Last month, we met two amazing groups of snow-loving dogs: the ‘Avy dogs’ who spend their days at Silver Mountain and Schweitzer Mountain Resort. These furry Ski Patrol members are called into action when people are missing or believed involved in avalanches.

It’s almost always playtime for them, especially the trainings where they have to locate a volunteer hiding in a snow cave. Helicopter and sled trips are also fun!

Our call for other paw-some local dogs led to great suggestions, starting with the 35 pooches who are part of Priest Lake Husky Sled Tours, a company owned by Stephen and Danielle Porter.

The Porters moved to the area in 2021 from Vail, Colo., and got right to work buying sleds, gathering and training dogs, hiring a few guides, and then inviting customers to take pup-powered sled rides around trails in North Idaho forests in winter and early spring.

Most trips are about two to 2 ½ hours long. Each sled is pulled by about six or seven dogs, and there are 12 teams in total.

“Rides are not only beautiful but fun,” Stephen Porter said. He’s been mushing since 2004.

Going on a mushing expedition can be a bucket list item, and people are pleasantly surprised they don’t have to go to Alaska for this experience.

“We’ve taken everyone from 4-year-olds to 84-year-olds,” he said. Each sled has a firm weight capacity of 400 pounds, including gear, so pretty much two adult passengers.

The dogs are all adopted from organizations such as the Spokane Humane Society and Pend Oreille Snow Dog Rescue, as well as racing kennels. Private arrangements may be made if a previous owner passed away or couldn’t take care of a dog anymore.

They are all different types of huskies under 2 years old, including Samoyed, Alaskan huskies, and Malamutes.

“People sometimes call us when they find dogs that may need our help,” he said. “We’ve received some that we very emaciated, but we were able to help them recover.”

One of the biggest questions people ask is if the dogs are forced to mush.

Porter said it’s just the opposite: they all love it and want to get out there as much as possible.

“They enjoy running – it’s their nature,” he said. “Since we rotate the teams, the ones that don’t get to go out on a run pretty much pout when it’s not their turn. Running is their reward.”

After a dog is considered too old to mush well, the Porters may still keep them around in comfort or arrange an adoption, provided the new owner is aware of the care required.

“Huskies aren’t for everyone,” he said.

He asks that future owners commit to providing at least an hour of an exercise a day. If they don’t get this, the dogs may start to exhibit negative behaviors.

Sled trips typically wrap up for the year in April and start again when snow moves in. Huskies get especially sensitive to the heat and the trails become too muddy to navigate.

So the dogs spend the summer taking things easy. They don’t like to move much when it gets too warm, but they still need food and care.

Porter has plans for the company to keep on growing but not too big. He still likes being able to get to know the unique personalities of all the dogs.

“We love them all,” he said. “It’s really a lot of fun.”

To learn more about Priest Lake Husky Sled Tours, including adoption options, visit https://plhuskies.com/ or call (208) 964-7915.

To suggest stories about other amazing pets or pet-focused businesses in our area, please contact us!