Before introducing our team in detail, I would like to take some time to explain what sleddog is exactly and which breeds are most suitable for this activity.
Where does sleddog originate?
Sleddog is now considered a dog sport, but it's important to know that in past centuries, it was more of a fundamental activity for the populations living in the Arctic and sub-Arctic regions of our planet, primarily the Inuit. These populations were often semi-nomadic and used their dogs to move between various camps, hunt, and keep warm. Each family raised their own sled dogs, which were considered an integral part of the tribe. The lives of these populations were closely intertwined with those of their dogs.
In more recent times, sleddog and sled dogs gained attention especially following the stories of Balto and Togo, two of the many dogs that fought to save the village of Nome from a diphtheria epidemic. I plan to dedicate a post to these events soon.
Although there are still areas on the planet where sleds remain a valid means of transportation, the advent of modern technologies has made these dogs less essential, relegating sleddog to a secondary activity, often for entertainment.
Sleddog today
Today, sleddog is certainly a lesser-known activity, practiced by many people at a tourist level. However, scattered across Europe and North America, there are still individuals called "Mushers," the sled drivers, who engage in this activity almost daily out of necessity or personal pleasure, along with their dogs. In Nordic countries like Sweden and Norway, where our team has a small operational base, dedicated sled and snowmobile trails still exist during the winter for those who choose to travel using these methods.
Modern sleddog mainly consists of three types of experiences:
Excursions, where mushers explore with their dogs in total freedom. These outings are usually done for the enjoyment and excitement of both the musher and the dogs, who eagerly anticipate days of exploration, or as training sessions.
National, international, and world races. These competitions are highly performance-oriented and cover a range of disciplines, from teams consisting of a skier and a dog to categories with long and technical routes involving teams of up to 14 dogs. These competitions take place on both dry land and snow, and they represent a significant moment of comparison for many mushers and breeders, allowing them to evaluate the selection work done up to that point.
Major races. There isn't a specific term to define these races, but they involve long distances to be covered over several consecutive days, during which dogs and mushers sleep outdoors or in bivouacs. Hundreds of kilometers are covered, and the most important race is undoubtedly the Iditarod, which retraces the path taken by Balto to save Nome, spanning 1600 kilometers. Unfortunately, these races, which also offer substantial cash prizes, have become nearly inaccessible for purebred dogs like the Alaskan Malamute. The pursuit of ever-faster dogs has led mushers to choose dogs that no longer belong to any well-defined breed. This wouldn't be a problem if the selection had been done ethically, but as we will see in the future, this isn't always the case.
Why sleddog today?
Today's mushers carry an inheritance that we are at risk of losing, and in a way, they are the heirs of a culture that is disappearing due to modern human actions. Furthermore, the ancient sled dogs were selected for important traits related to health and temperament, as having weak or quarrelsome dogs would have been counterproductive. In modern dog breeding, which is predominantly focused on aesthetics, these traits are no longer sought with the same importance as before. Today's mushers aim to preserve these characteristics, which we must absolutely not lose.
This is briefly the small world of sleddog today. I realize that many people who have encountered sleddog through tourist destinations might think of it as a sport that exploits dogs. However, I assure you that for true mushers who engage in this sport for themselves and their dogs, the dog is at the heart of everything. None of them would ever dream of putting their friends in harm's way.
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this is actually an interesting read! wasn't exactly aware they had different categories and only heard of them as part of a tourist experience, thanks for sharing about this 😄
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Thanks! Unluckily tourist experience is often the only known part of this awesome world... And it's also the less impoprtant one. But we will change this!