 It was our (sort of) annual sleddie gathering and we all went for a bath in the forest.... although I think some came out from this woodland bath in need of a regular bath. 14 sleddies - some off leash, some on. Some seniors, some youngsters who probably went 10x as far as most of us. Some who've known retirement for years, some who are in their first year. New friends and old. We met up, the dogs got treats because, you know, they gotta get some extra energy to trundle the forest paths (!) and then did our best at getting a group photo before we headed off. It was short and sweet and just the right little walk to start off a new year. A new year that I'm sure will see more former sled dogs get to know soft sofas, warm blankets and all the love, toys and care that life can offer. Sleddie roll call: Apex, Argus, Clyde, Ice, Jasper, Mary Kate, Peach, Portia, Roo, Santana, Smokey, Sparky, Sparky2 (now called Buddy) and Stevie Thanks to everyone who came out... and for loving your sleddies! ~wendy xo I met 21 new sleddies this year! Angel, Argus, Clyde, Cruz, Echo, Jack, Kayou, Louie, Louise, Nike, Oman, Oscar, Peach, Samwell, Serabe, Snickers, Sparky, Sweetie, Tiger, Troy and Twister Most I met when they were new into care, with a couple being just new to me. We also went on forest walks, met up in yards, parking lots and parks. Here are the friends I got to hang out with in 2021... Here are some photos from those meetups, in no particular order. Thanks for an amazing year old friends and new... and here's looking to 2023! 2022 sleddie friends roll call (fingers crossed I've named them all!): Angel, Apex, Argus, Arwen, Batman, Bella, Biggie, Bruno, Clyde, Colby, Cruz, Echo, Jack, Jasper, Kayou, Louie, Louise, Mary Kate, Millie, Nike, Oman, Oscar, Pluto, Portia, Peach, Rio, Roo, Samwell, Serabe, Smokey, Snickers, Sparky, Stevie, Sweetie, Tiger, Toledo, Troy and Twister  Nike, December 2022 I recently had the chance to pop in and see a couple old sleddie friends, Colby + Bella, and meet a new one, Nike! I first met Colby July 23, 2014, when he came into care. He then was fostered with my friend Deb so I got to see him often -- including a trip to walk the wilds of the Sunshine Coast in the hopes of Finding Apex, his foster brother, when he was missing. Deb had nicknamed Colby the little Imp and it's true, he a little guy, with a very imp-ish way about him. Now that he's older and his mobility isn't what it used to be he gets breakfast, lunch and dinner in bed and the cuddles come to him. The imp-ishness is still there because he will get up for some smelly treats! Last year, Colby's humans adopted Nike - who like Troy and Argus - are survivors of a sled dog company cruelty investigation here in BC. Nike is very, very shy, however, it's been recently discovered she's learning to like Jeopardy! Now whether it's really her love of the trivia show or the treats that come with it, or the regular routine of a daily family tv date, it's bringing this girl out of her shell, slowly but surely. My heart melted when I saw her in her safe little nest - it's right outside Jane's art room and if the door opens, Nike trots in and takes her place under Jane's desk. Oh my heart! I can see why Nike likes it in there - not only is it a room with a creative, yet relaxing feeling - one wall is an ode to the dogs this family has shared their life with, all painted with love by Jane. We had a few moments in the living room to get some photos, but since it was my first time meeting Nike I didn't want to push it with my scary camera so the visit was kept short and sweet. As I said my farewells I marvelled at the life Colby has had the opportunity to have... the love, the care, the agency to do things on his own terms. And I'm thankful Nike will get that same opportunity... Next up was a lightning-fast visit to Bella's house. In February 2018, Bella came all the way to BC from Ontario. A survivor of a cruelty investigation, Bella was coming out west because we have such a huge and supportive sleddie community here and an adopter was already lined up! Deb and I met Bella at the airport and got chatting with some staff and relaying Bella's story and as the kennel was opened up and Bella came out one of the first things I heard was "she was a sled dog?" Yes, it's one of the most common questions I hear and one of the main reasons I started this work. Bella was a sweetie from the get-go and I've gotten to see her a few times over the years. She's such a happy, loved girl! When I went into her house she was all tail wags and soaked up all the love I had. She hopped up on her sofa (the family keeps