This left sixteen dogs to assist the three sledging events planned for the beginning of November, however Blizzard, one of the pups that had been born to Gadget early in the year, had survived and was additionally now huge sufficient to pull. In hauling the provides out to the depots the dogs had been invaluable; six canines could pull a sledge with a load of 1,000 pounds (450 kg). Mawson and Frank Wild agreed that 19 of the remaining canine would keep at the main base and 9 would accompany Wild and his celebration as they sailed west to set up a second base. Just before he left his Antarctic base, Amundsen had been informed that Mawson may have resupplying with canine for a second season, so he had taken all his surviving animals on board – he had been planning on leaving a superb number behind. Aurora returned on thirteen December 1913 to gather the remaining members and on 23 December the remaining twelve canines had been introduced on board prepared for the ship’s departure the next day. By the point Mawson decided to make his most important camp at Cape Denison on eight January 1912, there have been 29 grownup canines left on board.
Mawson made it back to base on eight February 1913. All of the original canine that had landed at Cape Denison were now lifeless; three of Ginger’s pups survived – D’Urville, Ross, and Wilkes. At Cape Denison the dogs initially fared properly. They immediately began to supplement their meagre rations by killing and consuming the remaining dogs. Mertz died early on 8 January 1913 – it is generally thought that he suffered from vitamin A poisoning introduced on by eating the canines’ livers. When Aurora steamed out of Commonwealth Bay on eight February 1913 she left behind 21 dogs that Amundsen had introduced to the AAE when he put in at Hobart. The last verse is deliberately left open to interpretation, which amplifies the impact of the remainder of the tune. After Lassesen’s demise, Fix, Peary and George would usually separate themselves from the remainder of the canines, taking shelter amongst the rocks by the Magnetograph House.
Unlike the earlier 12 months, no clear chief emerged among the many canine; as an alternative there were small factions: the three surviving pups of Ginger: D’Urville, Ross and Wilkes formed a gaggle; George and Lassesen joined Peary and Fix; and Colonel was the leader of the other canines against these two groups. As Frank Bickerton’s party was to test the “air-tractor sledge”, it didn’t require canine; Mawson decided that his celebration would take the 17 canine and Madigan’s group, which could be on easier ground closer to the coast, would man-haul. In July conditions deteriorated to such an extent that though the canine had been taken into the verandah, they were nonetheless usually discovered frozen to the ground – Mawson noted “They whine piteously for they can’t move”. On 7 March Mawson recorded that one of the dogs, Caruso, had been discovered with a cord wound tightly round his neck. Pups were born often, but few survived greater than just a few days; they have been either eaten by their mothers, killed by the opposite canine, or perished in the harsh circumstances.
Another canine, Jack Johnson – named after the boxer – was continuously testing himself towards the opposite canine, he had heavy scarring as result. The final dog, Ginger, was killed on 28 December. The interrogating officer bluntly asks Edmond why he killed Glenna, to Edmond’s shock and disbelief. On 17 November, just after the three sledging parties separated, Gadget was killed as a result of she had proved a poor puller and was judged to be tired out from carrying her pups. The blizzard lasted for days and it was not until 21 August that a rescue social gathering consisting of Bob Bage, Mertz and Frank Hurley may set out. Mertz, Hurley and Ninnis set out rescue them on 1 October when the blizzard lifted however had been pressured to show again and were not able to set out again till 3 October. The weather was already closing in and it was determined that they could not go back to fetch the canine. The males needed to lighten the load for the remaining canines by discarding equipment; among the many gadgets they left was the rifle, so after they got here to kill Pavlova on 23 December they had to do it with a knife. Unfortunately the males became somewhat blase about managing the dogs and on 15 August 1912 Mawson, Ninnis and Cecil Madigan, returning from a drop at the availability depot often known as Aladdin’s Cave observed that the canine which had accompanied them had not adopted them when they’d left for the bottom.