In Norway, sled dogs train and play in warming Arctic
Out of the dark, frozen vastness in this Arctic valley, a chorus of barks and howls trumpeted the return of Green Dog's oldest puppies on Tuesday afternoon. The dogsledding outfit had sent them on a training run in the polar night while its nearly 300 other dogs stayed behind.
Karina Bernlow and her husband run Green Dog located half a dozen miles from the main village in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago so close to the North Pole that winter is shrouded in uninterrupted darkness.
The working dogs, younger puppies and new litters played in the lashing winds that shifted thigh-high snowdrifts. This mix of husky and Greenland dog — a breed known for taller legs, big paws and thick fur — is especially social and thrives in the cold, Bernlow said. They don’t even fear the rare occasion when a polar bear ambles past the yard.
Puppies surround their mother at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Karina Bernlow pets a Greenland puppy at her dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Karina Bernlow greets Taiga and her puppies at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
What hurts them is when this lunar landscapes turns unusually warm, which is happening more often as much of the Arctic heats up several times faster than the rest of the world.
Last summer, some dogsledding tours had to be canceled so the dogs wouldn’t overheat. One of the tours leads to an ice cave and Bernlow, who’s been here for more than a decade, said they’re watching it disappear year after year.
“What we can do is teach our children to take care of the planet,” she said, as the puppies strained their chains to reach out to be petted.
A dog sledding trip returns to a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A dog named Cake sits at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dogs are visible in their enclosures at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Puppies look out from their enclosure in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
The last remaining coal mine of Longyearbyen shines on the horizon of a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A dog rests in front of its hut at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dogs sit next to their huts at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A dog is harnessed to its hut at a dog yard in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A dog sledder returns to a dog yard after training puppies to sled in Bolterdalen, Norway, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP’s climate initiative here. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Text from APNews story, In Norway, sled dogs train and play in warming Arctic, by Giovanna Dell'Orto.
