Sled dog welfare in Finland: the 2026 story

What did Yle and SEY report about husky farms in April 2026?

SEY said it received material from dozens of sled dog farms showing dogs shivering, caged or on chains that were too short. Yle could not verify all of it.

Yle's report of 30 April 2026 was built on photos and video sent to SEY (Suomen eläinsuojelu, a national animal welfare organisation). Yle said it could not independently verify the images. Municipal animal welfare vets told Yle that similar cases have been documented in Lapland, and police said they were investigating "a small number of cases" involving sled dog companies.

SEY's central complaint is about the rules, not one farm: "Right now, anyone can buy hundreds of dogs and set up a husky kennel." Its April campaign, reported by Eurogroup for Animals, lists uninsulated kennels, short chains, dogs not taken to a vet except in severe cases, untrained seasonal handlers, and dogs left for weeks without exercise in summer.

Keep the source in mind. SEY is an advocacy group running a petition. That does not make it wrong. It does mean the vets and the police, below, are the firmer ground.

What did the police find at the sled dog company?

Lapland police investigated one large sled dog company in two cases, with about ten suspects, and sent both to the prosecutor in April 2026. The company's representative denies wrongdoing.

On 7 April 2026 Yle reported that Lapland police had finished a preliminary investigation into a Lapland sled dog company. Police suspect dogs' mouths and teeth were in poor condition, some dogs were underfed, and staff carried out procedures that only a vet may do, such as removing dewclaws, vaccinating and castrating. They also suspect old dogs were put down by staff with injections and wounds were closed with a stapler without anaesthetic.

The second case is about land: safaris on state-owned land without a contract with Metsähallitus, the state forest agency, which police say disturbed reindeer herding and a golden eagle nesting area. The person responsible denies guilt. Police did not name the company or say where in northern Finland it operates.

The case went to the Northern Finland prosecution district. We found no published charging decision as of late October 2026. Until there is one, these are suspicions, not findings.

What do Lapland's own vets say about sled dog kennels?

It depends on the area. The vet for Inari and Utsjoki in the far north said almost every kennel she inspected had shortcomings; further south, conditions were described as mostly good.

Yle asked Lapland's municipal animal welfare vets what they see. Their answers are the most useful thing published this year, because they come from people who inspect the kennels.

Typical problems they listed: broken kennels and dog houses, chains too short, thin dogs, teeth never checked, no sick pen, fights, accidental litters, and some dogs with coats too thin to live outdoors. One vet said safaris had gone ahead at -40 C. Another said reporting on the problems seems to have pushed many kennels to fix things on their own. The far-north vet's prediction (our translation): bad kennels will exist as long as some tourism company is willing to buy safaris from them.

Has Finnish law on sled dogs changed?

No. The Animal Welfare Act that took effect on 1 January 2024 covers sled dogs like any other dog. There is still no licence to open a husky farm, and we found no bill to create one.

Finland's Animal Welfare Act (693/2023) replaced the old law at the start of 2024. It has no specific rules for animals used in tourism. Responsible Travel points out that huskies are treated legally like pets, and that in 2017 an estimated 4,000 huskies worked in Lapland tourism, with some farms keeping 400 to 500 dogs.

SEY's list of demands is the closest thing to a reform agenda. Among its 13 points: founding a sled dog business should need a permit, dogs should get yearly vet checks, there should be cold-weather limits and a cap on the weight dogs pull, and water must always be available, even in winter. As of late October 2026 we could not find a government proposal, ministry statement or parliamentary bill taking any of this up.

What does this mean if you are booking a husky ride this winter?

Book, but choose with your eyes open. Prefer smaller groups and longer trips, read recent reviews for how the dogs look, and ask questions before you pay.

The reporting does not say every farm is bad, and Lapland's vets say plenty are fine. It does say a tourist cannot easily tell the difference. Two things push in the right direction. Smaller groups mean fewer dogs working per departure. Longer trips, as Responsible Travel argues, are better than short loops where teams shuttle tourists round the same track all day.

On this site, the small-group safari with a kota fire caps groups at eight. One guest in March 2026 wrote: "They know all the dogs by name, age, etc. The weather wasn't ideal, so they even had 5 dogs hitched to each sled instead of 4." That is what a guest saw on one day. It is not an inspection, and we are not vouching for the farm. It is the kind of detail worth looking for in reviews.

A group of eight at most, 6 to 10 km on the runners, then the fire. Under-4s are not accepted and drivers must be 18 or over.

★ 4.9 · 4 hours · from $245

Explore the small-group safari with a kota fire → Tour details

What should you ask a husky farm before you book?

Where the dogs live, how many runs they do a day and how many rest days they get, what happens in summer, and what happens to retired dogs.

Send the questions by email or chat before you pay. A good farm answers quickly and specifically, and is happy to show you the dog yard. A vague or annoyed reply is an answer too. On the day, look at the dogs that are not running, not only the ones in harness.

If you see something wrong, SEY runs an anonymous reporting channel for tourists and seasonal workers. Our longer guide, is husky sledding ethical?, covers the bigger picture, including why sledding is not a Sami tradition.

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