As a Finn, I´m shocked and feel sorry for you and these poor dogs! Finland is known for being dog friendly country. I don´t know where you were but I really wanna make an animal welfare declaration about this place. Most of the husky slide places are legit and they treat their dogs very well.
Can we just say not all dog sledding places or trainers are like this. My sister and brother both worked and works with sled dogs. They raise, train, and run them in Alaska. And none of the dogs are treated like this ever. They are some of the most well taken care of animals ever. Working animals love to work. And not all working dogs are treated in way you experience. Working animals who are trained well and well taken care are some of the happiest animals you'll meet.
@@veiledallegory pretty sure it's because they idk saw the dogs hurt and being beaten lol If they do this in front of people, who knows what they do behind the scenes.
ill only agree with you if the kennel they worked for didn't race dogs. if the kennel raced dogs then your siblings just fell victim to confirmation bias and groupthink like everyone else.
I just want to say we went on a husky tour near Helsinki and we got a very different expierence than you. We did a tour and this guy had 20 dogs but treaded every single one of them as if they were his baby’s. We put the dogs on the harness ourselves and we cuddled and played with them. I think mass tourism can get bad very quick. But there are better options.
I also can recommend one company operating in western Lapland. Husky Ranch Lapland is a small family business focusing on ecotourism in Kurtakko near Ylläs and Levi area. They have 30 dogs living with them and are a highly appreciated entrepreneurs among the locals.
I'm a Finn and I've lived my whole life here in Finland. I've followed your channel about three years now. This video really got me with very mixed feelings. At first I like to say I'm so sorry for what you had to witness. And I really hope that this experience didn't make you feel Finland is a bad country of any short. I do really hope that most of the dog sledding companies do their things as they should and this company you went in was just a bad fruit in the basket. I've never went to a dog sledding tour. In Finland we do have quite strict regulations about how you should treat your animals. And people do get jail if they mistreat their animals badly or gets big fines. Even if the animals are lambs or cows. And in Finland we are used to have open discussion in "traditional media" (newspapers f.e.) about treating your animals and just a year ago we had this big media thing because there were people beating their dogs when they were educating those dogs to be as a security serving dogs with a video footage. And I think some things actually got better after that. Or I hope so. My spouses friend actually adopted a dog from the Lapland and she used to be a sled dog. I've met the dog once just couple of weeks ago. She was the nicest and kindest dog I've ever met. Husky dog's fur is really thick and two layered so they actually can handle the coldness really well. But you are right about the paws being the weakest part of the dog's body against the cold. And also the paws can be injured quite easily f.e. stepping on a sharp branch. Did you know that dogs can actually hurt their paws in a hot summer day walking on a hot asphalt and get burning injuries? I do participate in the society here in Finland and I really keep this in my mind and some day I'll point this thing out that dog sledding companies here in Finland need to be more regulated and also looked upon how they treat their dogs. No beating should be allowed at all. And I'm really shocked they did beat their dogs in front of you and on video. And I'm happy to discuss this more with any of the people here in RUclips.
Literally everything in your comment is wrong. Seriously. Everything. Are regulations more strict than in many other countries? Sure, but just because something is less bad does not make it good. People absolutely do not get jail time for mistreating animals. At most they could get probation and/or not be allowed to keep animals anymore (but unless they operate some kind of animal business, there is really nothing stopping them from getting another dog, cat or any other animal). And in order for this to happen it would have to be something major, e.g. letting 50 cows starve to death. Hitting a dog would result in absolutely nothing unless it was filmed and even then it would result in a small (not big as you wrote) fine of a couple hundred euros at most. And no, things have not gotten any better at all for the ''security serving dogs''. Unlike the name implies, they were not actually trained for any real purpose, e.g. law enforcement - it was just a cruel hobby. The people that were filmed abusing dogs are still involved in the same hobby groups, which is why animal rights groups are still fighting for better treatment of the dogs. And even though the dogs were filmed getting hit, kicked and shocked by electricity over a year ago, no one has been convicted of anything or received any kind of fine. The dogs that were cold that TIM and FIN saw were most likely Alaskan Huskies, not Siberian Huskies.Like you said, the fur of Siberian Huskies is really thick and they have absolutely no problem dealing with the temperatures in Lapland. However, many places also use Alaskan Huskies, that cannot deal with the cold nearly as well as the Siberian variant, which is why they should sleep indoors and not in cages outside. This comment is already far too long, but I'd still like to add that the husky business is super unethical. First of all, it's not traditional in any way. Dog sledding has historically never been a thing anywhere in the Nordics (unlike Greenland, Canada and Alaska) and the Sámi parliament (i.e. the parliament of the indigenous people of Northern Lapland) is against it. Secondly, and more importantly, the way the dogs are treated is horrible. As you can see on the video they are kept in small cages or tied to a pole with a metal chain. According to the law, the dogs also don't need to have water available at all times - it is enough if they have a block of ice to lick and get running water ONCE per day. And sure, the dogs are super excited to pull the sled, but so would I be if I were tied up the rest of the day and this was the only way I could get out of my cage. Additionally, there is no law that states that the dogs have to be taken to the vet every so often, but rather that it is the owners responsibility to check that they are doing alright. Seeing how most companies have between 60-80 dogs, it is clear that there is no way the owners have time to check the well-being of the dogs every day. TL:DR. Please don't go dog sledding in Finland, it is completely unethical. A huge thanks to TIM and FIN for making this video.
Tim and Fin, if you're readers or audible people, I highly recommend reading Welcome to the Goddamn Ice-cube by Blair Blaverman. It's written by a girl who worked with sled dogs and in dog sled tourism. She does a fantastic job expressing the overall harshness and mindset of living in such a remote environment and and what it's like on the other side of the dog sled tourism. Super good. I thought it gave me a lot more context when watching your video.
I felt all of your emotions through the entire video. Thank you for capturing this and sharing it with us all. I agree, you don’t think about these things while you sign up to do it, but then once you sit back and reflect, you realize how upsetting the entire situation is.
This is absolutely horrifying.. disciplining your dog is one thing, this is complete abuse.. I would of lost my shit and freaked out on the awful people torturing the dogs.. where’s the petition to get this place shut down🤢🤢😡
This had me in tears. Your videos have been adding things to my list. This video has taken something off my list that has been there for quite a while. Thank you, especially for the conversation at the end.
(two 100% ethical companies mentioned below from someone living in Lapland!) I live in Lapland, Finland since february and work in the tourism industry. I'm sad to say I've heard multiple stories like this by my colleuges, guides I met and local friends that I made here in Rovaniemi, Finland. There really are Husky farms out here in Lapland that do really care for their dogs! But I dare to say that I'm afraid they are in minority. I could immidiately tell from the size of the dog farm that you guys went to a big one! Smaller ones is what I would reccomend, but the problem is: if you're not living here... there's no way to find out... online it's nearly impossible to find which ones are ethical and which ones are not... I get that with 50 dogs you don't always have time to be sweet, and sometimes things have to go fast, but let's be clear: Hitting dogs is absolutely a no go. ANd sleeping on a chain... They are supossed to be in a run together with a few other dogs to keep eatchother warm... If other people want to go to Lapland, here are 2 companies in Finnish Lapland that are 100% caring for their dogs and putting the dogs wellbeing first: - Allhuskies in Kittlä/Levi, recommended by my local friends and been there myself.Had the best experience! A couple with the husky farm at their home. Some dogs even lived in her home. Her old, retired compitition dogs are still there in a big run enjoying life with the youngster to teach them how to behave. All the dogs ran free after the ride and listened so well, no need to grab them. They came happily when called. They were open to any questions, educating people about huskies and their wellbeing. Ethical and people with a big heart! -Bearhill husky in Rovaniemi. My local friend and guide recommended this one as one of the only ones around Rovaniemi that cared for the wellbeing for their dogs and that were ethical. I know it's not a lot of reccemendations that I can give you sadly. But like in this video also very clear... it's not worth doing a husky ride if not 100% dog friendly and with the wellbeing of the dogs in mind. Fin & Tim, I completely agree with your conclusion. They shouldn't be used just for tourism and it results in lost of companies that are not treating their dogs right and bad circumstances... But I would do it again with companies that have the dogs for hobby and competitions and not just for the tourists... You can always write me a message for tips if you want to go again! I'm an intern for Visit Lapland and I visit a lot of companies and am very sceptical and will not make reccemendations if not 100% sure. I grew up with dogs, mom is a dog trainer and the animals their wellbeing comes first! ( IG: @Kaat_Vandeweyer)
Hi I will have an interview next week to go to Rovaniemi work as a guide on dog sled dogs and I was wondering if you may have a clue if that is a good one. I absolutely love dogs and couldn’t stand seeing them suffering. Can I message you on IG? Thank you!
Thank you for being so honest. First of all, the majority of the dogs I saw in your video, were NOT huskies. They were normal mutts. Huskies have the double fur and barely feel the cold. Dogs love to run, but I did not see any of them getting water or treats when you had the lunch break. Listening to your report at the end of the video Tim, thousands of 'tourists' are going to Finland and spending a day dog sledding. I believe the Finnish government should put in some controls on this business. That is all it seems to be, a business. All of us who love dogs as companions, would react as you did Fin. Once again, I have learned a lot from this video, and I would hope, others have as well. Hugs.
When resting sleddogs you give them straw to lay on. And a blanket so you keep the muscels warm and smooth for the next stage. You allso snack them with high fat snack to give them something to run on.
Paige Drobney had a dog die in the iditarod because it suffocated under snow while resting on the gang line at a rest stop. She gave it straw and all of that, but they had been running for so many days in a row and the dog was so tired it either slept through suffocating or was too tired to care and lift its head up. also it was chained to the ground its not like it could move out of the blowing snow if it wanted too.
Thank you for talking about this! Watching those dogs in pain in your video made me so sad. Can’t imagine what it was like in person. Especially having a dog of your own you can’t help but think about it like it was your own dog that was in pain.
Guess it depends where you go, sadly. Didn’t know how I’d feel about it before the first time I went. However the kennels we’ve experienced in Alaska (Talkeetna and Fairbanks) since we moved here have been phenomenal. You can tell the dogs are treated extremely well and love it. Caveat being that many of the dogs up here compete in the Iditarod and are insanely energetic / fit. Not sure about kennels strictly designed for tourism.
I second what Nicholas said about Alaska. I went in or around Talkeetna, too. The way they treated the dogs and the way the dogs acted was exactly the friendly, happy, healthy way you were expecting, Fin. I was cringing watching how this video unfolded because it was clear to me this particular business just shouldn’t be dog owners, period, let alone running any kind of dog-based business. Inversely, you could tell the owners in Alaska had an actual relationship with their dogs. They introduced each dog by name, and that was just for my 5-min. summer training run. I couldn’t believe when you said you’d been sledding for hours and hadn’t even been introduced to your dogs yet! But I agree your story needed to be told. I hope it results in something positive for those dogs.
Great to hear your experience! I do love watching sleddog races (including the Iditarod) and watching the behind the scenes. The dogs are always so well taken care of and at any sign of sickness or injury the dogs are not allowed to continue. It's very visible how much the dogs enjoy running in these races. Very sad to see the way these dogs in kennels that are just focussed on tourism are treated even nowadays when there's so much attention to animal wellfare...
@@wendyhere7204 How many dogs died or were injured in this years Iditarod? Where are these dogs when they aren't racing? In someone's home or yard? Or tied to a tree.
Thanks for showing the realities, I feel the same way Fin. Then realizing that dogs aren't really any different than other domesticated animals is why I went vegan years ago. I've travelled to many of the same places and it's always been easy. Anyway, the video was still well-made as always. Not every travel experience can live up to our own hype. Just makes the good ones even better.
This video made me sad. Thank you for sharing your experience with dog sled tourism. When I was a teen I used to train my dog to pull me on roller skates (because there isn't much snow in my area) and she absolutely LOVED it. I got her a harness and everything, she was extremely excited and happy to go go go. I loved her to pieces!!! Sadly she passed away at 10 years old of cancer. High energy dogs want high energy jobs.. but that's no reason to be cruel to them.
My dog would be ecstatic to do this. He would run until he got hungry and probably wouldn't stop for anything else. He lays in the snow in -40C. The ethical problem for me is not putting the animals to work so much as it is how they are trained and treated. Sled dogs are independent and have an abundance of energy. They are not easy to train, and in big groups the energy feeds off each other. This is why it needs to be managed consistently. If the number of dogs is causing too much chaos, and you can't manage your dogs without beating them, you shouldn't have them. It's clear that they only have that many to keep up with the business, and that's where their priorities are. If you're going to have a working animal, the animal comes first. They're not replaceable equipment, but that's how this particular company appears to be treating them.
