Mush! Sled dogs carry on long Alaskan tradition at Denali National Park and Preserve

Long before there were any visitors at Denali National Park and Preserve, there were sled dogs.

"We have had dogs almost continuously for the past 100 years here at the park," Denali kennels manager David Tomeo said, noting theirs is the only sled dog kennel in the entire federal government.

The park's first employee purchased the first sled dogs in 1922 to help mark the park boundary, build patrol cabins, and go out to tell gold miners they could no longer harvest sheep and caribou from the park to feed their crews, according to Tomeo.

A century later, Denali's sled dogs continue to carry out important jobs in the Alaska wilderness, but they've also become a beloved attraction for visitors.

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What breed are Denali sled dogs?

Denali's sled dogs are Alaskan huskies.

"It is a mixed breed. It's not a purebred or registered with any kennel club," Tomeo said, noting that their genetic diversity stems back to the gold rush era when all sorts of dogs were brought to Alaska. "Some people might call them mutts, but the fact that we put so much intention into our breeding, they're so carefully bred for health and genetics, ... they're more carefully bred than purebred dogs."

The kennel aims for a new litter each year. Sometimes both the dam and sire come from the kennel. Other times, like with this year's puppies, Denali partners with outside kennels to help with the health and diversity of the dogs' bloodlines.

"We're only breeding the best dogs and the healthiest dogs that would produce the best pups," he said. "Out of the litter, you might get one or not that ended up as good as their parents but you can keep striving for that, and the training that we do for them is always working towards building their confidence so that they hopefully can become one of those great lead dogs that we have."

Sled dog puppies

Denail's first sled dogs were 14 months old when they were brought to the park a century ago. For years, they were known as the seven brothers. In their honor, this year's puppies are named after one of the brothers and dubbed the centennial litter.

Mike, Bos'n and Skipper were born in June.

"This is their training year," Tomeo said. "This whole fall and this whole winter is just training and fun training for them. They will not pull a sled. They're still growing and developing, but what we will do (is) they go on walks with us. We'll take them out skiing, and they come running loose. And once we get into patrols with our dogs, the puppies will run loose behind the dog team ... And the whole idea of them chasing the adult dog team is we want them to just have free choice to follow."

He said sometimes the puppies may get scared when they encounter challenging terrains like steep hills and small creeks, but they learn by seeing what the adult dogs do and by late winter, they'll run alongside the adults pretending to pull the sled.

"They just really love to run, and they love to see what's around the next bend on the trail, which is kind of fun," he said. "They love going out to explore the park just as much as we do."

Are dog sleds still used today?

For much of the year, when there is snow on the ground, Denali's sled dogs help rangers access 2 million acres of federally designated wilderness in the heart of Denali, where only hiking, skiing and dog sledding are allowed to keep the area as pristine as possible.

"The reason dog sledding is allowed is it was done on this landscape by Alaska Native peoples for thousands of years before this was a national park, so dog sledding is recognized as a traditional mode of travel," Tomeo said.

He noted that in the 1930s, a dog team could be found behind just about everyone's house, but there aren't many now.

"So when visitors come in and say, 'Oh wow, there's 32 dogs here? They're canine rangers, and they work for the government?' they hear the story about this tradition of dog sledding on this landscape," Tomeo said. "And here we are, helping to preserve that cultural heritage."

During the summer, which is sort of their downtime, even though it's the busy season for tourists, the dogs take part in demonstrations pulling rangers in carts to illustrate what they do out in the park the bulk of the year.

"(Visitors) may get the impression that they are here to entertain them, and so I try to break that belief," Tomeo said. "We are working here in the park. We're breaking trails here and into the wilderness area through the deep snow that visitors can use. We're hauling supplies, we're helping park scientists. They are actually working dogs."

Can you see sled dogs at Denali National Park and Preserve?

Denali's kennel is open to visitors all year, but hours are limited outside of summer, the only season when the kennel hosts daily demonstrations.

Because the dogs are often out in the park during the winter, visitors hoping to see them are encouraged to check with the park's visitor center before heading out to the kennel.

During the summer, Denali also operates a puppy cam so that people can see the pups from anywhere in the world. The webcam has been turned off for the 2022 season, but the park plans to post "pupdates" on social media.

Are other dogs allowed in Denali?

While other dogs are allowed in other parts of Denali, they are not allowed at the kennel.

According to Denali's website, "during ranger demonstrations in the summer, an unknown pet in the area will trigger a pack response in our kennel that causes all the dogs to lunge, bark and jump in an attempt to scare the unknown animal from their home." It could be equally dangerous in the winter. "Kennels staff may be harnessing dogs or driving teams in and out of the kennels at any time and an unknown pet in the area could cause serious safety hazards for everyone."

In addition to the potential danger and disruption, Tomeo notes there are also health concerns.

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"Our dogs are somewhat isolated from so many other dogs that their immune system is probably not as strong as dogs that live in Anchorage or Fairbanks," he said. "So we just have other outside dogs stay away."

This includes service animals.

"We know your service animal is exceptionally well trained, but our dogs do not differentiate their response from any other outside pet, so the same safety concerns apply," Denali's website says, noting that arrangements can be made for people who want to visit the kennel while leaving their service dogs "in capable hands outside the kennels area."

Can you go dog sledding in Denali?

Denali's sled dogs are considered canine rangers and don't sled for visitors.

However, people living Alaska may mush with their own dogs, with no day permit needed.

Visitors who would like to experience dog sledding can book a trip with an authorized guide.

At what age do sled dogs retire? Can sled dogs be pets?

Denali's sled dogs retire at age 9.

"After eight winters of work with us, we retire them and we have a long list of people that have put in applications to adopt our dogs," Tomeo said, adding that the average life span of an Alaskan husky is about 15 or 16.

"They become excellent, excellent pet dogs," he added.

While separation anxiety is common after years of growing up and living with a pack, he said the dogs generally mellow out by age 9 and can get used to their new homes pretty quickly.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Sled dogs carry on Alaskan legacy at Denali National Park and Preserve