Our Dogs

Breed: Rough Collie
Gender: neutered male
Born: October 2001
Fun Facts: Noah has done some amount of work on the sled, but he just doesn't have the speed or stamina to keep up with the other dogs. He's good for about one slower lap around our trail and then he'd rather be the team cheerleader and bark from the sidelines. Noah loves a good back scratch so much that he'll sometimes back up until he's sitting in your lap. With his dense coat, he enjoys being outside in the cold weather. He will sometimes come in from the backyard completely white with a blanket of fluffy snow which he shakes off all over the house, and earning him the nickname "Snoah".

Breed: Border Collie
Gender: male
Born: July 16, 2009
Fun Facts: This beautiful little Border Collie is Maria's new puppy and when he grows up, he will be part of her team. He is a very bright and inquisitive puppy and he is just so good! He fits in well with the pack, engaging the others in lots of active play, and he is also learning a lot from them. Watch for updates as this little guy grows up and starts training.
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Breed: Cross
Gender: neutered male
Born: Dec '05 or Jan '06
Fun Facts: Thunder is a true rescue story, coming from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He's a happy, goofy kind of dog and he wiggles his whole body when he wags his tail. He loves to splash and play in puddles, and enjoys swimming. Even when there's ice on big puddles, he'll break the ice and lay down in the deepest part. Thunder has become a decent sled dog though not the fastest on the team. He raced in a few 2-dog races with Lightning in which they placed well and was on the 4-dog team in 2009, but we will probably do more recreational sledding with Thunder than racing. He does work well in harness but during breaks and before we hook up he is still a bit of a clown. Sometimes he'll be wearing his harness and sit or lay down just out of my reach when I already have other dogs hooked up. If I begin to go to him he moves a little further away and starts rolling in the snow. Something we have discovered about Thunder is that he is an excellent babysitter with any new pups we get. He lets them crawl all over him, snuggle up to him and he keeps a watchful eye on them while they're around the other dogs. He's a happy, playful dog with a gentle soul.

Breed: Cross
Gender: neutered male
Born: Dec '05 or Jan '06
Fun Facts: Flash is also a true rescue story, coming from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. We don't actually know that Thunder and Flash are brothers, but they came from the same place and are the same age. Flash has a different sort of personality, he's our shy boy. When he's comfortable in his surroundings and everything is going as he expects he is a very happy and outgoing dog. Anytime something seems a little off to him though (like if we might want to clip his nails, or put on a leash to take him somewhere) he runs to hide under the bed. He despises traveling and would rather stay home alone in the house or out in the yard than go anywhere with us that involves a vehicle. So Flash stays home where he's happy and doesn't go out to any dog sled races. He's not really very keen on sledding anyway, so rather than force the issue we let him just be himself and be happy. He's a great little farm and family dog. We have discovered that Flash enjoys skijoring at home even though he will not pull a sled.
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Breed: Border Collie
Gender: spayed female
Born: March 18, 2007
Fun Facts:Rain and Storm are sister and brother. Their mom Maymie, a red and white Border Collie, was surrendered to the rescue pregnant and their father is a tri-colour Border Collie. We adopted these two as soon as they were old enough to leave their mom. 2009 was their first season racing and they were fantastic; they both have such a great work ethic. Rain and Lightning are great buddies and run lead together. Rain is one of our goose control dogs.

Breed: Border Collie
Gender: neutered male
Born: March 18, 2007
Fun Facts: Since Rain and Lightning are our leaders, Storm generally runs in wheel position. He will work well beside anyone. Rain and Storm have both shown what hard workers they really are. These two are amazing on the sled! They pull hard, keep their lines tight and are always ready to go, go, go. Although it's been a few years in the making we now have a strong 4-dog team. Storm is also one of our goose control dogs.

Breed: Border Collie
Gender: neutered male
Born: November 19, 2007
Fun Facts: Flurry was donated to our team and is a half-brother to Rain and Storm. A great big thank you to Borders View Farm and Rescue for donating this lively boy! (Update, Oct '09) Wow, Flurry's not little anymore! He's huge, he's fast and he's eager. He started training in the fall of 2008 and Maria entered him in the 2-mile youth race at the 2009 Haliburton Dogsled Derby with Lightning. He has now done tons of training runs, both sledding and skijoring, and has been hooked up in all different positions on the team and beside other dogs. Flurry is showing great leadership potential. In the 2010 season Flurry will be racing with the main team in most of the 4 mile sprints we enter, as well as pairing up with Dru for a couple of 2-mile youth / novice classes with Maria, and possibly skijoring with Maria at the Cannington race.

Breed: Border Collie
Gender: neutered male
Born: July 24, 2008
Fun Facts: Dru came to us at five months of age already knowing his name so we decided not to change it to fit in with our name theme. Dru made himself right at home immediately, as if he'd always been here right from day one. He is a sweet, easy-going pup and such a happy-go-lucky fellow. Dru is always smiling and nuzzling close for lots of hugs. (Update, Oct '09) Dru is now in training and is doing amazing. Every run he is showing improvement and is easily keeping up with the "big dogs". He really digs in and pulls hard when the going gets tough; what a great addition to the team he will be. In the 2010 season he will be paired up with Flurry for a couple of youth / novice 2-mile classes, and he will probably also be running with the main team in the 4 mile sprint at the Cannington race in Flurry's place if Flurry is entered in skijoring instead.

Breed: Border Collie / lab
Gender: neutered male
Born: January 2005
Fun Facts: Like all of our other dogs, Lightning loves going out to do the farm chores. While we're out there he constantly brings his many frisbees to be thrown and at feeding time he watches the horses and helps to keep them in line, making sure they don't switch buckets. He's an extremely fun and energetic dog that's always looking for something to do, and he's made us want to find more things to do with him. Because of his drive to do "something" (anything!), we became interested in agility and have taken him through his beginner and intermediate levels, and have put together some equipment of our own to practice with at home. We have also competed in some CDDA disc dog trials with Lightning. Of course in the wintertime we sled, as well as doing dryland training with a wheeled rig in the spring and fall. Lightning has strength and speed to burn and has become an excellent sled dog and a strong leader, listening well to the "gee", "haw", "on by", "easy" and "whoa" commands. He will do a 180 and turn the whole team right around when asked to "haw around". Besides being a great leader, Lightning is also our Kid & Mutt superstar. For the past few years he and Maria have been entering the Kid & Mutt classes at all the races we go to, quite often winning the classes or placing in the top 2-3.

Although Lightning has all this energy and is always ready for anything, he also has a great "off" button and settles down once work or playtime is over. He's a velcro dog that's always right by my side, no matter where I go in the house. He follows me from room to room, even into the bathroom (and lays by the tub when I shower). If I sit to watch TV, or to work on the computer, he's either on my feet, under my legs, in my lap or on the couch beside me, and at night time he sleeps on the bed with me. He's definitely a snuggle dog and he loves to give kisses, too.