Is husky sledding cruel? How the dogs must be kept in Finland

A grey and white husky lying with its head on its paws on a dark floor beside a wooden wall — Illustration photo: a husky resting. It is not at any kennel named on this site.

Lapland Handbook Staff How we research this Published October 29, 2026

The short answer

Not by definition, and not by law: Finland treats sled dogs as kept animals with written minimums, and a kennel that meets them is not cruel simply for running teams. But the law sets a floor, not a standard of care, so the honest answer depends on the kennel. Choose one that lets you see where the dogs live, answers plainly how often each dog runs, and is not vague about numbers. A kennel that hides its yard is the one to avoid.

The question comes up in nearly every family planning a husky ride, and it usually gets one of two answers: reassurance from the people selling the ride, or outrage from people who would never book one. Neither tells you much. A better starting point is the rule book, because Finland has one, and it names sled dogs.

The law covers sled dogs by name

The Finnish government decree on keeping dogs and other companion animals counts sled dogs among the animals it covers.¹ That matters, because it means a kennel of working huskies is held to the same written minimums as any other dog keeper, with one adjustment made specifically for it.

What every kennel must provide

Exercise and company. Adult dogs must be taken out every day, often enough, with particular attention to their need to move, and they must be able to hear and see what goes on around them and have social contact.¹

Limits on chaining. A dog may be kept tethered outdoors other than temporarily only right beside an inhabited building, and then with at least 40 square metres to move in, a line that cannot wind round a post or tree, and a wide, adjustable collar that is neither metal nor choking. A dog under a year old may be tethered only temporarily.¹

Shelter and space. A dog kept outdoors or in a run must be able to reach a proper kennel box or resting place out of the weather, with tight walls, a roof and floor insulated where needed, a base off the ground and bedding. Runs have minimum sizes by the number and weight of the dogs: for dogs of around 20 kilos, eight square metres for one, ten for two and twenty for six, scaled up for larger groups.¹

Water in frost. The one rule written for sled-dog kennels: where water freezes, professional sled-dog kennels need not keep it available continuously, but must offer it at least three times a day, and nursing mothers and puppies must always have it.¹

A kennel of this size also has to notify the Food Authority before it starts keeping dogs, which the kennels around Rovaniemi explains.

Tripadvisor ratings, 18 Rovaniemi operators

Highest first

Snowtrail Safaris 5.0

Nordic Odyssey 5.0

Nordic Adventures 4.9

Arctic GM 4.9

Book Lapland 4.9

Bearhill Husky 4.9

Arctic Attitude 4.9

StayLapland 4.8

Wild About Lapland 4.7

Wild Nordic 4.7

Lapland Winter Park 4.6

Safartica 4.5

Nordic Unique Travels 4.5

Apukka Resort 4.4

Lapland Welcome 4.3

Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park 4.3

Arctic Circle Husky Park 4.2

Raitola 3.4

Ratings read from Tripadvisor. The shaded compartment left of the divider holds any score below 4.0. We record the score only; review counts and review text are not part of our comparison.

What the rules do not tell you

They are minimums. A kennel can meet every one of them and still give its dogs a dull life, and a kennel can go well beyond them without saying so anywhere. The decree does not limit how many runs a dog does in a day, and it says nothing about what happens to dogs that are too old to pull.

So the real check is the one the law cannot do for you: seeing the place. The questions that sort kennels quickly are how many dogs live there, how often each one runs, and whether you may walk through the yard. A kennel with nothing to hide answers all three without hesitation, and a farm visit rather than a safari is the most direct way to see a yard for yourself.

So, is it cruel?

Not inherently. Huskies kept to and beyond these rules, run within their capacity and cared for when they stop, are working dogs doing work they are bred for. What would make it cruel is a kennel ignoring the rules or hiding how it keeps its dogs, and that is something a visitor can often see, if they ask to.

Sources

FinlexValtioneuvoston asetus koirien, kissojen ja muiden pienikokoisten seura- ja harrastuseläinten suojelusta (674/2010)finlex.fi ↩

Questions people ask

Do the dogs actually want to run?

Nobody can answer that from a booking page, and an operator saying yes is not evidence either way. What you can watch for yourself is the start: dogs that are eager to go, pull against the line before the off and settle quickly afterwards are behaving very differently from dogs that have to be dragged into harness. Ask whether you can arrive early enough to see the teams hitched up, and pay attention to how the handlers treat a dog that hesitates.

What happens to the dogs when they retire?

The decree says nothing about it, and no kennel has to publish a policy. Ask directly: how many dogs are past running age, where they live and who looks after them. A kennel that has thought about it will answer at once, and some keep their retired dogs on the site where visitors can meet them. Vagueness about old dogs is the same signal as vagueness about the total.

Where do I report a concern?

In Finland animal welfare is supervised by municipal and regional veterinarians, and a concern about a kennel goes to the municipal veterinarian of the area where it is, not to the tour operator's customer service. Note what you saw, where and when, and photograph it if you can do so safely. A review warns other visitors; a report is the only thing that can lead to an inspection.

Written by

Lapland Handbook Staff

Lapland Handbook is written by its editorial staff in Rovaniemi. Every price, age limit and group size in a comparison is read from the operator's own page and marked "Not stated" when the operator does not publish it. Each guide names who should not book, and names the operator that suits each kind of group, whichever it is.

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