Rescued + Retired Sled Dogs
This site is one person's personal journey of advocating for sled dogs used and exploited in the commercial and racing industries.
Borne out the need to for me to speak up for a group of animals that are often overlooked by animal welfare laws, the public and the industries themselves, specifically in my home country of Canada, but beyond as well. Using photography to educate by following dogs long term - some have been followed since they arrived into care in 2012.
Why Sled Dogs
I understand that there are COUNTLESS groups of dogs and animals that need our compassion and voices, and although I continue to use photography to advocate for the adoption of animals, I have chosen this group of dogs - for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health - to dig deeper and focus on since 2011, because I thought - and I now know - just how exploited they are and that they need help.
I may be seen as painting all operations with the same brush, but this is how I see it and what I've learned from being on this side - the after side - of the sled dogs' lives. Contact
The Law
As I'm in British Columbia, Canada, I will reference laws from my province and country, however, laws for sled dogs are lacking across Canada and pretty much everywhere. In Alaska, where the 1000-mile race, The Iditarod, happens, sled dogs are specifically noted as exempt from cruelty laws. But even if you have the best laws for them, those laws mean nothing if there isn't anyone to oversee them and travel to the remote areas to check up on the dogs and ensure they are getting food and water, veterinary oversight and care, enrichment, that their shelters are clean and dry, that they're mentally + physically healthy, and that a life care plan is in place for each and every dog.
In Canada, sled dogs fall under agricultural laws. In British Columbia, they can still live tethered and live outside 24/7 and they can still be shot. Sure there are supposed to be records to support why the dog had to be shot, but without anyone following up, checking up and visiting the dog yards, it's left to self-regulation.
I would recommend reading the following links to better understand how sled dogs are viewed differently and how the rules for them are different than the dogs we share our homes with. I have met so many sled dogs over the years and I'll say it again and again... the 200+ former sled dogs I've met are no different than any of the over 500 rescue dogs I've met and photographed and the rules should not be any different for them.
Rescued vs. Retired
For the first few years I used the word "retired" to describe the sled dogs who came into care because the dogs I knew at the time were retired from pulling. In those early days, there were a lot of people saying that the sled dogs from Whistler could not live in a home. Some even said they were almost feral. But anyone who met them could see they were far from feral - they acted like retirees. They played some, cuddled up to the volunteers who were helping them and napped... a lot. But "retired sled dog" was a mouthful so we started using the nickname "sledder", which then evolved into "sleddie". As the years have gone by though, I've started using the word "rescued" instead of retired. For me, the distinction lies in the difference between the dog being surrendered to a rescue/shelter by a musher or sled dog operation to an actual rescue operation where the dogs have been removed out of any number of deplorable circumstances such as being abandoned while tethered, being found after being set free in the woods or taken away during a cruelty investigation. All situations that dogs are still enduring. So call them what you will - rescued, retired, former, fired - the dogs on this site haven't come with a lot of history other than a few snippets from their last kennel.
In The News
Sled dog stories don't always make the big news because dog yards are often remote, away from oversight, and hidden from the eyes of the public and government. Dogs can languish in pain, fear and distress, operators can kill off all their dogs, bury them in a hole and be done with it all and walk away. It may not always be legal or within the regulations set out for sled dog standards of care, but it happens and it's extremely difficult to bring up charges, especially when the dogs aren't protected in any reasonable way in the first place. When the stories do make the news, it's short lived as seems to be the case with most of our news stories these days. Sure, some people hop on their computers and name call and share their upset on social media, but that isn't helping. Action is needed. Learning the facts is needed. Changing laws is needed. As a collective, we need to work to bring about the change and to educate towards a society based on kindness and compassion for sled dogs. If you hear or read a story that is one sided or you don't agree with, instead of writing in the comments section of social media posts, take an extra few moments to write directly to the author/organization/station so it doesn't get lost in the myriad of comments - and don't be shy about asking politely for a reply.
This Site
Photography is a powerful tool; however I believe that above all the at-a-glance news, insta-moments, and being told to "do whatever makes you happy", we need to be aware, to be conscious, to be compassionate.
Through viewing the images and reading the stories on this site I hope you take a moment to set aside your pre conceived notions about what you believe a sled dog is, what a sled dog likes, and what a sled dog looks like.
I have photographed 200+ rescued and retired sled dogs in a variety of settings (and met and interacted with many more over the years) and although there are some similarities, each one was ultimately unique. Some may have been bred to pull, run, race, but they are not clones nor robots. They are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, fear and love. There have been times in history when a lot of awful things were accepted, but we humans have the ability to learn and evolve and my hope is that we will move to a place where sled dogs are treated as the sentient beings they are.
Borne out the need to for me to speak up for a group of animals that are often overlooked by animal welfare laws, the public and the industries themselves, specifically in my home country of Canada, but beyond as well. Using photography to educate by following dogs long term - some have been followed since they arrived into care in 2012.
