‘Hike, hike, hike!’

Dog sledding keeps dogs and their owners active in winter

Some P.E.I. dog enthusiasts have taken their pups' energy from the flyball pitch onto the snow.

With houses full of energetic dogs, Shari Dawson and her friends were looking for a new way to combine winter exercise and their furry friends.

“There's a group of us that do quite a lot of dog sports on P.E.I.,” said Dawson. “We all hike with our dogs and snowshoe and all that kind of stuff.”

They researched their options for winter dog sports and came across dogsledding.

“We started looking into the sleds and were like, ‘Oh, my gosh that looks way more fun,' so a few of us went out and bought a couple of sleds and away we went.”

The kick sled looks like a small chair perched on sled runners. The dogs are attached to a single point, and the rider stands behind the chair, on the sled runners, and kicks to help push the sled.

The dogs and sleds need a groomed trail, and Dawson said that can be tricky. However, last winter the group managed to get out a couple times per week on trails at the Dundarave golf course, Brudenell golf course, Fullerton's Marsh and Mill River.

“The trails really need to be groomed because it's too hard for the dogs to try to pull us and the sled and everything,” said Dawson. “My dogs are pretty little, so it would be pretty hard for them to pull me through snowbanks.”

HITTING THE TRAILS

On Saturday, Jan. 23, the dogsledders gathered in Wellington after arranging to use the trails at the Evangeline ATV Club. The weather was clear but cold, with temperatures hovering below -10 C.

Dogs of all shapes and sizes were milling around the parking area outside the ATV clubhouse, many wearing jackets and all wearing harnesses that would hook on to the sleds.

The teams were off in a patter of paws and calls of “Hike, hike, hike”, the command for the dogs to run.

Some sledders and dogs were new to the sport. Sara Brehaut and Calum Smith, with border collies Connor and Andy, had only practised on a soccer field before Saturday.

Meanwhile, Dawson took Venti, a Dutch shepherd mix, out for his first run with a sled. Later, she helped Amy Doyle try out the sport.

“Omigosh, it was so fun,” said Doyle, afterward. “It goes a lot faster than I thought.”

COLLABORATION

As the sledders returned, the feedback was unanimously positive about the quality and quantity of trails.

“They were amazing – a little icy, the dogs were finding it a little slippery, but other than that, these are amazing trails, so nice and flat,” said Diana Murphy, who was out with Grip, the border collie, and Temper, who is “not equipped for the cold” and was wearing a coat and booties.

Donna Lee Cole, with shepherds Luna and Ghost, was pleased to find a group like the ATV club willing to share their groomed trails.

“If we have a little respect for everybody else, we can all enjoy the outdoors,” said Cole.

Ryan Gallant, vice-president of the ATV club, agreed and said there are shared trails throughout the rest Canada.

“It's time we followed suit,” said Gallant, who was at the clubhouse on Jan. 23. “I think if we all work together, we can have something nice.”