While I’ve always enjoyed reading, I don’t get a lot of time to read books any more. Stupid adulting keeps getting in the way. But I did get some time to sit down and read Dogs on the Trail by Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain.

Blair Braverman and Quince Mountain are a married couple that participates in dog mushing. With their pack of dogs, they have competed in many events, including the infamous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Dogs on the Trail not only tells us what they do in a year (by season) but it gives us a mini-biography on each of the dogs. C’mon, we all know we’re really just here for the dogs.

I do follow Blair on Twitter so I was already familiar with the dogs. However, I wasn’t very familiar with the sport of dog mushing. Twitter isn’t exactly the best place to try to teach someone about a sport as difficult as dog mushing. Thankfully, Blair’s book has a lot of pictures to go along with the text. Even though I understood her explanations, having the pictures there to reference made it a lot easier.

For anyone that doesn’t like reading but is interested in possibly buying this book, it is fairly short. All four seasons are covered in 143 pages. That does include a ton of pictures of the dogs, the gear, and some of the other humans that help Blair and Quince. It is laid out a little like a children’s book (more pictures than text) but it is chock full of information. To be honest, I appreciated that. Whenever I thought I might get a little overwhelmed with what Blair was explaining, there was a dog picture right there to give my brain a little break.

Dogs on the Trail is a perfect book for anyone who loves dogs. I don’t think you have to love mushing or the cold or even Blair and Quince as people. (Though I’m not sure how you couldn’t love them.) It is just really awesome to see a dog about amazing dogs doing amazing things that they obviously love. And the love the Blair and Quince have for their pack radiates through each word and picture. This book makes me think that I might love mushing…if I didn’t absolutely hate the cold so much.