Lance Mackey: Dogs understand entire conversations

Dog musher Lance Mackey describes the unique relationship and communication he shares with his dogs and why he gets emotional recounting how they changed his life.
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Episode debuted nationwide in 2014.
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[@N8turenut]

I will always have a dog for the remainder of my life.

[@TRAVIESO_NA]

Lance makes me wanna be a better human being

[@jimmydiamond784]

he’s a drug addict, recently tested positive again

[@doggodoggo3000]

@@jimmydiamond784 dog sled racing is basically a drug addiction in itself. If you like running dogs so much why you gotta race them and trade them around and shit? Not all mushers think racing is humane.

[@chrisdavis6784]

Hey man baseball players do roids and dog sleders do crank...Period man..

[@user-dq5hp8mz3p]

@@jimmydiamond784 If you live in the real world and remove yourself from your prejudices you would find drug addicts can be some of the best people you know. Kind, caring and intelligent. Drug addiction says nothing about ones morals or or value as a person. It must be easy living life black and white though, ignorance sure makes the issue easier.

[@vaughanoke1059]

There was no other like Lance Mackey. RIP Champ.

[@Methadone4Life]

Lance is what you call raw and real and we should ask nothing more from any human! Mad respect for Lance!!!

[@oaksoptions]

You’re right. Life is raw and real and we should be honest about it.

[@gabos7892]

This guy really loves his dogs.

[@HarrietThugman]

@My chemical Reality His Meth, but his dogs are tied to a pole half of the time, and the rest of the time they are pulling a sled...so we got a Meth head Santa clause running around abusing dogs

[@padraigfitzgerald4524]

Such an uneducated and ignorant viewer.

[@928pcar]

Alex your ignorance is vast

[@Blake-qw9bk]

I hope I don’t ever have the hate and anger Alex Alex has.

[@booboognu]

Man, he explained exactly my thoughts about loving dogs, because they are always in the moment. Makes me feel like a kid again, can't get enough of hanging out with dogs.

[@astridklingemann1150]

....,feel in the same way....so emotional ❤️🐾

[@wuwillis719]

I love this guy.... people talk about "keeping it real" well this guy is the poster boy for REAL.

[@The-Dom]

I got back from a walk with my puppy one day. She's my world, saved me from a very dark time in my life. I was having one of those "god show me a sign" moments and i looked at my dog and asked her "are you an angel?" she sat down, looked me square in the eyes and winked. I tried to laugh it off, but asked it again, same think sit and wink. she's never winked at me since.

[@debbiekessel1281]

I love Graham. What an intelligent interviewer!

[@GrahamBensinger]

Thanks Debbie! We've got some great shows coming up, make sure you're subscribed. -AD

[@johnmedeiros8553]

This mans a national treasure , he should be protected at all cost

[@johnkolp7066]

R.I.P lance mackey! Dog mushing will never be the same. Alaska lost a true legend :(

[@johnmedeiros8553]

@@johnkolp7066 sad news 😢

[@ChicagoMike85]

Dogs are the worlds best creatures. So loving and innocent.. they are like souls of love and happiness.

[@BGale47]

made me hug my dog. what a warrior

[@Rawdiswar]

It was hard not to cry watching this. Wow.

[@TreyIndica420]

my dad is 78 yrs old & i have seen him cry ONE time in the 46 years of my life. And that was when he had to drive our dog Joker to the vet to be put down. He has talked toour dogs more than he has to me ..

[@TheJoeGizzle]

Awesome. That's some beautiful perspective.

[@tyler45acp]

This is so true! My dogs have changed my life. Can’t wait to get home everyday to see my best friends

[@bradr2142]

This guy is spittin the truth. He put his dogs first or at least an equal to himself. Wow all dog owners know exactly what hes spittin. Great champ.

[@Danny-ii6ub]

What a beautiful heart he has ...

[@laraoneal7284]

This interviewer is so sweet. He really listens and seems to care. God bless him.

[@DivineMizE]

Quirky dude but what a heart! ♥️

[@juancastillo5078]

Graham you are killing it! Fantastic interview.

[@dr05guitar]

i come back to watch this from time to time...very inspiring hearing him tell this story

[@erickreyes9707]

Wow what a pleasure, great job Graham

[@jessparker3178]

I’m crying listening to this!

[@axelpteeg]

some real badass dude , right there !!! peace and joy to him and his dogs !

