My husband is truly a dog person. He grew up with dogs and probably enjoys them more then he likes being with people. On the other hand, I have been a bit of a reluctant latecomer to the world of embracing our four legged friends. When each of our two kids left for college, my hubby came home with a replacement child/rescue dog. These rescues make my heart happy and have turned my world around when it comes to love for pups.
It is a given that I am always up for a new adventure. When I discovered I could combine two passions into one experience I immediately jumped at the opportunity. Tourism Alberta promotes all kinds of Winter fun and invited me to participate in a Howling Dog Tours dog sledding experience. It was icy cold, snow filled and spectacular.
Each sled is pulled by seven dogs that truly seem to love what they are doing. Their excitement while being harnessed to the pull rope is demonstrated in howls, barks, jumps and genuine doggy enthusiasm. As a bit of a neurotic mom, I worried that they might be cold or didn’t really want to be outside pulling the sled, however, participating in this experience showed me otherwise. In fact, as we stopped for a little break, the doggies rolled in the snow, played with each other and appeared to be anxious to get back to the fun of pulling the sled. They are amazing athletes that truly enjoy their sport.
The people that care for the dogs LOVE them. There are wonderful back stories about each pup. Many of them are actually rescue dogs. They are given water with raw chicken in it to make sure that they drink and stay hydrated. These canines are cuddled, hugged, praised and loved by the staff at Howling Dog. I had an amazing adventure with our team 🙂
