Green Dog Svalbard
A living kennel
Green Dog Svalbard is located in Bolterdalen and is led by Martin Munck & Karina Bernlow. They came to Svalbard after many years in East Greenland, where they made a living from hunting and tourism.
Green Dog is different from other commercial dog kennels at Svalbard, since the dogs are a mix between the Greenland dog and husky – and also since the family, consisting of 2 adults and 4 children – and all the guides – are living at the kennel year-round.
We put the dogs’ welfare above all else, so it was a natural choice to live at the kennel to be able to be present with our 4 legged friends, at all times. When our dogs are about to be retired, we place great emphasis on finding new families for them, and this has resulted in many happy relationships. You can read about some of our pensioners on our blog, on this website.
The kennel is divided into smaller kennels, so each guide is responsible for his own kennel with 6 dog teams (30 dogs), which only he uses on trips. This means that our sledge tours consist of relatively small groups of up to 8 guests – and always with the guides’ own dogs.
All doghouses and dog sledges are being built on spot. The dog sledge is a modernized edition of the Greenland hunting sled and all over the kennel, you will find traces of the family’s Greenlandic past. All of this creates a different and very personal atmosphere for the visitors. It is not unusual that you’ll see Martin building a dog sledge or toys for the children – or guides cutting up meat for dog food.
Green Dog is often visited by local school classes and kindergartens, as the site clearly shows, with its own trampoline, swings, and sandbox. Not to mention the pirate ship and castle! Here you find puppies year-round and this is something that puts a smile on the faces of all of our visitors.