[@nick-ho9pc]

Lance is incredible. Ive never heard of him or the iditarod. But i cant stop watchin these interviews

[@franciscoblasco2225]

me too

[@kevinkraft5480]

This is my fav from GB. This dude is a real man and a great person.

[@tipsythefedora]

There is a clip on KZbin, long story short guy in a wheelchair needed a fence because his dog couldn’t go out. Some people got him a fence and surprised him, it was on the news.When the reporter asks him how he got through 25 years in a wheelchair, the guy says “I had a dog” nuff said.

[@Franklyhesaid]

This is what i like about the human race, i never knew that there are passions in life like this

[@jeff2231963]

what a wonderful segment. thank you for the honesty and the emotion.

[@adamturner1563]

Just beautiful. Deserves to be happy, this guy. 👊

[@rajgill7576]

Thats just incrdible.. its amazing what pets understand. I talk to my cat all the time, without hand gestures to get up or get down or come with and they listen

[@josephduncan4356]

This is an example of a good interview. A few key questions followed by long periods of just listening. Good job!

[@ihavetubes]

God bless him and his dogs.

[@jeremysimpson3865]

RIP Lance you were an original.

[@baltimorezone2158]

Gave me chills.. It’s very Real

[@davidwood5007]

Real recognizes real

[@iwazzabadboy1982]

Lance is a legend....Dogs do understand conversations..My black lab / Sib Huskie mix totally does..Its crazy..along with knowing what my mood is or if I’m sick... Great videos with Lance..Thanks

[@LucasPenido]

Had never heard of him, but this is AMAZING!!! Great interviews Graham Besinger! As I've told you before...I see you as the next Larry King!

[@JerkyJones100]

I loved this. I have the same feels when talking about my dog.

[@casedonn6213]

Amazing. Real talk! Dogs are amazing animals. Very cool story

[@nyeteg02]

This dude is an absolute legend. I think I've got a new hero. I should ink him on my back.

[@MikeyB9282]

You should get his name on ur butt cheek

[@Pingaheimer]

People are just way too eager to find something new to tattoo on their body, fucking weird. yeah, dude loves his dogs and is good at what he does, hey lemme draw him on my body for eternity. wtf

[@ImageLimestone]

Yeah, maybe dont do that?

[@letitbeknown6589]

Love this guy.

[@sarahsundstrom1425]

There will never be a Musher like this guy. He is electric ...

[@axelpteeg]

some real badass dude , right there !!! peace and joy to him !

[@spencerford2149]

Fucking Interview touched my heart, Damn You Graham Bensinger

[@kentuckyboy541]

We don't deserve dogs. This dude is gritty. He's been down in it. I like him. You don't know pain or joy til you've suffered....

[@Angelwr1luv]

That was a beautiful interview 😊❤

[@Zer0Fall3n]

They are like his kids, he so passionate tho I agree with him 100%

[@samfreeman4606]

I got to see the ceremonial start of the Iditarod in Anchorage in 2020. Unbelievable experience! Thanks for the inside look, Graham.

[@doggodoggo3000]

I don't want to cheapen or take that experience from you. But dog sled racing needs to be made illegal. Have you ever seen the movie "sled dogs?" its awfully accurate *i work in sled dog racing and wrote this reddit page www.reddit.com/r/dogs/comments/japt8w/discussion_so_i_work_in_sled_dog_racing/?context=3

[@samfreeman4606]

@@doggodoggo3000 I will definitely check out that documentary. While at the start line, I observed the relatively small PETA presence of less than ten. Some mushing proponents stopped in passing to voice their opposition, and I quietly took their side. My thoughts were " if I were a dog, would I rather be a mushing dog, or an apartment confined 'stay at home' dog who inevitably gets health problems from sleeping all day?". While at the race, it was an easy choice! Maybe after seeing 'Sled Dogs' I won't be so sure. Thanks for the insight!