a sofa by the window that is all hers!) and lay down. But then she hopped off and I could tell something had changed... she didn't like my camera. I managed to get a couple more photos stealthily, but I really don't like pushing it - especially in their home, their safe space. Her mom told me Bella's doing mostly well but is having some episodes that they're trying to sort out with their vet. Otherwise she's happy and loves her walks and runs in the school grounds across from their house! It was much too short of a visit, but plans are in the works for another visit in the new year. Big hugs to these families! Until then friends! xo Colby - muti-colour floof Nike - white as snow Bella - black with cute, little snout spots  Lucy. Originally named Fairy (from the Mystical litter), Lucy was adopted in 2012 from W.A.G. (Whistler Animals Galore), the shelter just outside of Whistler, BC and not far from the kennels where she lived... and survived the 2010 Whistler sled dog cull. Learning to live inside had some challenges at first, but her family was patient and understanding. Her past didn't wholly define her though and she had lots of adventures including the wide-open beaches of Tofino, BC where she got to run... not hooked up to anything, not even a leash. She had the opportunity to run freely and be herself. Lucy was tall and lithe, one of the not-so-husky-like sleddies and always had a smile on her face - not a stress smile - but a happy smile. And it was infectious. I got to meet her at a couple reunions here in town, but it wasn't until her nana brought her to my studio so I could photograph her for Part One of my project, that I really got to see how special she was. She LOVED her nana and her nana LOVED her. It was adorable. For all Lucy's joie de vivre, she had some medical issues along the way. On one vet visit, golf-ball sized rocks were found to be embedded in her stomach. Though this was new to her family, it's not a new find in sled dogs. Being tethered all day, every day when not pulling meant that whatever was close could be chewed and/or eaten out of boredom frustration or entertainment - be it the wooden dog house, the plastic igloo dog house, the tether chain or even the rocks within that chained circumference. The rocks were removed with surgery and Lucy went on to live the life of a beloved family member who was a love bug, fun-time girl, and a couch potato all rolled into one beautiful blue-eyed package.
Lucy knew she had support. People in her corner rooting for her. Helping her along... and she thrived. Recently her failing back end and struggle with canine cognitive decline meant it was time to say farewell and her final morning was spent in the woods, her favourite place. Thank you to her family. Rest in peace and love, sweet Lucy. ~w xo p.s. at the reunions, Lucy was always on the go, but I managed to get her on a couple occasions as she buzzed past me! In the group photo, Lucy can be found with her family (about 10 o'clock position) and then at my studio (with her nana)  Smokey of the smoke blue eyes. Prior to today we'd met only once back in March 2019 when she came to my studio to participate in Part One and she was as sweet as she was nervous. Today's meet up was a chance for Smokey and her human to reconnect with the local sleddie community so off into the woods we went - Smokey, Apex, Mary Kate, Roo and the humans. Down, down, down the trail to the ocean inlet where the sea dogs (seals) splashed around in the water, then back up, up, up the hill with Smokey 'woo woo-ing' us if we stopped for too long. Apex trundled close to Deb and MK and Roo blew off some steam with some zoomies. At almost 14 Smokey still showed moments of puppy-ness with her head tilts, digging in the dirt and her woo-woos. Under all that floof is a wee girl who's in her element in the woods and the quiet of nature. She's so much more loose and relaxed than the last time I saw her and that makes me so happy. She even took treats from me off the start - though she promptly dropped them until I was a few feet away. But that only lasted for the first few and we were soon friends. Of course, Mary Kate and Roo were on treat alert as usual, with Apex doing his thing by keeping his distance from me... or at least my camera. I love that Kevin reached out and that Smokey will now have an expanded circle of people who are there to help her and Kevin along when they need it. Thanks for the walk gang! ~w Can you spot the difference? One was a street dog in Mexico. The other was a sled dog.
One of the biggest myths about modern sled dogs is that they're pure 'Alaskan Huskies'.
