Why We’re a No-Kill Kennel: Bearhill’s Approach to Euthanasia and End-of-Life Care At Bearhill, we have built our kennel around one foundational belief: the dogs who work with us deserve the same respect at the end of their lives as they do during their careers. This includes thoughtful and compassionate end-of-life care. It also includes…
The Painted Puppies: Why We Mark Our Pups with Nail Polish At Bearhill, every detail of how we raise our puppies serves a purpose — even the colourful markings some of you might have spotted on our youngest sled dogs. Today, I want to share the story behind what we affectionately call our “painted puppies.”…
Appetite First: Building Eager Eaters in Our Puppies At Bearhill, feeding our puppies is never just about filling bowls. It’s about building confident, reliable eaters — dogs that are excited for every meal and ready to refuel whenever and wherever it’s offered. Appetite Is the Goal In sled dogs, appetite is one of the most…
Why We Walk the Puppies: Building the Foundation for a Sled Dog’s Life At Bearhill, raising future sled dogs isn’t just about feeding, grooming, and housing them. It’s about preparing them for a life of adventure, teamwork, and focus. One of the most essential building blocks in that journey is our puppy walks — a…
Why are we Called Bearhill Husky? One of the questions we get asked a lot (usually by curious guests while sipping a hot drink after a tour) is: “Where does the name Bearhill come from?” It’s a good question and like many good things, there’s a bit of a story behind it. Bearhill Husky wasn’t…
Why the Dog Walker is One of the Best Tools in Our Kennel It may not be the first guess that comes to mind, but one of the most valuable and underrated tools in our kennel is the dog walker. We’ve had ours for a number of years now, and we can confidently say it’s…
Why I Refuse to Register My Dogs (For Now): A Protest Against Bureaucratic Blindness“My dogs are not ‘something else’. They are Alaskan Huskies, and they should be recognized as such.” There’s an ancient belief, found in myth, legend, and even the Bible: that to name and count a thing is to hold power over it.…
Are They Huskies? Understanding the Alaskan Husky A question we get asked all the time is: “Are they huskies?” We get why people ask. They come to the kennel, expecting to see the classic image of the Siberian husky with their thick coat, bright blue eyes, and that textbook wolf-like appearance. Then they see our…
Understanding the Yearly Veterinary Inspection Report: What it is and what it isn’t In recent times, there’s been a noticeable increase in public debate around the welfare of sled dogs, often driven by emotive arguments and a desire for transparency. While it’s commendable that people care deeply about animal welfare, it’s equally important to ground…
Self-Drive vs. Sit-Back-and-Relax: What’s the Difference in Our Dog Sled Tours? One of the questions we get asked all the time at Bearhill Husky is: “What’s the difference between the tours where you sit in the sled and the ones where you get to drive it yourself?” It’s a great question, and it’s not just…