Racing Sled Dogs and Running the only Sled Dog Tours in Australia "in Snow" for me is one of the most Adventurous things one can do.
Sleddogs have been working with Man for over 4000 years for Adventure, Hunting and Trading and were our first transportation in many regions of the World.
Sleddogs were also used in the recent century and present for many great reasons such as the Royal Canadian Police Patrols 1873, Yukon Gold Discovery 1898, The Great Serum Run of 1925. In 1914 - 18 French, Italian & Belgian ARMY Patrols used sled dog teams for supply of ammunition, food, fire wood and transport for the wounded, the French Unit 'Chasseurs Alpins' in WW1 fought the German soldiers in the Vosges Mountains with sled dog teams trained by the U.S.A. from Chinook Kennals with Sleds & Dogs parachuted to the mountains of France, French & German SS Patrols WW2, Danish Sledge Patrol Greenland, U.S. Parachuting Rescues. Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions & Exploration 1909 - 92, with Douglas Mawson in 1912 the most prolific Australian Adventurer on ice. Sleddog Tours Worldwide on snow & dryland, and now the introduction of modern Sleddog Racing in most parts of the World.
There are many types of Sled Dog Breeds (Pure Breed & Mixed) all of which have good requirments and are conditioned for their tasks eg, Alaskan Malamute (Strong freighting endurance Dog) Canadian Eskimo Dog (Excellent for polar expetitions, now because of the comming of the snowmobile in the 1960's, these dogs are a very rare & oldest breed Dog of the Canada), Greenland Dog (All have great wildlife & Ice detection skills & powerfully built to pull heavy loads) Siberian Husky originaly known as the Chukchii Dog before comming to the U.S. from Russia (Great Endurance & Intelligence Dog with good speed quality's, first real racing sled dog and because a pure breed dog they have less foot injury's compared to the other mixed breed dogs) Alaskan Husky, Chinook Dog, Eurohound & Seppala Siberian (All of mixed Breed of this century & the Fastest Dogs for modern Sled dog Racing, with less dence coat then that of the pure breed's, they need protection from cold when not running, jackets and booties for feet).
In the last Hundred years the Traditional Sleddogs have been changed & tampered with by man through mixed breeding for Speed & Endurance Quality's for the aim of winning racing events. The Traditionalists say a good Thing should never be changed because you weaken the Breed and you break down the important parts of that dog that was originaly breed into them for thousands of years, they say modern sleddog racing team's with mixed Breeds are only out to win for money and now the Traditional Sleddog is now being "Replaced" by a faster Hound style Dog.
The original Sleddogs - Alaskan Malamute, Canadian Eskimo Dog, Greenland Dog, Inuit Dog, Samoyed, Siberian Husky ect (These working Dogs have been around from 4000 - 6000 years). The future can change the direction of these breeds if we dont take care (like the Blacksmith & Stone Mason both have vanished because of the need for mass production and a faster world).
Husky Sledge Dogs have been partners of the men and woman of the Australian Antarctic Research Expeditions (ANARE) since the 1950's pulling sledges for surveyors and scientists as they explored and mapped the Australian Antarctic Territory. These Dog Teams were the safest and most efficient method of travelling over dangerous sea ice and crevassed areas of the polar plateau (Dogs of Greenland & Canadian Stock). When the Australian Government Bowed to Political Pressure and decided to phase out the Huskies from Mawson Station in 1992, the ANARE Club decided to commission a Memorial to the 40 years of Loyal Service and Friendship that the generations of expeditioners have received from these fine animals. Rob Nash spent several years at Mawson as a Weather Observer and Dog Handler. He brought two of the last Huskies from Mawson to Melbourne and the rest were transported to the U.S.A. Minnesota for a Sled Dog Tour Company (some of these Aust Huskies died of Heat Exhaustion in transport). The Americans also used these Australian Huskies (Toughest Huskies in the World) for missions to the North Pole ( I do believe we Australians will one day regret this).
When the Snow mobile (Skidoo) came in to use in the 1960's Alaska U.S.A. the average person that needed Dog Teams in Remote Area's did not have the need anymore for Sled Dog Team's which resulted in some Dogs becoming very rare. The Police, Teachers, Post Operators, Doctors, ect ect, All once needed Sled Dog transportation when there was no Trains, Cars or Planes and these Sled Dogs were a lot more "Environmentaly Safer" than the current Transportation we have today.
Because of Tourism Sleddog Tours are now on the rise worldwide and Tourism is becoming a big hit in those regions of the world, and because of that the first transportation for Humans (Dog Sled, Sleigh, sledge ect) these sleddogs are now on the rise strenghtening through Tourism.
To me the traditional Sleddog is adventurous, functional and fun to travel and can be used for many other things. And who knows one day we just might need them again in the Future when the Technology that we created cannot sustain our Quest for Survival in a burnout future for speed?
Brett Hadden - Sleddog Tour Operator.