I guess that could be accurate in most cases, but essentially Alaskan Huskies are a mixed breed deliberately built for speed and endurance - like for pulling tourists on sleds through the snow and racing to earn their keep. They aren't recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club or Canadian Kennel Club as they're more a category such as working, sporting, toy etc. Being a mix of other breeds which can include the more obvious Siberian Husky and Alaskan Malamute, but also less obvious breeds like Salukis (a desert sighthound), German Short-haired Pointers, and others. Take one look at the diversity of the 228 former working sleddogs here and you'll see that Alaskan Husky as a breed really is a big ol' melting pot. The stories I've heard support the dogs I've met -- from unplanned litters, to operators getting mix-breed dogs from shelters, to buying dogs from and trading dogs with other kennels without any history on them... it's a sled dog wild, wild, west. I'm talking about this today because I recently met a dog that stopped me in my tracks. This dog reminded me so much of ChiChi, I had to take pause. She was the same size and colouring, had the same coat and very similar body shape. She was even nervous of new people. And she looked more like ChiChi than ChiChi's brother Jeff did. If you've been following this page, you'll likely know which is ChiChi, but if you haven't, please take a moment to consider the vastly different lives these two dogs would've had before adoption. The cold that ChiChi endured, the pressure on her body when working, the fact she spent her days tethered to a post for many years. I'm not in any way saying Tia's life would've been better as a street dog, but how can the sled dog industry maintain these myths when we can see with our own eyes, the lies we're being fed. Thanks for stopping by, xo  Oman + his new friend It seemed fitting that today I got to meet and photograph three more Whistler sleddies who have become official retirees and will automatically assume the roles of ambassadors of change. Why? Because, nine years ago this weekend I spent three days on a mountain just outside of Whistler, BC meeting and photographing 43 survivors of the 2010 Whistler sled dog massacre. (dig into my 2013 Archive Gallery for those stories and photographs) The myths surrounding the adoption (and post-working lives) of former sled dogs are many and after doing this for over ten years I still hear the same things from people when they hear about my work or just the subject of sled dogs is brought up. "They're born to do it/it's what they're bred for", "it's their job", "it's all they know", "they love to run", "they pull too much", "they're not suited for living in a family/in a house/ in a city/ with other dogs/ without other dogs/ with cats"... the list goes on. And while some of those points may be true at some time in each dog's life, it doesn't make up each dog's whole story. I'm pretty confident in this. Because with the help of 228 former sled dogs, I've learned that they are not the label we humans have put on them. All you have to do is read through previous posts on this blog to learn about post-working life and what fosters and adopters have learned along the journey. Because learning about their past helps the transitions into adoptive homes. It helps us understand seemingly odd behaviours like wanting to stand on furniture and countertops, preferring inside to outside (or outside to inside), fear of fireworks/loud noises, flinching when putting on collars or harnesses, chewing behaviours and even just being couch potatoes. Once we know, we can try to 'speak their language', translate it into 'human' and find the place to meet up and continue to build a relationship built on trust. Like ANY dog who finds themselves in need of a new home, this transition can be easy, or it can be challenging. But ultimately it's up to us humans to do our absolute best for the animal friends who become entrusted into our care. Speaking of trust, some may wonder if I have adopted a sleddie. The answer is no... not yet! Over the past decade I've had a series of small dogs who, although are very friendly and have been on outings with sleddies as well as shared their home with one for short spells, they don't want to actually live with one. This holds true for my current "low rider" Mr Coco, who joined me on today's outing. Bubbins (one of his many nicknames) is a one-eyed, 12-year-old crooked-legged little man who would likely pack up his stuffies and head to nana's house if a big dog camped out here for any length of time! This little dude was picked on in his previous home and a subsequent injury is the reason he lost his eye. So the trust we've built over the last 9 years includes me helping him with confidence, but also keeping him out of situations where he doesn't feel safe, thus he supervised from the passenger seat of the car. So, today... I introduce:
While in foster, their families will get to learn a bit more about them and then once they get their clean bill of health, they'll be ready for adoption, through the Victoria Humane Society, so keep watch on their facebook page if you think you'd be a good match for one of these sweet sleddies. Thanks to Jillian, her mom and sleddies Jasper + Portia who went along for the day trip to greet their new friends! Welcome friends! ~xo  ~Mr B likes ear rubs~ "Wanna see Mr B on Friday at noon at Macaulay?" "Ah, yeah I do!" So it was settled... I was going to get to see Mr B - for the first time since he'd been adopted back in March 2022! As I've mentioned on this blog before, Mr B is one of my heart sleddies. He captivated me from the first moment I saw him, but I can't pinpoint the one thing that drew me in. Clearly others felt it too as both his foster homes as well as his adopters feel something extra special about him. Bruno was adopted into a home with two other adopted dogs - Murphy + Goose. Both have helped show Bruno how sweet life can be, with Murphy being his direct guide. It was a beautiful afternoon of sunshine and warmth, along with that tiny touch of fall coming in with the ocean breeze. So Bruno, along with Murphy, Goose and his adopters as well as Shannon + Tica and myself, wandered to the grassy area of the park taking turns holding Mr B's leash and sharing treats with him. He and his foster sister, Tica even touched noses along the way. When Bruno was being fostered by Shannon + Tica, we would come to this park almost every week for a walk, so it was really cool we met up here. hint: you can search 'Bruno' on my site to see our adventures! We stopped on the grassy knoll and while I chatted with Mr B's new family, Shannon and Bruno had their own chat. (yes, that's Tica and her tail in the foreground of the top row of photos!!) I turned my camera onto Murphy (border collie) + Goose (sweet grey muzzle) and though they were interested at first, I made a sound that seemed to unnerve Murphy... A few more attempts were made at getting all 3 dogs in a semi-posed photo, but they were getting a bit anxious and I don't see any use in stressing dogs out for a photo op, so here's where we ended up... (Goose knew who was holding the treat!) A few more snaps of Bruno, looking, not looking, looking again, unsure... Then he re-set and stood in his safe spot...  It was time to head out so we all walked back to the car, and Mr B walked up his custom steps and into the back where he has his own pillow to enjoy the ride.  It was great getting a chance to talk with his adopters - his mom was convinced he remembered us and I kinda think he did too. Bruno isn't one to show excitement, but if he likes the loves or treats you're providing, he'll very stealthily inch forward for more... and that's what he was doing at this meeting... it was just as sweet as I remember.
