Eight Below for Devotion, Loyalty and Teamwork

the film, eight downPresented by Walt Disney, it is a wonderful example of devotion, loyalty and teamwork.

“The film tells the story of three members of a scientific expedition: Jerry Shepard, his best friend Cooper, and a tough American geologist, who are forced to leave their team of beloved sled dogs behind due to a sudden accident and the dangerous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh Antarctic winter, dogs must struggle to survive alone in the intensely icy wilderness for more than 6 months.”

– Description of the movie

The humans leave by plane. The plane will return in three hours to rescue the dogs before winter comes with a big storm. To make sure the dogs are there for the return trip, their collars are securely attached to chains. The plane does not return.

One by one, the dogs remove their collars or help each other remove their collars. One doesn’t make it. The dogs revert to pack behavior, which is a highly structured team environment.

When a flock of birds is spotted nearby, Maya, the sled’s guide dog, takes charge. She positions the six dogs and then circles and crawls towards the birds. Finally, she barks and lunges at the birds and drives them into the jaws of the waiting dogs. The dogs eat; sometimes abandoned supplies from the Soviet Union; sometimes on the carcass of an orca, and sometimes on more birds.

Finally, the human crew can raise some funding. They make their way across the South Pacific and Antarctica, arriving in a borrowed tracked vehicle and trailer. They find five sled dogs in good shape. Maya, badly injured in a fight with a leopard seal, was still alive and cared for by the rest of the dogs.

The dogs stayed together for warmth and comfort, as well as protection. They hunted together and cared for each other. They never sat down for a moped or complained about supplies and lack of support from home base. They survived. Isn’t that what work teams do?