What do the dogs symbolize?

It seems as though the dogs in the story represent the interconnectedness of all things and the cycles of nature. Our first introduction to any dogs in the story are the skeletons of Ann’s old dogs buried in her yard. There is a seemingly magical blue force moving from within these skeletons to the living dogs above ground. The fact that the skeletons are referred to as the current dogs’ ancestors cements these animals as a symbol for the cycle of life, death, and rebirth. It is the energy coming out of the ground that seems to imbue the living dogs with their spirits. It is also important to note that most of the dogs discussed in the story are hunting dogs. These dogs are trained to catch birds, which in turn will feed their owner: again, another cycle of life. Near the end of the story, the narrator has the thought that perhaps Ann’s experience in the underworld ice cave helped her experience what her dogs experience when they are hunting. Everything falls away, and only the bare reality of the way things really are remains. In the end, there is only one’s relationship to other things that remain.