My Life in Dog Years is packed to the brim with smart, strong, capable dogs. No joke; these dogs are practically superheroes. As his canine crew saves lives and manages farms and fights off bears, Paulsen paints his own work in a less-than-flattering light. The way he tells it, his hunting skills…and construction skills…and life skills could all use some serious work.
Every now and again, though, he'll drop a comment that reminds us that he used to run dogs in the Alaskan wilderness. We get the sense that maybe—just maybe—Paulsen tends to downplay his own expertise as an outdoorsman. In fact, has tons of skills in many different fields—publishing almost 500 books, short stories and plays being only one of them. He sails, trains horses in New Mexico and sled dogs in Alaska, pilots a plane, makes his own bows and arrows, sews animal pelts, and grows and hunts his own food in an area full of rattlesnakes, mountain lions, and bears. He's an ace poker player. Then there's that Iditarod…
Questions About Strength and Skill
- How did Paulsen's childhood experiences help develop his skills as an outdoorsman?
- Besides his history with dog racing, how do we know that Paulsen is a capable outdoorsman?
- Which of Paulsen's dogs has the most impressive skill set?
Chew on This
Paulsen plays up his dogs' strength and skills by deliberately poking fun at himself.
The skills that Paulsen needs as a human are pretty different and more complicated than the skills you need as a dog.