When We Had Sled Dogs

This story takes readers on a journey into the past when dog teams were part of the traditional way of life in Northern Saskatchewan. It follows the seasonal cycle of trapline life.

When eleven-year-old Matt must set up a business to save his failing math grade, he overcomes his self-doubt and also gains two friends along the way.

MUSH! is tailored to sled doggers of all levels of interest and experience. The beginner will appreciate the clear cut instructions for assembling his own equipment. The "old pros" will find its encyclopedic format of great and lasting value.

"Jeremy lives in a small community where winters are long and stray dogs roam the streets. When peer pressure leads Jeremy into a bad prank, he is immediately struck with guilt - and that's when Jeremy's life changes forever. Trying to make amends Jeremy befriends Yellow Dog - and in the process meets a curious old man who introduces him to the adventures of dog sledding. Soon Jeremy is forming his own old-time dog team with Yellow Dog at lead - and in the process discovers more about himself - and the old man - than he ever thought possible."--Provided by publisher.

McKenna, fourteen, is losing her vision to Stargardt's disease, but that will not stop her from competing in a rigorous new sled dog race through the Canadian wilderness.

After a fifteen-year career as a sled dog racer, musher Dave Olesen turned his focus away from competition and set out to fulfill a lifelong dream. Over the course of four successive winters he steered his dogs and sled on long trips away from his remote Northwest Territories homestead, setting out in turn to the four cardinal compass points—south, east, north, and west—and home again to Hoarfrost River. His narrative ranges from the personal and poignant musings of a dogsled driver to loftier planes of introspection and contemplation. Olesen describes his journeys day by day, but this book is not merely an account of his travels. Neither is it yet another offering in the genre of “wide-eyed southerner meets the Arctic,” because Olesen is a firmly rooted northerner, having lived and travelled in the boreal outback for over thirty years. Olesen’s life story colours his writing: educated immigrant, husband and father, professional dog musher, working bush pilot, and denizen of log cabins far off the grid. He and his dogs feel at home in country lying miles back of beyond. This book demolishes many of the clichés that imbue writings about bush life, the Far North, and dogsledding. It is a unique blend of armchair adventure, personal memoir, and thoughtful, down-to-earth reflection.

From the beginning one puppy was different from the rest. He was big and black, his brother and sisters small and gray. While the others lay quietly snuggled against their mother, this puppy squirmed and wiggled constantly.So begins the inspiring true story of a puppy whose boundless energy almost got the best of him. Douggie: The Playful Puppy Who Became a Sled Dog Hero is Pam Flowers's tribute to the pup who seemed destined to remain the class clown. But Pam saw potential in this exuberant youngster, and Douggie's intelligence and persistence ultimately earned him the position of lead dog for a dangerous 325-mile expedition to the Magnetic North Pole.As the lead dog, Douggie lead the sled dog team on this exciting adventure traveling across the frozen sea of the far Canadian north for 18 days, surviving many challenges and returning home safely. Douggie went on to become a top lead dog and lead a subsequent trip of 2,500 miles.

Experience the freedom and danger of a girl's first sled run. Whoosh! A young girl and her three dogs take off, their sled nearly flying off the ground. Skookum and Hawk and Bamboo strain and huff, racing over the soft white snow. The sled dogs have been waiting for this day since they were puppies, and the girl has imagined it for years. Only the shusshh of the runners and the jingling of the collars and snaps disturb the quiet-until the team meets a moose. Mushing can be dangerous, but there is nothing like the freedom and speed and peace that come from a run.