Hi there. I want to say how sorry I am you had a bad first experience with sled dogs. Your feelings of caring for the dogs and doubts are valid. I would however encourage you to give it another shot. Our kennel, for instance, does not allow guests to drive their own sled. The guide was not wrong by saying you shouldn't let go (it's rule #1 in dog mushing) but it is unfair to put that expectation on someone who has not worked with sled dogs before. You were not set up for success. These dogs do love what they do and it can be the most rewarding job in the world to work with them and teach the public about them. And if you are wondering what happens after tours, any reputable kennel will either have a retirement plan (seperate walks, free run time, public socialization for pets and belly rubs) or will have a strict adoption program. Please reach out directly on our RUclips or Instagram page (wyldsleddogs) any time if you ever want to have questions answered. Thanks for hearing me out. And enjoy your journey.
Adore you guys. However from the very start you saw they exploit animals. From the moment you understood this is fully booked, it’s animal exploitation. You didn’t research which is a huge responsibility knowing your platform. And now, you will financially benefit from this video for years to come. Consider donating your funds from this to fight the exploitation.
I second your idea! Profit from this video should be donated to an animal organization that helps these abused pups. Ive never wanted to dog sled precisely because of what I saw in this video. If this is what you see, imagine the things they do when tourists aren’t around.
I don’t think they’ll profit from this video as it doesn’t have ads (RUclips automatically puts videos at the beginning of some videos whether people want ads on their videos or not).
That was amazing guys! Thank you for filming it. I look forward to more from your bucket list. Allison, don’t feel bad. Lots of people would have felt sad and concerned for those dogs. Keep sharing the world. You guys rock! Love you guys.
My stomach was in knots & anxiety was high watching the chaos of the beginning of you trying to sled. I appreciate that you shared this… I know it must have been difficult. It definitely informed me of some things & I’m grateful for that. Going to go cuddle Koda now ❤️☺️
well being a musher for many years just makes your side one sided. its called confirmation bias and group think. i worked in racing for several years and i think its awesome she is questioning what she sees, too many people are buying into this bs. apparently that kennel does race some other commenter said and im not surprised.
Beautiful (brave even) video. Thanks for sharing with such honesty. I've done a couple of pretty benign animal-related tourist experiences, but came back feeling similarly. If they're treating dogs like that, I don't want to think about how they were treating camels on my last trip 😞 This video helped me come to terms with it, and I'm resolved to do better in the future.
Wow...I would've been a sobbing mess!😢 Thank you so much for shedding light on this topic. I had no idea, and will be erasing this off of my bucket list.
Thanks for your honesty--this is so upsetting on so many levels. It's especially upsetting to see that the workers didn't seem to have any relationship with the dogs and they aren't given at least anything to drink after running for hours. My son lived in South Africa for a while and there were some places where he felt the same way. The game reserves are usually wonderfully run though!
I cried with you 😢. I don’t like watching any animal be used and abused. Especially a dog! Some dogs like snow and running and pulling but, I would bet, most do not like it! And, to train a dog by punching and instilling fear, is just wrong! I hope that these places of business find another way of making money. It’s seriously heartbreaking 💔 to see how scared and cold they were in your video. Thank you for sharing your video, even though it broke my heart. Hopefully the message will get out there 🙏🏻
Thanks for the video, it is heart touching, I thought I always wanted to do a sled trip. I never truly thought about the dogs. And what a work dog life is really like. Kind of sad, very touching. I think you did a great job showing both sides. Love your channel.
I'm sorry to see that you had to go through this experience with dog sledding. I've been working with sleddog since 2014 and I have seen different places; and indeed: there are a lot of black sheep on the market as it is easier and easier to make a business out of dog sledding. There are tho still mushers and touristic companies that love and know that they are doing. That treat their dogs right starting from having right equipment, feed them well, cover them in harsh conditions, give them straw to lay down and bootie up the paws if the conditions require. The introduction to ride a sled was fairly poor from what I saw and from what you said, and also the rest seemed just chaotic. If you'd been under my guidance you wouldn't even be allowed to have the hands of the handlebar to film with a stick while driving, for your own and our dogs safety. In our tourism kennel, we want to share not only the sledding experience but answer all questions and explain about the dogs and our training and life with the dogs, so the people who come here learn something about responsible dog tourism. I am a German girl living in Finland Rovaniemi, I am a dog trainer, specified for dog behavior, I am a guide and in training to become an animal physiotherapist. Mushing, done in a proper way is the most beautiful thing, especially when you can see the dogs are treated in a way they deserve to. As work mates, not as machines. I can only recommend Bearhill Husky in Rovaniemi for a visit. Our dogs and pups are trained properly from day one(by educated puppy trainers) and we never needed to hit our dogs. Best regards from Finland, Betty
Thank you for sharing your honest views. I was crying with you. In my head I was screaming cut them loose and burn the place down! I know so dramatic but I have a dog and love animals. Thank you again for sharing this video, I love your channel and appreciate you educating others!
how many sick /injured dogs do you think they simply throw away? dispose of? how many puppies in this puppy mill do they drown? you have to consider everything. not just what you see on the surface. if the surface its that bad, imagine what else goes on .its all about profits for these sick people.
I'm new to your channel, but this was interesting and something I have thought about a lot and expressed my feelings to friends. Making a dog(s) pull a sled is not ethical. Mushers always say, "but they love it". I bet if the mushers were chained to a tree most of their lives, they would love occasionally getting loose for a couple hours to pull a sled also. The Iditarod is the classic example. It gets tons of publicity. The owners/winners get the prizes. And every year several dogs pay the price - they die or are injured. The bottom line is, dogs shouldn't live their lives tied to trees, nor should they be made to pull sleds. There are other things they shouldn't be made to do as well - hunt bear, mountain lions or wolves, where the dogs often finish second best. I wish the ASPCA would get behind some legislation in the US to ban dog sledding, especially racing events.
i worked in dog sled racing and your comment is great. i agree with almost all of that. i will add that its possible to mush dogs humanely, its a good activity for enrichment and exercise. But racing goes way beyond that, it reduces the dogs to just parts of a machine. racing is cruel. just take a look at grey hound racing and horse racing as well. but yea most of the dogs in mushing are "chain crazy" and neurotic. you hit the nail on the head with "I bet if the mushers were chained to a tree most of their lives, they would love occasionally getting loose for a couple hours to pull a sled also." yea bro. its a bunch of chained up dogs, they get excited to do almost anything. im glad you are able to see that, most people don't. wastage is the issue with sports and racing. its about getting rid of slow animals to make room for faster ones. there is no way around that. its not "bad apples and good apples." its "winners and losers." The people in dog sled racing who win are the bad ones, i know that from experience because i worked at the winning level.
This is one of the most moving episodes you've put out. We really felt your pain regarding the treatment of those animals. I was always under the impression that those dogs were treated like royalty. First of all, I didn't like that the dogs were chained to a post at the establishment. I've seen other videos where the dogs were in a chain link enclosure and could run around free to a degree. Based on some of the comments posted, yours was possibly the exception to the rule, but in reality it's probably the norm in most cases. Those who are considering these types of tours, please do exhaustive research into the company.
It's interesting that there's only few Finns commenting on this video. Usually, we Finns comment in mass whenever the video even slightly scratches anything Finnish / in Finland. Very good and honest video! 😟
Having worked in Lapland with Huskies I really recommend doing some in-depth research regarding dog sledding. I worked at Hetta Huskies is an amazing family run business in Enontekio which truly promotes responsible mushing.
Having lived in Lapland for most of my life I recommend the same! If you participate in any animals tourist always your research. There are good ones there but from what I have heard they are a rarity. I have taken one husky ride when it was a rare thing to do 25 years ago. A friend of my brothers who lived with her dogs took us for a short run. The loudness is normal just before leaving, but that behaviour towards the animals was absolutely not ok.
As a native Finn, I dont have a slightest intrest at dog sledding in Lapland (or anywhere in the world for that matter). And I also think that most Finns dont either: Its close to a 100 percent tourististy thing to do. While I dont particulary like dogs or other animals like cats etc (due to an allegry), I feel and share your concerns on that form of tourism. I consider this video to be very thought provoking and much needed change of view on animal related tourism. Hopefully you had nice time in Finland, winter is great time to visit if one can handle the cold and dark. Personally, I would like to recommend summertime 👍🏻
Hi Tim and Fin, Thanks for posting this video to show the reality of what seems to be such as wonderful activity. Let me just say I started to cry as soon as your video started hearing the dogs barking in the distance. As an animal rescuer these topics are very close to my heart and take them seriously. I don't approve using animal for profit and rather enjoy them see the happy specially if they can be in their natural habitat. I really wish more people would truly care about the animals and avoid supporting these type of activities. It was clear these dogs were not happy and were suffering. I can't imagine having to live my life chained outside in the snow just so that the next day I can go and work a full day pulling something extremely heavy and having to do that over and over and over again. That is not life, that is misery! I regret engaging myself in the past in activities like swimming with the dolphins. I wasn't aware of a lot that takes place but now that I know I wouldn't do that again and encourage people not to do that. Again, thanks for sharing this video and please note that I have fallen more in love with your channel after watching this video as I know you are seeking to do the right thing and educate people. Lastly, I enjoy so much watching Pepper in your videos.
Hello, i know i am gonna be crucified for this on this channel. I have 2 dogs and a cat, i am animal lover. There's a difference between working dogs and pets. Have you ever seen farm animals cows horses, do you think they get cold in the field, shiver or animals in the wild. Most animals have to fight for survival. Thats nature. Those dogs are lucky to have shelter and food. Many homeless cats and dogs are not that lucky even to have that. Just a perspective
I think the big difference is these dogs aren’t doing an actual job, they’re literally just there as a tourist attraction and most of them don’t look like huskies which some other commenters noticed as well. They also didn’t seem to have any sort of warm shelter out of the elements besides those tiny crappy looking dog houses and didn’t get any food or even water after doing hours of work.
i worked in dog sled racing and now i work at a dog shelter so you comment felt personal. dog sled racing is excessive (apparently the kennel in this video races) and even the tourism side of things has major flaws. plus so many ofthe people with touring kennels also race. there are way better ways to keep these dogs, but there are so few kennels that have more progressive and modern set ups. there is a dude in vermont where they all live indoors and no chains he does sled dog tours. im not even saying that has to be the norm but hes like the only one like that i know of at the professional level and i have asked around. there are a few pro kennels that get my seal of approval but only like 5 or so that im aware of. theres not a ton out there. its mostly chains and lots of dogs, dog is either hooked to a chain or hooked to a sled thats its life.
These types of Dog sledding companies should be banned. In the summer those dogs are tied to their houses 24/7. Eat, sh*t, sleep there and run circles around their pole. There are many documentaries on this. And people need to know the only reason the dogs want to run is that they're tied up all the time.
For Harriet and I this video was tough to watch. Fin, you were genuine in your response in how you felt about the condition of some of the dogs. You never truly know what you're getting into some times. Harriet and i liked the fact that you and Tim had a discussion about what was happening. That's why we love you guys😍😍 and support you as a Patreon. Looking forward to your next adventures where ever they may take you . Sending you lots of love.💖💖 Jim and Harriet. Richmond, Va.
So sad this was your experience and how the dogs were treated :( we also went dog sledding in Finland a few months ago and we had a wonderful experience and the dogs loves running & they were taken very good care of!
We did dog sledding in Canada a few years ago and the dogs were very happy - wagging their tails, jumping around impatiently waiting to run, and they got a lot of pats and head rubs from their handlers. So a totally different experience. Grabbing a dog by the scruff is a thing though - it asserts a handler's dominance. I work with animals (horses) daily, and there are things that many onlookers would consider "rough handling" but it's absolutely necessary for everyone's safety. So there are two sides to every story.
well the equine world is also filled with loads of archaic bs too. horses have it worse than sled dogs. look at all the horses that die in horse racing vs dog sled racing. i don't know where you went dog sledding in canada but canada has a rough history with sled dogs. in 2010 over 100 sled dogs got killed after the winter olympic tourism dried up. and it still is awful. most of the races i went to in canada. dog sled racing is filling with crazy abusive bs.
Growing up ive always wanted to dogsled. Was alwasy fascinated by doggsledding and the iditarod race etc. Howevever after watching this episode it really shed new light on the dark side of dogsledding. I totaly agree with you Fin when you say "you can tell whether a dog is happy or not". I too am a dog person always have been always will be same with my family. And watching this episode i do agree with you some of these dogs were most definately "NOT HAPPY" and not in the best of health conditions. It is disheartening to watch and hopefully your video will have some effect that changes how the dogs are maintained etc. I love all of your episodes guys please keep up the good work i look forward to your next episode !!! Thankyou.
I can't say that I liked this vlog or disliked it. I was disturbed from the minute you got to the dogsled place and started talking about what you saw (employee picking up dog... hitting dog...)! I've watched a lot of your videos and have received some very good information about a lot of places, thank you. This was just so sad and I'm glad you spoke of it at the end.
I appreciate the honest video and review. It's very eye opening and I'm sorry for all those sweet pups that are not treated with the love and compassion they deserve.
