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Eight Below for Devotion, Loyalty and Teamwork

Written by: Don Doman

Article Overview: The feature film, Eight Below, presented by Walt Disney is a wonderful example of devotion, loyalty, and teamwork.

Eight Below for Devotion, Loyalty and Teamwork

The feature film, Eight Below, presented by Walt Disney 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 rugged American geologist, who are forced to leave behind their team of beloved sled dogs due to a sudden accident and perilous weather conditions in Antarctica. During the harsh, Antarctic winter, the dogs must struggle for survival alone in the intense frozen wilderness for over 6 months."
- Film Description

The humans are leaving by plane. The plane will return in three hours to rescue the dogs before winter sets in with a massive storm. To make sure the dogs are there for the return trip, their collars are fastened tightly to chains. The plane doesn't return.

One by one the dogs slip their collars or help each other slip the 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 seen nearby, Maya, the lead sled dog takes over. She positions the six dogs and then circles and crawls toward the birds. Finally she barks and charges the birds and drives them into the jaws of the waiting dogs. The dogs eat; sometimes abandoned supplies from the Soviet Union; sometimes on a killer whale carcass, and sometimes more birds.

Finally, the human crew is able to put together some financing. They hopscotch their way across the Southern Pacific and the Antarctic, arriving in a borrowed tracked vehicle and trailer. They find five sled dogs in good condition. Maya, badly wounded in a fight with a leopard seal, was still alive and being 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 around and moped or complained about supplies and lack of support from home base. They survived. Isn't that what work teams do?

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