There's a new generation of sled dogs growing up at Alaska's Denali National Park, and you can get a front row seat with the Denali Sled Dog Kennels' Puppy Cam. New pups Storm, Squall, Graupel, Fog, and Dew were born on May 3, and spend their days growing, playing, and learning. When the pups grow up, they'll become part of Alaska's legendary mushing tradition, which dates back thousands of years and is an enduring symbol of America's wild and untamed last frontier.
The Denali kennels raise sled dogs for more than just a little casual mushing. Their dogs are bred to work, helping park rangers efficiently patrol the Alaskan wilderness during long and harsh winters. The park has been breeding and adopting dogs for more than a century, and prioritizes physical traits like long legs to help traverse deep snow, compact paws that resist injury from ice, and thick coats with fluffy tails to keep them warm in the cold.
But the most important trait for a sled dog: They have to love it. All of the working dogs at Denali love to pull and run as part of a team and are sociable enough to tolerate plenty of other dogs and thousands of human visitors each summer.
Another apt phrase to describe the sled dogs of Denali: lucky dogs. The dogs retire from mushing at nine and are quickly adopted into their forever homes, where they start their new careers as pampered family pooches.
See the pup cam at: https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/photosmultimedia/webcams-pups.htm
