HOPEFULLY these huskies aren’t dog tired after practice runs – the two-day Aviemore Sled Dog Rally is about to begin.

The annual cross-country trial is now in its 36th year and will see more than 1000 dogs compete on the forest trails around Loch Morlich.

Mushers met photographers during training sessions at Feshiebridge.

They will return to face the crowds and each other when the contest starts on Saturday.

The yearly event – the largest of its kind in the UK – is organised by the Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain and started out with just 12 teams in 1984.

This year 250 mushers will take their packs around the woodland paths – snow or not.

SHCGB said: “If there’s no snow at ground level for the event, the races still go on with mushers using a three-wheeled rig that looks like a tricycle without a seat.”

If you can't make the event itself, you can at least enjoy the fantastic pictures of the group.

(All photographs: Jeff Mitchell)

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