My experience with Arctic sled dogs goes back some 39 years. I had Alaskan malamutes in my childhood home and have bred them since the early 1990s under the kennel name Arctic Royal's. I have competed with Malamutes in middle distance sled dog races for several years and have been involved with the Alaskan Malamute Association and the Arctic Draught Dogs Association. I also act as a kennel club examiner for working and competition tests for sled dogs. So, in addition to Siberian Huskies, we have Alaskan Malamutes living with us. Dogs are members of our family and their welfare is important to us. We feed the dogs morning and evening and in winter we have heated water bowls. So dogs always have access to water. In the summer we have water buckets in the enclosures and water is changed in the morning and evening. Our dogs eat high quality meat and dry food. The pens are cleaned daily and the dogs have daily access to the paddock all year round. The training season starts in September and we gradually increase the length of the runs. The goal for winter 2025 is to participate in the Ukkohalla-Paljakka 70km sled dog competition in the 8-dog class with two teams.