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.

The game is called "pick out the sleddies"!

An annual walk with some friends and their dogs- some being former sled dogs, some aren't... can you figure out which is which?
[Hint: the sleddies are named below the photo gallery- click on their names to learn more about them as part of the I Was A Sled Dog  photo project]
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It was more of a forest bathing mud bath after a big rain and wind storm yesterday... but nevertheless, big thanks to ChiChi + Tica, Trixie + Penny, Niv + Cedar, Mary Kate + Roo, Sassy, Fiddle, Jasper, KC, Chester, Falen, and your amazing humans for coming out today!
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Please click on the first photo and then scroll through the gallery- there are 70 photos including multiples of similar images so you can see the change of tail wags, facial expressions and what the dog is interested in. There's a photo bomb, some blurry ones and some of the dogs just standing and looking around (there's always some of that).
This is all intentional as I want to help you feel as close to being there with us as I can, because it's that magical!

Three of the dogs on the walk today are survivors of the Whistler sled dog cull and 2020 will mark the ten-year anniversary of that horrific event. And even after all that happened, there continues to be sled dogs that need help. Animal protection laws for working sled dogs here in British Columbia, Canada and beyond are atrocious and it's incredibly sad and unfair that working sled dogs are exempt from animal protection laws in Canada, just because they're classified as sled dogs. But sled dogs aren't a breed- they're a mix of any number of breeds, and you can see the diversity in the photos below as well as in I Was a Sled Dog, Part 1 + Part 2. The fact that, for example, "Dog A" is classified as a working sled dog on a Monday and therefore exempt from the same laws that protect the animals we share our homes with. But when "Dog A" gets adopted into a home on a Tuesday, suddenly- as if by magic- he's covered by those same laws he was exempt from the day before. It makes absolutely no sense. The dog is a dog is a dog.

I could go on, but right now I want to  enjoy the memory of today's walk with these remarkable dogs and their wonderfully compassionate humans who love to celebrate them as much as I do.

Happy New Year sleddie family!
​~wendy

The Sleddies in blue: ChiChi + Tica, Trixie + Penny, Niv + Cedar, Mary Kate + Roo, Sassy, Fiddle, Jasper, KC, Chester, Falen

Pique passed away last yesterday, Friday, September 13.
As a survivor of the Whistler sled dog cull, this gal landed in the lap of luxury at her adopted home and lived to almost 15 years old. I was lucky enough to go on many adventures with her and her family over the years - she was always a sweetheart.
Within the circle of retired sleddies I know, she is predeceased by her biological sister Question and adopted brother Sonny. She leaves behind her foster brother Coyote, her adopted brother Shrekkie and a whole bunch of family and friends who loved her to the ends of the earth.

Not one to turn down a treat, Pique would look at you with her eyes as blue as the sky and  you would submit to her wishes. 
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Rest in peace and love Pique. xo

an afternoon of sleddie beach romps - sleddogs don't need to pull sleds to be happy... a ocean beach and some dog buddies will do just fine, thank you.
Pictured: Apex, Cane, Daffy, Daisy, Grey, Lunar, Niv, Question, Stuart Little and (non-sleddie) Angel.

A combination of feeling the creative bug and ChiChi's upcoming birthday so my dog dorks came to my studio so we could all hang out working a little bit on art and lot on snuggling dogs.

Sleddie roll call: ChiChi, Cola, Niv, River, Question, Daffy + Apex
Also special appearance by Saru and a wee little Coco (photo 3)