The road for Bruno and his adopters hasn't been without some challenges, but the more they learn about where he came from, the more they understand him and his needs. Most importantly, he's given space to just 'be'. He can hang out outside or inside, he gets fresh cooked meals (look at how beautiful his coat is looking), and adventures with his family. He's wandered off once on a walk, but he had just gone back to the car. He doesn't pull (he's like walking a balloon) and often just trundles along, getting ear rubs and the affectionate nickname of 'Bruni' from his mom. I wish this fella and his family a life full of more naps and adventures and hope we can visit again soon! xo wendy p.s. big thanks to Shannon for the pics of me + Mr B! Being behind the camera all the time, along with having a big ol' touch of 'camera shyness' there aren't many pics of me and my sleddie friends, so I'm thankful for those that turn up!  I was looking for a photo and got sidetracked. It happens all the time really, especially when going through my sleddie archive. There are so many memories over the last ten years, I can't help but stop and reminisce. Whether it was a short meeting/photo op upon arrival, a long walk, or multiple walks... whatever. Inevitably, there are dogs who have really stuck with me. I can't put my finger on it - it's not looks or energy, whether they're loose or fearful... there's just a connection I feel towards them. Maybe it's akin to love at first sight... I don't know as it's not based on looks alone. Whatever this connection is, I felt it with Bruno (aka Mr B) from the moment I met him when he came into care. So when he went into foster with my friend Shannon (of the famous ChiChi), we started going for walks in the hopes of helping to widen his circle of people, places, things. When Bruno was eventually adopted earlier this year, I made a photo book of some photos from our walkies and I realized I didn't share it... so here's a little look-see. p.s. Bruno is doing great with a family who seems to really understand him and meet him where his is. And as a bonus, Shannon gets updates doing dog things, as all dogs should get to. p.p.s. now... to find that photo I was looking for! thanks for stopping by, w xo  Niv, UVic dog park, Jan 1, 2015 Niv. Nivvy poo, NivNiv, Big Seal Eyes, passed away this week. One of the original Whistler sleddies, this girl has led quite the retired life with her adopter Erin. But it wasn't the slow down and garden kind of retirement, it was learning how to have a life. Adventures in the woods, camping in the middle of nowhere, getting lost, and found. Romps and runs. Big days and big naps. Naps were very important to Niv. When she wanted something from me, it took one look from her huge seal-like eyes, and I was ready to give her anything! She was a mooch of the highest order, and I was always happy to oblige! Most of the time I got to see her out on adventures, but one time she came over and it happened to be time for 8-sies (the 8pm treat time for any and all dogs at my house) and once she was done, she trundled over to the sofa and hopped on it. Right next to my husband. She didn't really know him and she hadn't really been in my house before, but she clearly just wanted to nap and watch some tv, with whomever was there. It was so cute. Often Niv would be the one dog in a group photo who wouldn't stay in one spot - she'd prefer to wander around the group or come say hi to me (febuary 19 | twenty two dogs take over the beach) I remember first meeting Niv in September 2013. She came running down the path with Erin (her adopter) and sibling Siku for our first sleddie reunion. Over the years, we started hanging out more and formed a little dog-dork group - mostly sleddies, but a few "littles" too. In those early years our sleddie gang consisted of Niv & Siku, Question, Daffy, Cola and ChiChi. Siku was the first of our gang to pass away in Nov 2014, and the others followed. And this week, Niv has bookended that group. And though Niv's time working as a sled dog was far in the past, what that life did to her body slowly caught up to her so earlier this year Erin got Niv some wheels for her back end and Niv could toodle through the forest trails or around the neighbourhood much more easily. And she caught on quickly! Niv was a survivor or the 2010 Whistler sled dog cull, and because of that, she helped form this great supportive sleddie community here on the west coast of Canada. She was an ambassador for sleddie adoptions and just an all-round cool dog and friend. I got to visit Niv the night before she passed and for that I'm thankful to Erin. Niv ate some treats, got some loves on the lawn in the summer evening sun, (and she and I had a private little chat) and then followed me to the gate when I left. Of course I couldn't leave her looking so alone, so I walked her back into the house... but the sentiment stuck with me. Sweet Niv, leaves behind an adopted sister, Cedar, and sooooooo many human and doggy friends. Rest in peace and love dear friend, xo ~w Below are just a handful of photos... explore my site to see more. |
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