Gadget, Hailey, Junebug, Loretta, Oak, Penny, Shanti - seven sweet sleddies who arrived into care March 28. When the van pulled up to the shelter, Hailey was the first sleddie I saw, right there on a lap in the passenger seat. She was very much not a fan of being in her crate so she used her voice to express this to her drivers. Hailey probably would've preferred to ride in the driver's seat, but all parties came to an agreement and Hailey got the chance to show off her lap-dog skills. Gadget & Penny being besties, shared a kennel for the trip and Oak, Junebug, Loretta and Shanti had the ..read more

I heard my old friend Mr B (Bruno) was coming to town recently so of course I invited myself along for the visit! Those who know me know this is a common occurrence, though what they may not realize, is that it's not just for photo ops. I really and truly love meeting their sleddies, hearing their stories and just being around them. The visit was arranged with Shannon and Tica, Mr B's second foster home. It's very common in our sleddie world for fosters and adopters to keep in touch and it's that community and support that helps both the dogs and their new families navigate the good times, t ..read more

Five more sleddies arrived into care this weekend so warm welcomes go out to Goose (the hugger), John Snow (the shy boy), Patsy (the hound), Raven (the ears) + Star (the smiler). It was raining on arrival day - not hard, but enough that we weren't going to be outside much. Usually when I photograph sleddie intakes I just mill around trying to capture what I can amidst the goings-on. But because of the rain, I thought it was a good chance to try something different -- indoor portraits against a plain backdrop. That idea soon went out the window because even after doing intakes like this ..read more

Welcome Zouave! This handsome youngster just arrived this morning from Whitehorse, YT and is now officially retired! I had intended to tag along on his pick up with my camera in hand, but when flights changed and no one else was available, I put my big camera down and headed out solo.  You'd think it would be a no-brainer as I've done it so many times before. But knowing his pick up, collaring, harnessing, GPS'ing, transportation to his foster home, was up to me and me alone, was a whole new feeling.  I'm just going to say I'm thankful I wasn't photographing myself! Zouave was pe ..read more

There's always that excitement at the beginning of a sleddie walk. Anticipation. The hurry-up-and-wait.  It's pretty much hard wired into them from their days of pulling sleds.  Some of today's crew know the drill well having been on many walks over the years. Gather, wait, sniff, wait, photo ops, wait... and then let's go! For others, this was pretty new and maybe a bit scary. With 14 sleddies in today's group, it was an almost 50/50 split of experienced retirees to newbies. The weather held, though fall is starting to arrive with leaves falling and a crispness to the air. I had n ..read more

It's been a week and a day since Idéfix + Shining arrived into care and both are doing really well. Idéfix is in foster home a couple blocks from me and since Shining is hanging there for a few days while her foster family is out camping (an activity that might've been a bit too much, too soon for her), I took the opportunity to visit! When we picked up the dogs from the airport August 7, it became clear right away that Idéfix was a velcro dog and needed support from humans, and that hasn't changed.  Although Shining (now called Shi) came to sniff me out and then hang out with me for p ..read more

Welcome ​Idéfix + Shining! These two super sleddies arrived into care on August 7 and it's taken me a bit to put their story together. I originally tagged along on the pick up with camera in hand, but ended up using my phone for video mostly. So... I've created a 3-minute video from about 3 hours on Monday. ​Idéfix is the beautiful blue-eyed male. No, you're not seeing things... he's got somewhat crossed eyes and/or a lazy eye. Also he's got a spotted coat, a bit heeler-ish, but more than likely German Short-haired pointer as they're often part of the sled dog mixes. He's a young 9. Shining ..read more

I'd been trying to meet Sweet Rocket since he was adopted back in 2020, but between covid and the travel time to get to him, I hadn't been able to make the trip. So in mid-July when my family was headed on a road trip to Saskatchewan, we'd be travelling so close to Rocket's house, I had to take advantage of the opportunity and stop in. As we left the ocean breeze, heading to the interior of BC, we watched the temperature rise. By the time we got to his house, it was 31 degrees and sticky. Nikki and I met years ago after she adopted her first sleddie, Piper. We've kept in contact since, and ..read more

new arrival Robbie Hello! Surprise sleddies arriving on Tuesday!..." Said the message I received on Friday at 4:43pm. And then today - Monday - at 11:54am:  "So I screwed up and the dogs are on their way down now.. not tomorrow..." Ok... today's plans of practicing making a Japanese bound book will be moved to tomorrow and today will be SLEDDIES! YAY! I had been eating lunch when I saw the message so I wolfed down my Beyond burger, grabbed my gear and headed to the shelter.  And there they were...in all their adorableness, Black and Robbie, with licks and hellos as I walked ..read more

Mr B, aka Bruno, aka Bru came to town and thanks to Shannon, I got to visit with him and meet his new brother, Dawson! Bruno looks amazing. His coat shimmers and it's sooooo soft. He played shy a bit, but once he knew that the neck massages were on offer, he let me know that was cool by stepping closer for more. Being his foster family, Shannon got loves and shared some treats and Tica gave him a few big sniffs of remembrance. But the best is the connection between Bruno and his mom. Most of the time he just stands next to hear while she runs her hands through his fur - they're a beautiful m ..read more