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Meet the Pups

Each dog's role fits his or her personality. Intelligent and confident, Johan is the alpha dog. Hjørdis was best at alerting the patrollers about polar bears during the 2010-11 trips.

BATMAN
INDY
ARMSTRONG
SALLY
JOHAN
HANSEN
SINGERNEQ
SIGURD
HØRDIS
ROGER
BALDER
ROBIN

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Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Batman

Batman is a happy dog—sometimes a little too happy, says Jesper. "It seems like Batman has a fly in his head, and all it does is tell him to act crazy," he says. "But he loves to pull the sled." His brother (Robin, of course) is also on the team.

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Indy

Young Indy is "the biggest troublemaker, but somehow he manages to charm me," says Jesper. "He has an extreme energy and doesn't understand why the others need rest once in a while. He has all the qualities to become a leader one day. He just needs to be refined."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Armstrong

Armstrong is the oldest active sled dog in the history of Sirius. This guy is a legend, says Jesper, and there's a reason he's survived all these years: "He's not the dog who puts the most power into pulling. He runs beside Roger, and it is very clear who is doing the hard work!"

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Sally

Jesper says Sally isn't always good at listening or staying calm, but she is sweet and works hard. "She is especially charming when she puts her paws up in front of her eyes. I don't doubt for a second that she will become an amazing sled dog when she gets older."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Johan

"Everybody respects our lead dog," says Jesper. "Johan is extremely focused. You never see him fool around, and he only complains when he has something to complain about. Unfortunately, if you look at his birth certificate, you will notice that he has to be replaced soon."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Hansen

As Johan's partner and the team's second in command, Hansen is "brilliant when he wants to be but too often has his mind on a thousand other things," says Jesper. "He is unhappily in love with Sally, so he always lets us know when they are standing beside each other."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Singerneq

"You can't say Singerneq without saying Indy; those two best buddies are together always," says Jesper. "Singerneq is an amazing dog who never makes trouble—except when he and Indy get tangled in each other's belts, which happens at least 10 times a day."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Sigurd

"Sigurd is a lovely dog who works hard. But for some reason the others feel he is the weak one. He always gets beaten up. When the others want to fight, he always gets chased. Poor dog," says Jesper. Sigurd's biggest antagonist is Roger.

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Hjørdis

"When she is home at the farm she makes so much noise, but when she is out on a journey she is a completely different dog, always easy to work with," says Jesper. Her personality is aloof: "She is like a princess. Hjørdis is happiest when she is alone."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Roger

"Roger works so hard," says Jesper. "He has a lot of energy, and likes to provoke the others, especially Sigurd. Unfortunately, he's such a poor fighter that he's always the one getting hurt! In the dog yard, he jumps up on top of his house, ready to give us a giant hug."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Balder

"He might be the strongest dog. I believe he could beat up all the others if he wanted to," says Jesper. "But Balder is so calm that even when he fell through the ice, he just waited quietly for us to get him out. He doesn't want to fight anyone unless they're trying to steal his food."

Photograph by Fritz Hoffmann

Robin

The superhero names given to this dog and his brother, Batman, "couldn't be more wrong! Neither of them is very clever," jokes Jesper. Robin is a strong puller, "but he can be a hypochondriac, and if he thinks it would be better to take the day off, he will just cry all morning."

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