INUVIK
When it comes to dogs and their owners, there's an old joke about who walks whom. When it comes to skijoring, there isn't too much doubt about the question.

Kristen Callaghan and Farley couldn't wait to get back on the trails for some more exercise on March 15. The pair have been skijoring for about three years now. - Shawn Giilck/NNSL photo

The sport, which involves a dog or dogs hauling skiers on trails is actually an old one, and it's roots are difficult to pin down, but it's not particularly well known in Canada.

That's changing in the Inuvik region, though, since it wasn't difficult to track down some recreational users engaged in the outdoor pursuit.

Kristen Callaghan and her German short-haired pointer, Farley, are among the most visible practitioners of the snowy sport.

Callaghan, an avid recreational Nordic skier, took up the sport after realizing just how much exercise her excitable canine companion needed. She had heard of it before buying the pointer, but had never tried it.

She adapted a climbing harness to fit Farley, and took it from there.

She had to speak up to be heard over the clamouring howls of Farley, who had been on the trail for nearly an hour already but wanted more time running.

"He loves to pull and we love to have him pull us," she said with a wide smile. "Pointers love to pull, and are used a lot for skijoring. They're really, really lively.

"That's one of the reasons we got into skijoring but he needs so much exercise and it's really hard to get that for him. So giving him my body weight to pull helps tire him out a little bit."

Callaghan was quick to point out while it's a "lot of fun" to skijore with Farley, it wasn't all a free ride.

"Especially going up the hills," she said. "It's very speedy, and it's a lot of fun but balance and control are the key things. A certain part of the time I'm not skiing, just balancing. Other times, I'm helping to provide some power."

It's also given her a chance to see a lot of territory surrounding Inuvik. Callaghan regularly goes for runs with Farley on the ice road and the snowmobile trails in the delta, as well as spending time on the ski club trails.

In the summer, Callaghan and her husband switch over to having Farley pull them on their mountain bikes.

The general reaction when the duo are on the trail is outright interest - at least when "we're not barrelling by," she said.

There's a few people in town who are trying out the sport, Callaghan said, but you would be unlikely to see more than one of them at a time.

It was unusual to see her joined by Sheena Adams and Tinney for a run at the trails.

Adams has taken up the sport this season, her first in Inuvik as a full-time resident.

"I'm still learning and so is Tinnie," she said. "It's all about trusting each other.

"I wanted to go skiing and often I don't have a partner to go with, so I'd rather have a pet with me than be alone," she said. "So I thought that we had a harness at home and Tinnie would make a perfect companion, and she loves it."

Adams said she's improved from "beginner to advanced beginner."

"We're good on the flats and the uphills, but we have to work on the downhills. It's hard for her to get enough speed to stay ahead of me, so we're working on that. She's always eager to go but is a little slower on the way back."

Adams said she feels more confident skijoring with Tinnie providing some propulsion than she does skiing independently.

Either way, both dog owners were looking froward to spending more time on the trails.