Nature experience with eager and willing sled dogs

Type: Day trip/activity
Duration: 1-2 hours
Difficulty: Moderate
Minimum age: 6 years
Guide: Guiding in both Swedish and English

Guided transfer that takes about 25 minutes to the sled dog kennel. The guests are introduced by the guide before departure with the dog team. Depending on the type of sled dog ride, it is the guide who drives or the guests who take turns in driving. The guide tells about nature and animals and what shaped nature in the area. During or after the dog sledding trip, we gather for a coffee/tea by the open fire together with the guide and other participants.

Booking can be done through direct contact at Filipsborg.

Sled dog welfare and health
Two of the dog sledding companies that we work with the most are run by Tommy Nilsson and Helene Andersson. They are dog handlers that we know very well and have cooperated with for more than ten years. They live with and for their dogs and do everything they can to ensure that the dogs are healthy and thrive in both everyday life and work. The dog breed is usually Alaskan Huskies.

Running a dog sledding business requires a permit from Swedish authorities. This is regulated in Sweden’s Animal Welfare Act 1988:534. In order to obtain a permit to run a dog sledding business, it is checked that the applicant can be considered suitable to run the business and that the facilities used must be suitable from an animal welfare point of view. Each dog must be ID marked and registered in the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s dog register.

Both unannounced and pre-announced inspections and controls are carried out. They are carried out by the County Administrative Board of Norrbotten, which is a state, regional authority. The rules are drawn up by the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which is the country’s central authority for animal welfare.

The rules are very strict. During inspections, the dogs’ general condition, coat, feeding, the size of the kennels and the number of dogs in each kennel are checked. The overall authority responsibility lies with the Swedish Board of Agriculture, which coordinates and guides the work of the county administrative boards.