What this little guy is really saying is “coming on! Get in the sled, I’m ready to pull!” He’s one of dozens of Alaskan Huskies part of the Kingmik Dog Sled Tours in Lake Louise, Canada, right on the Alberta, British Columbia border. For this TRAVEL THERAPY I wanted to learn about the “stars” the dogs who pull the sleds and at first I was surprised at how small they were until I found out they were bred to be like this, built for speed. The mushers explain before the trip the dogs are all fed a combination of water with raw chicken. The raw chicken, a favorite treat, is thrown in to get the dogs to drink the water so they stay hydrated. After the trip they’re given a small snack of frozen raw chicken because they usually turn around and do another tour. For dinner they’re fed a mixture of the raw chicken and dry dog food.
I noticed some of the dogs had little “paw protectors” and learned some of their feet get small cuts from the ice and snow so a special salve is put on and as “protectors”. One thing you’ll notice right away is how friendly all the dogs are. You’re encouraged to go around and pet them and talk to them because the mushers say the dogs love the attention. I was always trained to be weary of strange ( always a good idea) but quickly found these dogs were friendly and playful and most of all these dogs wanted to run. It’s hard to imagine but the mushers say the dogs love to pull and they’re trained from puppies at about 8 months to pull a sled so it’s what they know and love.
Some of the dogs were only a few years old and I found one that was 11 years old, but seemed to have so much energy his owners still let him pull. Apparently some dogs get bored of sledding, or like any athletes have injuries so they’re retired and adopted out to people looking for a loyal pet. It surprised me how every time we stopped on our sledding trip the dogs would roll around in the snow and play, they really do seem to love sledding. This is a fantastic TRAVEL THERAPY trip for the entire family. Kids LOVE these dogs and getting the chance to lead the team. Our guide told us a story about a four year old he helped stand up with him on the back of the sled. He said the little girl was having so much fun he could barely pry her loose at the end!