True dog sledders do not allow their dogs to keep working with injuries. When they stop for rest, each dog gets a bed of straw to lay in. The food they get is healthier than anything we pet owners feed our dogs. The list of things that are different from what you experienced and "real" dog sledding is long. Things that we as pet owners think we know about dogs is limited to dogs as pets and for the most part we do. Working dogs are different. Like any other creature, they are not always going to be happy and tail wagging. Clearly there needs to be way more regulation on the tourist industry in Finland and around the world. Just keep this in mind. The dogs that run the Iditarod are treated way better than most pets and definitely better than the tourist industry. Love your channel. Keep moving.
i worked in dog sled racing and you are wrong. the dogs that run the iditarod are treated like crap. And like, most of the top racing mushers are also involved in tourism, its not really a separate issue. they are able to breed more dogs and if they are to slow to excel at racing they have a place to funnel the dogs. And when the dogs are no longer fit for winning races they often get sold to touring kennels. There are touring kennels that get all of their dogs from racing mushers. Alot of the dogs that got shot in whistler were flunky or retired racing dogs. Think about it. dogs have short racing careers, but they live alot longer than that they can still pull a sled. if you get a dog from a race musher its cheaper or even free alot of the time, and it already knows how to pull a sled. in my experience, most sled dogs are tied to racing in some way or not that far removed. The racers just produce so many dogs, its hard to get away from. But right off hand thinking of iditarod winners. i know that dallas seavey does sled dog rides, jeff king does sled dog rides, lance mackey did sled dog rides. The problem with the tourism industry is that the racers are the ones setting the standards across the board. The world of mushing is very informed by racing.
and like, its a race. so there is no benefit to running an injured dogs it will just slow you down. but some dogs can have like a weird gait from a past injury or something and still run fine.. seen dogs run weird from having one leg a little shorter than the other. i haven;t watched the vid yet so idk what you are seeing but still just sayin' lol that guy who PETA has a video, he says "shes always had arthritis" idk if thats the case but its very possible the dog was a capable sled dog and had some sort of issue like that. those iditarod dogs are "running" along way but its a trot its slow af, the bar isn't THAT high alot of it is MENTAL getting them to run that far. dogs have short attention spans, after a few day running they start shutting down quit eating and drinking, if that dog is going to run at all its just going to slow you down. its just too much, some dogs are able to do it without breaking down like that. but to find those dogs you have to push them that far. thats the whole point. i worked in sprint racing and mid-distance racing so the dogs were not trotting, and i know how to slow the dogs down and get them to run farther. Dogs flunk out of sprint and mid distance and do pretty good in the iditarod. the top level sprint dogs could run far af if you slowed them down. sprint racing is still cruel and its still hard on their minds. im just saying that the big hurdle in that long distance style of race is the mental side for the dogs. its grueling af in that regard. sprint racing is harder on their bodies, but there is still a mental aspect to it and it gets really cruel. "if hes tired and you stop he learns to expect it, thats how you ruin a good dog." hes not wrong either. theres lots of nasty tricks that behaviorally actually make alot of sense. its not senseless cruelty its calculated at thats what makes it scarier. if you scare a dog it releases endorphins like adrenaline and helps them keep running or run faster, so you can whip them and that will release endorphins, and if you add a cue when you whip them like whistling or "hike up" when you say that in the future he remembers you whipping him and gets an endorphine hit. The seaveys even freaking wrote about it in their book like i am not making this up this is real af. its like im living in the twilight zone these same stories keep coming up year after year and now ive seen it and yea dude, PETAs on point with this one like for real. theyve done alot the iditarod is on its last legs now people just need to wake tf up.
Thank you for making this video. i worked in dog sled racing for three years and went to many different kennels all across the us and canada and what you have seen is not unique at all. people need to see this stuff. it means the world to me that you are sharing this and discussing it. it got me really emotional though. ill comment on the video in a reply, i just want to say thank you separately.
i mean yea what you saw was standard enough, its not the worst looking "set-up" i have ever seen. Its better than alot of them out there. Its not even that the chains are automatically bad ill admit. I don;t like them personally but when dealing with that many dogs there is alot about it that works. it really depends more on what their day to day life is like. especially considering how often sled dogs get traded around, they go from one dog yard on a chain to another dog yard on a chain its a pretty quick transition it doesn't stress them out to much. They "plug right in." Some of the kennel set ups i have seen in sled dogs are worse than chains, if you take the chaining mentality and shove it into kennels it gets bad. the problem really is deeper than just the chains. i really would like to get rid of them and banning them is good, it makes it harder to own so many dogs. i truly think its a step in the right direction to ban tethering. And i DEFINATLY thing racing needs to be banned. since i worked in racing i am curious if the people race, or used to race. the dog houses look pretty nice in the video not too chewed up or anything i wasnt looking to closely though. then kennels on the side are kind of cool, but thats not automatically better they need time out of the kennel not pulling a sled. they have a fenced in yard so hopefully they let the dogs off to play as a group alot but probably not, the more dogs there are the less likely that is to happen frequently if at all. for racing dogs play time just increases the risk of injury and messes with training and recovery schedules. They gave you really poor instruction. its not rocket science but like they should have told you more than that. He WASN'T kidding when he said you were supposed to hold on when you fell. theres enough there to prevent it with a snowmobile and all of the other people, but if your sled gets away from you dogs can and have died. Don't ever let go of the sled unless your "snowhook" is in the ground, and he should have shown you the snow hook and how to set it. And he should have told you about "keeping the lines tight." you use the drag mat and the brake to do that but he didn't really tell you that he just showed them to you. thats a quick run through of what i saw in the video from a retired sled dog handlers perspective. To answer the question posed in the title, "IS DOG SLEDDING ETHICAL." Sure yes the act of mushing dogs can be done ethically. It can even be great exercise and enrichment. But there is alot wrong in the world of mushing, many archaic practices and ideas. And yea alot wrong with animal tourism in general. I think banning racing would do alot to help sled dogs, it would weed out alot of people with the wrong motivations, put the emphasis onto dog care and not performance. Im not impressed with MOST of the people i met in dog sledding, only the hobbyists and select few working kennels get my seal of approval and i have looked. there are a few pretty freaking cool sled dog kennels on youtube but id have to go dig up the names. Jim Blair of eden ethical sled dogs is cool, far from the norm in mushing though im afraid.
Thank you for sharing Tim and Fin! I am shocked and sad to see those poor dogs being abused. I'm a Finn myself and I have never been dog sledding. It is not part of our culture, it is a business that provides exotic experiences to tourists. Nevertheless, we have a retired sled dog, an Alaskan husky living in our family. She is a beautiful and lovely dog, very athletic. We take her out for long walks daily in the nearby forest, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I watched a documentary about Iditarod recently and came to the conclusion that it was too harsh for the dogs, totally unethical. I find that tourism to Lapland is problematic: flying causes a lot of CO2 emissions and there are so many activities created for the tourists so that they can have exotic experiences. It is sad to see Lapland turning into an amusement park. When Finns travel to Lapland, we usually go cross country skiing in the forests and relax in the sauna in the evenings. We appreciate simple things like quiteness, tranquility and beauty of the vast forests and fells. We should also remember that it is the land of the Samí people and be humble and respectful.
I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for about five years and I would often see dog sledders while I was out photographing in the winter, and I also went on a dog sledding tour one day out of curiosity. Everyone that I asked, and everywhere that I would happen-upon sledders out in the field, the dogs were always kept outside in these small wooden boxes filled with straw for bedding. This is where they slept in the winter and temperatures routinely reach negative -30° F in Fairbanks, (I've been outside at -42° F a few times). They would tell me that this breed of dog is adapted for the cold and that their double-coats of fur function to protect them from the cold. I don't care what they say on this, having them sleep outside in that cold is cruel. Just because they may be able to survive those extremes doesn't make it right. They claimed that the straw and their own fur kept them warm- enough in those wooden shelters, protected from the wind. I did notice that the dogs themselves did love running those sleds. They looked forward to it and were always excited. They never could stay still whenever they were lined-up to be harnessed to the sled. They would just bark and jump around in excitement for the run to come. Still, I don't like that they slept outside for one thing, and that guy hitting the dog, that's not o.k.
it's not cruel for crying out loud they literally would rather sleep outside in the cold. just because you feel like it's too cold doesn't mean the dogs do these are not pet dogs
@@TheAlex29494 yea thats clear. they are treated as disposable tools. definitely not pets. I worked in dog sled racing and its cruel. its and activity that rewards cruel behavior and practices. and yea they get cold, they get hot easy but yea they get cold and their feet get cold. thats not my biggest concern, my biggest concern is the low quality of life, over breeding, wastage, dog getting traded around like pokemon. and yea they sometimes die and get hurt and stuff. people are still whipping them(dude i worked for used a neck line). constantly over exerted and ran till they s*** blood. loads of issues besides them being out doors in the cold. i have heard stories of dogs freezing to death but thats not the norm it was one of those short coated racing dogs getting sold around ended up somewhere to cold (up in the freaking arctic) and froze to death. one got eaten by a polar bear. the other one survived and when they went up there to race and asked the dude how the dogs he sold him were doing he was like "oh no not good, eh. two of em died." they took the surviving one back with them so thats good. had a sled dog that like to eat but she got fat easy from eating that fat rich bs the mushers feed. so she didn't get to eat much. we were doing something like giving out straw or maybe even putting dogs inside because it was really cold. what ever it was ill never for get the quote "shes fat, let her shiver off some of that weight."
There is a very strong movement recent to weed out the bad seeds. You're hot-tub scene reflects that but the locals ar working themselves for it. Common practice was that foreign kennels would set up camp in Lapland for the winter season to drive tourists. And this brought many problems. But as a sled dog carer and sled dog driver myself, I have noticed this; 1. Very little or no instructions. What about safety distances between sleds, about using the anker. How about first intro to the dogs. How about leaning into the turns and steering a sled in general. 2. Like you mentioned, running a large kennel does require a lot of authority and pack management. But sadly this is sometimes only attempted by aggression. 3. Dog behaviour is very dependent on the environment. Some of my dogs are afraid of everybody except me by character. 4. during the season there is a lot of stress due to the schedule/timing. and if everything is well organised and goes to plan, it is smooth sledding. But a small issue, anything from a sick dog keeping you up all night to discovering a broken collar or a customer showing up 1/2 hour late can wreak havoc. It's the opertor's manners and attitude that make or break the way this then plays out... 5. Huskies or sled dogs in general are a hardy breed, so small wounds and bite marks are not a problem. And through their excitement, every starting situation is chaotic. entanglements are very common, and most dogs can sort it out. And indeed it looks like with so much fresh snow that as a first experience goes. But I can assure you that there are soo many other kennels where the ways are different. In no way this is advertising for a particular individual, but our neighbouring sled dog farm has a completely different feel. And it's true, dogsledding has nothing to do with Lappish way of living, it's a tourism activity. But with the correct attitude, regulations etc, this can be done with happy, healthy dogs. Some point at the root cause; when an activity with animals has to generate income and profit, corners are being cut to increase those. After all, during 3-4 month period the whole year's operational cost, income and hopefully profit has to be generated. And the 1 completely missed out winter hasn't helped at all. Concerning your fall incident: sled dog driving 101 is "never let go of the sled". this should have been part of the instructions. And the operator should have warned you that a snow bank at the beginning is going to throw you off balance. But everybody falls. I was very moved by your empathy for the dogs. Some of the clients just walk away from the sled and dogs without even looking back, I love how you spent more time with them! If and when you're considering coming back, we'd like to give you an opportunity to see this wonderful experience in a different light. We have made Lapland ourhome, not for dog sledding, but for nature, space, lifestyle, and goal is to bring that to our visitors. Nähdään, Hessu
Thanks that you are so thoughtful, open and taking people through your thought-process and argument. Also i do not think the way the guides handeled the chaos in the beginning was very unsetting. And hitting the dogs several times was very upsetting.
In professional scenarios, the dogs are bred and trained as sledders. I’m not suggesting you overreacted to their circumstances in Finland, because you may have very well uncovered an abusive situation at that location. But in most cases, they and their owners work with love and mutual respect. We love dogs as you do, and appreciate the emotion you shared. Thanks for another good episode.
Thank you for being so honest! This was really moving and has made me aware of something I had no clue about- its a good thing to share and start a conversation x
Good for you guys for bringing this to light. Most people don’t realize this stuff. sadly this is the theme throughout industries that rely on animals for incomes but it needs to stop. I cried watching this, seeing the dogs, and hearing the sadness in your voice.
Tim & Alyson thank you for sharing your experience with us. Everything isn't always roses & twirls it's the good, the bad & the ugly. This trip was bad & ugly it's not OK to ever beat any animal sled dog or not! There's better ways of earning their respect instead of putting the fear of God into your dog's! I highly doubt these poor dogs will ever see a vet when they're injured or sick. It's a matter of only the strong survive. Wish you would of asked what happens to the dogs when they're old & no longer able to pull a sled! Are they treated with dignity and respect or do they treat the dogs as a burden? So many questions about this industry and who is monitoring or regulating them! Finland needs better laws regarding animal abuse! 💔😢
Hello, thank you for your experience in this video.I had been on short tour in Sweden this year with the family (as passengers)The experience were totaly different.The dogs were well take care of and all of them friendly.You can tell the Musher realy loves his dogs and they are in good condition.I feel bad for your experience because it should be fun and joyfull moment but not all kennels are same.Husky love to run and there is nothing better for them then pull the sledge in winter.
