24 new retirees in 6 sets of new arrivals
1 puppy
12 meet up photo ops
53 gb of raw images
​thousands of shutter clicks
1 sleddie turned 17
6* sleddies passed away

It was a year like no other... but then again, aren't they all?
24 more sleddies joined the 'officially retired' team. I use 'officially' for two reasons: 1) because a few of them had retired while at the sled dog kennel but they didn't have anywhere to retire to; and 2) because the moment they left the kennel and were in care of the rescue, they became 'domestic pets' and thus covered under domestic animal protection laws here in BC. They may be outdated laws, but they're a LOT better than the agricultural animal 'laws' that covered them previously.

I'm not sure of the costs incurred to date, but it would be well in to the thousands - gas, ferry fares, spay/neuter surgeries, lump removals, dentals, specialist appointments (Pumpkin's eyes), food. Plus the volunteer hours provided by foster homes who not only opened up their homes for months to some of this crew, but made sure they got to all their medical appointments.

Some arrivals looked more like what one thinks a sled dog should look like - a bit floofier and husky-like (Ace, Ice, Saturn), some looked more like hounds (Biggie, Ginny), some had piercing blue eyes (Saturn, Centurion, Ice, Batman, Loki, Meso, Toledo), and some were incredibly fearful but are coming out of their shells at their own pace (Ace, Bear, Catty, Bruno, Herman, Stevie). Two were adopted by their foster homes (Pumpkin, Sparkle), one was adopted by her transporter (Portia), and one was just a puppy (Bamboo).
And at the time of writing this, one is still awaiting adoption... Bruno.
It's one thing to photograph dogs at intake as it's not really the best photo op. It's confusing, they may be scared and not themselves, there's new people, smells, they're getting fitted for new harnesses and collars. Their GPS trackers are getting tested. They may be getting a flea & tick or deworming treatment. They may  just want to sleep because it's been a big travel day. They may just be super shut down. All the while I'm trying to be a bit of a fly-on-the-wall to get a photo of them, to document their existence and give them space in this world, while they hide behind another dog, a human, under a desk. It's a lot. This is why I'm so incredibly stoked to meet up a few days, weeks, months down the road. There is always a positive change. To see them more relaxed and comfortable, have time off leash, taking treats, giving eye contact, responding to their name instead of tucking their tail. Sometimes it's a teeny tiny change, but it's celebrated. These meet ups are also a lot, but in a super beautiful way.
With a passionate group at the helm, there were chances for (safe) meet ups and connection for both the humans and sleddies and its inspiring to see this community continue to grow and evolve.

2021, for me, meant year 10 of sled dog advocacy, bringing 24 new ambassadors into my world and the total number of sleddies in this work to 208. There are now 24 more faces and names whose mere presence in this world can help advocate for those who are still being exploited. They don't need to do anything else except learn to be themselves.
2022, for me, will mean 10 years since I clicked the shutter on my first sleddie. Ten years of following the 'after', what some may call the 'hard part'. But knowing there are more sled dogs ready to come into care if foster homes can be found, I will continue to share the names, faces and stories because as long as the sled dog industry exists, there will be dogs in need. I know our transport team is ready, are you?

Thank you to the Victoria Humane Society who foots all the bills for these retirees, and to the volunteers who arrange fosters, help with adoptions and support in any way they can. Also, to the transporters of this  precious cargo: Jillian+ Debbie, Jillian + Charla, Bobbie, Jillian + Amanda, Debbie + Jillian and Jillian and her mom.

