Svea in darkness

When I was last time in Svea it was still time of midnight sun. Now the sun isn't rising at all. Even though we got a beautiful flight over to Svea. Mountains were glowing magically in the light of the half moon and van Mijdenfjorden was mystic black.

I got now a couple of month's contract in Svea. I was really happy to say "Yes, certainly" when I was asked if I would like to work little bit more there.

Moon over the town

Full moon is actually already just a memory, but it's always so impressing. We got also really nicely Jupiter close to it - even more impressing!

Our tour season isn't that exciting at the moment because of the dogs on leash -rule. Now instead of tours we need to be concentrating on other kind of activities. My dog isn't that good with pulling, but I borrowed a bitch and we were skiing together. He doesn't see the point to pull a skier but he's more than eager to follow a bitch. My friend is having some polar dogs and we have tried our herding dog front of a sledge. He's not the best puller, but at least he gets some exercise - and social activity with other dogs. That's also very important! And to being out with a dog sledge is really fun!

Dark season has started

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The sun doesn’t rise over the horizon, but we still have some hours twilight at midday. But the amount of light is decreasing quickly. The dark time isn’t usually disturbing me too much. The darkness in the town feels depressing, but when we go out outside the town darkness isn’t actually that bad. When we go out we don’t usually have headlights on and then our eyes get surprisingly well adapted for darkness. Darkness isn’t that thight when you’re in it. When you’re in the town under the street lights darkness around you feels unwelcoming. Mountains around you are dark, sky is far away and shadows are unpleasant. But when you’re out of the town, out of the light pollution, darkness isn’t anyhow unwelcoming. The mountains are glowing slightly, sky is bright with millions of stars, sometimes coloured with northern lights, sometimes decorated with shooting stars. Darkness isn’t anything unpleasant around you, it’s just something which is surrounding you.

During this dark season dogs can’t be running free because of outspread of Rabies. Now I can’t go out with my dog as usually but I need to find some other hobby with him, the hobby he can think is fun even though he can’t be running or playing with other dogs. I know that in principle I’m not stuck in the town and under the street lights, but I'm feeling really sorry that my dog who is used for lot of activity and motion can’t be running for who know how long time. So, we're waiting here there is coming enough snow that we could go and use some energy with skiing.

Damned Rabies

Vi have Rabies in Svalbard and because of that all the dogs need to Rabies-vaccinated every year. That’s just a rutine and you don’t think more that. But now Rabies really came part of our everyday life.

In Svalbard all the polar dogs need to be on leash always, but dogs on other races can be free otherwise except in the period from 15. of May until 15. of August. But, the dogs which can be kept free need to be under the control, not disturbing people or animals. There isn’t any excuses for a dog to chase reindeer or ptarmigan or disturb dog sledges or skiers. The owner who lets his dog to run free is responsible to keep eye on his dog.

A polar fox with Rabies bit one person in the town and after that there has been found some polar foxes and reindeer infected by Rabies. To avoid disease to spread to dogs and people all the dogs need to be hold on leash now.

In last three years time I have spend houndred of hours on the mountains with my dog. That has been the point for me to have a dog: To go out with it and enjoy the fantastic surrounding we’re having here. My dog just loves to run around. He can just run around and around in circels without any visible reason. To have speed is fun, running itself is fun. But that’s now illegal, he can’t be running anywhere, he need to be kept on leash. By following rules strickly he can’t even play properly with other dogs, because that’s pretty fustrating if you need to keep your dog all the time on leash. He also loves swimming, but even that’s impossible if he need to be on leash (of course he can’t swim now in winter, but there is coming spring again). We don’t have any place here to leave dogs on other races than polar dogs legally to run free and play together.

It’s not only my dog who need to kept on leash over next winter - it’s also me who can’t be running free on tundra and enjoying playing dogs.

Travelling with a dog

When you’re travelling with a dog, you have to be always prepared to get some troubles because of the restrictions having a dog with. We just had a holiday with our four legged companion and I’m really impressed how fine everything went. He’s been travelling with airplanes (longest journey around 11 hours and four landings), taxis, privat cars, vans (on those vehicles in every possible way; in his cage, beside the luggages, sitting by feet, where ever there has been a place to squeeze in), full packed local trains, express trains, busses and different ferries. He has been meeting different people, all kind of dogs, sleeping in strange places, having even a weekend in a spa. I’m really happy to have a dog who is so easy to have with everywhere - as long as it’s accepted by the other people.