Alea Robinson in the Knik 200, photo courtesy Alea Robinson. 
Nanook (Nookie),
photo courtesy Scott Swift.
Although there is some dispute on when and why dogs and humans started hanging out together, there is no denying they have become the most important non-human companion that we have. In the first segment of today’s show, our guests are Marian Frost and Lorelei Hass, two veterinarians who will explain the evolution and science behind the dog/human bond. In the second segment, Alea Robinson, a board member with the Chugiak Dog Musher Association, will talk about well-known dog/human sports like mushing, but also off-season training with your dog in the relatively new sport of canicross. In the final segment of today’s show, our guests are Nanook, who is also known as Nookie, and his human Scott Swift. Nookie has gained fame by traveling frequently over Crow Pass on his own. In his journeys over Crow Pass, Nookie has rescued several hikers who have found themselves in life-threatening situations.
GUESTS:
Segment 1: Marian Frost, veterinarian at Midnight Sun Animal Hospital, and Lorelei Hass, veterinarian at Ravenwood Veterinary Clinic
Segment 2: Alea Robinson, Chugiak Dog Musher Association board member
Segment 3: Nanook (“Nookie”) and Scott Swift, the Crow Pass dog hero and his human
Marian Frost, veterinarian, photo courtesy Marian Frost 
Lorelei Hass, veterinarian, photo courtesy Lorelei Hass
LINKS:
- Nanook “nookie” swift Facebook page
- Chugiak Dog Mushers Association website
- Chugiak Dog Mushers Association Facebook page
BROADCAST: Thursday, July 18th, 2019. 2:00 pm – 3:00 p.m. AKT
REPEAT BROADCAST: Thursday, July 18th, 2019. 8:00 – 9:00 p.m. AKT
SUBSCRIBE: Receive Outdoor Explorer automatically every week via:
Eric Bork, or you can just call him “Bork” because everybody else does, is the FM Operations Manager for KSKA-FM. He oversees the day-to-day operations of the FM broadcast. He produces and edits episodes of Outdoor Explorer, the Alaska-focused outdoors program. He also maintains the web posts for that show. You may have heard him filling in for Morning Edition or hosting All Things Considered and can still find him operating the soundboard for any of the live broadcast programs.
After escaping the Detroit area when he was 18, Bork made it up to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, where he earned a degree in Communications/Radio Broadcasting from Northern Michigan University. He spent time managing the college radio station, working for the local NPR affiliate, and then in top 40 radio in Michigan before coming to Alaska to work his first few summers. After then moving to Chicago, it only took five years to convince him to move back to Alaska in 2010. When not involved in great radio programming he’s probably riding a bicycle, thinking about riding bicycles, dreaming about bikes, reading a book, or planning the next place he’ll travel to. Only two continents left to conquer!