[@doggodoggo3000]

​@@samfreeman4606 No problem. I know alot of people end up at PETA because they have stories, and PETA is willing to listen and get involved. They sorta opened up the dialogue about animal rights. Its kinda natural that people with tales of abuse end up there. I have found that people against the race that are affiliated with peta, aren't always like animal welfare nut jobs, but people who this particular niche issue, RACING, is what they are against. Im feeling the same kinda way. But i've been involved in industries PETA is against. Farms, zoos, etc. I always saw them as an extremist organization. But now that I am actually HERE, in the know. And involved in top tier, elite level, dog racing. Seeing lots of outdated and cruel practices, the FLAWS built into competitive animal racing. And have loads of animal care and training experience outside of the world of sporting. IDK what to do lol. Theres alot wrong here, and there's ACTUALLY an easy solution. Ban dog racing. They just did it in Florida. greyhound racing is illegal in 41 states. The greyhound stuff mirrors the problems in dog sled racing. It just looks different. I can see this. But what am I actually supposed to DO about it? Thats how alot of this stuff end up at PETA lol. People just don't know what else to do when they find themselves exposed to something normalized and even praised, that is cruel. In my case its dog racing. How DOES one go about trying to change something like this? I studied media in school, and paired with my animal knowledge. I have an unique window into this stuff. And am oddly specialized to be an advocate for this topic. That sucks. I have a moral obligation :(((((((( ugh life is hard. I think I have ptsd from years in animal care... Mushing is great. RACING is another thing entirely. It all sorta looks and almost works the same. But RACING needs to be banned.

[@samfreeman4606]

@@doggodoggo3000 I appreciate the thoughts. I'm not in favor of banning anything. We should do what well run societies do and police natural laws. Things like violence theft or lying. Totally understand where you're coming from, but when you talk about 'banning' it is just another way of saying 'control people using FORCE'. Whether that be fines, theft of dogs, or violence against owners who resist the oversight of the PETA community. I'm not disagreeing with you, but I challenge you to consider alternatives to placing a 'ban' on anything. Don't we have enough banned activities? 😁

[@samfreeman4606]

Consider the possibility that if done ethically, dog (man's best friend) racing is a pretty cool activity.

[@fredhelmecke6073]

Love hearing the man talk about Dogs...you did a xllent interveiw.

[@i1onic]

this guy seem to be broken but he understood more than we prop. ever will!

[@rayalankadlubowski9191]

"I owe my life to my dogs"! I TOTALLY UNDERSTAND!

[@yzwme586]

I need a dog now

[@kearneyboy]

Best win in the history of Iditarod. Lucky number 13 Absolutely Epic.

[@susanhafner6906]

We love you and your dogs YOUR AMAZING LANCE. I've been following you since the year 2,000 you inspired me to become a musher I never realized all the hard work it would be and I never have been sorry for all the hard work it has been it's kept me strong it's kept me alive I had stage 4 cancer and because of my dogs I am still alive cancer free and I owe it all to my dog's cuz I could never leave them behind thank you Lance for being such a inspiring mentor in my life I'm so proud of you that you ran the Iditarod this year and you did so great God bless you tenfold dude. I got to meet you and Willow and I have also seen you a couple times and Trapper Creek cuz that's where I live you are always such a cool guy thanks for being such a inspiring human for all and thanks to you for your dogs being so inspiring but you made those dogs what they are they are loved because you are love they work hard because you work hard they do that for you because they love you and we love you too like I said God bless you tenfold XXXOOO

[@nebulae87]

Dogs are some if not the greatest creatures to ever exist. The only thing that sucks, is that their time with you is just so damn temporary. :(

[@altestic577]

can't say I've heard of this guy. but he's badass!

[@timothyunderwood6449]

Word brother. Nothing compares to K9 companionship!!!

[@1101bear1011]

new fan of this guy

[@tomverin5140]

What a guy !!

[@luckeyhal1]

I believe what he is saying dogs understand conversations I had a German Shepherd and I'm telling you he knew what was going on

[@RonJustDiggingLife]

Lance is very cool. I interviewed for a TV show on training sled dogs possibly with Lance. Damn she laughed when I said dogs can understand sentences.. She should have watched this !!!!!

[@charmjasmi]

this gentleman Mr Lance Mackey is real man, Real Man, unlike other fake hero stealing credits of others especially from those real hereos Doggies who made that journey possible! what he said in that interview is very accurately correct !

[@LarryKnowles]

Guy's got heart.

[@moimeme7839]

Dogs understand feelings, not like we do but in their way of interpreting our mood. so they can make it to a good understanding when they look at humans, weither human talk or the way human behave

[@maloupenalosa7483]

Inspirational.