They’re working dogs! That’s what they live for they’re not one of those lap dogs people think are humans. They shiver to warm themselves. That’s what they do!
I must confess I haven't been watching the most recent videos, but it's great to see how much this channel grew! Preserverence really payed off =) all the best for you!
I loved your honesty in this video. It too was on my bucket-list to do when/if I go north to see the Northern Lights. Now I will NOT do it. I too am a dog owners and was in tears too along with you. Thank you for educating me and everyone else. There is something similar here where I live in Cozumel, Mexico. Everyone wants to swim with the dolphins and it makes us locals cringe when we hear of people booking these excursions.
It is extremely unethical for you to just classify all dogsledding as unethical and cruel based on one single isolated experience. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but not all dogsledding operations are bad.
Tim and Fin, I think the moral of this story is do your research and book early, maybe there was a reason this place was available? I've been dog sledding in Sweden, Norway and on Svalbard and have never seen the dogs treated badly. They have always been loved by their owners, they are part of their business. We have always seen where the dogs are kept and encouraged to wander around the premises. On Svalbard we had to pick our dogs, put their harnesses on and hook them up to the sleds ourselves. The start is always chaotic, fifty of more dogs all howling "Pick me, Pick me" and desperate to start running, the hardest part was getting the one dog you wanted out of its pen without all the other dogs escaping. They love to run, and they are so patient when you are harnessing them, tap the leg you want up and the dog lifts it, tap the next leg and up it comes. You missed out on something wonderful, it's one of my most favorite experiences. As for the difficulty, try having the lead dog being 'The Dog' and the two at the back bitches on heat, now that's difficult :-)
Wow, that's a really bad company you got there! It probably is better to go with a dog owner who only owns a few dogs and looks after the dogs before looking after himself. We went dog sledding in Finland and it was nothing like this, the dogs were very well looked after, happy and warm. But it is really shocking to hear that there aren't really any laws on making sure the dogs are well looked after! And we were sat in the sled while the dog owner was guiding the dogs, it wasn't up to us to make sure they were ok. And watching this video has made me think more weather it's ethical to use huskies for tourism...
Thanks for sharing this video. I would have been drawn to this experience as well. After watching your video, I personally would not partake in this seeing what you shared. Although it was obviously emotional for you, your sharing will help others make the best decision for them. Keep making great videos, my wife and I love to watch and learn from your experiences!
I love it, it was a really, really nice experience for me through you. It's such a beautiful place. It's a great place to be. It's like you are in a little bit of a dream world.
So sorry you went through such a sad and sobering experience! Strange that the mushers didn't take time to introduce you to all the dogs by name, teach you Finnish commands, or run you through a thorough practice round before embarking on your journey. Dogs cowering and injured are huge red flags. Despite all of the above, don't let this experience ruin your perspective of dog sledding as a whole. I've had a wonderful experience dog sledding in France and the dogs, which are often a mix of working breeds as well as Huskies, appeared loved and well treated. The dogs were also engaged and excited to meet my group, but when the harnesses went on they went from cute doggie-kisses mode to work mode in a blink. Before we started the tour, we also had a thorough training on: + French dog commands + Foot positioning on the sled + Sled positioning, turning, and braking + How to help the dogs mush + How to identify and avoid places that could get the dogs and sled stuck This video should serve as a cautionary tale to thoroughly vet any animal-related activity for humane and ethical treatment, not an indictment of dog sledding/animal-related activities as a whole. Animal-related activities are often a generational way of life in many cultures. Thank you for raising awareness.
i worked in racing for a few years in us and canada. I met a musher from france he was a cool guy. he dipped out though, the scene over here is way more hardcore. also he was a 4 dog musher and he went to like a freaking like pretty hardcore open class sprint musher. Its like a d*** measuring contest, bigger dog team attracts a certain kind of person and so do winning sports like racing. this french guy ran 4 dogs, its a different crowd but there are really competitive 4 dog people, i didn't get that vibe from him but he said he was "4 dog champion" so idk. and its easier to own fewer dogs so there are more of the people with smaller teams in general i guess. in most of europe people aren't allowed to chain dogs. but a few countries allow it like finland. " Animal-related activities are often a generational way of life in many cultures." yea thats the whole problem. The iditarod is filled with backward oldschool crap. and several of the families involved have been doing it for several generations. crappy out dated stuff gets passed on. I met plenty of good people that i liked who do crappy oldschool stuff with their dog because thats how their grandpa taught their dad and so on. it gets really personal, like by talking about a style of dog care you are insulting that person and their beliefs and their grandpa and his beliefs and hey you shut your mouth my grandpa was a good man he fought in the war..... see what im saying? This applies to freaking everything involving animals every where. hunting dogs, horses, rodeos, etc etc. i live in the us. id like to see the ban of animal racing, the use of dogs for hunting, and rodeos to either go away or totally redefine themselves. there lots of other stuff i think it would be good to get rid of, those three i think are doable and a major step in the right direction. all of them are already banned in some places, things are already headed that direction, im just trying to do my part to educate people. Working in dog sled racing really rattled me, its freaking bad. europe needs to ban that s*** too its not that much better over there, its still just a freaking race its about selling dogs and making money and winning. If people want to get together and run dogs thats one thing, calling it a race and keeping time and giving out prizes is another. it needs to stop.
Wow ! Nicely done video, I guess you doing the Iditarod is out of the question.you were wearing your heart on your sleeve and I loved that .your honesty was refreshing,I’m crossing that of my bucket list for sure . I know those dogs love to run but 6 hours a day ... hell no
Thank you Allison for your honest emotions in this video...Tears streamed down my face😥...animal abuse (use) is a wide spreaded horror on this planet and the tourism/entertainment is unfortunately just one part of it...😪 As a vegan/animal rights supporter I urge you to watch Earthlings and Dominion....you guys love animals and have good hearts and have a platform to speak up for the voiceless✌It was like watching myself just before I went vegan...deep down you already know your love for animals dont match up with your actions. .💔 This video is a important "speak up for animals" so thank you for that!!!
Thank you so much for your honesty in this video. As many people have mentioned there is always two sides to the story when it comes to ethics. Yes, there is a difference between working dogs and pepper. Yes there are dogs that love the cold and thrive. As someone who loves dogs, and has a larger breed that loves the snow and cold, there are dogs like huskys that love to be outside and prefer sleeping outside in the winter. However, I would have been extremely bothered by the treatment of the animals just as you were. I agree with Fin that you can tell when a dog is happy or not. I was immediately bothered seeing the dogs chained and pulling because that can easily injure dogs necks and larynx. Seeing this timid behavior is clear that these dogs were not being treated well. Also many of those dogs seemed like mixed breeds and not what my impression of a sled dog to be (not that I have any real expertise here). Thank you for your honesty in having this conversation and saying "hey we were a part of the problem here" but using your platform to say your truth. Ps. I miss pepper Pss. going to love on my big 85lb baby of a black lab now
First: I love dogs. I'm 70 and have had dogs my whole life. That said, I pose a series of questions. Where do we draw the line? Horseback riding? Birds in a cage? Putting sweaters on dogs and cats and causing them skin rashes and infections? What about sports? Ridiculoous? We pay to watch men play and get hurt all the time. Some die? Is it ethical to watch football? You may argue that the men choose to play, but, at some point, they have to because they have contracts that are stronger than a leash and collar. These are working dogs. They have lived their whole lives in snow as have generations before them. There is a pair of eagles in Big Bear, CA, USA that are on camera right now that sit in snow trying to hatch their eggs. These animals are used to this. I love that you care, but, these dogs are not Pepper. They love to work. Just my two cents. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though. See you on your next adventure.
I think most people draw the line before hitting the dogs. Law draws them as well. I don't feel it's that complicated - if the animals exist for the amusement of people, they must be treated well. I'm just guessing, but most people probably agree that these dogs were not treated well enough during their visit.
Thank you for being so truthful. 🙏🏼. I felt similar pain while watching this . Trying to become vegetarian as I feel we cause much more harm to chickens , goat , fish - it’s just that we don’t see this killing in person. All these animals come dressed up in our plates and we forget how much pain that life must have gone thru. All in all- thank you for sharing this pain . Appreciate it . Hope we all become more aware towards all life 🙏🏼, thank you Tim and Fin. Keep up the great work
There are very strickt laws about keeping animals in Finland and/or using them for business. I really don't know what kind of regulations we have spesificly for sled dog business, but animal cruelty laws apply to them too. So what you saw there, it was not good. I hope somebody made an announsment to the local animal protection advisor or the vet who are legally binded to do something about things like that.
Great video and one of your best imho. Hopefully that fact that this particular place was available on "short notice" means many others are much better. I would think you guys talked about including that hot tub discussion in the video. I know it was, but it came off sincere and I think even newer people who don't know you would think so. Good job.
Thank you so very much for this video. I was planning a trip to see the Northern lights on a dogsledding trip. This video absolutely changed my mind and I’m no longer going to dogsled. Your video is making a difference. Just thought you might like to know.
So, your issue is the dogs didn’t like it when they had to stop running, some of the dogs got nervous when some random stranger came up to them and started touching them while they were tied up, and you didn’t like how the kennel staff handled highly aroused working dogs who were causing problems with the other dogs. Most of these complaints are dumb, but I will say the orientation could have been better. You should have been told to never let go of the sled and to ignore the snow buildup around the breaks. Also, they should have looked into the injuries more and I hope they are working on breeding for thicker coats. The first 15 minutes being pure chaos is a universal thing with any type of high energy pulling. I bikejor with my dog and let me tell you, it’s absolute high adrenaline chaos every time we start lol
I love Tim and Fin videos, but reading the comments, I do not want to be upset (as I am sure Tim and Fin were, as Pepper is a very loved fur-baby). ❤️ Look forward to the next video
interesting thanks for the details I reckon anytime animals are involved in making money or competitions they tend to get abused/ neglected/ put in last priority I mean, there is a big difference to the average pet dog life in Europe and the US, and their lives are far from perfect apart from that, yea, if you have 30-60 dogs, I reckon you would tend to regard them as "material" what amazed me were the rather lab like features, hanging ears, coloring of typical popular dog breeds, furs not really thick on some, made me wonder about their breeding practices and priorities I remember reading about mushers, adventure books, when I was little, and often they suffered hardships, would starve or not make the journey main difference, in the stories, the musher was starving as well... added later: them flinching away is a red flag, and as well that some seem very slender ot too light for their job didnt curb their enthusiasm though, did it...
Thanks for sharing. It is so difficult to be sure if they are or not treating well the dogs until you are there ... I had a similar experience in an Elephant sanctuary in Thailand and I regret it afterwards. I am staying away of dog sledding , rather not doing it than end supporting business like that
Sucks to say this, but think the only way to fully avoid the bad husky safaris is to avoid the safaris all together for the time being. At least make sure to read reviews from multiple sources and read the ratings with the LOWEST scores. Don't just trust the overall score. And of course what ever the internet says, might still not be whole truth. The place where this was filmed is at the moment up and running with almost all 5-star reviews on every platform. And considering its a family home premises, I doubt it has changed ownership. In the whole of internet there is ONLY ONE review that says the owner was rough towards the dogs. If that one review would not exists, there would be no way to find out that the dogs are treated roughly.
I took a ride at the Seavey's outside of Seward, AK and they did not treat their dogs like that! Their dogs are valued and they wear proper gear based on the weather, including booties.
As a Finn, I´m shocked and feel sorry for you and these poor dogs! Finland is known for being dog friendly country. I don´t know where you were but I really wanna make an animal welfare declaration about this place. Most of the husky slide places are legit and they treat their dogs very well.
Can we just say not all dog sledding places or trainers are like this. My sister and brother both worked and works with sled dogs. They raise, train, and run them in Alaska. And none of the dogs are treated like this ever. They are some of the most well taken care of animals ever. Working animals love to work. And not all working dogs are treated in way you experience. Working animals who are trained well and well taken care are some of the happiest animals you'll meet.
I think they’re used to lap dogs who are treated like humans not working dogs that are actually useful for something.
@@veiledallegory pretty sure it's because they idk saw the dogs hurt and being beaten lol
If they do this in front of people, who knows what they do behind the scenes.
@@emrysam exactly
ill only agree with you if the kennel they worked for didn't race dogs. if the kennel raced dogs then your siblings just fell victim to confirmation bias and groupthink like everyone else.
I just want to say we went on a husky tour near Helsinki and we got a very different expierence than you. We did a tour and this guy had 20 dogs but treaded every single one of them as if they were his baby’s. We put the dogs on the harness ourselves and we cuddled and played with them. I think mass tourism can get bad very quick. But there are better options.
Please could you share the name of the tour company?😊
Yes can you please share the name of this company @europe’straveltips
I also can recommend one company operating in western Lapland. Husky Ranch Lapland is a small family business focusing on ecotourism in Kurtakko near Ylläs and Levi area. They have 30 dogs living with them and are a highly appreciated entrepreneurs among the locals.
I'm a Finn and I've lived my whole life here in Finland. I've followed your channel about three years now.
