Green Dog Svalbard
A living kennel
Green Dog Svalbard is located in Bolterdalen and was started by Martin Munck & Karina Bernlow. They came to Svalbard after many years in East Greenland, where they made a living from hunting and tourism. In the fall of 2025, Green Dog Svalbard was acquired by Hurtigruten Svalbard.
Green Dog differs from other commercial dog kennels in Svalbard, as the dogs are a mix of Greenland dog and husky – and also because the employees live at the kennel all year round.
We put the dogs’ welfare above all else, so it was a natural choice to live at the kennel in order to be present with our four-legged friends all the time. When our dogs are about to retire, we put great emphasis on finding new families for them, and this has resulted in many happy relationships. You can read about some of our retirees 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 he alone uses on tours. This means that our sledding tours consist of relatively small groups of up to 8 guests – and always with the guides’ own dogs.
All dog houses and dog sleds are built on site. The dog sled is a modernized version of the Greenlandic hunting sled, and throughout the living kennel you will find traces of the family’s Greenlandic past. All this creates a different and very personal atmosphere for visitors. It is not uncommon to find guides building new dog sleds – or cutting up meat for dog food – when visiting the Green Dog kennel.
Green Dog is often visited by local school classes, as the place clearly shows, with its own trampoline, swings and sandbox. Not to mention the pirate ship and castle! You can almost always find puppies here all year round, and that is something that puts all visitors in a good mood!
