Sled dog pups see snow for the first time!
We love this video almost as much as these pups love snow! This is the precious moment when sled dog puppies got to experience snow for the first time at Denali National Park and Preserve. And in true Alaska fashion, this snowfall happened in late August.
“They are around the age when staff starts taking them on walks to explore puddles and trails, so the August snow was good timing,” said the National Park Service at the time.
Denali’s canine rangers have served a critical role in the park since the 1920s, when the park’s first superintendent purchased seven sled dogs to patrol the park boundaries. Now, the sled dogs no longer patrol for poachers, but they help with transporting building supplies, assisting with scientific research and maintaining a ranger presence in the park during the winter.
“Every kennels ranger has a story of wise lead dogs helping them navigate to a patrol cabin in a white out or to avoid dangerous ice obscured under snow,” says the NPS. “The dogs know this landscape well, and they can provide invaluable wisdom that machines (like snowmobiles and airplanes) cannot.”
🎥: NPS video (from 2022)
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