Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen led the first expedition reach the south pole, arriving on December 14, 1911. However Amundsen received considerable criticism because he ate dogs. His plan relied on using sled dogs to pull the explorers along--the dogs were then rewarded by being butchered and cooked.

Five weeks after Amundsen, the first non-dog-eating expedition reached the pole, led by Robert Falcon Scott, arriving on Jan. 17, 1912. Unfortunately, on the return trip the Scott expedition met difficult weather, and all the men who reached the pole perished. But they went to their grave having proudly never eaten a dog.

In death, the non-dog-eating expedition members became revered in their home country of Great Britain. More than 30 monuments were erected to honor Scott’s efforts.

However, to date, there are no monuments to Scott’s best sled dog “Osman,” although he is deserving. At one point, Osman was swept out to sea, but found his way back. Later, after crossing a snow-covered crevasse, the snow gave out and Osman--still tethered to the other dogs-- held firm while his dangled compatriots were rescued. Osman even survived the expedition and was adopted by a family in New Zealand.
He died a natural death and was not eaten.