Snow dogs filmed for francophone TV show

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This article was published 29/01/2021 (2025 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the first flying pass by the cameras, it became quickly apparent that dogs don’t understand a director yelling “cut” in French. Or, in English, for that matter.

And that wasn’t the only time the dogs ignored a film crew’s directions, towing their humans on skis and kick sleds as they raced along the snow-covered ice of the La Salle River on Jan. 23.

“The biggest blooper occurred when Kodi decided to socialize with another dog mid-run. For the very first time, I flew off my sled, which was captured on film during the first take,” said Snow Motion Winter Dog Sports Club of Manitoba member Michele Petrak.

Petrak and a handful of club members demonstrated their dog sports at La Barriere Park for a crew from Les Productions Rivard, a Winnipeg-based TV production company.

The company has been filming episodes of Hors Québec, a series that profiles francophone communities across Canada, and which airs in French each Saturday on the TVA network.

This episode will feature people who love doing winter sports with their dogs. Along with Snow Motion’s skijorers and kick sledders, the episode will also include world champion musher Dave Hochman, and Marc-André and Samantha Belcourt of the Harness Adventures Mushing Company.

Under the direction of Vincent Poirier, Petrak and fellow club member Sophie Ethier spoke in French with show host Nadia Campbell about training their dogs, and ended the morning’s shoot by taking the host for a kick sled ride.

“I talked about my experiences with kick sledding,” Petrak said. “It has been nothing but positive for myself and my Siberian Husky, who loves to run. The bond between Kodi and I has developed, and he has come to trust me, and I trust him.”

Petrak, who has been with the club for three winters, said she enjoyed the experience of being filmed, although she was tired by the end of the three-hour shoot. “The filming crew wanted many takes of Kodi pulling the host and the only way he would run was if I called him and started running with him. It’s not so easy in heavy boots,” she said.

Ethier, who has been a club member for 20 years, has trained a friend’s Maremma Italian sheepdog to pull her on skis.

“I talked about the history of the club, the activities I’ve done, the number of dogs I’ve trained, how to train a dog, and why I enjoy the sport,” Ethier said after the filming was finished. “I started with kick sledding, then switched to skijoring. I have enjoyed the adrenaline rush and speed my past dog, Laska, gave me.”

Snow Motion co-co-ordinator Lorne Volk was on hand with his dog Sonsie, but didn’t speak on camera. Other Snow Motion club members were also filmed in action.

In a normal winter, Snow Motion offers lessons, weekly group get-togethers and out-of-town tours along with a race every second winter. The pandemic has put a lot on hold, Ethier said.

“It’s fun being outdoors. It’s great exercise and bonding with the dog. There’s the peace and quiet of gliding on the snow when out on the trail, and in the club’s activities and races, and socializing with club members, pre-COVID,” she said, adding her family is excited about seeing the episode when it’s shown on TV.

Les Productions Rivard has also filmed another episode about the community of Saint-Malo, the sport of fencing and the folks in the Boogie Wheels Club who love antique snowmobiles.

This is the second season for the series Hors Québec, which translates as “outside Quebec.” The film crew is made up of local professionals, who ensured pandemic precautions are followed.

For more information on the TV series, see horsquebec.ca

For more information on Snow Motion, see www.snowmotion.ca