Located: 724048 RDE RD 40
Website: elevationdogs.ca
Email: info@elevationdogs.com
Phone: 780-832-0992
Facebook Page: Elevation Dogs
Elevation Dogs is a local, family-run, dog kennel in the Bezanson area. Aaron and Eva Peck are the kennel owners as well as their children Clancy and Sunny. The kennel is managed by Rhonda LaValley and the rest of the staff comes from different places in the world from online volunteer sites like Work Away or Help X. These volunteers are required to stay for 8 weeks or longer and they all live onsite. “We really enjoy learning about different cultures and places in the world. We have had volunteers from France, Austria, New Zealand, Germany, Italy, Britain and Australia,” says Rhonda.
The kennel has been in operation for around three and a half years. It began out of their garage on their rental property, but it moved onto their own land in 2015. By 2016, the kennel was moved into the current building but only had 6 kennels. Currently, there are 20 indoor kennels and 6 outdoor runs of different sizes as well as a larger run with a dugout. “We have big dreams and plans to expand even further in the future, adding large exercise play pens and an agility course,” says the kennel owners.
What does Elevation Dogs have to offer?
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Elevation Dogs offers dog boarding, dog daycare, dog grooming, a gear shop and more. They offer dugout swims, runs on bikes, and leashed walks to provide options for each personality of dog. There is a couch in the playroom as well as a TV to make things more home-like. For the anxious dogs, they have essential oil diffusers that are calming going all the time. Outside, they have outdoor playpens and play structures. In the summer, the kennel also adds kiddie pools and they hang tarps for some shade in the heat. Each Sunday, Kim Verge does professional grooming. She is a certified Master Pet Stylist, specializing in dog, cat, rabbit and guinea pig grooming. She took this through the Maser’s Academy of Fine Grooming in Washington State. On top of this, Eva is currently working on a year-long dog training course through ICS Canada.
“Every dog’s personality is different just like people and we strive to understand each one that stays with us and we take extensive notes, so we can make their experience here better each time they come.”
-Elevation Dogs
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After asking the kennel why they opened up in Bezanson, they explained:
“We decided to open in Bezanson as we loved the community and wanted to be in the country to raise our family, start our business and farm. Aaron works within the community and was training sled dogs among the Kleskun Hills and when this property came available it seemed to him like a good place to put down some roots. Eva saw an opportunity to offer something within the Grande Prairie area which was not being done. There are many boarding kennels in the area, but she found that none of them were offering what we do in terms of socialization, training and extra activities as well as the opportunities for sled dog tours and sled dog education.”
-Elevation Dogs
Aaron and Eva Peck
Aaron grew up on a farm in Ontario where he always had a love for dogs. After watching Susan Butcher win the Iditarod on TV, he fell in love with sled dogs and decided this was something he wanted to do. This started his sled dog career and in fall 1999, he became a dog handler for Martin Buser, who was a 4-time Iditarod winner, in Alaska. He took Martin’s puppy team and ran in “The Last Great Race” in 1999 which continued to expand his passion. Since then, he has ran the Iditarod 3 times and competed in many races where he was very successful. He has won the 2013 Pedigree Stag Stop Race and the 2017 Canadian Challenge Dog Sled Race. The family will be headed up to Alaska again this February to race in the Iditarod again. We wish Aaron good-luck in the upcoming race!
Aaron’s love for dogs began with his sled dog team where he was able to learn and understand each dog’s personality and feelings. Eva also grew up loving dogs. She grew up on a farm in Switzerland where she had horses, cats and dogs. All of the work put into working with, massaging, taking care of bodies, playing with them and feeding the dog really creates a bond and a very strong connection with the dogs.
Aaron currently has a full-time job working at the Kleskun Hills Bison Ranch. Eva on the other hand, runs the kennel and raises their children. Their two beautiful children are Clancy who is 3.5 years old, and Sunny who is 1.5 years old. On top of this, they take care of the sled dogs, cattle and horses. Other than family and animals, they enjoy camping, hiking and being in the mountains. Eva is also an avid skier and equestrian and Aaron loves running and has participated in Emperor’s Challenge.
Elevation Dogs is a great place for your dogs, whether it comes to grooming, boarding and more. Check them out at elevationdogs.ca for more info. You can also email at info.elevationdogs.com or give them a call at 780-832-0992.
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“At Elevation dogs we want the very best for all our guests. It is why we research everything we use, down to our cleaning products. You can be guaranteed that if we are putting our stamp of approval on something we have gone the distance to make sure its the best product we can offer. All the things we sell in our gear shop are top quality and have been tried and tested on the sled dogs and/or pet dogs.”
-Elevation Dogs
Written by Ally Pilgrim