This video really got me with very mixed feelings. At first I like to say I'm so sorry for what you had to witness. And I really hope that this experience didn't make you feel Finland is a bad country of any short. I do really hope that most of the dog sledding companies do their things as they should and this company you went in was just a bad fruit in the basket. I've never went to a dog sledding tour. In Finland we do have quite strict regulations about how you should treat your animals. And people do get jail if they mistreat their animals badly or gets big fines. Even if the animals are lambs or cows. And in Finland we are used to have open discussion in "traditional media" (newspapers f.e.) about treating your animals and just a year ago we had this big media thing because there were people beating their dogs when they were educating those dogs to be as a security serving dogs with a video footage. And I think some things actually got better after that. Or I hope so.
My spouses friend actually adopted a dog from the Lapland and she used to be a sled dog. I've met the dog once just couple of weeks ago. She was the nicest and kindest dog I've ever met. Husky dog's fur is really thick and two layered so they actually can handle the coldness really well. But you are right about the paws being the weakest part of the dog's body against the cold. And also the paws can be injured quite easily f.e. stepping on a sharp branch. Did you know that dogs can actually hurt their paws in a hot summer day walking on a hot asphalt and get burning injuries?
I do participate in the society here in Finland and I really keep this in my mind and some day I'll point this thing out that dog sledding companies here in Finland need to be more regulated and also looked upon how they treat their dogs. No beating should be allowed at all. And I'm really shocked they did beat their dogs in front of you and on video. And I'm happy to discuss this more with any of the people here in RUclips.
Literally everything in your comment is wrong. Seriously. Everything. Are regulations more strict than in many other countries? Sure, but just because something is less bad does not make it good. People absolutely do not get jail time for mistreating animals. At most they could get probation and/or not be allowed to keep animals anymore (but unless they operate some kind of animal business, there is really nothing stopping them from getting another dog, cat or any other animal). And in order for this to happen it would have to be something major, e.g. letting 50 cows starve to death. Hitting a dog would result in absolutely nothing unless it was filmed and even then it would result in a small (not big as you wrote) fine of a couple hundred euros at most.
And no, things have not gotten any better at all for the ''security serving dogs''. Unlike the name implies, they were not actually trained for any real purpose, e.g. law enforcement - it was just a cruel hobby. The people that were filmed abusing dogs are still involved in the same hobby groups, which is why animal rights groups are still fighting for better treatment of the dogs. And even though the dogs were filmed getting hit, kicked and shocked by electricity over a year ago, no one has been convicted of anything or received any kind of fine.
The dogs that were cold that TIM and FIN saw were most likely Alaskan Huskies, not Siberian Huskies.Like you said, the fur of Siberian Huskies is really thick and they have absolutely no problem dealing with the temperatures in Lapland. However, many places also use Alaskan Huskies, that cannot deal with the cold nearly as well as the Siberian variant, which is why they should sleep indoors and not in cages outside.
This comment is already far too long, but I'd still like to add that the husky business is super unethical. First of all, it's not traditional in any way. Dog sledding has historically never been a thing anywhere in the Nordics (unlike Greenland, Canada and Alaska) and the Sámi parliament (i.e. the parliament of the indigenous people of Northern Lapland) is against it. Secondly, and more importantly, the way the dogs are treated is horrible. As you can see on the video they are kept in small cages or tied to a pole with a metal chain. According to the law, the dogs also don't need to have water available at all times - it is enough if they have a block of ice to lick and get running water ONCE per day.
And sure, the dogs are super excited to pull the sled, but so would I be if I were tied up the rest of the day and this was the only way I could get out of my cage. Additionally, there is no law that states that the dogs have to be taken to the vet every so often, but rather that it is the owners responsibility to check that they are doing alright. Seeing how most companies have between 60-80 dogs, it is clear that there is no way the owners have time to check the well-being of the dogs every day.
TL:DR. Please don't go dog sledding in Finland, it is completely unethical. A huge thanks to TIM and FIN for making this video.
I really appreciate you guys posting this. I can't imagine how hard it must have been to relive this while editing. Thanks for sharing your experience
Tim and Fin, if you're readers or audible people, I highly recommend reading Welcome to the Goddamn Ice-cube by Blair Blaverman. It's written by a girl who worked with sled dogs and in dog sled tourism. She does a fantastic job expressing the overall harshness and mindset of living in such a remote environment and and what it's like on the other side of the dog sled tourism. Super good. I thought it gave me a lot more context when watching your video.
I felt all of your emotions through the entire video. Thank you for capturing this and sharing it with us all. I agree, you don’t think about these things while you sign up to do it, but then once you sit back and reflect, you realize how upsetting the entire situation is.
We’re huge fans of your channel. This was very informative. As animal lovers we appreciate you you helping to bring this to light.
This is absolutely horrifying.. disciplining your dog is one thing, this is complete abuse.. I would of lost my shit and freaked out on the awful people torturing the dogs.. where’s the petition to get this place shut down🤢🤢😡
This had me in tears. Your videos have been adding things to my list. This video has taken something off my list that has been there for quite a while. Thank you, especially for the conversation at the end.
(two 100% ethical companies mentioned below from someone living in Lapland!)
I live in Lapland, Finland since february and work in the tourism industry. I'm sad to say I've heard multiple stories like this by my colleuges, guides I met and local friends that I made here in Rovaniemi, Finland. There really are Husky farms out here in Lapland that do really care for their dogs! But I dare to say that I'm afraid they are in minority.
I could immidiately tell from the size of the dog farm that you guys went to a big one! Smaller ones is what I would reccomend, but the problem is: if you're not living here... there's no way to find out... online it's nearly impossible to find which ones are ethical and which ones are not...
I get that with 50 dogs you don't always have time to be sweet, and sometimes things have to go fast, but let's be clear: Hitting dogs is absolutely a no go. ANd sleeping on a chain... They are supossed to be in a run together with a few other dogs to keep eatchother warm...
If other people want to go to Lapland, here are 2 companies in Finnish Lapland that are 100% caring for their dogs and putting the dogs wellbeing first:
- Allhuskies in Kittlä/Levi, recommended by my local friends and been there myself.Had the best experience! A couple with the husky farm at their home. Some dogs even lived in her home. Her old, retired compitition dogs are still there in a big run enjoying life with the youngster to teach them how to behave. All the dogs ran free after the ride and listened so well, no need to grab them. They came happily when called. They were open to any questions, educating people about huskies and their wellbeing. Ethical and people with a big heart!
-Bearhill husky in Rovaniemi. My local friend and guide recommended this one as one of the only ones around Rovaniemi that cared for the wellbeing for their dogs and that were ethical.
I know it's not a lot of reccemendations that I can give you sadly. But like in this video also very clear... it's not worth doing a husky ride if not 100% dog friendly and with the wellbeing of the dogs in mind.
Fin & Tim, I completely agree with your conclusion. They shouldn't be used just for tourism and it results in lost of companies that are not treating their dogs right and bad circumstances... But I would do it again with companies that have the dogs for hobby and competitions and not just for the tourists... You can always write me a message for tips if you want to go again! I'm an intern for Visit Lapland and I visit a lot of companies and am very sceptical and will not make reccemendations if not 100% sure. I grew up with dogs, mom is a dog trainer and the animals their wellbeing comes first! ( IG: @Kaat_Vandeweyer)
Hi
I will have an interview next week to go to Rovaniemi work as a guide on dog sled dogs and I was wondering if you may have a clue if that is a good one. I absolutely love dogs and couldn’t stand seeing them suffering. Can I message you on IG?
Thank you!
Thank you for being so honest. First of all, the majority of the dogs I saw in your video, were NOT huskies. They were normal mutts. Huskies have the double fur and barely feel the cold. Dogs love to run, but I did not see any of them getting water or treats when you had the lunch break. Listening to your report at the end of the video Tim, thousands of 'tourists' are going to Finland and spending a day dog sledding. I believe the Finnish government should put in some controls on this business. That is all it seems to be, a business. All of us who love dogs as companions, would react as you did Fin. Once again, I have learned a lot from this video, and I would hope, others have as well. Hugs.
most sled dogs are not the purebred Siberian huskies that you are thinking of. They are mixes of different nordic breeds and sporting breeds.
These are Alaskan Huskies
@@hgabby7 Correct.Alaskans are a mix.
Aad I believe when sleeping out in the snow they sleep on a bed of hay of straw?
When resting sleddogs you give them straw to lay on. And a blanket so you keep the muscels warm and smooth for the next stage. You allso snack them with high fat snack to give them something to run on.
Paige Drobney had a dog die in the iditarod because it suffocated under snow while resting on the gang line at a rest stop. She gave it straw and all of that, but they had been running for so many days in a row and the dog was so tired it either slept through suffocating or was too tired to care and lift its head up. also it was chained to the ground its not like it could move out of the blowing snow if it wanted too.
Thank you for talking about this! Watching those dogs in pain in your video made me so sad. Can’t imagine what it was like in person. Especially having a dog of your own you can’t help but think about it like it was your own dog that was in pain.
Guess it depends where you go, sadly. Didn’t know how I’d feel about it before the first time I went. However the kennels we’ve experienced in Alaska (Talkeetna and Fairbanks) since we moved here have been phenomenal. You can tell the dogs are treated extremely well and love it. Caveat being that many of the dogs up here compete in the Iditarod and are insanely energetic / fit. Not sure about kennels strictly designed for tourism.
Thanks for sharing about your Alaska experience!
I second what Nicholas said about Alaska. I went in or around Talkeetna, too. The way they treated the dogs and the way the dogs acted was exactly the friendly, happy, healthy way you were expecting, Fin. I was cringing watching how this video unfolded because it was clear to me this particular business just shouldn’t be dog owners, period, let alone running any kind of dog-based business. Inversely, you could tell the owners in Alaska had an actual relationship with their dogs. They introduced each dog by name, and that was just for my 5-min. summer training run. I couldn’t believe when you said you’d been sledding for hours and hadn’t even been introduced to your dogs yet! But I agree your story needed to be told. I hope it results in something positive for those dogs.
Great to hear your experience! I do love watching sleddog races (including the Iditarod) and watching the behind the scenes. The dogs are always so well taken care of and at any sign of sickness or injury the dogs are not allowed to continue. It's very visible how much the dogs enjoy running in these races. Very sad to see the way these dogs in kennels that are just focussed on tourism are treated even nowadays when there's so much attention to animal wellfare...
@@wendyhere7204 How many dogs died or were injured in this years Iditarod? Where are these dogs when they aren't racing? In someone's home or yard? Or tied to a tree.
@@tomherfel2916 Why don't you look it up and see for yourself. I'm not your personal Iditarod news broadcaster ;)
Thanks for showing the realities, I feel the same way Fin. Then realizing that dogs aren't really any different than other domesticated animals is why I went vegan years ago. I've travelled to many of the same places and it's always been easy. Anyway, the video was still well-made as always. Not every travel experience can live up to our own hype. Just makes the good ones even better.
This video made me sad. Thank you for sharing your experience with dog sled tourism.
When I was a teen I used to train my dog to pull me on roller skates (because there isn't much snow in my area) and she absolutely LOVED it. I got her a harness and everything, she was extremely excited and happy to go go go. I loved her to pieces!!! Sadly she passed away at 10 years old of cancer. High energy dogs want high energy jobs.. but that's no reason to be cruel to them.
"As dog owners, you know when a dog is happy and healthy, and you also know when it's not." Indeed!
Thank you for sharing your experience. This was extremely thought provoking..... keep up the awesome travel videos. I watch them all 😊
My dog would be ecstatic to do this. He would run until he got hungry and probably wouldn't stop for anything else. He lays in the snow in -40C. The ethical problem for me is not putting the animals to work so much as it is how they are trained and treated. Sled dogs are independent and have an abundance of energy. They are not easy to train, and in big groups the energy feeds off each other. This is why it needs to be managed consistently. If the number of dogs is causing too much chaos, and you can't manage your dogs without beating them, you shouldn't have them. It's clear that they only have that many to keep up with the business, and that's where their priorities are. If you're going to have a working animal, the animal comes first. They're not replaceable equipment, but that's how this particular company appears to be treating them.
Hi there. I want to say how sorry I am you had a bad first experience with sled dogs. Your feelings of caring for the dogs and doubts are valid. I would however encourage you to give it another shot. Our kennel, for instance, does not allow guests to drive their own sled. The guide was not wrong by saying you shouldn't let go (it's rule #1 in dog mushing) but it is unfair to put that expectation on someone who has not worked with sled dogs before. You were not set up for success. These dogs do love what they do and it can be the most rewarding job in the world to work with them and teach the public about them. And if you are wondering what happens after tours, any reputable kennel will either have a retirement plan (seperate walks, free run time, public socialization for pets and belly rubs) or will have a strict adoption program. Please reach out directly on our RUclips or Instagram page (wyldsleddogs) any time if you ever want to have questions answered. Thanks for hearing me out. And enjoy your journey.
