During our stay in Lapland we have the chance to try out the activity of dog sledding. It is an activity I was looking forward to because it is really typical of Lapland and especially because the setting is perfect for it given the beauty of the landscapes in Lapland.
After a few minutes of bus ride we arrived in a kennel a bit lost in the middle of the forest. One of the first things our instructor made sure to remind us of were the values of the kennel we were going to. This is very important in order to avoid any abuse of the dogs. She assured us that the kennel had good values and was not very big (there were 40 dogs in all) which is not a lot. Some kennels can be as large as 90 or 100 dogs crammed into boxes and abused.
Also we had 2/3 little rules to respect so that everything went well, i.e. it was imperative to keep calm, not to give anything to the animals, not to smoke next to the dogs and also that we were responsible for our belongings.
Once we arrived, a nice man was in charge of welcoming us; we were about twenty so we formed 3 different groups and took turns. Before going, he explained the rules of driving the sled which are quite easy but important to remember: how to turn right and left, how to brake the dogs and above all how to avoid dropping the sled because it can happen.
Dog sledding is an activity that is accessible to everyone and allows us to visit some absolutely incredible trails.
The dogs are mainly Husky but not only, there are also the "chien à la séquence" and the "quoi le landais", which are robust sporting dogs but also very close to humans.
Before starting the ride it is also imperative to dress warmly enough tomorrow and especially not to forget the gloves and the hat because with the speed and sometimes it fell of snow one has quickly very cold on the sled because indeed not of great efforts. You should also not be afraid of getting dirty because after the sled ride, which lasts about 20 minutes, we had to wait for the other groups with the other dogs that had stayed in the kennel.
Finally, the sled can be composed of two to 20 dogs maximum. In our case we had five dogs, the leader dog is placed first and sets the pace.
If you are a nature and animal lover, this is an activity to try.
Océane
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