Carting dogs bring out the ‘goodness’ at community events

March 25, 2014 · 0 Comments

Members of The Good Guys Dog Carting were at Caledon’s annual Snowfest recently. It’s reported to be the number one family attraction at this event.
Photo by Mark Pavilons

By Mark Pavilons
Our best friends bring out the best in all of us.
And youngsters are simply thrilled sitting in a cart or sleigh, being pulled by a beautiful and majestic dog.
When members of the Good Guys Carting Dogs show up in your community, the smiles are as long as the lines.
At the recent Caledon SnowFest, the Good Guys raised roughly $1,100 for charity on Family Day. According to event organizers, the Good Guys rank high as one of the favourite family attractions at the annual event.
“That was a lot of rides,” said Good Guys member Ross Hamilton.
And they do it out of love, for fun, and for some really good causes.
Hamilton said sometimes the charities are event-specific, and other times, the group supports the Lions Foundation Dog Guide program, which provides dogs for disabled Canadians. In the past, the club has also raised money for pet oxygen masks for the fire department.
“We’re out to have fun and raise money,” Hamilton noted.
They’re always on the lookout for new members with their best, four-legged friends.
The club holds training carting classes, starting in May in Schomberg.
In addition to being long-time draft trainers, the instructors are both draft judges for the Canadian Kennel Club as well as for various other draft testing groups.
Founded in 1987, the Good Guys Carting Dogs is a small group of dedicated dog owners who participate in “doggie disciplines” and support worthwhile community services by way of fundraising events. These fundraising events help to show that dogs with responsible owners can be contributing members of a community. The committed members donate their dogs, time, talents, travel expenses and equipment to make these successful events happen.
The Good Guys come in all sizes, all breeds and mixes of breeds. Some of the breeds participating in our events are Newfoundlands, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Leonbergers, Bouviers, Labrador Retrievers, Collies, Border Collies, Rottweilers, Akitas, Bulldogs, the list goes on and on.
They also do carting demonstrations that introduce their training methods as well as some of the fun things you can do with a trained carting dog. They typically charge $2 per ride and all funds go to the community service.
Participating dogs are properly trained have excellent temperaments and must be extremely well socialized.
For more, visit www.thegoodguyscartingdogs.ca or email info@thegoodguyscartingdogs.ca.