Dee Dee Jonrowe hugging one of her dogs.

One of my favorite things to witness in the checkpoints is the relationships between the mushers and their best friends. When entering the checkpoint the first things most of the mushers do is pet their dogs and give them recognition for the run. The last thing they do upon leaving the checkpoint is pet their dogs as sort of “good luck and let’s have fun.” As the mushers are running on the trail you can hear them acknowledging the dogs’ hard work by telling them “good dog” or “good job, guys.” While taking their breaks at the checkpoint their center of attention is their dogs. Snacking, feeding, caring, stretching, loving, and cuddling their dogs. The dog and musher relationship is a tremendous bond. You can see in the pictures that Dee Dee Jonrowe has a terrific relationship with her dogs. You can tell a lot about a person by how they treat their dogs. What kind of relationship do you have with your pet?

Ideas for students:

What do you think Dee Dee is saying to her dogs in the pictures?

What do you think her dogs are thinking?