100-meter avoidance distance from any arctic animals (83FR6522)

When I left Kemi, to pick up friends in Kittila, locals warned me to watch out for reindeer near Rovaniemi. I thought it was a bit of a joke, considering the city is known as Santa Claus Town. But lo and behold, I had to brake for crossing herds of Santa's wingmen a couple of times (top left). Some of them were particularly hard to spot because of their coloring, but on the way to Alta, it was easier to spy the white ones with the sun fully out (top right). They are fascinating beasts, so I felt a little bad when I ate lunch at Kokkojaevel Hoftepluss in Alta. But I gave myself a pass, chalking it up as a cultural experience -- I wasn't the only one eating reindeer stew at the mall (bottom). 

Perhaps it was a betrayal, though, to the resident reindeer at Levi Husky Park, with whom I shared an intimate moment (top left). Actually, Taigo, is a bit of a player; addicted to ginger snaps, he will give up a kiss to anyone who offers a cookie by mouth or by hand (top right). In full season, you can take sleigh rides pulled by the media darling (Taigo is the official reindeer for Levi advertising), but with just a thin layer of snow, we could only take a tour of the facility, which houses much more than huskies (bottom left). As the guide told us, the owner, Reijo, is a dog-sledding champion who now trains many kinds of animals (bottom right).

Among the trainees are a red fox, who does various tricks on cue for treats (top left), and an arctic fox, who is one of the few available in the world for commercials (top right). There's also a pair of raccoon dogs, which unlike wolfdogs are not a crossbreed between the two. Still, they did seem to be a lot like a mixture between a yippy-barking Pomeranian and a garbage-riffling rodent (middle). But of course, I was most smitten by the Siberian huskies, from a retired 13-year-old runner (bottom left) to a litter of puppies that we got to hold (bottom right).

I was greeted by a slightly older, livelier pack of pups when I arrived solo at Engholm Design Husky Lodge (top). The focus at the facility in Karasjok, Finland, is solely excursion tours, so the many dogs are far from purebred Siberian huskies, and some don't look like typical sled dogs (bottom left). Some of them looked so much like Sage that I felt at home when they greeted me at the paddock in the morning (bottom right).

 

I felt the dogs' presence at night, too, because I could occasionally hear their howling from my cabin, which was less than 50 feet from the paddock (top left). I listened from the cabin's insulated interior, but according to a drawing in the guest book, someone had enjoyed the porch in warmer days (top right). The all-natural construction materials, including a fur-lined swing, made it feel a bit like you were outdoors (middle). The place was so cozy, I would've been happy to stay for a few more days (bottom left). I honestly didn't even mind eating my friend-halloumi dinner alone by candlelight (bottom right).  

 

 

After all, I had to fuel up for a morning of training with the dogs. My first assignment was to greet all 60-plus pups while the staff set up equipment. Once the reins were ready, the first team was set loose to run around the paddock, letting off some initial energy so they can be more focused (left). Then the dogs were lined up and put in harnesses, which I learned to use after a quick demonstration (right). 

When it's not yet winter, the dogs train by running in front of a four-wheeler, which I rode on the back of as two teams did their 45-minute loops (top left). The dogs obviously could've run longer: they got antsy when we stopped to admire the Karasjok River (top right). They were more agreeable when we stopped for a break at a stream the staff had dammed to create a wading pool/watering hole (bottom left). The dogs would run without reward, but when they finished, I got to give them whale-meat treats to recognize their hard work (bottom right).