Just a beautiful hike around Matheson Lake with some of my retired sleddie buddies, their humans, and an 8-pound shih-tzu/yorkie on loan from my parents.
Shrek and Chichi were partners in crime, actually, they were more like partners in fun, because they had SO MUCH FUN together! These two were hilarious - crashing through the underbrush, running along the paths, rolling in... well, stuff... and dipping down to the water's edge to rehydrate - probably travelling about 10x farther than the rest of us. For those of us who stuck to the path, Sonny Boy kept a good pace up front and Pique stayed in the middle to make sure little Miss Coco was coming along and bringing up the rear. And of course there were a couple stops along the way to take in the beautiful view, have a drink (from an unused poop bag) and some treats before moving on. When we got back to the car, Shrek and Chichi were ready to do it again, until the treat bag came out... and then they realized their priorities! Even the littlest Coco got in there with the big dogs, and then made a new friend with Barb... and I almost made off with a new friend myself, in Shrek... until his parents called him out of my car... ah, well... maybe next time Shrekkie! Thanks gang for having us along! Sleddie roll call: ChiChi, Shrek, Pique + Sonny Sleddie friends: Wee Coco [PART SEVEN of a series chronicling the re-homing of Whistler sled tour dogs.]
I don't know how many parts there will be to this story really. I've been asked many times but my answer is always the same... "until I'm done". There are only three dogs left who need homes, but they are with incredibly caring foster families right now, so we'll see what happens. But in the meantime, I will go with this feeling inside me, the one that is compelling me to continue to photograph these dogs and share their stories of the next chapters in their lives... wherever it may lead. It was March 21, 2012 when I photographed my first retired sled dogs at the Victoria SPCA. Now, more than two years and thousands of photos later I am still at it as they continue to inspire me. And I still get that feeling of calm when I'm around them - no matter if it's one dog or 20... or 43, like when I was up at their kennels in Whistler last September. Just watching them run, interact, or get snuggles is a beautiful thing so I will continue to photograph them as long as they (and their humans) will let me. Which leads me to today. Me and my little Mr C went along with Chichi + Lola, Grey Grey, Question + Daffy and their people for a walk/hike/adventure in East Sooke. As per usual Chichi ran... and ran... and ran... and even had us all searching for her for what seemed like an eternity, but was probably more like five minutes. Turns out she was waiting for us at the car - so thanks Question & Daffy for finding her! There was mud, there were other dogs, there was sunshine and time for a pit stop with some snuggles and treats in the forest. It was a pretty magical afternoon... until me and the Mister had to leave them and they all wandered away with their tails held high to go meet up with some more dog friends. And then the little Mr C, who had spent the walk trundling along at a snail's pace, decided to let loose and show me he can (almost) run as fast as the big dogs! Until next time my furry friends... Sleddie roll call: ChiChi, Grey, Question + Daffy Sleddie friends: Lola + Mr Coco This is about Cola.
And how he was adopted into an amazingly lovely home. But... he has poor eyesight and things that move unpredictably (like kids) can scare him... especially indoors. So the tough decision was made to find him a new home. Enter Heather, Chris + Saru. Cola arrived at their house last night and so far Saru (the Shiba) and the two cats are cool with him... and Cola's cool with them. I met Cola last year while he was still up at the kennels in Whistler. He was the only dog, out of 43, that didn't come out of his igloo. I had never seen his whole body in real life. I hadn't seen just how crossed his beautiful blue eyes were either, until our Scafe Hill group walk last month. Kennel mate ChiChi came over for a visit and they got to sniff noses again (adorable) and romp in the yard. Next door neighbour Bandi said hello through the fence. Extra care went into ensuring Saru didn't feel left out. Then all 3 dogs had some chill out time and of course lots of photo ops. I look forward to seeing how Cola settles... updates to come! Big dogs, medium dogs and one low-rider.
A walk to Scafe Hill with Chi Chi & Lola, Lion & Nordique, Grey Grey and Kola (Cola), Niv & Siku, Sigmond (the wee Eskimo dog), Saru the Shiba and the teeny Coco... and their people. Pit stops for treats, loves and chats and sniffs. This is a re-edit from the original post, "a dog walk in selenium blue". It also includes the moment former kennel mates ChiChi and Cola really got to get a good sniff of each other because it's too cute. [PART SIX of a series chronicling the re-homing of Whistler sled tour dogs.]
There is a documentary being made on the Whistler Sled Dog story - I'm not going to go into specifics because I'll want everyone to watch it. Suffice it to say, it's comprehensive. Saturday I got to tag along with the filmmaker, Shelley Moore, and get some photos of interviews as well as some behind-the-scenes. Dandy (now Lion) and Nordique's dad, David came as well as Shannon and Chichi and a couple volunteers, Heather and Holly, who spent a lot of time walking Dandy and Nordique when they were at the Victoria SPCA... and sleddog buddy, Saru came to see/sniff the friends he let run in his backyard on a few occasions, Lion and Chichi. The weather was perfect, albeit a bit chilly, but the dogs were troopers with all the cameras and equipment. And it turned into an afternoon of hugs, cuddles, camera time, quiet moments, adventures, chin rubs, camera time, interviews, snuggles, camera time, running, running, running, camera time, leash untangling, treats, dog watching, and camera time... and then Chichi found something in the grass and told us that camera time was over. I climbed a mountain today. Well, kinda two.
The first was Mt Finlayson. I was with my fellow dog dorks, Heather and Shannon and their dogs. Saru, Lola and Chichi. It was a beautifully sunny day, but it was COLD! The climb up took about an hour and at one point I felt like I was going to die, but everyone I was with was so fit that I had to keep going. We finally got to the top - I knew it because I could see the sun shining between the trees. As I was also taking photos along the way, I would end up at the back of the group, but Lola always made sure I was coming. She'd come up to me, give me a nose, and then run back to the others. And Saru was having the time of his life - off leash. A little never-wracking at first, but he seemed to know that it was fun time... and there were treats when he came back to mom. And Chichi... well this girl can RUN! She probably ran ten times as far as we walked... and she smiled the whole time. Once at the top we took some time for photos and to take it all in. There were lots of people, but there was a calmness. It felt incredibly peaceful. Then an eagle flew by. The way down took almost as long somehow, but at the end I felt like I had climbed a second mountain. After my l'il Suzy-dog died two weeks ago yesterday, I've been going through the motions. I've had to go to work, visit with family for Christmas and just be alive... but none of it felt right. Today, when I reached the top of the mountain, it was the first time I've felt connected back to the world. I felt like I could make it through the sadness. I know there will still be tears... there already has been. But when I saw that eagle fly past us, I could see Suzy's beauty in the world. She's now a part of nature and I will be always be able to find her amongst the trees and forests and beaches and mountains. I wouldn't have thought of her in that way, but my husband told me about how he was able to see her beauty a couple days after she had died. I was starting to get worried that I never would see it because I've been trying to find her since then, but I couldn't... until today. And today will be the first of many more... so thank you friends for being a part of it. *this blog post is an edit of the original post from January 4, 2014 which is posted to my personal website |
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