In alphabetical order, meet the new I Was A Sled Dog ambassadors!
Ace, Bamboo, Batman, Bear, Biggie, Bruno, Cally, Cap, Catty, Centurion, Ginny, Herman, Ice, Kerri, Loki, Meso, Portia, Pumpkin, Saturn, Sparkle, Stevie, Teddy, Tig, Toledo

*this is the number of sleddies I've heard passed away in 2021, the number could be higher

It's Thanksgiving here in Canada and though I am thankful for the multitudes of humans who are adopting former sled dogs each and every day, today was extra special because I got to re-meet four sleddies who live in my neighbourhood and meet their adopters.
Batman and Stevie came into care back in January 2021, Biggie in April 2021 and Cally in August 2021. Photographing them when they're new into care isn't about trying to get a "happy" adoption photo, at least not from me. It's great when the dog is pretty non-plussed about it all, but in my experience, that's not often the case. Sometimes they're almost frozen in fear so they don't move, don't look at me, don't react. Basically hiding in plain sight. 
So when the opportunity arrives where I can re-meet a dog, it's pretty amazing. I take some deep breaths before meeting  them (because I'm so excited), gather my gear and set forth.
 
All the dogs did so well and it made me think back to the reunions we used to have. The first one in 2013 where we had 9 sleddies, to the the ones where we had 50+ former sled dogs running around. The park we met at today wasn't fenced but Cally did get some off-leash time.
You'll see a wrap on Batman's leg. This old gent has pretty bad arthritis and he's been fixating on his sore leg joint so it's wrapped up. Arthritis isn't uncommon in sleddies, but sometimes that comes with other pains that are difficult to diagnose. Thankfully his devoted human has been working with their vet to sort out options that work best for him, but for now, he saunters along, sniffing and going at his own pace. Oh, and he likes impromptu belly rubs too! Stevie you'll see is pretty glued to his human. Meeting at this park was new for him, which can be very scary, but he took time to sniff a bum or two which was a good sign! He's gone on a couple runners since he was adopted, but thankfully there is also an invisible tether between he and his human so he's made it back to her safely. Biggie was a treat hound and showed me some of the best head tilting I've seen in a long time! He lives with his humans and little staffy sibling and they're becoming buddies slowly, but surely. He loves watching the world and getting ear rubs by his human. Cally just wanted to say hello to everyone. Actually, she wanted the treats first - especially the ones in my pouch - THEN to say hello! No fear in the people we met, however upon meeting Batman, he let her know not to get too close, too fast, to which she acquiesced and all was good.

On what turned out to be a beautiful autumn day for this mini meet-up, it's because of these humans and the hundreds of others who have stepped up to help sleddies through rescue, fostering and adopting that I have titled this "thanksgiving, thanksliving".  Without them, it's not known what would've happened to these dogs, but with them, we know an often overlooked group of dogs are getting a chance to live in warmth, comfort and with love.

p.s. for those new here, as always, photos are in chronological order and I have included sets of succession images to help show as much of the dog's personality as I can.
p.p.s I also have a 'thing' for pictures of dogs with their eyes closed so have included those too :)

Thank you to the Gorge Park Gang for this visit today!

~wendy
​xo

Cally and Ice -- two more former sled dogs made it into retirement on Monday!​

First task was to put harnesses on the dogs, attach the GPS trackers and double leash them. Some dogs don’t always display as flight risks when they arrive into care, so it’s set up just in case. Their fosters have welcomed former sled dogs as fosters before and are part of the sleddie community here, so they know what to expect. 
All dogs are different when they arrive, but on this site, I’m referring to former sled dogs specifically. And I can honestly say that after they’ve had time to decompress, bits of their personalities emerge… it can take days, weeks, months, years even. But it’s so important that they get that opportunity to explore and exhibit behaviours of being just dogs. That they get the chance to learn what they like and don’t like, and be themselves. It’s incredible to witness. This is also helpful when matching them with adopters because you want to do your best to get the right fit the first time. But if it doesn’t work out, that’s ok because the dogs can always come back and the process can start again.

So for Cally and Ice, retirement begins. 

And if retired life for them is like it was for my parents, they will be busier than when they were working. Their days will be filled with outings and socializing. Naps and time for relaxation. Good food along with some exercise in there to keep the weight in check and the arthritis from setting in too quickly. As they age, they may see the doctor more, but one will be there to help them along the way.

Thank you to Jillian and Amanda for organizing and chauffeuring these two into retirement, and to their foster homes for helping them along this next part of their journey! 
And to the Victoria Humane Society who continues to help former sled dogs into retirement

Welcome to retirement Cally + Ice!