IN THE STORY " TO BUILD A FIRE" DESCRIBE THE MAN'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE DOG.

The dog is a "big native husky" and the man's only companion on the trail. While it depends upon the man for food and for warmth from campfires, the dog is "not concerned in the welfare of the man" and obeys him only to avoid being whipped. The dog is motivated by instinct. After it falls into the water on the river trail, the dog instinctively knows how to save itself by cleaning the ice from its legs and feet. Later, while the man freezes to death as a result of his unreliable powers of reason, the dog instinctively knows how to survive by curling up in the snow; ultimately, it senses the man's death and saves itself by leaving for camp on its own.