Adore you guys. However from the very start you saw they exploit animals. From the moment you understood this is fully booked, it’s animal exploitation. You didn’t research which is a huge responsibility knowing your platform. And now, you will financially benefit from this video for years to come. Consider donating your funds from this to fight the exploitation.
I second your idea! Profit from this video should be donated to an animal organization that helps these abused pups. Ive never wanted to dog sled precisely because of what I saw in this video. If this is what you see, imagine the things they do when tourists aren’t around.
I don’t think they’ll profit from this video as it doesn’t have ads (RUclips automatically puts videos at the beginning of some videos whether people want ads on their videos or not).
That was amazing guys! Thank you for filming it. I look forward to more from your bucket list. Allison, don’t feel bad. Lots of people would have felt sad and concerned for those dogs. Keep sharing the world. You guys rock! Love you guys.
it was difficult to watch this so i have no doubt how difficult it was to be there and watch it back several times.
My stomach was in knots & anxiety was high watching the chaos of the beginning of you trying to sled. I appreciate that you shared this… I know it must have been difficult. It definitely informed me of some things & I’m grateful for that. Going to go cuddle Koda now ❤️☺️
As a musher for many years this is very one sided. My dogs and I Love sledding. You should not have been allowed to run by yourself for safety reasons
well being a musher for many years just makes your side one sided. its called confirmation bias and group think.
i worked in racing for several years and i think its awesome she is questioning what she sees, too many people are buying into this bs. apparently that kennel does race some other commenter said and im not surprised.
Beautiful (brave even) video. Thanks for sharing with such honesty. I've done a couple of pretty benign animal-related tourist experiences, but came back feeling similarly. If they're treating dogs like that, I don't want to think about how they were treating camels on my last trip 😞 This video helped me come to terms with it, and I'm resolved to do better in the future.
Wow...I would've been a sobbing mess!😢 Thank you so much for shedding light on this topic. I had no idea, and will be erasing this off of my bucket list.
Thanks for your honesty--this is so upsetting on so many levels. It's especially upsetting to see that the workers didn't seem to have any relationship with the dogs and they aren't given at least anything to drink after running for hours. My son lived in South Africa for a while and there were some places where he felt the same way. The game reserves are usually wonderfully run though!
I cried with you 😢. I don’t like watching any animal be used and abused. Especially a dog! Some dogs like snow and running and pulling but, I would bet, most do not like it! And, to train a dog by punching and instilling fear, is just wrong!
I hope that these places of business find another way of making money. It’s seriously heartbreaking 💔 to see how scared and cold they were in your video. Thank you for sharing your video, even though it broke my heart. Hopefully the message will get out there 🙏🏻
Thanks for the video, it is heart touching, I thought I always wanted to do a sled trip. I never truly thought about the dogs. And what a work dog life is really like. Kind of sad, very touching. I think you did a great job showing both sides. Love your channel.
I'm sorry to see that you had to go through this experience with dog sledding. I've been working with sleddog since 2014 and I have seen different places; and indeed: there are a lot of black sheep on the market as it is easier and easier to make a business out of dog sledding.
There are tho still mushers and touristic companies that love and know that they are doing. That treat their dogs right starting from having right equipment, feed them well, cover them in harsh conditions, give them straw to lay down and bootie up the paws if the conditions require. The introduction to ride a sled was fairly poor from what I saw and from what you said, and also the rest seemed just chaotic. If you'd been under my guidance you wouldn't even be allowed to have the hands of the handlebar to film with a stick while driving, for your own and our dogs safety. In our tourism kennel, we want to share not only the sledding experience but answer all questions and explain about the dogs and our training and life with the dogs, so the people who come here learn something about responsible dog tourism.
I am a German girl living in Finland Rovaniemi, I am a dog trainer, specified for dog behavior, I am a guide and in training to become an animal physiotherapist. Mushing, done in a proper way is the most beautiful thing, especially when you can see the dogs are treated in a way they deserve to. As work mates, not as machines.
I can only recommend Bearhill Husky in Rovaniemi for a visit. Our dogs and pups are trained properly from day one(by educated puppy trainers) and we never needed to hit our dogs.
Best regards from Finland, Betty
You should absolutely rat this company out so that the government can stop their abuse of dogs! The only way they will change is by public pressure.
Thank you for sharing your honest views. I was crying with you. In my head I was screaming cut them loose and burn the place down! I know so dramatic but I have a dog and love animals. Thank you again for sharing this video, I love your channel and appreciate you educating others!
how many sick /injured dogs do you think they simply throw away? dispose of? how many puppies in this puppy mill do they drown? you have to consider everything. not just what you see on the surface. if the surface its that bad, imagine what else goes on .its all about profits for these sick people.
I'm new to your channel, but this was interesting and something I have thought about a lot and expressed my feelings to friends. Making a dog(s) pull a sled is not ethical. Mushers always say, "but they love it". I bet if the mushers were chained to a tree most of their lives, they would love occasionally getting loose for a couple hours to pull a sled also. The Iditarod is the classic example. It gets tons of publicity. The owners/winners get the prizes. And every year several dogs pay the price - they die or are injured. The bottom line is, dogs shouldn't live their lives tied to trees, nor should they be made to pull sleds. There are other things they shouldn't be made to do as well - hunt bear, mountain lions or wolves, where the dogs often finish second best. I wish the ASPCA would get behind some legislation in the US to ban dog sledding, especially racing events.
i worked in dog sled racing and your comment is great. i agree with almost all of that. i will add that its possible to mush dogs humanely, its a good activity for enrichment and exercise. But racing goes way beyond that, it reduces the dogs to just parts of a machine. racing is cruel. just take a look at grey hound racing and horse racing as well.
but yea most of the dogs in mushing are "chain crazy" and neurotic. you hit the nail on the head with "I bet if the mushers were chained to a tree most of their lives, they would love occasionally getting loose for a couple hours to pull a sled also." yea bro. its a bunch of chained up dogs, they get excited to do almost anything. im glad you are able to see that, most people don't.
wastage is the issue with sports and racing. its about getting rid of slow animals to make room for faster ones. there is no way around that. its not "bad apples and good apples." its "winners and losers." The people in dog sled racing who win are the bad ones, i know that from experience because i worked at the winning level.
This is one of the most moving episodes you've put out. We really felt your pain regarding the treatment of those animals. I was always under the impression that those dogs were treated like royalty. First of all, I didn't like that the dogs were chained to a post at the establishment. I've seen other videos where the dogs were in a chain link enclosure and could run around free to a degree. Based on some of the comments posted, yours was possibly the exception to the rule, but in reality it's probably the norm in most cases. Those who are considering these types of tours, please do exhaustive research into the company.
It's interesting that there's only few Finns commenting on this video. Usually, we Finns comment in mass whenever the video even slightly scratches anything Finnish / in Finland. Very good and honest video! 😟
Having worked in Lapland with Huskies I really recommend doing some in-depth research regarding dog sledding. I worked at Hetta Huskies is an amazing family run business in Enontekio which truly promotes responsible mushing.
Having lived in Lapland for most of my life I recommend the same! If you participate in any animals tourist always your research. There are good ones there but from what I have heard they are a rarity. I have taken one husky ride when it was a rare thing to do 25 years ago. A friend of my brothers who lived with her dogs took us for a short run. The loudness is normal just before leaving, but that behaviour towards the animals was absolutely not ok.
This was something I always wanted to do. Thank you for shedding light on this. 😢
As a native Finn, I dont have a slightest intrest at dog sledding in Lapland (or anywhere in the world for that matter). And I also think that most Finns dont either: Its close to a 100 percent tourististy thing to do. While I dont particulary like dogs or other animals like cats etc (due to an allegry), I feel and share your concerns on that form of tourism. I consider this video to be very thought provoking and much needed change of view on animal related tourism. Hopefully you had nice time in Finland, winter is great time to visit if one can handle the cold and dark. Personally, I would like to recommend summertime 👍🏻
Hi Tim and Fin,
Thanks for posting this video to show the reality of what seems to be such as wonderful activity. Let me just say I started to cry as soon as your video started hearing the dogs barking in the distance. As an animal rescuer these topics are very close to my heart and take them seriously. I don't approve using animal for profit and rather enjoy them see the happy specially if they can be in their natural habitat. I really wish more people would truly care about the animals and avoid supporting these type of activities. It was clear these dogs were not happy and were suffering. I can't imagine having to live my life chained outside in the snow just so that the next day I can go and work a full day pulling something extremely heavy and having to do that over and over and over again. That is not life, that is misery! I regret engaging myself in the past in activities like swimming with the dolphins. I wasn't aware of a lot that takes place but now that I know I wouldn't do that again and encourage people not to do that. Again, thanks for sharing this video and please note that I have fallen more in love with your channel after watching this video as I know you are seeking to do the right thing and educate people. Lastly, I enjoy so much watching Pepper in your videos.
Hello, i know i am gonna be crucified for this on this channel. I have 2 dogs and a cat, i am animal lover. There's a difference between working dogs and pets. Have you ever seen farm animals cows horses, do you think they get cold in the field, shiver or animals in the wild. Most animals have to fight for survival. Thats nature. Those dogs are lucky to have shelter and food. Many homeless cats and dogs are not that lucky even to have that. Just a perspective
I think the big difference is these dogs aren’t doing an actual job, they’re literally just there as a tourist attraction and most of them don’t look like huskies which some other commenters noticed as well. They also didn’t seem to have any sort of warm shelter out of the elements besides those tiny crappy looking dog houses and didn’t get any food or even water after doing hours of work.
i worked in dog sled racing and now i work at a dog shelter so you comment felt personal. dog sled racing is excessive (apparently the kennel in this video races) and even the tourism side of things has major flaws. plus so many ofthe people with touring kennels also race.
there are way better ways to keep these dogs, but there are so few kennels that have more progressive and modern set ups. there is a dude in vermont where they all live indoors and no chains he does sled dog tours. im not even saying that has to be the norm but hes like the only one like that i know of at the professional level and i have asked around. there are a few pro kennels that get my seal of approval but only like 5 or so that im aware of. theres not a ton out there. its mostly chains and lots of dogs, dog is either hooked to a chain or hooked to a sled thats its life.
These types of Dog sledding companies should be banned. In the summer those dogs are tied to their houses 24/7. Eat, sh*t, sleep there and run circles around their pole. There are many documentaries on this. And people need to know the only reason the dogs want to run is that they're tied up all the time.
For Harriet and I this video was tough to watch. Fin, you were genuine in your response in how you felt about the condition of some of the dogs. You never truly know what you're getting into some
times. Harriet and i liked the fact that you and Tim had a discussion about what was happening. That's why we love you guys😍😍 and support you as a Patreon. Looking forward to your next
adventures where ever they may take you . Sending you lots of love.💖💖 Jim and Harriet. Richmond, Va.
Thanks for sticking with us through this hard situation. Looking forward to more positive travel experiences in the future 🥺🥺
So sad this was your experience and how the dogs were treated :( we also went dog sledding in Finland a few months ago and we had a wonderful experience and the dogs loves running & they were taken very good care of!
Do you mind sharing the name of the company?
@@ruthymiranda3282 we did it at the hotel we stayed at. Arctic Wilderness Resort!
We did dog sledding in Canada a few years ago and the dogs were very happy - wagging their tails, jumping around impatiently waiting to run, and they got a lot of pats and head rubs from their handlers. So a totally different experience. Grabbing a dog by the scruff is a thing though - it asserts a handler's dominance. I work with animals (horses) daily, and there are things that many onlookers would consider "rough handling" but it's absolutely necessary for everyone's safety. So there are two sides to every story.
well the equine world is also filled with loads of archaic bs too. horses have it worse than sled dogs. look at all the horses that die in horse racing vs dog sled racing.
i don't know where you went dog sledding in canada but canada has a rough history with sled dogs. in 2010 over 100 sled dogs got killed after the winter olympic tourism dried up. and it still is awful. most of the races i went to in canada. dog sled racing is filling with crazy abusive bs.
You did a great job with the intricacies of “this”. And I’m right there with you on the treatment of animals, especially dogs.
Growing up ive always wanted to dogsled. Was alwasy fascinated by doggsledding and the iditarod race etc. Howevever after watching this episode it really shed new light on the dark side of dogsledding. I totaly agree with you Fin when you say "you can tell whether a dog is happy or not". I too am a dog person always have been always will be same with my family. And watching this episode i do agree with you some of these dogs were most definately "NOT HAPPY" and not in the best of health conditions. It is disheartening to watch and hopefully your video will have some effect that changes how the dogs are maintained etc. I love all of your episodes guys please keep up the good work i look forward to your next episode !!! Thankyou.
Definitely needed to hear this. Thank you for sharing your experience. So important. I hope you reported this place.
I can't say that I liked this vlog or disliked it. I was disturbed from the minute you got to the dogsled place and started talking about what you saw (employee picking up dog... hitting dog...)! I've watched a lot of your videos and have received some very good information about a lot of places, thank you. This was just so sad and I'm glad you spoke of it at the end.
I appreciate the honest video and review. It's very eye opening and I'm sorry for all those sweet pups that are not treated with the love and compassion they deserve.
