With the invention of snowmobiles, dog sleds as a form of transportation have seemingly become confined to history or to the far reaches of the north. But thanks to these local dog sledding enthusiasts, the winter activity is making a comeback.
Abitibi Sled Dogs is owned and operated by Jacob Betker, who has been dog sledding recreationally for more than 15 years. Born in Germany, Betker and his family moved to Canada when he was 12 years old and lived in various places around Ontario over the years. He eventually settled in Timmins about a decade ago.
“I ended up falling in love with the north and dog sledding and moved my life in order to facilitate that. I got a trade ticket so I could work in a rural setting, because originally the plan was never to do tours or anything, it was to work and then race the dogs for myself,” Betker says.
Also running things is Betker’s fiancée Chantal Chauvin, originally from Windsor, Ont., whose job at the Ministry of Natural Resources brought her up north.
“I’ve bounced around pretty much everywhere in the province, then landed in Timmins and said this is where I want to be. Then I met this handsome fella and fell in love with him and the dogs,” Chauvin says.
Although Betker never set out to run tours, changes to animal welfare legislation in Ontario several years ago required that he make major — and expensive —updates to his facilities for the dogs.
“We had about 12 dogs and we had a two month timeline, so it was either upgrade the kennel and spend thousands of dollars or get rid of the dogs,” Betker says.
“And we couldn’t see ourselves getting rid of the dogs,” adds Chauvin.
Betker's decision to start offering tours came about, in part, to pay for those upgrades. He was also already being frequently asked about sled rides, so the demand was there.
“In Ontario, it’s at the point where there are very few tour operators left, so we decided that we would take the plunge and build a brand new kennel facility. Over the last two years, we’ve done a lot of renovations, building all the big pens and everything. It’s a completely different setup than pretty much any sled dog kennel in North America,” Betker says.
“It was a go big or go home sort of scenario and we’re like, let’s up our dog numbers and do this tour stuff and share our hobby with the rest of the world. In Northeastern Ontario there’s a gap, so we saw that gap and we figured we’d take on that mantle for this region,” Chauvin says.
Abitibi Sled Dogs began offering short tours last year, but they did not have the numbers to support large groups or more extended trips. After having two litters last year they now have 28 dogs, two of which are retired and 15 of which are still puppies in training.
The current experience lasts about an hour and a half, which includes a safety tutorial before hitting the trails for a guided tour, followed by time for hot chocolate and petting the dogs. The tour lasts about 45 minutes, with the dogs travelling around 15 kilometres an hour.
“It’s a nice experience and it’s quiet. When they’re getting ready to take off they’re very loud and boisterous and going crazy, but as soon as I let them go it’s quiet. All you’ll hear is them panting and their feet hitting the ground,” Chauvin says.
“It’s a completely unique way to experience travelling through the boreal compared to a snowmobile. You’re getting the authentic experience of the winter quiet. It’s just more tranquil,” she says.
Next year, they hope to begin offering three-day camping excursions, something that hasn’t been possible this season due to weather. The lack of snow through the holidays meant they were forced to cancel many of their bookings.
“Last year we were very limited because we only had 11 adults, we had a lot of puppies and moms who were taking care of puppies. This year we figured we would still be somewhat limited, but we could start bringing in a few puppies for the experience and getting them used to it. So it’s been kind of sad to have to cancel a bunch of tours, especially around Christmas and New Year’s,” Betker says.
The snow conditions this year meant a rough start to the season. They're offering similar programming to last year, which is an introduction to mushing.
“It’s a little bit different but we’re looking at it from the perspective we still have a lot of puppies in training and this is just a great opportunity to spend more time with them and get them more refined in doing tours specifically,” Chauvin says.
“Kids get cold or uncomfortable and they can usually handle 30 minutes sitting still, especially when they’re being pulled by dogs. They’re usually pretty mesmerized,” she says.
The shorter tours are great for families with kids, but the dog sledding experience has attracted all sorts of people, especially young professionals. Abitibi Sled Dogs has seen visitors from places as far as Brazil and the Philippines.
“It’s a very unique, signature, kind of Canadian experience. We get a lot of messages from people up here who have family coming from all over the world, and they say the first thing they asked about was this. It’s not something that’s common so they kind of look around and stumble upon us,” Betker says.
“It seems to be a lot of international guests, and that’s why we’re aiming towards that multi-day tour format because if it’s just a one-day experience, it’s very hard to get people to come all the way up to Timmins,” he says.
In the meantime, they are focusing on planning an event for the Family Day long weekend and bookings for their hot tent, which gives guests the opportunity to try out winter camping in a safe environment.
“We’re going to start taking people out for multi-day tours, set up a tent with a stove in it at night, that kind of thing. And we figured that we might as well set it up on our property and that way people can try out different types of gear and sleeping bags and tents,” Betker says.
They hope to launch a website next year but in the meantime, tour and booking information can be found on the Abitibi Sled Dogs Facebook page.
