Snow Dogs by Sylva Fae & Adrian Czarnecki I have always loved these beautiful dogs, with their piercing eyes and distinctive wolf-like markings, but I must admit to being slightly ignorant about huskies. Recently, I was invited to join a husky group by children’s author, Adrian Czarnecki, whose books are about the adventures of his own litter of Siberian Husky pups. I originally joined to support the books, but instead, I discovered just how talented, clever and multi-skilled the breeds (and their owners) are. Their unique qualities make them perfect for training – just within this group alone, there are mushing sled dogs, awardwinning trick dogs, rafting, kayaking, swimming and flying dogs, medical, and emotional support dogs, and of course, all of them are considered part of the family.
Neisha Shrimpton runs Australian Sleddog Tours with her pack of rescued huskies. Neisha explains how it started:
“It all started whilst out training for the Altitude 5000 Race, we were approached by an elderly Canadian lady. She asked, ‘could you possibly take my grandson for a short ride in your sled? I see Sleddogs all the time in Canada but my grandson lives in Australia, it's not something you see here every day. I really want him to experience what I take for granted at home in Canada.’ So off they went and on return they were giggling and had smiles from ear to ear. The Canadian lady thanked us all, including the Huskies, but before leaving she turned looked at us both and said, ‘You should do Sleddog Tours.’
I had previously assumed that huskies were sled dogs, and all sled dogs were huskies…. Not so, first of all, there many breeds, though Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute are what most of us would picture as a typical sled dog. Sled dogs have been used in the Arctic for over 9000 years, as transportation, hauling supplies and delivering mail. Their dense, two-layer coat keeps them warm and waterproof, making them ideal to cope in freezing temperatures. In addition, their strength, stamina, endurance, and intelligence make them ideal working dogs. They are also loving and loyal, and some huskies like Janga, don’t work, or do tricks, they just make the perfect soulmate companion. Sled Dog Tours I had mistakenly assumed that sledding only takes place in Canada, Alaska, Greenland and similar such places, but again, I was surprised to learn that there are sled dogs working as far away as Australia.
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