Why Sled Dogs
I understand that there are COUNTLESS groups of dogs and animals that need our compassion and voices, and although I continue to use photography to advocate for the adoption of animals, I have chosen this group of dogs - for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health - to dig deeper and focus on since 2011, because I thought - and I now know - just how exploited they are and that they need help.
I may be seen as painting all operations with the same brush, but this is how I see it and what I've learned from being on this side - the after side - of the sled dogs' lives. Contact
The Law
As I'm in British Columbia, Canada, I will reference laws from my province and country, however, laws for sled dogs are lacking across Canada and pretty much everywhere. In Alaska, where the 1000-mile race, The Iditarod, happens, sled dogs are specifically noted as exempt from cruelty laws. But even if you have the best laws for them, those laws mean nothing if there isn't anyone to oversee them and travel to the remote areas to check up on the dogs and ensure they are getting food and water, veterinary oversight and care, enrichment, that their shelters are clean and dry, that they're mentally + physically healthy, and that a life care plan is in place for each and every dog.
In Canada, sled dogs fall under agricultural laws. In British Columbia, they can still live tethered and live outside 24/7 and they can still be shot. Sure there are supposed to be records to support why the dog had to be shot, but without anyone following up, checking up and visiting the dog yards, it's left to self-regulation.
I would recommend reading the following links to better understand how sled dogs are viewed differently and how the rules for them are different than the dogs we share our homes with. I have met so many sled dogs over the years and I'll say it again and again... the 200+ former sled dogs I've met are no different than any of the over 500 rescue dogs I've met and photographed and the rules should not be any different for them.
- BC Sled Dog Code of Practice - a reference document for the industry*
- BC Sled Dogs Standards of Care Regulations - part of the prevention of cruelty to animals act which lays out the actual rules of care* (*AS OF APRIL 2019, THESE DOCUMENTS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE ON THE BC MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE WEBSITE. A FELLOW ADVOCATE IS WORKING TO FIND OUT WHY THEY WERE REMOVED*)
Rescued vs. Retired
For the first few years I used the word "retired" to describe the sled dogs who came into care because the dogs I knew at the time were retired from pulling. In those early days, there were a lot of people saying that the sled dogs from Whistler could not live in a home. Some even said they were almost feral. But anyone who met them could see they were far from feral - they acted like retirees. They played some, cuddled up to the volunteers who were helping them and napped... a lot. But "retired sled dog" was a mouthful so we started using the nickname "sledder", which then evolved into "sleddie". As the years have gone by though, I've started using the word "rescued" instead of retired. For me, the distinction lies in the difference between the dog being surrendered to a rescue/shelter by a musher or sled dog operation to an actual rescue operation where the dogs have been removed out of any number of deplorable circumstances such as being abandoned while tethered, being found after being set free in the woods or taken away during a cruelty investigation. All situations that dogs are still enduring. So call them what you will - rescued, retired, former, fired - the dogs on this site haven't come with a lot of history other than a few snippets from their last kennel.
In The News
Sled dog stories don't always make the big news because dog yards are often remote, away from oversight, and hidden from the eyes of the public and government. Dogs can languish in pain, fear and distress, operators can kill off all their dogs, bury them in a hole and be done with it all and walk away. It may not always be legal or within the regulations set out for sled dog standards of care, but it happens and it's extremely difficult to bring up charges, especially when the dogs aren't protected in any reasonable way in the first place. When the stories do make the news, it's short lived as seems to be the case with most of our news stories these days. Sure, some people hop on their computers and name call and share their upset on social media, but that isn't helping. Action is needed. Learning the facts is needed. Changing laws is needed. As a collective, we need to work to bring about the change and to educate towards a society based on kindness and compassion for sled dogs. If you hear or read a story that is one sided or you don't agree with, instead of writing in the comments section of social media posts, take an extra few moments to write directly to the author/organization/station so it doesn't get lost in the myriad of comments - and don't be shy about asking politely for a reply.
This Site
Photography is a powerful tool; however I believe that above all the at-a-glance news, insta-moments, and being told to "do whatever makes you happy", we need to be aware, to be conscious, to be compassionate.
Through viewing the images and reading the stories on this site I hope you take a moment to set aside your pre conceived notions about what you believe a sled dog is, what a sled dog likes, and what a sled dog looks like.
I have photographed 200+ rescued and retired sled dogs in a variety of settings (and met and interacted with many more over the years) and although there are some similarities, each one was ultimately unique. Some may have been bred to pull, run, race, but they are not clones nor robots. They are sentient beings capable of feeling pain, fear and love. There have been times in history when a lot of awful things were accepted, but we humans have the ability to learn and evolve and my hope is that we will move to a place where sled dogs are treated as the sentient beings they are.