Sled dogs coming to Shelbrrr Fest

February 11, 2015 · 0 Comments

Ten sled dogs are on their way to the first Shelbrrr Fest winter carnival scheduled for Feb. 16th on Family Day. The dogs are from “The Good Guys” a dedicated group of dog owners who support community services through fundraising with their talented canine friends.
Shelbrrr Fest organizer Cherie Sample called The Good Guys group to join the festivities knowing what an attraction they had been at the Caledon Winter Festival. As the Caledon festival was not scheduled for this winter, Carol Ralston, from The Good Guys, said they would be pleased to join Shelburne as it celebrates their inaugural event.
The Good Guys organization was established in the late 1980’s when Carol Ralston and Jan Kay of Schomberg met at a dog training workshop and became fast friends. Carol owns two Landseer Newfoundland dogs, both trained in carting, that will attend Shelburne’s winter festivities. The Good Guys was built up over time, starting with Christmas tree pulling at Drysdales’ Tree Farm near Alliston, where they have appeared now for 20 seasons. Carol and Jan run workshops out of her half acre property in Schomberg and each spring they offer training in carting for dogs of many breeds.
The Good Guys is completely run by volunteers who share their time, their travel, their equipment and their dogs free of charge to raise funds for local charities, usually child or canine oriented. At Shelburne, all the money raised from the rides will be donated to the Shepherd’s Cupboard Food Bank to purchase pet food which will be given to clients with a need. Carol says that feeding pets can be stressful when food is short on the table and sometimes people give their own food to pets even when they are in great need themselves.
The Good Guys have appeared at Superdog shows, on the Dina Petty Show, Breakfast TV and can also be seen demonstrating carting at the Toronto Sportsmens’ Show. “Training with dogs fosters a wonderful bond between the dog and owner,” says Carol, and “proper training also helps to integrate the dogs into the community.”
The Good Guys’ furry friends come in all sizes, and breeds with most of their dogs working as singles, but some in teams. The dogs only pull young children; some pull little carts, depending on the surface, others pull sleds of various sizes – depending on the dog. The group also brings dogs just to pet, gives carting demonstrations that introduce their training methods to guests, as well as showing off some of the fun things you can do with a trained carting dog.
Shelburne and area kids will have a great time meeting three Landseer Newfoundlanders named Mabel, Seamus and Lily; a Labradoodle and Goldendoodle named Timex and Casio; Luna a Bernese Mountain Dog and Sooki a Bernese -mix; a Rottweiler named Buck; Zenata a mix breed; and Gus and Gerald two black Newfoundlanders.
The charge for a dog sled ride is $2 and all funds will go to the Food Bank. So load your pockets with Toonies for your little riders, and enjoy Shelbrrr Fest packed with fun winter activities, as well as and a food and beverage booth. The event is taking place at Fiddle Park (south past No Frills) from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. on Monday, February 16th, Family Day. Admission to the winter carnival is free – donations accepted.

By Marni Walsh

Photo by The Good Guys
Sooki a Bernese Mountain Dog mix from The Good Guys will be giving sled rides in Shelburne on Monday, February 16th for Family Day activities at the first ever Shelbrrr Fest winter carnival. The fun filled family event will take place from 11am- 4pm at Fiddle Park with lots of activities and a food booth run by the Kin Clubs of Shelburne. Admission is free.