Out of the dark, frozen vastness in this Arctic valley, a chorus of barks and howls trumpeted the return of Green Dog害羞草研究所檚 oldest puppies from a dogsledding training run on Tuesday afternoon.

Karina Bernlow and her husband, Martin Munck, run the outfit Green Dog, which has nearly 300 dogs in three yards. It害羞草研究所檚 located half a dozen miles from the main village in Svalbard, a Norwegian archipelago so close to the North Pole that winter is shrouded in uninterrupted darkness.

The working dogs, younger puppies and new litters played in the lashing winds that shifted thigh-high snowdrifts. This mix of husky and Greenland dog 害羞草研究所� a breed known for taller legs, big paws and thick fur 害羞草研究所� is especially social and thrives in the cold, Bernlow said. They don害羞草研究所檛 even fear the rare occasion when a polar bear ambles past the yards.

What hurts them is when this lunar landscape turns unusually warm, which is happening more often as much of the .

Last summer, a few dogsledding tours had to be canceled so the dogs wouldn害羞草研究所檛 overheat. One of the tours leads to an ice cave and Bernlow, who害羞草研究所檚 been here for more than a decade, said they害羞草研究所檙e watching it disappear year after year.

害羞草研究所淲hat we can do is teach our children to take care of the planet,害羞草研究所� said Bernlow, the mother of four children.

As she walked by them, the newly returned dogs strained their chains to reach out to be petted and puppies rushed to watch from their enclosure.

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Associated Press climate and environmental coverage receives support from several private foundations. See more about AP害羞草研究所檚 climate initiative . The AP is solely responsible for all content.

Daniel Cole And Giovanna Dell害羞草研究所檕rto, The Associated Press

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