Dogs on the Trail: A Year in the Life

by Blair Braverman, Quince Mountain

A delightful photographic journey into a year in the life of a team of sled dogs, based on Braverman’s wildly popular Twitter feed. When Blair Braverman started posting pictures of her dog team on Twitter, she had no idea the response she would get. Being a musher, after all, isn’t just about racing—raising dogs from puppyhood to retirement (and beyond) is a full-time job. She and her husband, musher Quince Mountain, wanted to share stories about life with their dog team. And not just the big stuff, like expeditions and wild animal encounters, but also the everyday the challenge of storing a thousand pounds of raw meat, scouting new trails with the dogs, the decisions that go into putting a team together, how she trains puppies to be brave. These were goofy stories, scary stories, heartfelt stories, stories that clearly connected with people and kept going viral. Inspired by those connections,  Dogs on the Trail  is a chronicle of a year in the life of their dog team. Beginning in the fall as the weather starts to cool, training on both dry land and in the snow, then camping and racing. Spring brings mud—lousy for sledding, but the dogs love it. And summer is the season of puppies. The book ends on a beginning, in anticipation of the adventurous lives that the new pups have in store. An irresistible adventure,  Dogs on the Trail  will delight and entertain while taking you inside a musher’s world, and showing you why the wilderness isn’t simply a place to visit but also a home to return to.

Genres: Nonfiction, Dogs, Animals, Memoir, Nature, Photography, Sports

144 pages, Hardcover

First published October 19, 2021

Reviews

[Stephen Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am going to rate this book 5 stars as it was fun, the pictures are amazing, and you feel like you are going along with the author raising her dogs for a year like you are a friend of hers. It is a chronicle of a year in the life of their dog team, with pictures and words for each season.

Each of her main dogs are highlighted with at least one picture and some info on them. My favorite was Grinch, with an accompanying photo of a black dog whose muzzle looks too narrow from the way the picture is angled and makes him not look as attractive as the other dogs. The text box says:

Grinch is a perfect mystery. He is a light that shines from nothing and into nothing. He’s a collection of feelings in a dog-shaped box made of off-brand Legos. He has ten thousand peeing spots and he visits them in order twice a day. He thinks it’s very exciting to find a rock that a dog has peed on. He doesn’t care that the dog was him.
Litter Theme: Christmas; named for the Grinch who stole it.

As I will probably say too often in this review, the pictures in the book are really good. The dogs all look like ones you would want to take home. Too often with race pictures weather conditions make it tough to see things well, but in this picture, it always seems to be a sunny happy day with the dogs.

It is a small book, and a quick read so would be a very good one to leave out if you have people so they can leaf through a book and give them a smile. Would make a good gift for a dog fan.

Here are a few quotes I liked:

'Pretty soon our whole life was dogs. I woke up planning what I’d make for their breakfast; I feel asleep imagining where we would run next. There were hours, days even, when nothing existed but the shifting sled runners, the gentle puffs of breath. It was the only world that mattered.'

'The truth is that mushing is both very exotic and not exotic at all. If you’ve ever had a dog pull you on a bicycle, or while you run, that’s a kind of mushing. And if you’ve ever thrown a tennis ball for a retriever, again and again, then you have an idea of the bottomless enthusiasm that a sled dog brings to the trail.'

'If anything, they’ve taught me to be half-wild: to build a life outdoors, following instincts, trusting my teammates. They’ve taught me that wilderness isn’t a place to visit, but a home to return to. They’ve taught me that there is far less difference between humans and animals than I thought.'

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I follow Blair Braverman on Twitter, and I love the way she writes about her sled dogs. This photo collection has gorgeous photos and lots of info about what her life is like as a musher. I learned a lot about mushing—including the fact that it’s way more work than I would ever be willing to do—and I enjoyed the photos and bios of the dogs, especially Flame and Grinch. It took a couple of hours to page through, and it was a lovely way to spend an evening.

[Logan Mendivil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This provided excellent insight into the life of sled dogs and their mushers. The photography was absolutely brilliant and the stories along with the information were awesome. This book is suitable for youth and adults alike.

[Ragna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely low-key introduction to mushing and the mushing lifestyle. Suitable for children and adults alike, lots of gorgeous images.

[L. A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful and inspiring year in the life of these amazing dogs told by Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain with so much joy and charm.

This is a book for kids, for adults, for the dog lovers in your life and for those who want to be taken on a stunning photographic journey in the company of two great people and the dogs they share their lives with.

Exceptional and the perfect holiday gift for everyone on my list! Thank you!!!

