Meet Dave Daley

I first met Dave Daley and his dogs when I moved to Churchill, Manitoba 5 years ago. After volunteering at his kennel for a while, I quickly learnt that his generosity as well as his care for both dogs and people are unparalleled.

Anyone that has met Dave would agree with me when I say he’s a man of the land and is extremely knowledgable when it comes to anything related to his home town Churchill, Manitoba and Dog Sledding in particular. Over the years he has provided me with a wealth of local knowledge and wisdom, which has helped me to find my place in this community and to grow as a person, therefore I think he’s someone you should definitely meet if you ever find your way here.

During this time when most people are unable to visit Churchill due to travel restrictions, I thought it would be a good idea to catch up with Dave, especially for those that haven’t had the chance to meet him yet or those that have met him and want to know a little more about the “Big Dog” Dave Daley.

So Dave, how did you first get into dog sledding and when did you first realize that you would spend the rest of your life with dogs?

I’ve always loved dogs, my grandfather had 2 Samoyed dogs when I was growing up and I used to try to hook them up to my sled, trying to copy the dog mushers in Churchill at the time! Naturally I was still interested in dog sledding as I got older and decided to start learning how to run dogs properly. I eventually got into racing and haven’t stopped travelling with my dogs to this day.

How was the dog sledding scene when you were growing up? Were there many people doing it at the time and how many people are doing it now?

There were lots of dog teams in Churchill growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s, now theres only a handful. I’d really like to see more young indigenous people on the back of a dog sled.

In Churchill, Did people always compete in races or is this a more recent thing?

I don’t believe there were well organized races in Churchill in the old days. I’m sure people raced for fun but certainly not to the standard we have now with vet checks and check points manned by the Canadian Rangers like the Hudson Bay Quest dog sled race.

I understand that you started the Hudson Bay Quest dog sled race. When did you start the race and what motivated you to start it? What was the race like in the early days compared to now?

Yes I started the Hudson Bay Quest in 2004. What motivated me was wanting to travel long distance with my dogs safely and what better way to do that than to organize a 200 mile race! The first 7 years we raced north to Nunavut. It was considered a very dangerous and challenging race but with climate change, the weather became too unpredictable. In 2010 I ran my dogs from Churchill all the way to the forks in down town Winnipeg, the Métis homeland! It was a pilgrimage for me and with my best friends I got to see this province from one end to the other on the back of my dog sled. It was a great adventure which was followed by the province because that run hadn’t been done since 1908. When I did that run that’s when I saw the trail from Churchill to Gilliam and it was a lot of fun so I switched the route to what it is today.

How many Hudson Bay Quests have you competed in since it began? 

I have been in every Hudson Bay Quest. I believe there have been 14 of them.

How do you prepare for a race and how important is it to maintain the health of your dogs?

I believe that the health of my dogs is the most important aspect of dog mushing. Most professional dog mushers don’t care about winning races, they’re just happy as long as their dogs are happy and healthy when they cross the finish line. We do a lot to maintain the health of our dogs. We feed them the best food we can afford, we do doggie yoga and massage before, during and after running so that we can check for injuries and prevent future injuries. Seeing as we’re in a remote community and don’t have a local vet available, we are always in contact with Jonas Watson in Winnipeg if we have any issues. He’s one of the Vets that works with us on the Hudson Bay Quest and if we need to send one of our dogs down to him we will. We also need to know every dogs abilities and govern the team to the lowest ability so we don’t have to run over or hurt any of our athletes. Preparing for a race is a year long exercise so training never stops!

Do you think you’ll retire from long distance racing any time soon? 

I truly think that I am approaching my retirement from racing , I will never be without my dogs and I am in the process of training some younger racers to take over! When I retire our kennel will still be involved in the Hudson Bay Quest.

What will you be doing with your time if you aren’t training for races?

I’ll be coaching my racers and taking care of my dogs! I will still continue with my dog sledding and dog carting tours as well as story telling and sharing my Métis culture and beliefs with our visitors.

What motivated you to start the tour company Wapusk Adventures and what can people expect on a tour at your dog yard?

As I got immersed into the dog sledding culture we needed to make some money to help pay for my expensive hobby. I started doing dog sled rides out of our store in town and it has grown into what it is today! We are an award winning indigenous tourism experience here in Churchill, where you can come see us and get to meet our amazing team of dogs and humans. You will learn about our Métis culture and philosophies as well as how we apply them to our kennel, so that we can maintain the physical and mental health of our dogs. You will also get to experience the world famous “Ididamile” dog sled ride through the Boreal Forest so that you can see our athletes in action!

What other tours can people do with Wapusk Adventures during their visit to Churchill?

In the winter time we offer dog sledding, aurora borealis and snow shoe tours. In the summer we offer dog carting tours and this summer of 2021 we will begin to offer guided town tours with our brand new e-bikes from Radpowerbikes.ca!

For more information about tours or accommodation options you can contact Wapusk Adventures directly at +1 (204) 675-2887 or email wapusk@mts.net