Welcome to a pre-scheduled post . . . as some of you know, I imagine I will be pretty busy by March 19 with a new grandchild!

NPR featured “Meet Slater and Morello, the sled dogs that led Brent Sass to victory” by Lex Treinen Alaska Public Media NPR 3/15/2022. What struck me most about this story was the interconnectedness between Sass and the dogs.

“Dogs’ ability to communicate with humans is unlike any other species in the animal kingdom. They can sense our emotions, read our facial expressions, and even follow our pointing gestures. They seem to possess a special skill for knowing exactly how we’re feeling.” Research Shows Your Dog Can Hear When You’re Happy or Sad by Stephanie Gibeault, MSc, CPDT, American Kennel Club 4/5/2018.

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve loved some dogs who didn’t know the difference between their own tails and a squeaky toy, who would happily scarf rabbit poop all day long (we used to refer to the droppings as Doggy Raisinets).

Clearly, canine emotional intelligence - the ability to sense their humans’ feelings - is not the same as academic prowess or IQ.

However, for many canines and humans, the connection is deep, and powerful, and that is something to celebrate!

Random Afterthoughts:

• Commands used in the Iditarod include “Come Gee! Come Haw!” (Turn right, turn left, respectively)

• There is an open debate about whether the Iditarod at times involves or allows cruelty to animals, with some claiming the race is by its nature cruel, and others claiming the dogs love to race, and their humans love the dogs. See, for example, “Is the Iditarod Sled Dog Race Safe for the Dogs?” by Brandy Arnold The Dogington Post 3/6/2020.

  For the record, I am not in favor of any human tradition that involves anything but compassion and kindness to non-human animals, and nothing in this post is intended to be or should be taken as an endorsement of any activity not meeting those standards.

  The title of this post is intended only to suggest that, when we allow ourselves to partner lovingly with dogs, the results can be pretty spectacular.

• The same Dogington Post article makes it obvious that, no matter how much I love dogs (and I do) I will never be tempted to take up Iditarod-type racing. “The famous sled dog race commemorates a 1925 rescue mission in which a series of sled dog teams carried a lifesaving diphtheria serum to the Alaskan community of Nome. . . . [It is] run on one of two desolate 1,000 plus mile trails between Anchorage and Nome, the race crosses frozen rivers, barren tundra, treacherous paths and steep climbs while braving the meanest weather on earth. Temperatures during the day are considered mild at 0 degrees, averaging 20 below at night, sometimes dropping to -40 or -50 below.”

  In my mind, bitterly cold weather

  calls for cocoa, cookies, and a good book.

  With my dog (of course).