Who let the dogs out?
When walking along the Welland Canal on a sunny day, you might run into a large pack led by local dog walker Beth Kvas.
Her new business venture, The Soulful Pack, offers pack walks, private walks, as well as adventure hikes for dogs.
“My favourite thing in the world is taking dogs out and letting them be dogs,” Kvas tells ThoroldToday. “Teaching them in a safe and social environment where they can just be dogs and feel good about their surroundings and really get a feel for what it's like to be a dog in a pack.”
Kvas has loved animals all her life.
“I've always had dogs growing up,” she says. “From a very young age, my mom worked at a vet clinic and then also at a pet store. So we had animals in and out all the time.”
After obtaining an animal care degree at Sheridan College, Kvas gained experience at a pet boarding facility.
Her favourite pastime is taking her three huskies for a hike, so turning it into her full-time job was a no-brainer for Kvas.
“I love hiking the Welland Canal with the dogs in a pack walk setting,” Kvas says. “It's nice by the water, the environment. I love doing the stretch that's passed Lock 7. There’s not as many people and I can really spend time with the dogs and just getting into a nice pack formation.”
Kvas says the most important aspect of her job is learning how to communicate with the dogs.
“Learning how they function in a pack and essentially learning how to speak dog based on mannerisms and body language,” she says. “You kind of get a feel for who likes what and then I will group my dogs based on energy level.”
There’s a lot of thought that goes into establishing a pack.
“You start off slow, where you get a couple of dogs who know the rules,” Kvas says. “And then it's pretty instinctual when the dogs kind of fit into that rhythm. It's like monkey see, monkey do. We get that good rhythm going and then they just fall into line.”
Pack walks can be a great exercise for dogs, according to Kvas.
“What I'm doing is giving them a job,” she says. “Getting them vibing together is such an amazing feeling. Once I get my pack going and they're in a good spot, we all just walk together and they have their job, they're heeled nicely behind and they're feeling each other's energy.”
And that's how the dogs can learn from each other.
“It can help improve problem behaviours,” Kvas says. “It’s setting a standard of what other dogs work like. They’ll kind of follow suit with the rest of the pack. And it's just a really good mental stimulation for them.”
After a long day of work, the dogs come home feeling fulfilled.
“They’ve gone for a good long walk, sniffed all the sniffs, they're feeling good,” says Kvas. “There’s nothing more beautiful to me than having a dog be a dog.”
