Team of sled dogs takes visitors on guided tours in Timmins area
A new business near Timmins is offering tours of local trails with some unique guides: a team of sled dogs.
Jacob Betker, owner of Abitibi Sled Dogs, said demand is growing for dog-powered snow tours and there are no other offerings in the region.
Before ATVs and snowmobiles, dogs and sleds were an important form of transportation to help settlers get around snowy terrain, especially in northern Ontario.
Betker said canines bred for those jobs have largely been laid off over the decades -- and options for guided tours have been disappearing in the province.
Originally racing sled dogs in his free time, Betker decided to start his own business to give dogs and humans the chance to go back in time.
“We want to preserve, kind of, the history and keep this alive and in a capacity where they are actually able to travel the northern Boreal, like they used to,” he said.
With a team of about 13 dogs — and two litters hoping to grow it into up to 30 — Betker is preparing to offer a small number of tours on two local trails to start with.
He calls the experience a balance between perfection and chaos, particularly as the team gets excited to run.
“It’s almost like a group of football players running onto the field and banging helmets and that kind of thing,” Betker said.
“And then, as soon as we take off, it’s complete quietness and you literally hear the footsteps and the panting of the dogs … and you’re gliding overtop of the snow at about an inch and a half, just above the trail.”
Provincial regulation changes last summer made it expensive to start up the business, which Betker said was unnecessary.
But he said the most important thing for him is keeping his dogs healthy and taking people on a calm yet thrilling ride.
“You become one with the dogs,” he said.
“You literally become one unit, where each member relies on the other to travel across this land like people have for generations.”
Betker said he wants to offer longer excursions that would take people on trips lasting several days, for a more immersive experience.
He hopes to be in full operation, with more young and energetic dogs, sometime next year.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Air traveller complaints to Canadian Transportation Agency hit new high
The Canadian Transportation Agency has hit a record high of more than 71,000 complaints in a backlog. The quasi-judicial regulator and tribunal tasked with settling disputes between customers and the airlines says the backlog is growing because the number of incoming complaints keeps increasing.
LIVE @ 1:15 PT B.C. premier to give announcement related to public drug use
B.C.'s premier is scheduled to give an update Friday about public drug use in the province.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
AFN chief says Air Canada offered a 15% discount after her headdress was mishandled
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief complained to Air Canada about how staffers treated her and her ceremonial headdress on a flight this week, she says the airline responded by offering a 15 per cent discount on her next flight.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Flight attendant indicted in attempt to record teen girl in airplane bathroom
An American Airlines flight attendant was indicted Thursday after authorities said he tried to secretly record video of a 14-year-old girl using an airplane bathroom last September.
76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid says he has Bell's palsy
Philadelphia 76ers All-Star centre Joel Embiid has been diagnosed with Bell’s palsy, a form of facial paralysis he says has affected him since before the play-in tournament.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.