desire