Puppies, Dogs, and Blue Northers

An experienced Iditarod racer, Gary Paulsen celebrates his lead dog and longtime companion, Cookie, in this intimate essay. Paulsen takes readers inside the kennel as Cookie’s last litter of pups grow and learn to pull sleds across the snowy frontier.

Includes an author's note.

It’s a tribute to a legendary lead dog, the life they shared, and the lessons learned along the trail.

• Human-Animal Bond: Experience the unbreakable, near-mystical connection between a musher and his lead dog, Cookie—a bond forged over thousands of miles and tested by the wild.
• Survival Story: A gripping account of survival as a litter of puppies is born in a handmade straw shelter during a raging Minnesota blizzard, with temperatures dropping to one hundred below.
• Sled Dog Training: A joyful look inside the kennel as the puppies grow, play, and learn everything from finding treats to singing on key from their wise, four-legged teachers.
• True Adventure: A tale of incredible loyalty when, stranded in the dead of night, the entire dog team makes a choice that will leave readers breathless.