Because that is exactly what happened to Diesel the three-year-old Siberian Husky cross at the Snow Farm near Wanaka yesterday.
Not that his owner and musher Alice Perry, of Dunedin, seemed to mind too much.
In a totally new environment, it was fair to say Diesel was not completely focused on finishing in the fastest time, she said.
"He seemed to struggle a little bit on the snow — too many new smells and too much snow to play with on the trails, but yeah, I’ve got him for the love of it rather than winning it."
"He’s kind of figuring out what all this white stuff is but he had a ball. He loves running. He just needs to learn how to pull on snow."
The three-day event is the only sled dog event in New Zealand and Australia held on snow.
Normally racing is done on dryland in forests where wheeled rigs and scooters are used.
Owning a husky was always on the list of things-to-do, Ms Perry said.
"I always wanted a husky, so I started to dryland sled in the North Island and I did that for a year. Then, when I moved down here, I brought my dogs with me."
For the humans, sled dog racing was about enjoying the time alone with their dogs.
"There’s a lot of faith and a lot of hope involved too," Ms Perry said with a laugh.
Wanaka Sled Dog Festival co-ordinator Sarah Campbell said overnight snow on Thursday made the trails interesting but fun yesterday. Racing dogs on snow once a year was something all those involved in sled dog racing looked forward to, Mrs Campbell said.
"It’s a real experience. You come up here, it’s the one chance you [get] to be on the snow and get a change from running on dry land, so it’s a really neat experience and we’re really lucky to have this venue in our backyard."
Most people got into sled racing through owning a traditional Arctic dog like a husky, but any dog that liked to pull was able to sled, she said.
"We’ve got traditional huskies and Alaskan huskies, as well as Border collies , pointers and just your traditional household pets."
Mrs Campbell got into the sport after needing to find an outlet for her over-energetic Siberian husky. She now owns nine.
"It’s a great way to get you through those winter months."
The festival finishes today.
