Alaska's Dog Heroes: True Stories of Remarkable Canines (PAWS IV)

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John Morgan and his wife can barely contain their excitement upon arriving as the new teachers in a Yup’ik Eskimo village on the Alaskan tundra. Lured north in search of adventure, the couple hope to immerse themselves in the ancient Arctic culture. But their move proves disastrous when a deadly epidemic strikes and the isolated tundra community descends into total chaos.

PAULSEN: I really did. I tried. About 10 below, you're done with a laptop. It won't work after that, and close to zero, even, is kind of rough. They don't like it much. PAULSEN: I - we had 17 years of way below poverty. I mean - and we didn't take any money from the state. So we lived - we had four gardens and a few goats. And we lived up in the north woods. And then I got into sled dogs (laughter). And I wound up running the Iditarod twice - went up and ran that thing. And all of that seemed to just be part of that set piece of life - about a 10-year period. In his career he was a market hunter, trapper, roadhouse owner, professional dog team musher, and federal predator agent. A naturalist at heart, he learned from personal observation the life secrets of moose, caribou, foxes, wolverines, mountain sheep, grizzly bears, and wolves—especially wolves. Fusco, Richard. "On Primitivism in The Call of the Wild. American Literary Realism, 1870–1910. Vol. 20, No. 1 (Fall, 1987), pp.76–80 If you like adventure stories of amazing feats during the most difficult circumstances, this book is for you! Make sure you have a warm drink and a blanket nearby because it's about to get cold.

1st Alaska Tours – 1-Hour Dog Sledding

The malamute typically pulls camp equipment, food boxes, and other larger loads in addition to people. They will thus have plenty of energy and typically require at least two hours of vigorous physical exercise each day. The majority of the well-known Arctic dog breeds and other spitz-type dog breeds share characteristics with Alaskan malamutes. Malamutes and huskies are actually quite similar, and the former is sometimes referred to as just being bigger and heavier husky. 2. Alaskan Husky The Malanees is a working-class dog with high strength and a strong sense of drive that is built to pull and serve as guards. Malanees appreciate spending time with their family, although occasionally being a touch obstinate, and they are extremely kind and affectionate with youngsters. GROSS: Gary Paulsen, speaking with FRESH AIR guest host Marty Moss-Coane in 1994 after the publication of his memoir, "Winterdance." Paulsen died of cardiac arrest last week. He was 82. His memoir, "Gone To The Woods," was published earlier this year. After we take a short break, John Powers will review Todd Haynes' new documentary about The Velvet Underground. This is FRESH AIR. James’s handsome artwork captures the individuality of each dog as Gill describes the animals and their contributions to Alaskan history in crisp, clean prose.”

The lifesaving serum was a thousand miles away, the port was icebound, and planes couldn't fly in blizzard conditions―only the dogs could make it. The heroic dash of dog teams across the Alaskan wilderness to Nome inspired the annual Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race and immortalized Balto, the lead dog of the last team whose bronze statue still stands in New York City's Central Park. Highliners are the elite of the fishing world, the skippers and crews who make the biggest catches—salmon, king crab, halibut, shrimp—and deliver them first to the bustling canneries of Kodiak and Dutch Harbor. Little is known about these dogs because they are extremely uncommon and are still referred to as hybrid dogs. They were developed in Alaska to provide a more flexible choice for hauling sleighs, but the breeding practices behind them are a bit mysterious. Call of the Wild The Call of the Wild, considered by many London's greatest novel, is a gripping tale of a heroic dog that, thrust into the brutal life of the Alaska Gold Rush, ultimately faces a choice between living in man's world and returning to nature.PAULSEN: My heart. I would have gone again. I'd have gone last year, the year before, and I'd be going this year. It's just - it just grips you. It just does, and it - nobody who runs that is ever the same again. MOSS-COANE: ...That you sleep in the kennel. But how did that change your relationship with them, to sleep together?