Are there places to see and play with Sled Dogs without taking a ride / tour?

Are there places to see and play with Sled Dogs without taking a ride / tour? My wife very badly wants to see and possibly play with sled dogs or puppies, but we don't want to do the hour and a half in a cart thing. Options?

Thanks,

Jim

Are there places to see and play with Sled Dogs without taking a ride / tour? My wife very badly wants to see and possibly play with sled dogs or puppies, but we don't want to do the hour and a half in a cart thing. Options?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

In Denali National Park if you are doing a land tour there are free sled dog talks and demonstration by the park rangers two or three times daily. There are no puppies there but you can see and pet all of the other sled dogs.

If you're sailing Princess, they bring puppies onto the ship for a few hours when in Skagway. It's called Puppies in the Piazza and is a big hit.

I was on Coral Princess a few weeks ago. One of the highlights of my trip was meeting Libby Riddles - the first woman to win the Iditarod. She was giving a talk in the Princess theatre. I went down early and she was outside the theatre with one of her dogs:)

She was lovely to talk to and we were able to pet the sweet Cancun. The dog was not part of the presentation in the theatre but was very popular sitting outside getting lots of love!!

Truly a highlight for me - I love dogs and she was just wonderful to chat with.

In Denali National Park if you are doing a land tour there are free sled dog talks and demonstration by the park rangers two or three times daily. There are no puppies there but you can see and pet all of the other sled dogs.

We did the Dog Gone It tour in Denali. It was fantastic - tons of puppies and lecture on sled dogs and the Iditarod. Was amazing experience.

We also did helicopter to Herbert Glacier with dog sledding on glacier. They also had puppies (slightly larger ones). Also amazing - this was in Juneau.

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If you're sailing Princess, they bring puppies onto the ship for a few hours when in Skagway. It's called Puppies in the Piazza and is a big hit.

Also on Princess, Iditarod winner Libby Riddles comes on in Juneau for a presentation. She brings one of her dogs (not a puppy) who is available for petting before (and maybe after) her speech.

Just saw helpmesailaway's response. I will add that we found Libby Riddles very friendly and approachable before the presentation. In 3 Princess Alaska cruises it was the first time our timing worked out to attend it and we found it very interesting. We missed Puppies in the Piazza but they were taking them off the ship in dog crates as we returned from an excursion. They were adorable.

My HAL cruisetour bus stopped at the Wasilla Iditarod headquarters just before stopping for lunch where there were puppies to hold and cart rides for $10, if you wished:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/place/alaska-2/wasilla-iditarod

Tagish Lakes Kennel has dogs and puppies on display but the only way to see them is driving on your own out of Skagway. More photos and videos in links in signature.

It would be helpful to other posters to know your itinerary.

Tagish Lakes Kennel has dogs and puppies on display but the only way to see them is driving on your own out of Skagway. More photos and videos in links in signature.

 

It would be helpful to other posters to know your itinerary.

 

 

 

As the OP stated I also have a wife that wants to play with the dogs, but not really into the sled ride. We hope to be on a SB Jewel cruise in Sept. 2020. We aren't planning our land tour to Denali, it is going down to Homer prior to cruise. Is there anything out there for our situation? Thanks All

Are there places to see and play with Sled Dogs without taking a ride / tour? My wife very badly wants to see and possibly play with sled dogs or puppies, but we don't want to do the hour and a half in a cart thing. Options?

 

Thanks,

 

Jim

Try contacting Alaska Tourist Information by phone.

The gold dredge in Skagway has a dog sled demo where you get to play with the puppies.

We are doing the Skagway trip at the end of September. MIL wants puppies..... This seemed the most reasonable of the dog sled demos and includes other things to see. From what I have found looking at the excursions in Juneau and Ketchikan they are aways out of town so you spend a lot of time travelling. Skagway looks like it is only about 15 minutes out of the main part of town.

We just got back and rented Jeeps in Skagway and drove to the lakes in Canada. Beautiful dog sledding place and you can get in for 8.00 per person. They have cute petting zoo and a incredible museum . Im not a fan of tours but it was a great drive by jeep

We just got back and rented Jeeps in Skagway and drove to the lakes in Canada. Beautiful dog sledding place and you can get in for 8.00 per person. They have cute petting zoo and a incredible museum . Im not a fan of tours but it was a great drive by jeep

We will be doing the jeep rental in Skagway next summer. Can you give me the name of the dog sledding place you visited?

We, too, visited the Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla. The film inside the building is free and informative. And there were puppies (about 5-weeks-old, I think) outside that we held and petted. And the OP is correct for $10 you can pay to ride a sled-dog pulled cart, BUT that is a VERY short ride. We did not ride because we had an excursion booked for later in the week.

We will be doing the jeep rental in Skagway next summer. Can you give me the name of the dog sledding place you visited?

We did this also. It is called Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Just after you drive through the small town of Carcross it will be on the right hand side. You cannot miss it. There will be tour buses parked there most likely. It was a fun little stop. Pretty touristy, but you can see the sled dogs and pet puppies.

We did this also. It is called Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Just after you drive through the small town of Carcross it will be on the right hand side. You cannot miss it. There will be tour buses parked there most likely. It was a fun little stop. Pretty touristy, but you can see the sled dogs and pet puppies.

I find this a tourist trap. Superior for “real”, is Tagish Lake Kennel Right off the Klondike Highway.

We did this also. It is called Caribou Crossing Trading Post. Just after you drive through the small town of Carcross it will be on the right hand side. You cannot miss it. There will be tour buses parked there most likely. It was a fun little stop. Pretty touristy, but you can see the sled dogs and pet puppies.

The puppies here were okay but I did not care for the sled dogs. They looked like scraggly street dogs. I was there about a week ago. Looked nothing like the puppies in the Piazza. I would advise to look at pictures of previous trips before booking so you see what you are getting (if doing the sled dog excursion).