These athletic huskies have become a spectacle in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont.

An outdoorsy man in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., doesn’t have to worry about spending much money on gas these days. 

That’s because Chris Nielsen is getting around town with his well-trained pack of pet huskies, who pull him by sled in the winter and by skateboard in the summer. 

According to Nielsen, dogsled drivers in Canada — known as “mushers” — don’t traditionally go for rides in public spots or urban areas as they’re usually focused on training the dogs for race competitions.

But Nielsen doesn’t race his five dogs and enjoys the activity for recreational purposes instead.

So, he can often be sighted going for short strolls with his furry friends through the downtown core and Bellevue Park, or for longer runs to the airport and Garden River. 

As the hobby unsurprisingly comes with plenty of attention, the dogs have practically become local celebrities — garnering millions of views on Facebook and TikTok. 

The crew is very friendly with people and other dogs, according to Nielsen, so they take breaks often to interact with locals while receiving plenty of pets.

He’ll let kids — and even CBC reporters — go for rides from time to time. 

“I get a lot of honks, a lot of looks, a lot of stops,” he said. “The kids love them. The reactions are always great.”

Nielsen’s dogs — a mix of Siberians and Alaskan Malamutes — thrive in the colder months and enjoy daily runs around the Sault, sometimes up to 30 kilometres. 

“We can go for a good jaunt, depending on how the dogs are feeling,” he said.

Three of his pups — Koda, Sytka and Denahi — were acquired from a breeder in North Bay. They’re also each named after a character from the Disney movie Brother Bear.

Keynai and Odessa, meanwhile, are the oldest of the bunch.

The youngest of the group, Nakoia, joined the family at several weeks old this past December and will begin training in the spring.