About Us

From Pastime to Passion

  If you talk to anyone who's into dogsledding, they will quickly tell you how addicting the sport can become. Of course, as with so many other things in life you don't really think that will happen to you. Sure it's fun to let your child run a dog in the Kid & Mutt class, but put together a team to race? Nah.. you have two or three pet dogs already, and that's enough.

  But then, wouldn't it be nice to have your own sled instead of borrowing one? Oh, how wonderful it is when someone gives you an older sled that they don't need. But it IS a bit of a heavy old thing, great for training with around home and up and down the roads, but a nice light one would be great to have for racing in those Kid & Mutt classes. So you browse around through the pet supplies ads in the Super Shopper and eventually find a nice light little beginner / recreational sled for sale. Great! Now you're really all set. Until, when at the races you notice how much fun skijoring might be to try. And there just so happens to be a vendor there with all the various dogsledding and skijoring equipment for sale. So you buy a skijoring belt and why not a spare harness to match the colour, too? But oops, you don't have any cross-country skis, and although the downhills do work okay with the help of a dog pulling you, they are rather heavy. Time to buy some cross-country skis of course. Okay, that's it, you're done. You have everything you could possibly need. Except.. running on snow is good, but you've found out you can extend your season and training time if you have a wheeled rig for dryland training. Luckily, you have a fairly handy spouse who, with the help of a friend, is able to build a 3-wheeled training rig. Oh this is really getting fun!

  But you know, that dog your kid is racing, he's really good. He's much faster and has more stamina than one of your other pets you team him up with at home. They don't really work all that well together. He really could use another fast dog to run with. That would make it easier and more fun for practicing over somewhat longer distances at home. Back to browsing around through ads and rescue websites. Oh, look at this rescue puppy, isn't he cute? And he's listed as a mix of the breed you'd like to get. What's that? There are two puppies available and they've come through so much already, saved from euthanasia and transported from the US to Canada? Awww.. you can't separate them now can you? And so the family grows again.

  While you've been working with the dogs, you start to think that it might be an idea to upgrade that beginner sled a bit. A set of quick-change runners would be nice. Next thing you know you're at another race and well! Would you lookit That! There's a higher quality used sled for sale that already has the QCR system installed, AND an aluminum brake bar instead of a claw brake, AND a snowhook holder. It's such a great buy that you can't possibly pass it up, after all, you can always sell last year's beginner sled.

  Now that the rescue puppies are growing up and starting training, you discover that one of them is taking well to it, but the other isn't really sure sledding is his thing. Oh well, at least you've given him a good, safe, forever home. That other one though, he does team up well with your Kid & Mutt dog. Hey, look at this race schedule, they've got a 2-dog sportsman class. What a great opportunity to try out the 2-dog team in a race! Ohh... that was so much fun! You just know you'll have to try that again. But.. there really aren't that many 2-dog classes available. Most sprint races just have 4, 6 and 8-dog classes. Though you can actually enter with one less dog, so maybe just one more fast dog could get you into the 4-dog classes. And what do you know? Here's an ad about a litter of puppies that are in a rescue and will be needing homes. Yes of course you'll take a pup. How come everyone you know is expecting you to take two? Could you? Should you? How can you let this opportunity pass you by? You can have your 4-dog team, plus be giving a home to two more rescues.

  You begin to take inventory and realize that somehow you now have 6 dogs, 3 sleds (but one's for sale, you protest), a training rig, skijoring equipment, and numerous harnesses (real good thing that you bought that spare one with the skijoring belt, though with the pups coming along, more harnesses will still be needed). You begin to wonder if some people might think you're a bit obsessed. One thing you don't yet have is a snowmobile for trail grooming, so of course you have to make do by any means possible, which means snowshoes and dragging a weighted sled. While trudging along the trail early every morning, sometimes through snowstorms and driving winds, dragging a bale of hay on a sled behind you, you tell yourself "Hey! At least I'll be in better shape to run the dogs!" Hmm.. maybe, just maybe, it IS becoming an obsession. But look at how happy the dogs are, running along while doing the trail packing and then so eager when the dogsled comes out later. Soon everyone you see notices how brown your face is and asks if you've been away on a holiday (Huh! As if you'd go away down south when there's snow on the ground!) They seem surprised when you say "No, I've been out with my dogs for about 2-3 hours every morning." "But", they'll say, "it was -28C with the wind chill." "Oh really? I actually found it a little too hot while snowshoing and took off my coat during that snowstorm."

  So now maybe they're looking at you kind of funny and don't think you're obsessed anymore, now they just think you're plain crazy. It's all perspective anyway though isn't it? Though some may say "What! You've got SIX dogs??!!", in the world of dogsledding where kennels of 30, 40 and 50 dogs is not uncommon, you sheepishly tell people you've ONLY got 6 dogs. Every once in a while you wonder what it would be like to handle a team of 6 or 8, but then you think to yourself, "Nah.. I'm building my 4-dog team and already have 6 to feed.. that's enough". And so it was, but then there were eight. Now how in the world did that happen? Oops, did I say eight? I meant nine. Yeah nine, that was it. Two 4-dog teams is sounding pretty good. Hmm... now Maria needs a racing sled... some more lines... a sled bag...

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Why Border Collies and rescues?

  Many people may wonder, why do we choose to use Border Collies and rescues for sledding? Aren't Huskies the breed to use for this sport? In truth, if you go to a dogsled race and walk through the dog lot, you will see many different breeds and mixes, and may even ask yourself, "But where are the Huskies?" Purebred Siberian Huskies do race in the purebred classes, but there are often more entries in the open races and many different mixes can be seen. There will most definitely be Alaskan Huskies as well as other mixed breeds that may include hound, German Shorthaired Pointer, Greyhound and yes, sometimes Border Collies and Border Collie mixes.

  We choose to use Border Collies because we do so much else with the dogs besides sledding. The Border Collie is first and foremost a herding breed of dog, perfectly suited to farm life and well, we live on a small farm. That the Border Collies have speed, stamina and agility is beyond dispute, it's almost impossible to tire them out. They tend to dominate their height category in agility competititions and do extremely well in flyball racing as well.

  As for rescues, although it may be true that some dogs in rescues or shelters may have health or temperament issues, there are also a great deal of wonderful dogs that just need a loving home and a second chance. Often times people do not give enough thought to getting a dog, or do not do enough research about the breed they tend to get, and then find out that the dog is completely unsuitable for their lifestyle. Some of the more energetic breeds can be a nightmare to live with if they are not properly exercised and stimulated. They will find their own way to occupy their time and it is usually not in a manner that endears them to their owners. Too often the poor dogs end up dumped at a shelter because the owner no longer wants to deal with the problem they've created. Many dog sports require very active, high energy dogs that do not necessarily have to be purebreds. Some of the dogs in shelters are perfect candidates are their energetic demands that made them unsuitable for their previous owners can also lead them to excel in dog sports. Adopting a dog from a shelter or rescue is not only a great way to find a dog that is suitable for dog sports; you can also be saving a life at the same time. However, one note of caution; before adopting any dog, please do your research and make sure that the dog will be suitable for you, then you will ensure that you can provide a forever home. Just as an example, although we love our Border Collies, they are definitely not for everyone. To illustrate this point, click here: http://www.bcrescue.org/bcwarning.html and when you read down through the page be sure to click the link for "Border Collie horror stories".

  Do your research, find just the right dog for you and you will have a friend for life. And in the process you will discover how rewarding rescue can be, knowing that you have helped save a life!

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