Thank you for doing this, a little tough to watch but necessary to get out there! 🥺
True dog sledders do not allow their dogs to keep working with injuries. When they stop for rest, each dog gets a bed of straw to lay in. The food they get is healthier than anything we pet owners feed our dogs. The list of things that are different from what you experienced and "real" dog sledding is long. Things that we as pet owners think we know about dogs is limited to dogs as pets and for the most part we do. Working dogs are different. Like any other creature, they are not always going to be happy and tail wagging. Clearly there needs to be way more regulation on the tourist industry in Finland and around the world. Just keep this in mind. The dogs that run the Iditarod are treated way better than most pets and definitely better than the tourist industry. Love your channel. Keep moving.
i worked in dog sled racing and you are wrong. the dogs that run the iditarod are treated like crap. And like, most of the top racing mushers are also involved in tourism, its not really a separate issue. they are able to breed more dogs and if they are to slow to excel at racing they have a place to funnel the dogs. And when the dogs are no longer fit for winning races they often get sold to touring kennels. There are touring kennels that get all of their dogs from racing mushers. Alot of the dogs that got shot in whistler were flunky or retired racing dogs.
Think about it. dogs have short racing careers, but they live alot longer than that they can still pull a sled. if you get a dog from a race musher its cheaper or even free alot of the time, and it already knows how to pull a sled. in my experience, most sled dogs are tied to racing in some way or not that far removed. The racers just produce so many dogs, its hard to get away from.
But right off hand thinking of iditarod winners. i know that dallas seavey does sled dog rides, jeff king does sled dog rides, lance mackey did sled dog rides.
The problem with the tourism industry is that the racers are the ones setting the standards across the board. The world of mushing is very informed by racing.
and like, its a race. so there is no benefit to running an injured dogs it will just slow you down. but some dogs can have like a weird gait from a past injury or something and still run fine.. seen dogs run weird from having one leg a little shorter than the other. i haven;t watched the vid yet so idk what you are seeing but still just sayin'
lol that guy who PETA has a video, he says "shes always had arthritis" idk if thats the case but its very possible the dog was a capable sled dog and had some sort of issue like that. those iditarod dogs are "running" along way but its a trot its slow af, the bar isn't THAT high alot of it is MENTAL getting them to run that far. dogs have short attention spans, after a few day running they start shutting down quit eating and drinking, if that dog is going to run at all its just going to slow you down. its just too much, some dogs are able to do it without breaking down like that. but to find those dogs you have to push them that far. thats the whole point.
i worked in sprint racing and mid-distance racing so the dogs were not trotting, and i know how to slow the dogs down and get them to run farther. Dogs flunk out of sprint and mid distance and do pretty good in the iditarod. the top level sprint dogs could run far af if you slowed them down. sprint racing is still cruel and its still hard on their minds. im just saying that the big hurdle in that long distance style of race is the mental side for the dogs. its grueling af in that regard. sprint racing is harder on their bodies, but there is still a mental aspect to it and it gets really cruel. "if hes tired and you stop he learns to expect it, thats how you ruin a good dog." hes not wrong either. theres lots of nasty tricks that behaviorally actually make alot of sense. its not senseless cruelty its calculated at thats what makes it scarier. if you scare a dog it releases endorphins like adrenaline and helps them keep running or run faster, so you can whip them and that will release endorphins, and if you add a cue when you whip them like whistling or "hike up" when you say that in the future he remembers you whipping him and gets an endorphine hit. The seaveys even freaking wrote about it in their book like i am not making this up this is real af. its like im living in the twilight zone these same stories keep coming up year after year and now ive seen it and yea dude, PETAs on point with this one like for real. theyve done alot the iditarod is on its last legs now people just need to wake tf up.
Thank you for making this video. i worked in dog sled racing for three years and went to many different kennels all across the us and canada and what you have seen is not unique at all. people need to see this stuff. it means the world to me that you are sharing this and discussing it. it got me really emotional though. ill comment on the video in a reply, i just want to say thank you separately.
i mean yea what you saw was standard enough, its not the worst looking "set-up" i have ever seen. Its better than alot of them out there. Its not even that the chains are automatically bad ill admit. I don;t like them personally but when dealing with that many dogs there is alot about it that works. it really depends more on what their day to day life is like. especially considering how often sled dogs get traded around, they go from one dog yard on a chain to another dog yard on a chain its a pretty quick transition it doesn't stress them out to much. They "plug right in." Some of the kennel set ups i have seen in sled dogs are worse than chains, if you take the chaining mentality and shove it into kennels it gets bad. the problem really is deeper than just the chains. i really would like to get rid of them and banning them is good, it makes it harder to own so many dogs. i truly think its a step in the right direction to ban tethering. And i DEFINATLY thing racing needs to be banned.
since i worked in racing i am curious if the people race, or used to race.
the dog houses look pretty nice in the video not too chewed up or anything i wasnt looking to closely though. then kennels on the side are kind of cool, but thats not automatically better they need time out of the kennel not pulling a sled. they have a fenced in yard so hopefully they let the dogs off to play as a group alot but probably not, the more dogs there are the less likely that is to happen frequently if at all. for racing dogs play time just increases the risk of injury and messes with training and recovery schedules.
They gave you really poor instruction. its not rocket science but like they should have told you more than that. He WASN'T kidding when he said you were supposed to hold on when you fell. theres enough there to prevent it with a snowmobile and all of the other people, but if your sled gets away from you dogs can and have died. Don't ever let go of the sled unless your "snowhook" is in the ground, and he should have shown you the snow hook and how to set it. And he should have told you about "keeping the lines tight." you use the drag mat and the brake to do that but he didn't really tell you that he just showed them to you.
thats a quick run through of what i saw in the video from a retired sled dog handlers perspective. To answer the question posed in the title, "IS DOG SLEDDING ETHICAL." Sure yes the act of mushing dogs can be done ethically. It can even be great exercise and enrichment. But there is alot wrong in the world of mushing, many archaic practices and ideas. And yea alot wrong with animal tourism in general. I think banning racing would do alot to help sled dogs, it would weed out alot of people with the wrong motivations, put the emphasis onto dog care and not performance. Im not impressed with MOST of the people i met in dog sledding, only the hobbyists and select few working kennels get my seal of approval and i have looked. there are a few pretty freaking cool sled dog kennels on youtube but id have to go dig up the names. Jim Blair of eden ethical sled dogs is cool, far from the norm in mushing though im afraid.
Thank you for sharing Tim and Fin! I am shocked and sad to see those poor dogs being abused. I'm a Finn myself and I have never been dog sledding. It is not part of our culture, it is a business that provides exotic experiences to tourists. Nevertheless, we have a retired sled dog, an Alaskan husky living in our family. She is a beautiful and lovely dog, very athletic. We take her out for long walks daily in the nearby forest, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening. I watched a documentary about Iditarod recently and came to the conclusion that it was too harsh for the dogs, totally unethical. I find that tourism to Lapland is problematic: flying causes a lot of CO2 emissions and there are so many activities created for the tourists so that they can have exotic experiences. It is sad to see Lapland turning into an amusement park. When Finns travel to Lapland, we usually go cross country skiing in the forests and relax in the sauna in the evenings. We appreciate simple things like quiteness, tranquility and beauty of the vast forests and fells. We should also remember that it is the land of the Samí people and be humble and respectful.
I lived in Fairbanks, Alaska for about five years and I would often see dog sledders while I was out photographing in the winter, and I also went on a dog sledding tour one day out of curiosity. Everyone that I asked, and everywhere that I would happen-upon sledders out in the field, the dogs were always kept outside in these small wooden boxes filled with straw for bedding. This is where they slept in the winter and temperatures routinely reach negative -30° F in Fairbanks, (I've been outside at -42° F a few times).
They would tell me that this breed of dog is adapted for the cold and that their double-coats of fur function to protect them from the cold. I don't care what they say on this, having them sleep outside in that cold is cruel. Just because they may be able to survive those extremes doesn't make it right. They claimed that the straw and their own fur kept them warm- enough in those wooden shelters, protected from the wind. I did notice that the dogs themselves did love running those sleds. They looked forward to it and were always excited. They never could stay still whenever they were lined-up to be harnessed to the sled. They would just bark and jump around in excitement for the run to come. Still, I don't like that they slept outside for one thing, and that guy hitting the dog, that's not o.k.
it's not cruel for crying out loud they literally would rather sleep outside in the cold. just because you feel like it's too cold doesn't mean the dogs do
these are not pet dogs
@@TheAlex29494 yea thats clear. they are treated as disposable tools. definitely not pets.
I worked in dog sled racing and its cruel. its and activity that rewards cruel behavior and practices. and yea they get cold, they get hot easy but yea they get cold and their feet get cold. thats not my biggest concern, my biggest concern is the low quality of life, over breeding, wastage, dog getting traded around like pokemon. and yea they sometimes die and get hurt and stuff. people are still whipping them(dude i worked for used a neck line). constantly over exerted and ran till they s*** blood. loads of issues besides them being out doors in the cold. i have heard stories of dogs freezing to death but thats not the norm it was one of those short coated racing dogs getting sold around ended up somewhere to cold (up in the freaking arctic) and froze to death. one got eaten by a polar bear. the other one survived and when they went up there to race and asked the dude how the dogs he sold him were doing he was like "oh no not good, eh. two of em died." they took the surviving one back with them so thats good.
had a sled dog that like to eat but she got fat easy from eating that fat rich bs the mushers feed. so she didn't get to eat much. we were doing something like giving out straw or maybe even putting dogs inside because it was really cold. what ever it was ill never for get the quote "shes fat, let her shiver off some of that weight."
There is a very strong movement recent to weed out the bad seeds. You're hot-tub scene reflects that but the locals ar working themselves for it. Common practice was that foreign kennels would set up camp in Lapland for the winter season to drive tourists. And this brought many problems. But as a sled dog carer and sled dog driver myself, I have noticed this; 1. Very little or no instructions. What about safety distances between sleds, about using the anker. How about first intro to the dogs. How about leaning into the turns and steering a sled in general. 2. Like you mentioned, running a large kennel does require a lot of authority and pack management. But sadly this is sometimes only attempted by aggression. 3. Dog behaviour is very dependent on the environment. Some of my dogs are afraid of everybody except me by character. 4. during the season there is a lot of stress due to the schedule/timing. and if everything is well organised and goes to plan, it is smooth sledding. But a small issue, anything from a sick dog keeping you up all night to discovering a broken collar or a customer showing up 1/2 hour late can wreak havoc. It's the opertor's manners and attitude that make or break the way this then plays out... 5. Huskies or sled dogs in general are a hardy breed, so small wounds and bite marks are not a problem. And through their excitement, every starting situation is chaotic. entanglements are very common, and most dogs can sort it out. And indeed it looks like with so much fresh snow that as a first experience goes. But I can assure you that there are soo many other kennels where the ways are different. In no way this is advertising for a particular individual, but our neighbouring sled dog farm has a completely different feel. And it's true, dogsledding has nothing to do with Lappish way of living, it's a tourism activity. But with the correct attitude, regulations etc, this can be done with happy, healthy dogs. Some point at the root cause; when an activity with animals has to generate income and profit, corners are being cut to increase those. After all, during 3-4 month period the whole year's operational cost, income and hopefully profit has to be generated. And the 1 completely missed out winter hasn't helped at all. Concerning your fall incident: sled dog driving 101 is "never let go of the sled". this should have been part of the instructions. And the operator should have warned you that a snow bank at the beginning is going to throw you off balance. But everybody falls. I was very moved by your empathy for the dogs. Some of the clients just walk away from the sled and dogs without even looking back, I love how you spent more time with them! If and when you're considering coming back, we'd like to give you an opportunity to see this wonderful experience in a different light. We have made Lapland ourhome, not for dog sledding, but for nature, space, lifestyle, and goal is to bring that to our visitors. Nähdään, Hessu
Great video. Thank you for sharing it even tho it was proably hard. You guys are awesome
Love that you guys shared this. It sounds like a really hard situation, I just want to hug all of those dogs.
So glad, there is people talking about this side of the story... This is how change will come. Thank you
Thanks that you are so thoughtful, open and taking people through your thought-process and argument. Also i do not think the way the guides handeled the chaos in the beginning was very unsetting. And hitting the dogs several times was very upsetting.
thank you very much for raising awareness on this topic
In professional scenarios, the dogs are bred and trained as sledders. I’m not suggesting you overreacted to their circumstances in Finland, because you may have very well uncovered an abusive situation at that location. But in most cases, they and their owners work with love and mutual respect. We love dogs as you do, and appreciate the emotion you shared. Thanks for another good episode.
Thank you for being so honest! This was really moving and has made me aware of something I had no clue about- its a good thing to share and start a conversation x
An eye opener for sure, as I'm looking into this experience.
Good for you guys for bringing this to light. Most people don’t realize this stuff. sadly this is the theme throughout industries that rely on animals for incomes but it needs to stop. I cried watching this, seeing the dogs, and hearing the sadness in your voice.