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dogs on the Trail is by local author Blair Braverman about their dog sledding team and adventures. It is a beautifully put together book, sharing the four seasons of dog teaming, answers many questions about the sport, has adorable and hilarious photos of the dogs along with their names and how they were named. I highly recommend this book of joy and dogs and the people who love them.

Note to self: bucket list addition, go dog sledding!

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book, cover to cover! I love that it broke down the process by season. The photos were amazing.

[Bridget Neace · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this read--provides a realistic glimpse into the world of mushing and sled dogs. Stunning photographs.

[Gretchen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous photos, paired with just enough text to tell you why these dogs are each the VERY BEST DOG.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's like a small sample of Bler's Twitter feed, without the evermovingness of Twitter that makes it so hard (for me, at least) to go back and revisit things I want to look again. It's info about dogs, and so many beautiful pictures of dogs. Happy dogs! Bouncing dogs! Rosettes of sleeping puppies! Dogs doing what they were born and bred and love to do, in partnership with the humans who love them.

Honorable mention: "manna rising from the depths of hell."

[Kazi Houston · Rating 5 out of 5]

This beautiful book makes the world of dog sledding accessible and brings the stories of the dogs and the musher to life. The format is friendly to all ages and provides a wealth of information, adorable pups, and beautiful scenery. It is a great journey through a year of mushing and would also make a wonderful gift for anyone who loves dogs or the outdoors.

[Amber Hughey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book! I loved Blair's stories about Grinch and the dogs previous to reading this, and this book gave a wonderful insight into the lives of a sled dog. Her pictures are absolutely gorgeous, and I know I learned a few things while reading it!

[Allison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love them all so much 😍😭

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, thoughtful, and informative.

[Bee Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great pictures. Informative and all about dogs.

[Kate Zdenek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful photos and an excellent narrative make this a wonderful book for anyone who loves dogs

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was delightful!

[Kathrin Passig · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ein Schlittenhund-Poesiealbum mit schönen Fotos und ein paar interessanten Informationen drin. Das Vorwort verspricht: "My goal has always been to share mushing as it is, not just the beauty and wagging tails but the hard parts, too." Im Buch geht es aber dann doch nur um beauty and wagging tails.

Die Kindle-Ausgabe wirkte in der Leseprobe nicht lesbar (alles viel zu winzig, weder Zoom noch Querformat möglich), war es aber in der vollständigen dann doch. Man kann nicht zoomen, es gibt aber eine Lesehilfe (Doppelklick bzw. -tipp auf einen Absatz vergrößert den Absatz, danach Navigation durch Pfeiltasten bzw. Wischen.)

[Hannah⚡️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve followed Blair and Q on twitter for a number of years now, and have also since found other mushers to follow. This book was a really lovely compilation of photos and stories and information that Blair and Q have shared over the years. It’s a really good introduction to mushing and all the different aspects of it - racing, puppies, what teams do when it’s not winter, how/what they pack for a race - and of course SO MANY CUTE DOG PICTURES

[Debra Hines · Rating 5 out of 5]

AN ENTHRALLING PEEK AT SLED DOGS AND THEIR MUSHERS
After reading Blair Braverman’s book, Welcome to the Goddamn Ice Cube, I was hooked. Hooked on sled dogs, their mushers, and the races.
Dogs On the Trail takes the reader inside a musher’s world. The book is a beautiful combination of photo album and journal, depicting a sled dog team, their unique and quirky personalities, and how they live and train through the four seasons.

[Zac · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick enjoyable read with loads of lovely photographs. The book is filled with tidbits of knowledge, but felt a bit rushed or casual at times. It's also a very different tone than Gary Paulsen's book on dog running which leads me to think the author left out the less flattering parts. For dog lovers, the book is well worth the hour of your time.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book about sled dogs.

[Mickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every single page of this delightful romp through the year of a sled dog. The photos, captions, and descriptions are captivating, and I was left at the end wanting more more more! Highly recommended.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A delightful book - heavy on the pictures - giving the basics of living as a dog musher in northern Wisconsin during the four seasons (or three as the book puts it - winter, summer, and mud). Made for wonderful Christmas day reading, and my kids love it too.

[emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

a heartwarming and adorable overview of dog mushing

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such beautiful photography and wonderful explanations about mushing and dogsledding. I do wish the print was more stylized. It seems to look like a font found old on a computer.

[Peter Skeels · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book!

[Caitrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet and gentle storytelling. A joy to read!

[Amy Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a heartwarming look at this team and a nice look into the mushing world
As someone who loves dogs and misses having my own, this was a great quick pick me up read

[Rex Babiera · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who loves working dogs… with great photos and love for these amazing athletes