OUR DOGS
Below we will introduce you to some of the dogs in the yard. The youngest, the oldest and some in between. The Alaskan Husky is a very sweet natured and social type of dog. Our dogs love to cuddle and the rest of them are awaiting your visit so they can introduce themselves.
Puppies
During summer we often have puppies. It is always interesting to see them grow up, develop into individuals and find their place in the team.
Hubba
Brother of Bubba and Jenka. Of course just as cute and sweet. Hubba is somewhere in between his boisterous sister and very mellow brother. We are looking forwared to getting to know him as he grows.
HUBBA
Bubba
Bubba is a proper little teddy bear. Sweet as they come and a very sturdy and mellow puppy. Can´t wait to see this gorgeous boy grow up.
BUBBA
Jenka
The sister of Hubba and Bubba. She is slightly more boisterous than her brothers, but just as sweet natured. She is also the bravest of the three. Maybe a future lead dog?
JENKA
The grown ups
The majority of our dogs fall under this category. From the youngsters (1-2 year olds) until the seniors (9/10+ years old).
Mormont
Mormont is a happy little chap that loves to goof around. But he can also be serious when he has his work pants on.
MORMONT
Labbat
Labbat is a wooly (longhaired) husky and looks like a proper
80´s rocker. But behind all the fluff hides a sweet and goofy "little" boy.
LABBAT
Remington
Remington is one of the young guns at the dogyard. Aways happy and eager to take you out on an adventure.
REMINGTON
Moose
Moose is the brother of Labbat and is also a wooly husky. His all time favourite hobby is to steal gloves.
Moose
Wesson
Wesson is a quiet and peaceful lady. She seldom sticks out, but she´s a sturdy and reliable dog you can always count on.
Wesson
Superstar
Superstar is the diva of the dogyard. She is not the biggest of dogs but she never lets that stop her.
Superstar
The Seniors
The oldest dogs at the kennel. "The old knows best" is often true with sled dogs. These are the seasoned and most experienced ladies and gentlemen. They have started to slow down and run when they feel like it. It is important to keep them active as long as they can and want to so they can maintain muscle mass and stay healthy. Of course it is all on their own individual terms. Soon they will become full time sofa potatoes.
Gore-Tex
Gore-Tex is our oldest dog at the kennel. He is now 12 years old and although he has started to consider retirement he is still wanting to come along on trips.
Gore-Tex
Bulle
Bulle
Bulle
Kola
Kola is a great mum. In addition to previously have had her own litter of puppies, she has just finished her duties as a step mother for Hubba, Bubba and Jenka. A job she took on with great pleasure.
Kola
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How many dogs do you have?We have 125 dogs. 115 of the dogs are fully active sled dogs while the rest consist of puppies and seniors. And one full time retired dog that lives with Mia and Audun. We keep this number of dogs to make sure that we have enough dogs for the high season so that the dogs are running sufficient and gets to rest enough. Also it needs to be number of dogs we can manage (train) in the low season. We always adjust the number of trips we sell to the number of dogs we have.
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What food do they eat?We feed using a mix of high quality meat, high energy kibble, salmon oil (omega 3), vitamin powder and warm water. The meat we use we get comes from Nortura . The meat blocks usually consist of meat and the rumen from cattle We change the amount of fat and protein depending on the season and activity. We feed using kibble from Royal Canin. The dogs get fed/snacked everything from 1 - 4 times a day depending on the season (for exampel temperature and activity level).
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Do they live outside all year round?Both yes and no. We typically always have some that lives inside on the sofa all year round. But the majority live outside until they retire (when they are around 9-10 years old). The Alaskan Husky is bred to live outside and has a thick double coat that keep them warm all year round. Their comfort temperature is around -25 Celcius. But they all have a well isolated doghouse with soft wood wool in it that they can use to take shelter from the weather.
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Do they want to do this?We never ever force the dogs to run. Also if a dog don´t want to run you will not be able to force that dog to go. They run because they love it. The HUsky is a working breed that is bred to pull and run. They need to get out to be happy and content. If they don´t want to run it´s usually 2 reasons. #1 They start getting old and tired - time to move on to the sofa. #2 They are injured or bored of working. In that case we will find them a new home where they can spend the rest of their lives.
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How old to they get?The average age is around 15 years old. The oldest dog we had became 19 years old (Ajax). Our current oldest dog is Gore-tex (12 years old).
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Can i adopt a dog?Yes. And even better - You can become a sponsor! More information: SvalbardHuskySponsor Yes, you can adopt a dog. Burt we dont just give them away to anybody. They are our highly valued family members and we want them to have the best life they can. We therefore want to get to know you well beforehand. Most likely you will get a no - But don´t feel bad about that. Audun and Mia (the owners) have lots of musher friends that keep retired sled dogs. Also many of our staff ends up adopting a dog or two that they have gotten a strong bond with.