[@doggodoggo3000]

I work in dog sled racing. I don't see it that way. Dog sled racing is kind of like a bad habit. Chasing these races makes people feel cool. But you are looking past the dogs. Not all mushers think racing is humane.

[@shentertainer6009]

Has he got tape on his jacket. Great guy and dogs are incredible animals .

[@adamturner1563]

Yeah. Old school trick ..

[@mr.j8690]

that's was pretty darn cool...♡

[@MilesCobbett]

Lance is very cool and my next door neighbor :)

[@cpk313]

He's 100% right, there are way too many times I have said a sentence to my dog and she reacts to it in a manner that could only happen if she understood what I was saying; too many times to be coincidence.

[@MH-Tesla]

I remember following that race that year. Unbelievable

[@Carbonx007]

This dude could write a book..I hope he does..wouldn't have to work another day

[@Hooptierescue]

he owes nothing this guy lived life he can say I ben there done that.. what don't kill me well make me stronger... have to belive in ur self

[@billiebergmann471]

what a guy

[@fernando717]

Never heard of this guy, but his life is pretty interesting.

[@blacksprucecabinak]

Those of us who have a love dogs get it.

[@adamjonson1718]

real nigga.

[@elroc1]

Alright Graham... you reek of frat boy douchiness... but you got me. I subscribed

[@Neon29651]

MC MLee lol I’m glad I’m not the only one that thought this. But a relatively nice frat guy though.

[@000001willy]

I respect how Lance values his relationship with all of his dogs and puts them before himself. Sadly I detect that Lance himself has had a very hard life and looks as though he has been fighting demons all his life. I don't know the man but that is the vibe I get from him. I hope he finds happiness and tranquility in his life and whatever his demons are he manages to bury them for good.

[@thevirgil1722]

Somebody make a movie about Lance and his pups! (if it hasn't already been done).

[@leannes.9859]

Damn...I miss my dog.

[@Orangeblood123]

I'm glad the guy from Semi Pro got it together.

[@JK-ks3xq]

As a whole, dogs are way better than humans!

[@kennethgibson1092]

100% agree

[@michaelr3648]

Interviewer: a dbag. Lance: a legend, RIP.

[@Pingaheimer]

Why do you call Graham a douche?

[@chilangua]

People that are against dogsledding should spend 1 week with Lance.

[@todesque]

I love everything about Lance and this interview. But I disagree with one thing he said. Dogs don’t love unconditionally, and nor should they. If you mistreat them, they won’t love you and might even quit on you. What is certainly true is they will repay your love and leadership a thousand times over. Dogs are the best.

[@bozidarsremac8157]

white snoop dog! :) really good person.

[@Rawdiswar]

Make the biopic of this guy right now!

[@adamturner1563]

Agree whole heartedly.

[@Pingaheimer]

google "the great alone"

[@chrisdavis6784]

I ate my dog River, because he ate a bag of my crank and you know River would have wanted it that way, and I dedicated my next race to River, I won that race mostly because I was high...RIP River 😍

[@mr.makedonija2627]

U ok bro?

[@mikehunt6295]

wow that's it baby cheer up to you I don't know how Graham asked them why you get so emotional couldn't see the love for his dogs same way I get around mine she knows exactly every word I say and I talked to her all day long love the story

[@sebastienmorin378]

best man friend

[@23ofSeptember]

Does he have a border collie rottweiler cross breed pulling his sled? At 1:12 it looks like it.

[@motivationandtravelchannel4575]

He looks like he had a ROUGH life!

[@zeppizippo7524]

Alcoholic and drug addict. He also worked on a fishing boat for like 10 years which he says hardened him up. He got clean cold Turkey and went on to race the Iditarod.

[@udance4u]

We also have to remember he is a throat cancer survivor too. He had a slim chance of pulling through it, but he did!

[@The-Dom]

THere's a lady with a YT channel who's got her cat pushing buttons for words and basically having a simple conversation. Koko the gorilla could sign language about her existential crisis when her cat died. Animals know what's going on.

[@geraldbrienza4474]

I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t love dogs...........

[@Redracer608]

He was crying because......his kids made him proud...raised and showed St Bernards for 17 years.... I know EXCACTLY where his head was at....

[@illreportbackinabit.8514]

Always have more then one dog if you love them so you never have zero dogs when they leave this life before you.

[@lelididyourdad978]

guess Lance had the best plug for some coke for the doges