I have a Hudson’s Bay fleece blanket over top of my legs and tucked in underneath them. I am enclosed in a canvas bag and I’m sitting on a sled – my boyfriend behind me. The sled jerks forward a little, and then again. All around me…barking dogs who are extremely excited to run.
It’s an amazing experience to go dog sledding. I had seen photos and wanted to give it a try, but it was out of my budget last year and I didn’t get around to doing it. Finally, Bryon agreed to go with me and after diligently researching kennels I decided North Ridge Ranch in Huntsville would be the one.
My Dog Sledding Adventure Begins
We were welcomed to the ranch by Leah, one of the owners. She is bubbly, smiley and super nice. She gingerly pets the dogs and gushes about how much she wants to cuddle them. “Pet her chin! She’s the softest of all the dogs!” I feel the dog’s chin and I agree, I want to cuddle her. “You can pet all the dogs that are harnessed, but please don’t invade the spaces of the ones who are not. If any of the dogs don’t want to be pet…don’t pet them.” I say hi to every single dog that is running that day except for one blondie with blue eyes who gives me a soft growl when I approach. He’s not interested in love today.
Brad, the other owner, is a little rough around the edges. He gives the group a very long but thorough presentation on how to control the sleds and makes it very clear that he puts the safety and health of his dogs before customer service. He knows each dog by name and their personality. One dog, Joker, really tested him while he was presenting. Joker wanted to get going and would howl every time Brad started talking. When Brad goes into the kennel to select the dogs, the ones that want to run that day come out of their houses and start pacing around and bark at him. “Pick me! Pick me!”. When Brad walks away with a dog, the others look upset.
When everyone gets their sleds ready, Leah comes around and unhooks each one. As soon as the first sled is unhooked the dogs go nuts. Bryon struggled with the break because one of the dogs in our team was so strong and eager to get going. His name is Captain, and he tugs at his harness, barks loudly and attempts to pull the sled. The entire kennel is barking with excitement. Every single dog in the kennel. This was my favourite part of the experience. The dogs were so excited it made me excited. And then, the sled in front of released their break and Bryon did the same and we took off with a hard jerk. Those dogs are STRONG.
Winter in Muskoka
For two hours, we mushed quietly through the woods, the dogs barking when we stopped or went too slow. It was especially beautiful because Muskoka got a lot of snow that weekend, and it continued to come down throughout the duration of our experience. The trees had fresh snow resting on their branches. It was perfect. I loved gliding down the trail watching our team of Alaskan Huskies run and grab mouthfuls of snow every now and then. We stopped after an hour for hot chocolate and a snack. Some of the dogs had a little rest in the soft snow, while others sat waiting patiently for us to get going. Most had an idea when we were about to get going again and started howling and getting restless. I couldn’t get over the eagerness and stamina of these pups!
North Ridge Dogs
I think that dog sledding is an activity that some misunderstand. It is not an abusive activity. The dogs enjoy being outside. Some may arrive at a kennel shocked that the Huskies live outdoors chained to a stake with only a little house to shelter themselves. But this is normal. These dogs are outdoor dogs and their huts are super warm (remember they are Huskies, and their fur is extremely warm!). Kennels have a vet that visits them, their waste is picked up from their living space several times a day and they are very, very loved. It’s important that you ask questions before you arrive if you are concerned about their living spaces. It is hard for humans who think 30 F is cold to imagine dogs doing well at -30° F. But the dogs do amazingly well if they are acclimated, healthy, fed well and housed well.
I was so impressed with my experience at North Ridge Ranch. I fell in love with the dogs and the entire dog sledding experience. If you’re looking for a really cool winter experience, dog sledding is definitely something I would recommend to anyone.
