Alaskan Sled Dogs: Life in the Frozen Tundra – Our Passion for Dogs

For life in the frozen tundra of Alaska, a team of sled dogs is vital to survival for Andy and Kate Bassich.  They are reliable transportation and incredibly well trained.  “You must have followers and you must have leaders.  You don’t want to get between a man and his dog.” said Bassich.

“Dogs are the most important part of our lifestyle out here.  They provide transportation and for me, they are my companions,” said Andy Bassich of his life in the wild.

The video begins with the inaugural run by almost 6-month-old Jack, who will soon be running with the pack.  These gorgeous dogs are just prancing about and howling with a strong desire to run, run and run some more.

Andy is attempting to take the dogs across a frozen river but comes across “jumble ice”.  Jumble ice is ice that has frozen in heaps instead of flat and has lots of “hollow” spots where a dog could fall into and seriously hurt themselves.  Andy must get out of the sled and carve a smooth path with his ax.  Dangerously hard work, but his dogs are his most important and prized possession.

“They are my workforce,” Andy described.  “They are everything to me in the winter.”