Tim & Alyson thank you for sharing your experience with us. Everything isn't always roses & twirls it's the good, the bad & the ugly. This trip was bad & ugly it's not OK to ever beat any animal sled dog or not! There's better ways of earning their respect instead of putting the fear of God into your dog's! I highly doubt these poor dogs will ever see a vet when they're injured or sick. It's a matter of only the strong survive. Wish you would of asked what happens to the dogs when they're old & no longer able to pull a sled! Are they treated with dignity and respect or do they treat the dogs as a burden? So many questions about this industry and who is monitoring or regulating them! Finland needs better laws regarding animal abuse! 💔😢
Hello, thank you for your experience in this video.I had been on short tour in Sweden this year with the family (as passengers)The experience were totaly different.The dogs were well take care of and all of them friendly.You can tell the Musher realy loves his dogs and they are in good condition.I feel bad for your experience because it should be fun and joyfull moment but not all kennels are same.Husky love to run and there is nothing better for them then pull the sledge in winter.
They’re working dogs! That’s what they live for they’re not one of those lap dogs people think are humans. They shiver to warm themselves. That’s what they do!
Yep! Wait till they see a cow get branded!
I must confess I haven't been watching the most recent videos, but it's great to see how much this channel grew! Preserverence really payed off =) all the best for you!
I loved your honesty in this video. It too was on my bucket-list to do when/if I go north to see the Northern Lights. Now I will NOT do it. I too am a dog owners and was in tears too along with you. Thank you for educating me and everyone else. There is something similar here where I live in Cozumel, Mexico. Everyone wants to swim with the dolphins and it makes us locals cringe when we hear of people booking these excursions.
Thanks for the Cozumel dolphin tip- I didn’t even know that was a popular excursion there!
@@timandfin Sadly, there are two.
It is extremely unethical for you to just classify all dogsledding as unethical and cruel based on one single isolated experience. I'm sorry you had a bad experience, but not all dogsledding operations are bad.
Tim and Fin, I think the moral of this story is do your research and book early, maybe there was a reason this place was available?
I've been dog sledding in Sweden, Norway and on Svalbard and have never seen the dogs treated badly. They have always been loved by their owners, they are part of their business.
We have always seen where the dogs are kept and encouraged to wander around the premises. On Svalbard we had to pick our dogs, put their harnesses on and hook them up to the sleds ourselves. The start is always chaotic, fifty of more dogs all howling "Pick me, Pick me" and desperate to start running, the hardest part was getting the one dog you wanted out of its pen without all the other dogs escaping. They love to run, and they are so patient when you are harnessing them, tap the leg you want up and the dog lifts it, tap the next leg and up it comes.
You missed out on something wonderful, it's one of my most favorite experiences.
As for the difficulty, try having the lead dog being 'The Dog' and the two at the back bitches on heat, now that's difficult :-)
It's like any form of animal tourism, though mostly I'm against it. But some vendors are going to be better than others.
This was so sad it made me cry. I feel so sorry for those dogs. Thanks for sharing
Wow, that's a really bad company you got there! It probably is better to go with a dog owner who only owns a few dogs and looks after the dogs before looking after himself. We went dog sledding in Finland and it was nothing like this, the dogs were very well looked after, happy and warm. But it is really shocking to hear that there aren't really any laws on making sure the dogs are well looked after! And we were sat in the sled while the dog owner was guiding the dogs, it wasn't up to us to make sure they were ok. And watching this video has made me think more weather it's ethical to use huskies for tourism...
Thanks for sharing this video. I would have been drawn to this experience as well. After watching your video, I personally would not partake in this seeing what you shared. Although it was obviously emotional for you, your sharing will help others make the best decision for them. Keep making great videos, my wife and I love to watch and learn from your experiences!
Just purchased my 3rd backpack! They make great gifts for my outdoorsy friends and family. 💜
I love it, it was a really, really nice experience for me through you. It's such a beautiful place. It's a great place to be. It's like you are in a little bit of a dream world.
So sorry you went through such a sad and sobering experience! Strange that the mushers didn't take time to introduce you to all the dogs by name, teach you Finnish commands, or run you through a thorough practice round before embarking on your journey. Dogs cowering and injured are huge red flags.
Despite all of the above, don't let this experience ruin your perspective of dog sledding as a whole. I've had a wonderful experience dog sledding in France and the dogs, which are often a mix of working breeds as well as Huskies, appeared loved and well treated. The dogs were also engaged and excited to meet my group, but when the harnesses went on they went from cute doggie-kisses mode to work mode in a blink.
Before we started the tour, we also had a thorough training on:
+ French dog commands
+ Foot positioning on the sled
+ Sled positioning, turning, and braking
+ How to help the dogs mush
+ How to identify and avoid places that could get the dogs and sled stuck
This video should serve as a cautionary tale to thoroughly vet any animal-related activity for humane and ethical treatment, not an indictment of dog sledding/animal-related activities as a whole. Animal-related activities are often a generational way of life in many cultures. Thank you for raising awareness.
i worked in racing for a few years in us and canada. I met a musher from france he was a cool guy. he dipped out though, the scene over here is way more hardcore. also he was a 4 dog musher and he went to like a freaking like pretty hardcore open class sprint musher. Its like a d*** measuring contest, bigger dog team attracts a certain kind of person and so do winning sports like racing. this french guy ran 4 dogs, its a different crowd but there are really competitive 4 dog people, i didn't get that vibe from him but he said he was "4 dog champion" so idk. and its easier to own fewer dogs so there are more of the people with smaller teams in general i guess.
in most of europe people aren't allowed to chain dogs. but a few countries allow it like finland.
" Animal-related activities are often a generational way of life in many cultures." yea thats the whole problem. The iditarod is filled with backward oldschool crap. and several of the families involved have been doing it for several generations. crappy out dated stuff gets passed on. I met plenty of good people that i liked who do crappy oldschool stuff with their dog because thats how their grandpa taught their dad and so on. it gets really personal, like by talking about a style of dog care you are insulting that person and their beliefs and their grandpa and his beliefs and hey you shut your mouth my grandpa was a good man he fought in the war..... see what im saying? This applies to freaking everything involving animals every where. hunting dogs, horses, rodeos, etc etc.
i live in the us. id like to see the ban of animal racing, the use of dogs for hunting, and rodeos to either go away or totally redefine themselves. there lots of other stuff i think it would be good to get rid of, those three i think are doable and a major step in the right direction. all of them are already banned in some places, things are already headed that direction, im just trying to do my part to educate people. Working in dog sled racing really rattled me, its freaking bad. europe needs to ban that s*** too its not that much better over there, its still just a freaking race its about selling dogs and making money and winning. If people want to get together and run dogs thats one thing, calling it a race and keeping time and giving out prizes is another. it needs to stop.
i cried in this video. I can totally emphathize with your feelings. praying they consider treating them better. so sad.
Wow ! Nicely done video, I guess you doing the Iditarod is out of the question.you were wearing your heart on your sleeve and I loved that .your honesty was refreshing,I’m crossing that of my bucket list for sure . I know those dogs love to run but 6 hours a day ... hell no
Thank you Allison for your honest emotions in this video...Tears streamed down my face😥...animal abuse (use) is a wide spreaded horror on this planet and the tourism/entertainment is unfortunately just one part of it...😪 As a vegan/animal rights supporter I urge you to watch Earthlings and Dominion....you guys love animals and have good hearts and have a platform to speak up for the voiceless✌It was like watching myself just before I went vegan...deep down you already know your love for animals dont match up with your actions. .💔 This video is a important "speak up for animals" so thank you for that!!!
Thank you for sharing this 💕
Thank you so much for your honesty in this video. As many people have mentioned there is always two sides to the story when it comes to ethics. Yes, there is a difference between working dogs and pepper. Yes there are dogs that love the cold and thrive. As someone who loves dogs, and has a larger breed that loves the snow and cold, there are dogs like huskys that love to be outside and prefer sleeping outside in the winter. However, I would have been extremely bothered by the treatment of the animals just as you were. I agree with Fin that you can tell when a dog is happy or not. I was immediately bothered seeing the dogs chained and pulling because that can easily injure dogs necks and larynx. Seeing this timid behavior is clear that these dogs were not being treated well. Also many of those dogs seemed like mixed breeds and not what my impression of a sled dog to be (not that I have any real expertise here). Thank you for your honesty in having this conversation and saying "hey we were a part of the problem here" but using your platform to say your truth.
Ps. I miss pepper
Pss. going to love on my big 85lb baby of a black lab now
First: I love dogs. I'm 70 and have had dogs my whole life. That said, I pose a series of questions. Where do we draw the line? Horseback riding? Birds in a cage? Putting sweaters on dogs and cats and causing them skin rashes and infections? What about sports? Ridiculoous? We pay to watch men play and get hurt all the time. Some die? Is it ethical to watch football? You may argue that the men choose to play, but, at some point, they have to because they have contracts that are stronger than a leash and collar. These are working dogs. They have lived their whole lives in snow as have generations before them. There is a pair of eagles in Big Bear, CA, USA that are on camera right now that sit in snow trying to hatch their eggs. These animals are used to this. I love that you care, but, these dogs are not Pepper. They love to work. Just my two cents. Thanks for sharing your thoughts though. See you on your next adventure.
I think most people draw the line before hitting the dogs. Law draws them as well. I don't feel it's that complicated - if the animals exist for the amusement of people, they must be treated well. I'm just guessing, but most people probably agree that these dogs were not treated well enough during their visit.
Thank you for being so truthful. 🙏🏼. I felt similar pain while watching this . Trying to become vegetarian as I feel we cause much more harm to chickens , goat , fish - it’s just that we don’t see this killing in person. All these animals come dressed up in our plates and we forget how much pain that life must have gone thru. All in all- thank you for sharing this pain . Appreciate it . Hope we all become more aware towards all life 🙏🏼, thank you Tim and Fin. Keep up the great work
There are very strickt laws about keeping animals in Finland and/or using them for business. I really don't know what kind of regulations we have spesificly for sled dog business, but animal cruelty laws apply to them too. So what you saw there, it was not good. I hope somebody made an announsment to the local animal protection advisor or the vet who are legally binded to do something about things like that.
Great video and one of your best imho. Hopefully that fact that this particular place was available on "short notice" means many others are much better. I would think you guys talked about including that hot tub discussion in the video. I know it was, but it came off sincere and I think even newer people who don't know you would think so. Good job.
Huge fan here but can’t watch this anymore.
Thank you so very much for this video. I was planning a trip to see the Northern lights on a dogsledding trip. This video absolutely changed my mind and I’m no longer going to dogsled.
Your video is making a difference. Just thought you might like to know.
So, your issue is the dogs didn’t like it when they had to stop running, some of the dogs got nervous when some random stranger came up to them and started touching them while they were tied up, and you didn’t like how the kennel staff handled highly aroused working dogs who were causing problems with the other dogs. Most of these complaints are dumb, but I will say the orientation could have been better. You should have been told to never let go of the sled and to ignore the snow buildup around the breaks. Also, they should have looked into the injuries more and I hope they are working on breeding for thicker coats. The first 15 minutes being pure chaos is a universal thing with any type of high energy pulling. I bikejor with my dog and let me tell you, it’s absolute high adrenaline chaos every time we start lol
I love Tim and Fin videos, but reading the comments, I do not want to be upset (as I am sure Tim and Fin were, as Pepper is a very loved fur-baby). ❤️
Look forward to the next video
Hello sandy
It is ok. Experience teaches us what is right and wrong. Experience is the best guide. Both of you are really spectacular.
Thanks for the honest video!
interesting
thanks for the details
I reckon anytime animals are involved in making money or competitions they tend to get abused/ neglected/ put in last priority
I mean, there is a big difference to the average pet dog life in Europe and the US, and their lives are far from perfect
apart from that,
yea, if you have 30-60 dogs, I reckon you would tend to regard them as "material"
what amazed me were the rather lab like features, hanging ears, coloring of typical popular dog breeds, furs not really thick on some, made me wonder about their breeding practices and priorities
I remember reading about mushers, adventure books, when I was little, and often they suffered hardships, would starve or not make the journey
main difference, in the stories, the musher was starving as well...
added later: them flinching away is a red flag, and as well that some seem very slender ot too light for their job
didnt curb their enthusiasm though, did it...
Thanks for sharing. It is so difficult to be sure if they are or not treating well the dogs until you are there ... I had a similar experience in an Elephant sanctuary in Thailand and I regret it afterwards. I am staying away of dog sledding , rather not doing it than end supporting business like that
Sucks to say this, but think the only way to fully avoid the bad husky safaris is to avoid the safaris all together for the time being.
At least make sure to read reviews from multiple sources and read the ratings with the LOWEST scores. Don't just trust the overall score. And of course what ever the internet says, might still not be whole truth.
The place where this was filmed is at the moment up and running with almost all 5-star reviews on every platform. And considering its a family home premises, I doubt it has changed ownership. In the whole of internet there is ONLY ONE review that says the owner was rough towards the dogs. If that one review would not exists, there would be no way to find out that the dogs are treated roughly.
I took a ride at the Seavey's outside of Seward, AK and they did not treat their dogs like that! Their dogs are valued and they wear proper gear based on the weather, including booties.