With the FREKE Animal Welfare Award, we recognise operators who not only meet our requirements, but also demonstrate what is possible beyond them.

Séjour Laponie demonstrates that professional mushing, athletic ambition, high-quality tourism and a consistent commitment to dog welfare can successfully go hand in hand.

The foundation for a healthy, resilient, and well-socialized sled dog is laid long before its first time running in harness. It begins with carefully planned breeding and continues through raising, socialization, and physical development, all the way to the gradual integration into a team.

There is often still no snow in the valleys of Lapland when the first teams start heading out regularly again. After the quieter summer months, harnesses are brought out and ATVs or training carts are prepared. The dogs usually know what is coming long before departure. In the kennel, there is barking, jumping and pulling. Many can hardly wait to finally get moving.

Yet this enthusiasm must not distract from the fact that responsibility always lies with the human.

Winter tours with sled dogs require clothing that is very different from what you would wear for a winter stroll through the city or a day on the ski slopes. Those who understand how the body responds to cold, physical activity, and wind can pack much more efficiently—and sometimes end up staying warmer as well.

The northern lights are one of the most fascinating natural phenomena on our planet. You can increase your chances of seeing them, but you can never guarantee when or how they will appear. That is exactly what makes their magic so special.

At the same time, hardly any other natural phenomenon sparks so much discussion on social media. Can you actually see the northern lights with the naked eye or not? And why do they often appear much more intense in photos than they do in reality?

Dogsledding is one of the most remarkable ways to experience the northern wilderness. At the same time, many guests underestimate the physical and mental demands involved.

On ethical sled dog farms, summer is not simply a period of waiting for the next winter. It is a time when dogs can recover, explore, learn, socialise and enjoy life outside of their role as working animals.

Behind every tour are dogs that make this experience possible, and therefore an important question arises: Under what conditions is sled dog tourism ethically justifiable?