U.K. sled dog centre blames climate change for closure

LONDON A dog-sledding centre in Scotland’s Cairngorm Mountains is to close shop after nearly two decades, blaming climate change for turning snowy trails into mud baths.

“Climate change has crucified us. It’s horrendous,” said owner Alan Stewart. “My dogs are molting in winter.”

Stewart said rising temperatures meant he could no longer properly train his “Formula One” dogs for races in Europe as they can only run when it is below 10 C.

Climate scientists have warned there is likely to be “a substantial decline” in the number of days of snow cover in the Cairngorms from 2030 onwards and the region could see years with no snow by 2080.

Stewart, who also takes paying clients on exercise runs in the Cairngorms, first noticed changes about seven years ago.

“I used to spend seven months a year training my dogs. In the last three years it’s down to three months, and this year it’s down to two,” he said.

Snowfalls, which used to lie on the ground for weeks, were melting within hours and trails had become “liquid mud,” he said.

The Cairngorms National Park in the Scottish Highlands covers 4,528 square kilometres — bigger than Luxembourg. The park authority is hosting a climate conference on March 9.

Sled dog racing is a sport practised in Arctic regions of Europe, Canada and the United States as well as in the European Alps and Patagonia. The Cairngorm Sleddog Centre is among a small handful of such centres in Europe.

“I live very remote — not like anyone else lives in the U.K. It’s a way of life. My dogs are my best mates,” said Stewart.

Now down to 20 dogs, Stewart said they would be kept in kennels until they died.