This is the second in a series of four excerpts taken from The Book That Wasn't, a limited edition publication of the very personal accounts of Falkland Islands Dependencies Survey and British Antarctic Survey veterans describing what it was like to live and work with dogs. Look for more of Mike Fielding's sketches adorning other articles in this issue of The Fan Hitch. The ISDI and The Fan Hitch gratefully acknowledge the kindness of Mike Fielding and Kevin Walton for granting permission to reproduce portions of The Book That Wasn't. Ed.

During his days at university, studying land surveying, Mike Fielding met lecturer Colin Brown who had been at the Stonington Island base in the late 1940s and had traveled with Sir Vivian Fuchs. And so Mike's antarctic passion was sparked. His polar service, 1967-1970, was equally divided between weeks to months carrying out land surveys by dog team and time at base where his principal job was looking after up to 120 dogs. "If we got fed up with the other humans on the base or in the tent then we usually went and sat and talked to the dogs. Very therapeutic." After is BAS service, Mike returned to the UK, married Pat and continued his career. They moved to Brunei and then Switzerland before returning home, then to Oman and then back home again. Mike's career still takes him afar for periods of time.