TOKYO -What’s a pizza delivery company to do when the weatherman predicts a brutal winter promising blizzards and ice storms?

Fight mother nature with her own weapons of course.

Domino’s Japan has turned to the reindeer, a winter-hardy species, as the answer to snowy winter woes, Japanese newspaper Japan Today reported.

Japan’s meteorological agency has predicted this savage winter could disrupt public transportation and close roads as the inclement weather worsens. But if Domino’s plan comes through, hungry Japanese will still get their servings of piping hot pizzas.

While reaching for a solution used by no less august a winter icon than Santa may seem like a no-brainer, Domino’s says there are major logistical hurdles to this contingency plan.

One big obstacle could be safety as reindeer are wild animals which could turn on people. Customers may not take kindly to being attacked by their delivery reindeer.

And there is the question of what could happen when a reindeer meets the family pet, be it a dog or a cat.

So the company is taking a quintessentially methodical Japanese approach by launching a trial in the city of Ishikari in icy Hokkaido.

The trial is taking place in a driving school campus under the close supervision of a trained animal handler. Domino’s has images of stoic reindeer with pizza delivery bags mounted on their backs.

There are more questions raised by Domino’s plan, including the number of reindeer deployed and where these animals will be housed when not delivering pizza.

Domino’s has said it will reveal more details on its website on Nov 24.

In the meantime, customers can continue ho-ho-hoping Rudoph makes a stop at Japanese doors with piping hot pizzas soon.

This article was first published on Nov 24, 2016.
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