Sled dogs in Edinburgh

I went down to Holyrood park this afternoon to see the sled dogs in Edinburgh for the fantastically named ‘Dogmanay’ event. Sled dog racing would usually take place in snowy countries, but for Edinburgh’s event on the 1st of January, we had sled dogs racing without the snow. Instead of sleds, the dogs pull small carts on wheels. Sled dogs include Alaskan Malamutes, Canadian Eskimo Dogs, Greenland Dogs, Samoyeds and Siberian Huskies – and they’re utterly photogenic! The teams of sled dogs are highly trained and fit. They run because they love it, and they develop a strong bond with their owners. Successful mushers are well versed in areas such as dog behaviour, nutrition,kennel management, dog psychology and training. I got the impression that it’s as much a way of life for the owners as it is for the dogs.

There’s so much going on around Hogmanay that it’s hard to decide what to get to. I’d never been to see dog sled racing before. Unfortunately, the racing finished early, so I still haven’t had that experience! But there were still plenty of dogs around when I arrived at Holyrood Park. The dogs were fantastic, and plenty of the owners were very obliging, and encouraging their dogs to pose for photos.