Visit Balto at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History
There aren't many canines who deserve to be called "man's best friend" quite like Balto. The heroic husky was forced to perform in vaudeville acts and sold to a dime museum after his legendary 1925 serum run that saved an Alaskan town facing a diphtheria epidemic. But in 1927, with the help of Clevelanders, businessman George Kimble raised $2,000 to bring the pooch to Brookside Zoo. He was mounted and put on display at the museum after his death so people could continue to honor the lifesaving hound. 1 Wade Oval Drive, Cleveland, 216-231-4600, cmnh.org