Honest Dogs: A Story of Triumph and Regret from the World's Toughest Sled Dog Race [Paperback]

Brian Patrick O'Donoghue (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 1999

It had been six years since newspaper reporter Brian Patrick O'Donoghue mushed to a last place finish in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Yearning to challenge himself anew, he enters the Yukon Quest, a more brutal 1,000-mile run between Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, and Fairbanks, Alaska. With wry humor and diminishing expectations, O'Donoghue shares the trail with Khan, Hobbes, Scrimshaw, Cyclone, and ten other excitable Alaska huskies, plus a diverse collection of rival racers and resident bush rats. The mushers' strategies, dreams and disappointments, the antics of the dogs, and the drama of the race are all part of this punishing personal journey.

Editorial Reviews

Review

If you've got spirit and the love of life, this book will make you want to recruit a bunch of canine buddies and join the strange characters who still roam the trails of Jack London's Great White Silence. --Craig Medred, Anchorage Daily News

About the Author

When he's not cleaning the dog lot, Brian Patrick O'Donoghue covers the oil industry, politics, and sled dog racing for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. He and his wife, fellow journalist Kate Ripley, reside with their two boys and a dozen sled dogs in a cabin located on a forested 20-acre parcel in Two Rivers, Alaska's mushing mecca. His last book, MY LEAD DOG WAS A LESBIAN recounted his misadventures in the Iditarod in 1991.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Epicenter Press (September 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 094539778X
• ISBN-13: 978-0945397786
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #530,939 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Outdoor Recreation > Iditarod & Dog-Sledding

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A, December 30, 1999

By 

"pmichna" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honest Dogs: A Story of Triumph and Regret from the World's Toughest Sled Dog Race (Paperback)

As a fellow reporter, I was pleased to hear about O'Donoghue's latest book, having read (and enjoyed) his first take on sled dog racing on the Iditarod trail. O'Donoghue's a quirky writer, and his uncomplicated narrative threads between both his experiences on the trail, and those of his competitors. At times cocky and arrogant (or maybe just a touch naive), the writer's fortunes take a dive along the 1,000 mile trail, as the weather and the strategies of the other racers grind his team down. It's an easy read, and the amusing dialogue helps quicken the pace.However, something about the book rubs me the wrong way - not in a painful way, but in a brow-wrinkling way. You feel like you've only gotten a small taste of the true story by the time the last page folds by. Something here is missing. Some added detail on preparing for his first foray into the so-called world's toughest sled dog race would have been a nice touch by the author. And O'Donoghue, while painting a crystal clear (and often touching) picture of his dogs, doesn't wax as eloquent when dealing with the human cast of characters in the book. Of course, he's titled the tome Honest Dogs, so I suppose that's a moot point. And what the heck, this is his story. All things considered, it is one of the better written and by far the most entertaining books produced about the Yukon Quest - and that's a rarity. (And those who understand the references to the 'LA reporter' will enjoy a wry chuckle every now and then. Here's hoping Honest Dogs outsells that other 'insider's view' on the Quest!)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for sled dog racing fans, April 21, 2000

By 

donna Greenslade (betal Island Cailfornia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honest Dogs: A Story of Triumph and Regret from the World's Toughest Sled Dog Race (Paperback)

Once in a while you come across a book that you are sorry to see end.Honest dogs was one of those books for me.The chapter on going over american summit was very exciting.When I was in Anchorage for the start of this years Iditarod I got to see and pet O'donogue's lead dog "Khan". in person After reading this fine book I want to move to Two Rivers,Alaska and take up Mushing myself

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended for dog lovers & armchair adventurers., June 5, 2000

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honest Dogs: A Story of Triumph and Regret from the World's Toughest Sled Dog Race (Paperback)

In Honest Dogs: A Story Of Triumph And Regret From The World's Toughest Sled Dog Race, journalist and family man Brian O'Donoghue shares the story of his experiences upon entering the Yukon Quest Sled Dog Race at the age of 41. Brian writes with wry humor of sharing the trail with his Alaskan huskies Khan, Hobbes, Scrimshaw, and Cyclone, as well as a diverse collection of rival racers and resident bush rats. Honest Dogs is a candid, vivid account of a punishing personal journey and relates the strategies, dreams, and disappoints of the contestants, the antics of the furry canine athletes, the sheer drama of the race, and the unworldly wilderness setting in which Brian and his dogs found themselves. Honest Dogs is highly recommended reading for armchair adventurers and dog lovers everywhere.