Samoa Dog Names

Fritz Lee is the name of a Samoan rugby union football player. Fritz was born on Samoa and is considered one of the top players on the field. Fritz is also the name of a special pup who was able to come to the rescue of people in need. When Hurricane Lane hit Hawaii’s Big Island causing significant flooding, rescue teams from all over the world came to help, including some from the San Francisco Bay Area. Ed Martinez was one of the rescuers and he arrived with Fritz, the Black Lab mix that is his partner. The pair hail from the San Francisco Fire Department and they were dispatched to Hawaii with California Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 3. Members of the team are veterans in the global rescue community. Fritz was found as a stray in Eugene, Oregon, where he was picked up by animal control. Officers were convinced that the sweet pup belonged to someone, however, no one ever came for him.

Fritz was transferred to another shelter where he was discovered by Search Dog Foundation Canine Recruiter Kirsten Fulk. She evaluated him for the foundation, and Fritz passed easily. He then went with Kirsten to her kennel where he spent a week living with Minnie, another search dog candidate. The two pups then made the trip to Search Dog Foundation’s National Training Center in Santa Paula, CA. According to his bio, Fritz moved through his training rapidly and loved to find the hidden “victims” and bark for his toy. Fritz was eventually matched with Martinez, a firefighter, and assigned to Task Force 3 in September of 2015. After achieving FEMA Certification in six months, they became eligible to deploy nationwide to assist in disasters.

Another well-known dog named Fritz was a sled dog of the legendary Alaskan dog driver Leonhard Seppala. Seppala was born in Norway and emigrated to Alaska during the gold rush. He learned to drive dogs while hauling freight and supplies from mines around Nome. During the diphtheria epidemic in Nome, he and his dogs traveled over 260 miles to obtain and return with the necessary serum, resulting in fame for himself and Balto, who became the most famous dog in Seppala’s kennel. Balto was a last-minute addition to the serum run, with Seppala’s easy choice to lead the journey being an older and trusted lead dog named Togo. While Togo earned some fame, his half-brother Fritz was a quiet leader from Seppala’s kennel. Fritz, a cream-colored Siberian Husky with brown and gray neck and head markings, also participated in the serum run and became a key foundation sire among Huskies to come. Fritz frequently led Seppala’s team in tandem with Togo and was called by Seppala, “a great dog”.