Husky Haven Kennels — Attraction in Burt Township

I organized a dog sledding tour to Husky Haven Kennels in Shingleton, MI, on February 16, 2020, at 9:00 am. Their website advertised a half day dogsled that included an 8-10 mile run with the dogs during a 3-4 hour overall experience that also had an educational component. Total cost was $ 150 US per person, and our group had 5 people.

I spoke with the owner, Kim Darst, by phone on a few different calls in the weeks preceding our trip to make reservations and confirm what the tour included. The 8-10 mile run was now only an 8 mile run, according to Kim, and she said the time we would spend on the actual run was 1 to 1.25 hours.

We drove the 412 miles from our homes up to their kennels for the once-in-a-lifetime experience for most in our group. Upon arrival, Kim proceeded to give us a long speech in which she mentioned that the actual run with the dogs was now reduced to 4 miles or approximately 30 minutes - less than half of what we were originally promised!! But the price remand the same - $ 150 US per person!! I spoke up right then and said "But you told me 8 miles on the phone." And she said "It is now only 4 miles."

They had a total of 48 dogs, but only ran one team of 7 dogs for us. They took 2 of us out for about a 25-30 minute run, and then did the same for the remaining 3 people. The other guy in our group, Nicolas, was also disappointed with the extremely short duration of our run with the dogs!!

I was the only one in our group who had dogsleded previously, 11 years ago, and it was a much better and longer run and experience!! That was with a smaller business in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The price was also significantly less, $ 60 Canadian per person, at the time, and our actual run with the dogs lasted 2 hours or more!! We also got to drive our own sleds, solo, following the lead sled the entire time!! (During the Husky Haven tour Kim was on our sled the entire time, and we each only got to drive for about 10-15 minutes, since we had to switch with someone else in our group and become a passenger for the remaining time!!)

In summary, we were not given the service as advertised (and promised) by Husky Haven Kennels, and were still charged the full fee. For most in our group of 5 people, that may be the only time they will ever get to experience dog sledding in their lifetime, and I feel they were extremely short changed!! This is a deceptive and dishonest way to run a business, and I would definitely NOT recommend them to anyone else in...

Before we went to Husky Haven, we checked out some of their Google Reviews. I can’t believe someone gave them a negative review. Kim and Tim did an outstanding job making sure we had the best and fullest dog sledding experience in the 5 hours we were there. They were great. The actual dogsledding was very cool and fun. It was long enough to fully experience actually doing it as both a driver (musher) and passenger and not too long. Seeing the dogs all revved up, excited and getting ready to start pulling was an awesome experience. The parts of the tour that I didn’t think much about initially, were actually also a great experience. Kim (a very experienced and expert dogsledder) and Tim, her assistant did an outstanding job educating us on the history of dogsledding, the special breeding of the dogs, and also their unique care and diet. Also meeting and spending some time with the dogs was much more enjoyable than I thought it would be. Kim and Tim were also very hospitable hosts and answered all of our many questions (on dogsledding, their well-stocked hanger and shed and beautiful scenic ranch) very well. They were very patient when we called and explained we were running late. They nicely served us hot chocolate and cookies afterwards. Kim asked for any feedback including constructive criticism. We couldn’t think of any then, but have a point now. At the time of the hot chocolate, I definitely could have used a hot coffee. There is a very lot of plowed, but icy roads to get there and back. In case you didn’t check, it’s not cheap, but Kim and Tim didn’t bother us with extra nickel and dime fees like some places would, nor did they pressure us to buy souvenirs, of which they had a lot. My only regret is I wish I had asked them if I could try to pull the loaded sled (only a few feet) with and without the brake, just to feel how heavy of a load the dogs were...

Clean, humane, accommodating, friendly, informational, hands on, exciting.

Kim and Jean were awesome. They were very accommodating to our needs. The kennel tour was very informative. Being able to see how excited these dogs are to see their handlers and run is so cool. You get to learn about the equipment, how and why each dogs is in each position, and you can help get them set up with their equipment. With their permission, the dogs that are in their kennels can be pet (Ponytail is so loving!). Touching the dogs that will be running with you and watching them get excited for the run was one of my favorite parts. I loved learning about each dog and seeing their personalities.

To start, you get to drive the sled. Kim gives great instructions and rides with. Jean drove ahead on a snowmobile with my boyfriend on the back so he could take pictures of me driving the sled. After a couple miles, we switched off so I could take pictures from the snowmobile and he could drive the sled team with Kim. For the last couple miles, I rode on the sled with Kim and my boyfriend driving while Jean took pictures and video of the both of us from the snow mobile (this is free by the way - they give you all the pictures and video). The trails were beautiful and you could see the joy on the dogs faces. We had a blast and would love to come back! My only complaint is the day went...