From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:
The Bon Soo Dog Pull contest was one of the more popular crowd-pleasing events of the Bon Soo Winter Carnival.
Hosted at Queen Elizabeth Park, some years the crowds would be lined up three and four deep with over 100 spectators watching the antics of their favourite furry friends. However, it wasn’t just about muscle and seeing who was the strongest: it was about watching the dogs giving it their all and having a blast in front of the cheering crowd. From the smallest terrier to the largest hound, the dogs had all the encouragement they needed to pull their hearts out, proving that hard work could be fun and rewarding as they competed to be the top dog.
Over the years, the contest has been sponsored by Sault Search and Rescue and Foremost Pet Foods, with trophies supplied by Labatt.
Dogs of all sizes competed in three different categories according to their weight: light (under 60 pounds), medium (61-84 pounds), and heavyweight (over 85 pounds). While many taking part in the competition were from Sault Ste. Marie, participants also travelled from all over the region: St. Joseph Island, Wawa, Hawk Junction, and even from Sault, Michigan, to name a few. All were looking for a chance to take home bags of dog food and awards showing off their triumphs.
Each dog was outfitted with a harness and attached to a sled that was then stacked with cinder blocks. They were given three minutes and three attempts to pull the loaded sled 25 feet down the line. Sometimes the blocks could be up to 10 times the dog’s own weight!
Huskies, shepherds, labs, and large mixed breeds were just some of the dogs that often dominated the heavyweight category. Brandy, a 112-pound Labrador mix owned by Derek Miller of Sault Ste. Marie pulled 533 pounds to win first place in the competition back in 1993, a title he had taken the previous year as well.
A memorable pull and record-breaker happened back in 1983 when Moose, a St. Bernard and Golden lab mix owned by George Aclaer of Wawa, shattered the previous year’s record with his astonishing 1700-pound pull!
It wasn’t always the heavyweights who showed the most strength. In 1991, Petie the pit bull, an experienced dog pull competitor in the medium category, owned by Avril Jin, pulled the most weight in the entire competition at 492 pounds. Even after suffering an attack from an intruder in his pen after the previous year’s competition, Petie came back stronger than ever and managed to secure a fantastic win.
The small dog category also showed some tough competitors. Rusty, a 56-pound spaniel owned by the Garson brothers of Leeburn, won the top spot in the lightweight class in 1993. Rusty managed to pull the sled loaded with 328 pounds, securing him the first-place trophy. This wasn’t the only year Rusty took first place. The previous year, despite being one of the smallest dogs in the competition, Rusty pulled an amazing 410 pounds!
Winston, a seven-pound Yorkshire terrier owned by Linda Snoes, may have been one of the smallest dogs to ever compete. In 1996, Winston tried his hardest, and he managed to move the heavy empty sled a single inch.
“At least he didn’t give up and sit down like some of those other dogs,” Snoes had said of her featherweight friend. “He kept trying. A little seven-pound dog moved it an inch. You’ve got to give him credit.” Winston’s determination proved he was no quitter.
Sometimes, despite the encouragement from the crowd and the enticement of treats, there were dogs that just wanted nothing to do with lugging a heavy sled for a slew of spectators. In 1981, Portia the Bassett hound did just that; no amount of prompting was going to convince her to tow the heavy sled. Portia was more interested in having her picture taken that day instead. Sometimes, it’s the weather that might affect a pup’s ability.
In 1995, Hager, a mixed breed purchased from a local shelter by Barb Thorne, refused to pull on the icy ground, despite taking second place the previous year in the medium weight category. “I train them with weights and by pulling sleds,” Thorne said of all her dogs. “It’s better if there’s more snow. The dogs are having a hard time getting a grip and pulling the load.”
Many dogs in the competition were no strangers to pulling. One such dog was Rudy, a 47-pound short-haired pointer owned by Dan Morin. Rudy was trained by pulling children around on a sled at his house. “He’s made to hunt but he does this better,” Morin said. Rudy pulled 200 pounds back in 1994 – though his love of pulling might also stem from the pepperoni sausage Morin used to entice Rudy across the finish line.
Overall, the Bon Soo Dog Pulls was a crowd favourite, drawing cheers and applause with every mighty pull. Spectators were captivated by the sheer strength and determination of the dogs, but it was the wagging tails and excited barks that truly stole the show.
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