Dogsong

Russel’s song invites the audience to come and see his dogs, and he is therefore inviting the listener to come and see him, to know him, since he and his dogs are a continuum of the same being: “They are me” (177). The story of his life is told in simply verse, and everything, including his wife and children, are reflected in, and are a reflection of, his dogs. He tells of his hunts, Oogruk, Nancy (girl-woman), and his journeys and expresses that he owes all of it to his dogs. Russel’s song captures his love, respect, and dedication to his dogs and how they are intertwined in every aspect of his life. Even though the written story ends before the reader knows what happens to Nancy after they reach the northern sea-ice, the song implies that Nancy is the “girl-woman,” that they marry and have children, and that they and live life “the old way,” connected with the environment, nature, and their dogs.